A while back I was describing the idea of video rental stores to my kid and she was absolutely enthralled by the idea that you walk around a story to see pictures of all the movies, and at the end there was candy and popcorn. This is not the best example, but it's an interesting example of how efficiency, though good, often costs nice tactile things.
It's kind of funny. You know that thing where you can't meet with someone just for friendship - you have to be eating something or making something or whatever. I feel like third places have a similar problem. You can't just have a third place because people like third places. It has to be a market or an entertainment experience.
Part of what happens when stores turn into online services is you lose physical spaces dedicated to SOMETHING, and which have their own aesthetics. Like a stationery shop is a whole universe dedicated to the art of sending cards and letters. A hardware store is dedicated to fixing things. A movie shop is dedicated to film. They're like little churches, but we lose them because online shopping is easier.
Counterpoint: hardware stores, bookstores, stationary supply stores still survive. Ergo there was something inherently wrong with BlackBuster and the like. Too much merchandising I'd say.
Wonder if we could have a place in which to borrow books, movies and the like, for free, and hang out. That would be the ball.
Without a physical store you greatly reduce serendipity and discovery. Online you're looking for a particular thing. Maybe the search engine or the online retailer suggests something you didn't know about but more often then not you're just being shown what makes the most money for the retailer when it's not your search item.
In the physical world your shown a curated or a haphazard set of things. The only noise is seductive merchandising that's easy to ignore.
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