America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning
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Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning
#2in general, it is difficult for me to separate a reasonable concern borne of the knowledge that a thriving economy is important from a sense that, so far, the big retail chains that are closing many locations sell junk that i both do not want and think is largely superfluous anyway.
Anyone got a reasonable way to synthesize those competing thoughts?
Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning
#3Retail is dependent on consumer spending. As more stores close the remainder should be more profitable, which should minimize ripple effects.
Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning
#4in general, it is difficult for me to separate a reasonable concern borne of the knowledge that a thriving economy is important from a sense that, so far, the big retail chains that are closing many locations sell junk that i both do not want and think is largely superfluous anyway. Anyone got a reasonable way to synthesize those competing thoughts?
I share them, but I don't think they need to be synthesized.
Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning
#5Retail is dependent on consumer spending. As more stores close the remainder should be more profitable, which should minimize ripple effects.
Unless store closings have higher order effects, like making it difficult to finance the operations of the stores that don't close.
Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning
#6imo this comes down to centralization and the popularity of "big box" stores. People generally don't want to go to a specialty store anymore, the toy section at Walmart is fine.
Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning
#7Retail is dependent on consumer spending. As more stores close the remainder should be more profitable, which should minimize ripple effects.
At what cost though. Boutique retail seems to be growing but at the cost of malls and large chains.
You might be able to satisfy our retail needs with 1/4 the staff.
Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning
#8Retail is dependent on consumer spending. As more stores close the remainder should be more profitable, which should minimize ripple effects.
Unless store closings have higher order effects, like making it difficult to finance the operations of the stores that don't close.
Not to mention the network effects. If half the stores in a mall close with no new ones opening, that whole mall is going to go under, and it's going to damage all the stores in the process.
Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning
#9in general, it is difficult for me to separate a reasonable concern borne of the knowledge that a thriving economy is important from a sense that, so far, the big retail chains that are closing many locations sell junk that i both do not want and think is largely superfluous anyway. Anyone got a reasonable way to synthesize those competing thoughts?
Would it help if you considered that if over 6000 stores closed, it is very likely the majority are small stored and not big chains? From what I saw in Bloomberg article it was 550/6000 are chain stores. That leaves significantly more to small shops that are trying to provide employment and selling worthwhile goods to their local communities.
For example here in buffalo we have small stores for spiritual goods that also serve as community centers for such spiritual practices.
Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning
#10in general, it is difficult for me to separate a reasonable concern borne of the knowledge that a thriving economy is important from a sense that, so far, the big retail chains that are closing many locations sell junk that i both do not want and think is largely superfluous anyway. Anyone got a reasonable way to synthesize those competing thoughts?
>>> junk that i both do not want and think is largely superfluous anyway.
I'm reminded of an article I read last year about parents buying presents for kids at Christmas. In the 90s it was easy. The kid wanted a thing. A gaming device, a dress, or a car... there was an object that the kid wanted to own. That object was sold at a store. But today's kids don't want things. They have the iPhone. What they want is 50,000 likes on facebook. Their happiness is tied less directly to things than social acceptance. Often having the thing leads to that social acceptance, but increasingly not. Your seeing the junk as superfluous, and mentioning it here on HN, fits with that shift away from retail goods and towards social acceptance via online communities.