Has nothing to do with whether it's art or a shrink-wrapped product, different people value different things. As an example, a vehicle may be an engineering wonder or a work of art to one person and a "silly mass-produced hunk of steel" to another.
And yes, I am romanticizing in-person experiences and interactions over the insistence that more and more things in life are best experienced through a phone or computer.
Isn't it wild that traditional bricks and mortar retail is now considered - not just "dystopian" - but "wildly dystopian" and perusing Amazon while on the toilet is now considered not dystopian? How times have changed!
I have never "established a friendship" while shopping, at least not that I can recall. But I have gone to a store with a friend as a social activity to browse for goods together. Pretty common experience from what I have seen.
And yes, I am romanticizing in-person experiences and interactions over the insistence that more and more things in life are best experienced through a phone or computer.