How does the Valley support so much retail?

[Colt AZ]

Originally Posted by PhxBarb

Well when its 110 degrees out and you are sick of being in the house, what else is there to do??? Ha !

True!

Cabin fever doesn't only happen in areas where wind chill temps are at -20 outside!

[WriterDude]

Originally Posted by Colt Cassidy

Cabin fever doesn't only happen in areas where wind chill temps are at -20 outside!

Great, thanks. Now I'm surfing online stores for portable cabins...

It's not an obsession, but I'm no quitter.

[Bruce Jackpot]

Originally Posted by stevek64

"Retail shame syndrome".....is there a med for that?

I think as several others have stated, this is a large metro area and the market supports what you see....until it doesn't anymore. Drive around Southern California and you'll see the same thing. And given I think some would consider CA to be more regulated/require more hoops for businesses to jump through than a state like AZ, retail still exists in mass in CA regardless so I think your point of "good business climate" doesn't really mean much in the end.

Supply and Demand 101 in action.

You sir just coined a new term . I'm sure some are truly ashamed that we have 62 Walmarts in Maricopa county. I just looked that up on their site... WOW! That's not counting one listed in San Tan Valley. Unreal. Guarantee you SoCal has no-where near that amount when measured by population. On every level, we have tons of "stuff". Restaurants, restaurants, and more restaurants... chains galore and plenty of local ones too. And in a dying mall industry, Scottsdale Fashion Square is booming. I was there on Mother's Day... looked down on the food court area... place is a city unto itself.

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

I have to agree with Bruce Jackpot.

There are different trends here than in other areas of the country. Overall, there is a ton of retail here. One thing that pops up in my brain are the saturation of nail/beauty locations here. Go to Iowa, SD, Wisconsin, MN, etc. There are a fraction of nail salons. On the other hand, I don't see many coffee shops and pretty much only Starbucks. In the Midwest they are littered all over the place.

North Dakota has the most bars per capita in the United States. There’s one bar for every 1,620 North Dakotans. It beats out Montana and also puts North Dakota well above Minnesota, which ranks 17th. Wisconsin comes in third with 3,043 bars for the 5.7 million that live in the state. That translates to one bar for every 1,877 Wisconsinite. Parts of Utah have one bar every 70,000 people. Read More: Minnesota and Wisconsin Rank Among Highest in Country for Bars Per Capita | Minnesota and Wisconsin Rank Among Highest in Country for Bars Per Capita

Another trend I noticed is the saturation of grocery stores in the Phoenix metro area. There seems to be a grocery store one every 2-4 miles apart. There are 3 Fry's stores just in Surprise. 2 Walmart's (and 1 Neighborhood Market), 3 Safeway's, 1 Sam's, 2 Albertson's, 1 Bashes, 1 Sprouts, 1 Super Target, and a Trader Joe's. I'm sure I am forgetting a couple. That's 16 major grocery markets for 125,000 people.

I'm sure there is a website that lists such trends.

Great points. Yes, the grocery store market is jam packed. How there is enough business to go around is mind boggling. We also have Fresh & Easy, another chain, and Whole Foods. And it looks like a Pacific Northwest Grocer, Haggen, is coming soon: http://www.ktar.com/22/1793182/Hagge...grocery-stores

Just wow.

[grassfeeder]

Originally Posted by Bruce Jackpot

You sir just coined a new term . I'm sure some are truly ashamed that we have 62 Walmarts in Maricopa county. I just looked that up on their site... WOW! That's not counting one listed in San Tan Valley. Unreal. Guarantee you SoCal has no-where near that amount when measured by population. On every level, we have tons of "stuff". Restaurants, restaurants, and more restaurants... chains galore and plenty of local ones too. And in a dying mall industry, Scottsdale Fashion Square is booming. I was there on Mother's Day... looked down on the food court area... place is a city unto itself.



Great points. Yes, the grocery store market is jam packed. How there is enough business to go around is mind boggling. We also have Fresh & Easy, another chain, and Whole Foods. And it looks like a Pacific Northwest Grocer, Haggen, is coming soon: Haggen Food & Pharmacy acquires 10 Arizona grocery stores

Just wow.

First of all - Scottsdale is the center of the universe so of course FS is booming - it's the epicenter of greatness.

62 Walmarts includes their "neighborhood" stores. They're not all mega-centers. Vast difference. Also, believe it or not but the valley is a huge populous state. It takes a lot.

[Colt AZ]

Originally Posted by Bruce Jackpot

62 Walmarts in Maricopa county

Hey! Never know when you'll run out of Chapstick!

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by WriterDude

That is so true. :-)

Isn't it amazing that we joke about "renting" beer, but don't joke about renting cheap electronic junk. If I had a buck for every coffeemaker/vacuum cleaner/toaster I've had to replace because it mysteriously stopped working and it didn't make sense to fix...

I know what you are talking about, but had to chuckle because I've had each of the appliances you mentioned for at least 18 years. I know because we got two of the three as wedding gifts! I guess I should plug the brands, since they've lasted so long... Miele, Krups, Cusinart.

[Jimrob1]

Could the reason be there is so much retail have anything to do, with the lack of things to do in the area. Or that things to do are so far away, that people will more often than not just go to a nearby store. Not just during the months of heat but much of the year. I'm not talking about things to do in Arizona, just in Metro Phoenix. I don't know I'm just wondering if that is part of the reason.

I doubt there are many people that visit the Phoenix area, that don't almost immediately notice store after store. Strip Mall after Strip Mall. The same type shopping mile after mile. Rarely anything that would resemble a neighborhood. I've never seen it to the extent that I see it in Phoenix, so the retailers must have known the market was there for this type of shopper. An environment and suburban design, that would in many instances support all that retail.

[Bruce Jackpot]

Originally Posted by Jimrob1

Could the reason be there is so much retail have anything to do, with the lack of things to do in the area. Or that things to do are so far away, that people will more often than not just go to a nearby store. Not just during the months of heat but much of the year. I'm not talking about things to do in Arizona, just in Metro Phoenix. I don't know I'm just wondering if that is part of the reason.

I doubt there are many people that visit the Phoenix area, that don't almost immediately notice store after store. Strip Mall after Strip Mall. The same type shopping mile after mile. Rarely anything that would resemble a neighborhood. I've never seen it to the extent that I see it in Phoenix, so the retailers must have known the market was there for this type of shopper. An environment and suburban design, that would in many instances support all that retail.

There's plenty of things to do here-more then most places. The amount of events I hear about on the news is surprising. And we have so many sports teams for people who follow them. That's not to mention the outdoor activities that can be done much of the year. So I don't think that's why.