Malls and department stores closing down at alarming rate

[JPGhost]

..in the wave of online shopping.

Is that makes you sad?

First facebook, grindr and now this..

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

One is reminded of this movie...

Seriously, what kind of a dinosaur shops at department stores these days?

 

[eastofeden]

Brick and mortar stores are not in a good position to compete for the most part as the internet has low operating costs comparatively.

I own my own store and I have to figure out what works now...and it changes all the time.

Online is the majority of my sales but I still do OK with the store and at trade shows because I figure out who my customers are...and cater to them. People who want to shop for entertainment...people who want things you can't find in other stores...people who want decorating ideas..... people who hate corporations...people who want instant gratification...people who hate the internet and don't trust anything but cash transactions...people who enjoy personal customer service...people who despise anything made in China....on and on and on....

Change is guaranteed and you have to rise to the occasion...you just gotta keep figuring it out.

 

[Kabluey]

US malls are hostile territory for guys, I can go through most without seeing a single thing that I feel like buying, and many seem kind of dated, with not much in the way of dining, electronics or supermarket shopping.
Mall department stores often seem like they're from the '70s and seem to have fairly poor quality products for the price. Lots of vinyl shoes and really expensive home wares on display - plus lots of items are sold at the manufacturer's list price only unless there's a sale, it's too easy to find the same thing at a fraction of the price in a standalone store or on the internet.
There are exceptions, but lots of malls seem frozen in time.

 

[MrPerfectMan]

We still have Blockbuster here. Personally I don't care in some ways. Not everyone is gonna make it in this world, and some companies get so greedy they have no backup when times get tough. It's kind of their fault.

 

[gsdx]

There are exceptions, but lots of malls seem frozen in time.

Sounds like Grace Brothers.

 

[Kabluey]

Sounds like Grace Brothers.

Have you seen my pussy?

 

[belamyi]

For all those still unwilling to believe we are still in the [very late but, nevertheless, still] XXth century...

 

[belamyi]

Have you seen my pussy?

That was you?

 

[Telstra]

One is reminded of this movie...

Seriously, what kind of a dinosaur shops at department stores these days?

ahhh .... i wonder where are all these actors now and what they look like before and after ...

 

[peeonme]

It's rather ironic that the big box stores are losing customers to on line just as small family owned stores lost to them.

Also take in to account that America's middle class has shrunk and wages are stagnant. Some folks only buy what they need, not what they want.

 

[gsdx]

Have you seen my pussy?

Have your corsets been down for over a month like Mr. Grainger's trousers? Or do you have sticky drawers?

 

[Kabluey]

Have your corsets been down for over a month like Mr. Grainger's trousers? Or do you have sticky drawers?

Captain Mainwaring!

 

[SaskGuy]

The malls here have degenerated into a collection of women's clothing stores. They're simply not worth going to anymore!

 

[Rickrock]

I like seeing what I am buying in person and feeling it and trying it on. Unless it is a standard item which I have had before, when receiving something ordered on line, it isn't always what you pictured in your mind when ordering. Of course the stagnating of wages for the middle class is narrowing and reducing my choices. I am shopping discount stores more than ever in place of regular department stores.

 

[The Fly]

We got the Mall of America nearby, with 46 billion stores.......I haven't been there in at least 10 years, and have no intent to go. I shop on line or at smaller stand alone stores.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

maybe a plot lands close down sale too
_tittars_

thankyou

 

[MrPerfectMan]

We got the Mall of America nearby, with 46 billion stores.......I haven't been there in at least 10 years, and have no intent to go. I shop on line or at smaller stand alone stores.

LOL seriously, how many stores does it have?

 

[thewiz]

As a former city manager and planner, the migration from downtowns to the malls was sad; now we see migration from malls back to downtowns and to on-line, the latter concerns me most.

Downtowns are the heart of a community. Think about where you saw your first parade or where most movies are staged and it is rarely a mall. Downtowns began struggling with the introduction of automobiles which whisked people to the burbs with acres and acres of parking lots barren of trees and life. One could park, run into the mall, and exit without having to actually acknowledge other humans except to challenge for one of the exits out of the parking areas. As the traffic patterns changed, so did rents and mall prices continually increased for square footage. Now we see the resurgence of downtowns as they clean up, add amenities, and become places for people again instead of barren wastelands patterned after their suburban counterparts.

What is distressing is the rise of on-line. Think about who sponsored your Little League Baseball Team, your sporting events, community functions, or gay pride events? It usually isn't an internet company but, rather, a brick-and-mortar store. As more and more of these places vacate, will we see a connection to the community and that support? I highly doubt it. Most of the larger internet companies look for larger things for sponsorship that bring them recognition on a larger scale. They could care less about the baseball team at XXX High School or the smaller event that draws people to a community center. They also enjoy an unfair advantage -- no property taxes, no sales taxes, and no inventory/stock tax. Basically they pass merchandise through without paying for all the things any other business with a physical presence must pay. I question the fairness of that and I know many communities and states are being starved of much needed dollars that would otherwise be collected.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

As a former city manager and planner, the migration from downtowns to the malls was sad; now we see migration from malls back to downtowns and to on-line, the latter concerns me most.

Downtowns are the heart of a community. Think about where you saw your first parade or where most movies are staged and it is rarely a mall. Downtowns began struggling with the introduction of automobiles which whisked people to the burbs with acres and acres of parking lots barren of trees and life. One could park, run into the mall, and exit without having to actually acknowledge other humans except to challenge for one of the exits out of the parking areas. As the traffic patterns changed, so did rents and mall prices continually increased for square footage. Now we see the resurgence of downtowns as they clean up, add amenities, and become places for people again instead of barren wastelands patterned after their suburban counterparts.

What is distressing is the rise of on-line. Think about who sponsored your Little League Baseball Team, your sporting events, community functions, or gay pride events? It usually isn't an internet company but, rather, a brick-and-mortar store. As more and more of these places vacate, will we see a connection to the community and that support? I highly doubt it. Most of the larger internet companies look for larger things for sponsorship that bring them recognition on a larger scale. They could care less about the baseball team at XXX High School or the smaller event that draws people to a community center. They also enjoy an unfair advantage -- no property taxes, no sales taxes, and no inventory/stock tax. Basically they pass merchandise through without paying for all the things any other business with a physical presence must pay. I question the fairness of that and I know many communities and states are being starved of much needed dollars that would otherwise be collected.

ooh
a 1 housepoints

thankyou