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Sad to see the old major retailers go. Going, JCP. Going, Sears. Gone, Montgomery Ward. Cause of death, online shopping.
It's more than that. We had a Monkey Wards in OC. Probably the most pitiful shopping experience I had. Same at Sears. Employees just didn't give a crap. You walk in and you either can't find anyone or it's not my department I'll get someone and they scurry off.
Most large box store Brick and mortar and malls are slowly going to disappear
Sad to see the old major retailers go. Going, JCP. Going, Sears. Gone, Montgomery Ward. Cause of death, online shopping.
I hope they retain their online presence. JC Penney is one of the very retailers that provides clothing in my size at reasonable prices. There are only one or two other online providers AT ALL, and they jack the prices sky-high because they know we have few options. There are zero brick and mortar stores for tall women, but JCP always had things available online.
Pennys distribution center is closing here in Lakeland. If the store at the one mall in town closes. Then they may as well close the mall. So far just this year the mall has lost Sports Authority, Macy's and I think the Sears is closing later this year. If Pennys closes we would only have one anchor store left Dillard's. I don't think the Mall could survive at that point.
We have 2 JC Penney's in my area. One is in what the locals refer to as the "ghetto mall". However it is the only indoor mall in our area. They refurbish once in a while but the Sears in that mall always smells like mold & mildew.
The other JCP is in one of the new outdoor malls and seems to be doing very well. I can't imagine they will close that one - it is crazy busy on the weekends.
I like JC Penneys children's clothes. I always find something that fits my child and is conservative. Kohls is a good place to shop, too. I hate Target and Walmart quality.
I think the retailers that will survive will be the small high end botique type shops, Walmart, and some of the grocery chains. Walmart has invested heavily into the online sector and practically all the grocery chains offer online shopping and delivery. The Sears and JC Penny's of the world operate on an outdated model which is clearly failing.
Stores such as Walmart, Target, wholesale clubs like Costco, Sams and BJ's and online shopping have nibbled upwards at the middle market. It's as simple as that. We have both a Sears (in White Plains) and JC Penney (in the Coop City shopping center in the Bronx) available to us. But the occasions when we need to go there have been drastically reduced by Costco (White Plains, New Rochelle and Yonkers) and Target (White Plains) as well as online on the computer I'm typing on now. New Rochelle's Costco, in particular, in two or three I-95 exits from Penney's.
Interesting. I actually just went shopping a few days ago at JCP - for the first time in probably two years or more. I was looking specifically for towels that did not snag and had looked EVERYWHERE, even ordering samples from Lands End online. No luck.
Till I found the towels at JCP - Royal Velvet towels. And I found rugs. AND I found valances. I couldn't believe it!
However, their inventory was so low that I ended up going online and ordering more items - I bought all they had in the store, which honestly wasn't that much - just a few towels and three valances (I needed more of both). So even though I shopped there, I ended up supplementing my purchases on line, which I found to be ironic.
I'll give JCP this much credit - I've usually been able to find house goods like curtains, sheets, pillows, etc there that are good quality. MUCH better quality than WalMart or Bed Bath and Beyond. The store here has always had an excellent home linens department. The local store was also recently remodeled and it looks really good. Maybe they'll keep it open.
What I find greatly lacking at JCP is their clothing and shoe departments. YUCK. I don't even know who they are catering to but it certainly has never been me. That being said, here they actually do have a good winter wear department as well as kitchen supplies, and like I said, household linens.
I am a big online shopper but if I find an item I like in a store, I buy it in that store - I don't leave there and then shop online. I just feel ethically smarmy doing that. And there are items I just feel better buying in person than online. Linens and rugs and household appliances (large ones like washers and dryers and hot water heaters, that sort of thing), fresh produce and meats, and most clothing and most shoes are just a few examples I can think of that I'd rather buy in a store.
But small appliances, most electronic equipment, some packaged food items, books, etc - I prefer buying them online.
Online sites do play a big part, especially the likes of Ebay where bargains can be found.
Another good thing about online is that you can visit comparison websites and find the best bargains and/or find the best reviews for quality items.
Department stores have additional burdens such as business rates, rents, leases, insurance and of course staff salaries.Then there's all the hassle of driving there, finding a parking space (usually at an additional cost); and lugging all your shopping two or three hundred meters back to your car
Its no difference to what is happening to High Street banks: before online banking came along there were banks on almost every street corner; but nowadays banks are downsizing, retaining branches only in central areas while their customers opt for the convenience of online banking.
Am not saying online shopping is the principle cause for shop closures, but it certainly acts as a "convenience" factor
I love eBay. I can buy almost everything I need on eBay, at the lowest prices, or very close to it. The Buy It Now option with PayPal is by far the fastest and easiest way to make online purchases, that I have ever seen. If I want to try and bargain for an even lower price, I can bid for it in an auction. eBay's prices easily beat or match Amazon. They don't beat Walhell, but they are close enough. It's worth it, not to have to deal with Walhell. I can even buy $1 and $2 items shipped free directly from China. So I don't even need to shop at a Dollar Store.
I also feel like I'm supporting small business, when I shop on eBay. A lot of the items are shipped directly from people's homes.
The only downside is having to wait for the item to arrive. But the convenience, more than makes up for that.
The only thing that surprises me about this news, is that it hasn't happened sooner. Why even one department store or mall still exists is beyond me.
Where do you buy online the kind of sturdy, high-quality appliances Sears sells, though? Who's going to replace that department? There's no place else in my town to buy a good vacuum cleaner, for example. The specialized stores that only sell vacuums sell cheap cr@p. There was one that sold mainly European ones, Mieles, (at close to $1000 each), but it closed.
There is nothing that Sears sells, that you can't buy online. Online, you have every single retailer in the world, to choose from. If the appliances you are looking for exist, you can buy them online, and for the lowest possible price.
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