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Now I read in Fortune mag that Staples is closing a whole bunch of stores. And there was Sears and Kohls and others that are shutting down stores. It sounds like something in the wind that doesn't look very good. Some of those stores are the main attractions to shopping centers. Are we heading into something that no one is talking about?
Totally depends on location. Some areas have multiple stores.
Kohl's and Staples are doing very well I live, but they only have a handful of stores. They didn't oversaturated our market.
Sears and KMart have been hanging on by a thread for years. How they haven't bankrupted yet I don't know. Sears and KMart are also stores that oversaturated many markets. Why does an area of 800,000 people spread out over 4 large counties need 8 Sears stores? They don't.
Tying up cc charges in clothing which may or may not fit. Purchasing different marks and retaining only those which in vivo are as expected. Repackaging and send back those which do not make the cut. Not knowing if any or all will have to be returned. A long drawn out process and wasteful of other peoples time vs. Visiting the store and selecting pieces of interest, trying them on in the privacy of a fitting room and etc.etc. A more streamlined process and accomplished in the same day.
Do not know if you are female although your sig suggests. but my wife loves clothing and will try on different types before selecting a few.(Forever 21 and Black and White shopper+ Nordstrom) A genuine shopping expedition. Me a guy, I go, I fit, I purchase although have seen discrepancies in cuts between different lots among the same manufacture hence the beauty of immediate exchange.
No repackaging or rehanging of clothing needed in the store as there is staff. Easy returns as well.
You know the wheel is also an ancient device. Still used. Because something is new and trendy does not mean it is the best.
You're making this far more complicated than it really is. Many companies include a return label in your package. All you have to do is put the items back in the box or bag they were shipped in.
Fitting rooms are not private nor are they anything like one's home. There have been numerous people arrested all over the country for putting cameras in ladies fitting rooms. Places you wouldn't think of have had this happen. No thanks! I NEVER try clothes on in a store. They ALWAYS come home with me and then I have to go back and return them. Definitely not faster or easier than online shopping.
If you are rural then it is a drive. Five minutes in my city. Then there is something called a mall which has plenty of stores.
You are wasting time and now grasping at straws.
The closest mall to me is 45 minutes away. It's a beautiful mall. Problem is that you can end up spending all day there! It's HUGE. It's not a mall filled with stores like Sears either. Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Apple, Buckle, Starbucks, Van Maur, Bonefish Grill, LL Bean, Michael Kors, Coach, etc. There's a reason this mall is so successful when malls across the country are losing or virtually empty. I'd rather not spend 3 hours walking through the thing to get to the one store I want, see if they have what I'm looking for, find out they don't have it, drive back and forth.....no thanks!
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Originally Posted by ColoGuy
Amazon just started charging sales tax....at least in Colorado. That will make retail more competitive.
Nah. It won't. They've been charging sales tax in New York for years and every year more and more sales are through Amazon. It did not cause people in New York to go back to shopping in stores. Sales Tax does not make retail stores more competitive. Most things on Amazon are cheaper than in a store. And you know prior to ordering if the item is in stock or not.
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Originally Posted by GotHereQuickAsICould
People are talking about it.
Sears and Macy's were two anchor stores in our local mall. Both closed. Kmart shut down a bunch of stores not long ago. Is Border's still around anywhere? Circuit City is supposedly coming back in a new format of some sort.
I was at Barnes & Nobles a few weeks ago. How do they stay open? Huge building and one guy in line to buy a magazine. Big chunk of the store devoted to CDs and DVDs. No one wandering through that section. Strange.
Independent bookstores are making a comeback, or so I've heard.
Border's went bankrupt years ago! All the stores closed in their bankruptcy. The website was also shut down.
These folks trying to bring Circuit City back from the dead are nuts! They think they'll have 5000-10000 stores? Oh please! How many USB cables and printers do they think people really need?
I live in an area with lots of small towns. We actually have a handful of locally owned bookstores. Some are mixed with gifts or office supplies. Lots of regional books and the latest best sellers. They're not filled like a Barnes & Noble.
I think B&N's days are numbered. I can't see how they afford those MASSIVE stores and they're virtually empty. How many books and magazines do people really buy nowadays? So many people have smart phones, iPads, tablets, etc. They're all electronic and cost less.....and you never need to leave your house!
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Originally Posted by KerrTown
Don't forget about foregone rents by the landlords who own the shopping centers, the reduction of property tax values increasingly shifting the tax burden to the homeowner, the aesthetics of a neighborhood full of closed storefronts eventually rotting away, etc. The indirect impacts are huge if brick-and-mortar retail collapses and is replaced by warehouses and sorting facilities for UPS and FedEx. There will be lots of real estate available that is of no use!
Households cut expenses (e.g. "cutting-the-cord" by moving to broadcast TV, cancel the cell phone bill and just have a landline, cancel Netflix, etc...anything but the basic utilities and the credit card debt) eventually leading to some industries becoming extinct and creating more job losses.
Eventually nobody will be able to afford to operate a car and public transportation will be the primary transport method. Public transportation will be extended to the suburbs and other parts of the metropolis that don't have it or introduce more frequent service/bus or train lines. The auto mechanic is in the dustbin of history with the buggy-whip maker.
We have a plaza that is empty except for a military recruiter and a Big Lots. It's a huge plaza from the 50's. The rent they are demanding is INSANE! The place is EMPTY! This is a small town where you can rent a store front in our downtown for $400-$700 a month for up to 1,000 square feet in a historic building. That plaza will not subdivide. The rent starts at $1800+ a month for 1,300 square feet. That doesn't include the common area fees either. That was another $275-300 a month. Gee, why is the place not rented? Our downtown is almost full! All the other plazas in the area are full.
Cutting household expenses doesn't work the way you suggest. A landline here costs more than a cell phone. Broadcast tv? Yeah that doesn't work everywhere. Netflix is 9 bucks a month. Far less than cable or satellite.
Public transportation won't be coming to suburbs or rural areas. It's too expensive! It's HEAVILY subsidized in almost every city in the nation. Amtrak is NOT self funded....far from it. Airports are not self funded either. If finances really are as you claim, what municipality would have the funds to extend public transportation? They don't have it now!
The internet and poor quality of goods . Walmart changed the business model. Race to the bottom .
this is spot on correct. In many places, those brick and mortar retail jobs are all that is left, besides fast food. what happens if they all keep dwinding away? Wal Mart quickly becomes a nationalized, yet profitable only to shareholders, commissary.
I don't always enjoy shopping at big box stores. Here in Colorado, Sports Authority recently announced the closure of several stores (and others throughout the country). The Barnes and Noble downtown Denver closed in 2015 (the space is now used by a Japanese clothing company I believe). Just the feeling of stores carrying everything seems like that they're trying to appeal to everybody.
I rarely shop at big stores, except the occasional run to Target. With B&N however, I do enjoy going in there on my 30 minute break from working at a restaurant. The other day I drove by a Kmart and was surprised it was still open (and the company). I do feel like there are more Kohls and Best Buy's than needed...
With a lot of these stores, I can often find their product for less on Amazon.
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