Has anyone noticed a trend of empty shops?

Along two major shopping strips (Parramatta Rd, Oxford St) I see lots of empty shops.

I saw a similar thing before the GFC crash.

The stock market is no higher today than a year ago, and had a big dip in-between (double top, means likely downward trend).
http://stockcharts.com/school/doku.php?id=chart_school:chart_analysis:chart_patterns:double_top_reversal

With no wage growth shoppers can no longer afford the middle man. Online shopping is going from strength to strength and far cheaper.

I had a run in with a commodity I was looking for. I needed a new solar hot water regulator so I got prices over the shelf, it was 365 $
I had a look for the same thing on line, it was 60 $ with free postage from China.

Quite a few out around here. We're only an hour 15 minutes or so from the big smoke, so many drive into town for larger purchases, for the greater range offered.

My lady is a thoroughly modern lady, who lives by her smart phone. She tried internet grocery shopping. However with 3 items substituted, & the kilo of vacuum packed coffee blown in the first order, there will not be another.

China or Hong Kong is a bit pig in a poke, & often not much cheaper. I bought a few hobby tools I had not found in Oz from HK. The 6Th order took 2 months, the 8 took 3 months to get here. That was the last.

I do keep in mind, that my grand kids will be looking for jobs in a few years, & not everyone can be a bureaucrat, pretending to work for the taxpayer. Do to much online from overseas, & there will be a lot more empty shops, & a lot less jobs.

Westfield and other large
Shopping Centers are thriving in Melbourne. New and
Extension projects are on the cards and even if some
shops do close down (due to the high rents being
asked) new ones immediately jump in and take their place.
We're really spoilt for choice here. Also - so many sales
on at the moment. Can't complain.

Not only Amazon, alibarba is in also. So what eBay has been here for years.