Where should we shop? Web? Local? Big chains?

At Emigration Market, which will close next week after nearly 60 years in business, some of the patrons were practically in tears on Tuesday when I visited to get reaction. But while most of those I interviewed in the neighborhood said they thought losing the market would be a shame, there were others who shrugged and noted that the store charges more than many grocery stores, especially the really big chains.

"Frankly," said one man, who was out walking his dog, "I can't afford it. In this economy, I go to Walmart and I'm still barely hanging on."

I guess it comes down to what you value — and your situation at a given minute.

I get that. At my house, we're dealing with a serious medical problem and I'm pinching pennies hard enough these days to hear their discomfort as they come out of my purse.

I also get this: Many of the economic decisions we make today will follow us into the future. And it's not a no-harm, no-foul world.

I pay many bills online because it's convenient, super-fast and saves me the cost of postage. But there are things I cannot do online, and I don't want the Postal Service to go away. Besides being a major employer, it's a good value, something I know even as I bemoan increases in postage prices. I don't want the U.S. mail and its ability to reach everywhere to go away. So while I'm not a fan of junk mail, I am hesitant to get on leave-me-alone lists because junk mail helps pay the mailman on his path straight to my door.

I love the discounts I can get by buying books online, but I also love the look and feel of the little independent bookstore. And I am increasingly conscious of the challenges it faces trying to compete with an Amazon.com or even just a large chain. What I have not yet figured out is my part in helping both exist.

For that matter, what happens to those bookstores if everyone goes to a handheld electronic book reader? And what about my passion for writing in the margins and shoving scraps of paper with tiny notes on them between the pages? Or displaying books in the hopes I'll look well-read. Yeah, it's shallow — and I'm struggling to figure out how I'll show off my collection with an electronic device.

The point is, so much of this tech-rich world involves a trade-off, if you take the time to think about it. What does e-mail mean to you, compared to receiving a handwritten letter? And does it matter? Or will it just be a story to tell the grandkids about when we had to use paper and pen to write to each other back in the day, if you can imagine.