Death of the Newsstand
Photo by Christopher Rodriguez
In a world where gladiators come in varying colors instead of metal armor, where plaid is the new tweed and maxis have trounced the lasting mini, why has the old lost its battle against the new when it comes to the once undying newsstand?
The next time you’re walking along a busy city street or through the bowels of your city’s metro station, take a look at your local newsstand. Once dominated by the tabloids and broadsheets of dailies and weeklies and the glossy pages of your monthlies and quarterlies—the newsstand now houses hanging bags of fried snacks, neatly layered shelves of candy bars and display refrigerators packed with cold drinks. If you’re lucky enough and heading back from a sports game, you may even find your teams paraphernalia at worm’s-eye view.
The newsstand is at risk of becoming an ephemeral convenience—an outdated post for friendly chatter of the day’s events and a tentative stop during our daily commute. Its more common uses include purchasing a pack of gum to gather enough change for a bus fare or satiating hunger pangs with sweet or salty munchies.
How much longer do we have until we can no longer stop by a newsstand to pick up a copy of our usual read before heading off to our respective destinations and who’s at fault for its seemingly inevitable death?
Rishma Lucknauth 
i love you.