Best Buy Company Inc «Instant ◎»

The morning rush was usually light, populated by people who needed something immediately for work or those who preferred to shop when the aisles were empty. Arthur's first customer of the day was an elderly woman named Evelyn. She walked with a silver cane and looked incredibly overwhelmed as she stood in the center of the laptop aisle.

Thank you, Arthur, she said, her eyes shining with genuine relief. You made a very scary thing feel very simple.

I need a computer, Evelyn said, her voice small. My grandson is going to college across the country, and he says we have to use something called video calling to see each other. I don't know the first thing about any of this.

Many people had predicted the death of stores like this. They called it showrooming—the practice of examining merchandise in a traditional brick-and-mortar retail store without buying it, and then shopping online to find a lower price. Arthur had watched his colleagues worry, and he had seen the company pivot, adapt, and fight for its life. They had matched prices, turned their floor space into boutiques for massive tech giants, and focused heavily on service. They didn't just sell the box anymore; they sold the solution.