4532 - Steffl


Steffl is a department store in Vienna, and not just any department store. It is named after the nick name of Vienna’s cathedral, it is positioned in one of the most prominent and expensive parts of the city and it is kind of a symbol. Think “Harrod’s”, only smaller 😃

Of course it had better days, like all department stores. We see a massive change in consumer behavior, and the reasons are completely obvious. The total number of products on sale gets bigger all the time, and even the most desirable products are not made “here” any more, for any “here” but China.

It’s the age of the dying giants. It’s the age of the Internet. Try to get something only slightly exotic locally, and in most cases you’ll gladly return to Amazon. It’s not that I don’t try ever again, but the result is almost always depressing: “No, we don’t have it, but we can order it for you!”. Yeah, so can I 😒


There are 2 comments

John   (2019-03-17)

I like the photo and the tilt angle, but i am struck by how most signs appear to be in English. What is this world coming to?

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andreas   (2019-03-19)

Not unusual for an Empire’s vassals :D

Well, I think it goes deeper. Mostly to blame is the Internet. English is the dominant language on the net. Add the dominance of Hollywood and the decline of European movies, and you quickly see where the journey goes.

Some people regret the loss of “identity” and of “national culture”. I don’t. I write my blog in English, I mostly read English books and hear English music. It’s fine. Nationalism only leads to war. It’s time we start concentrating on global problems. If it happens in English, it’s just as well.

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