Progress?

I moved a while back, and I was back in my old neighborhood and I noticed that a local hardware store had closed. The place had been open for decades and had become my go-to spot to find the obscure nut/bolt/whatever I needed to replace/fix something that needed attention. The prices were higher, but it was worth it to walk in knowing that in five minutes I'd be walking back out with exactly what I needed vs. searching through the various franchised hardware chain stores hoping to find an employee who could point me to the right aisle only to discover that they didn't carry the obscure diameter/length/fitting a half hour later.

I love the convenience of online shopping, etc. but I lament that something of value is being lost, and when the last local hardware store closes it'll be gone forever.