It “harkens back to the more traditional approach of selling luxury goods, where a shopper trusts an expert to help select items. Still, that is not without risk at a time shoppers have ample tools at their disposal to figure out what trends are hot and appealing and are more likely to trust Instragram influencers than a store employee.” Nordstrom is testing out a new store format: Customers will find coffee, beer, stylists, and fashion experts. But not much merchandise. Is this the future of offline retail, or just another example of how desperate the situation has become?