M I SPY
A Virtual Visit to Minneapolis MI Stores, Part 1
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Psst, ladies and gents: I’m writing this report from the MI Spy Cave, where I am in quarantine like many of you. Internet access is not great here, but I have my TV and my collection of spy flicks, including ever ything from Bourne to Bond and the full “Spy Kids” franchise. Plus, I can always play my beloved musical instruments. Music is something you can always turn to, even during pandemics, economic recessions and any other bad situations we may face. Before the pandemic threw a wrench into everyone’s plans, I’d been scheduled for a mission to Minneapolis, and I was darned excited to visit; but that trip has been scratched for the time being. So, I asked The Chief if it would be OK to plan a virtual visit to the MI stores in Minneapolis instead, and I got the goahead. Believe me, people: I do want to visit these stores in person one day soon! But until then, here are some of my findings from the digital realm. What a long, strange trip it’s been lately, especially when it comes to shopping. Fortunately, we can still go online and flex our purchasing power. But for those of us who love to visit music stores and enjoy checking out the deals and the quirks at each store, the experience is… different. (What else can I say?) So for this report, I perused the online presences of nine MI stores based in Minneapolis and analyzed them for a variety of things. In general, how interesting and inviting is each website, especially upon the initial look? How easy is it to navigate the site? How deep is the inventory? How is the website beneficial for both those who will go to the store in person and those looking at it from afar? How are the prices? Does the store seem to be a part of the greater community in the city or region? Certainly, I couldn’t carry on casual conversations with store workers and customers, and I couldn’t nose around the displays, as usual. But this type of distance shopping has its interesting aspects. And while nothing is quite like walking into a musical instrument shop (even if you are undercover, like moi), checking out stores via the internet has its pleasures, too. So, this report is going to be much different this time, but these are the days we live in. JUNE 2020
