Nail on the head re lack of easy local shops. The taking over of the High Street by the chain stores in the 80s/90s along with big supermarkets, out of town retail parks (dominated by big chains), and the big supermarkets branching out into all other areas alongside food is what caused the vast majority of small independent shops out of business. It was happening long before the internet!
All Amazon have done is challenged the big chains which is why we now have big shed DIY stores closing down (and other big shed stores too like Argos who themselves were responsible for the demise of lots of smaller businesses). We used to have loads of small hardware stores in our town. Now we have none other than a stall on the 3 day per week market! Firstly we had 4 or 5 big shed DIY stores (Do It All, B&Q, Wickes, Homesbase and Focus if I remember rightly - names changed over time). Now we only have B&Q as all the others have closed. We used to have lots of small garages - then came along a huge Halfords, now that's closed too.
It's evolution in retail.
But that has meant there is literally no where local to buy a wide range of things. You're basically stuck with Tesco, Morrisons, Next, Asda, Matalan, Pets At Home (who of course caused lots of small pet shops to close), Carpetright (likewise small carpet shops) in the retail parks alongside a run down town centre full of charity shops, money laundering places, and general low life disruption, along with a couple of chain store opticians and betting shops!
I'd love to know where people would expect me to go for anything beyond what the chain stores bother to stock.
It really must be nice for the people who live in places that still have a vibrant High Street. I travel a bit around the UK and in places like Yorkshire Dales/Yorkshire Moors there are still big villages/small towns that still have a proper High Street with real bakers, greengrocers, usually a few small clothes shops, usually a couple of really good hardware stores. The reason is that they're too small for the retail parks, out of town shed stores, etc., so there's still a local demand for local/independent businesses who can actually survive without the competition of the huge chain stores. They're generally lovely friendly places where you can buy virtually anything. They also usually have plentiful cheap/free parking and no ridiculous car hating traffic systems! That's exactly what we lost when supermarkets and big shed stores took over in the 80s and 90s.
As I say, it started happening long before the internet and you really can't blame Amazon for it because they're taking business from big chains (usually owned by billionaire hedge funds and venture capital), as the small independent shops had mostly gone long before Amazon was a twinkle in his eye!
All aided and abbetted by moronic local councils and their war on motorists by introducing pedestrianised areas, one way systems, traffic calming, unnecessary traffic lights, bus gates, bus lanes, expensive/restrictive car parks, all of which cause congestion and misery which forces drivers to the out of town retail parks and supermarkets! Then they wonder why town centres are dying and the increase in anti social activity in town centres, which you barely ever see in out of town retail parks and supermarkets!