While traveling, I was looking for some over-the-counter medication that I occasionally use. It lead me down one of those rabbit holes you can go down with the Internet.
Whether is a loaf of bread, a pair of shoes or the aforementioned over-the-counter medication I was looking for, I’m always amazed at the quantity in terms of both location and maker of products you can purchase here in the United States. Within 2 miles of my current location, there are at least two pharmacies and a full scale supermarket. The over-the-counter medication I was looking for is available at all of them. But that is not what sent me down the rabbit hole today.
All three of these stores sold electronics of some form. What was I guess striking was between the three of those stores, I could purchase at least 15 different pairs of headphones from at least six different manufacturers.
This eventually led me to part of the U.S. Census Bureaus’ website where you can get reports on overall retail sales.
I recognize this isn’t overly profound, but it is just amazing to me how much stuff is sold overall and all of the locations where you can buy it. It makes me wonder when consumption became such a mainstay of our economic activity.
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