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America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning

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Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning

#251

Post by foobarian »

brandonmenc wrote: post #153
itswhateverman2 wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you misunderstand. Malls only end up as a social gathering spot when there's nowhere else to go. And even then, that only really appeals to teenagers who have nothing else to do. A mall would never be preferable to what was mentioned above, a downtown with brick paths and quality scenery/stores, etc.

> A mall would never be preferable to what was mentioned above, a downtown with brick paths and quality scenery/stores, etc. Sounds great, until it snows.

Well nobody said the alternative has to be outdoors, that's just the OP. It could be a community center with arcades and playgrounds and what not.

Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning

#252

Post by nunez »

Analemma_ wrote: post #17

Make sure you read the article and don't just come here to comment: there's an important point that this isn't (just) due to Amazon and overbuilding, but because a lot of these troubled chains-- even the ones that are still profitable!-- are loaded up on debt from leveraged private equity buyouts. Once again, PE accomplishes nothing except stripping healthy companies to sell their organs.

If the companies that went to PE for money were healthy, then they wouldn’t need PE.

Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning

#253

Post by arbitrage »

wmeredith wrote: post #57

This is going to be brutal over the coming decade. "The most recent government statistics show that salespeople and cashiers in the industry total 8 million." Contrast that with 70k coal workers. Imagine the devastation in the coal belt spreading to suburbs all over mid America.

There's a lot more wrong with the coal belt than just unemployment. Systemic neglect for generations is likely more significant.

Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning

#254

Post by omarchowdhury »

bsenftner wrote: post #51
sytelus wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aggregation, filtering, sorting, recommendations could be best handled by machines. All businesses specializing in this using human efforts are at grave risk.

Do you foresee middlemen like Amazon eventually going away, or being even more essential?

Middlemen will go away, The Middleman will stay.

Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning

#255

Post by Gargoyle »

unabst wrote: post #163
Balgair wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SM is loud and very touristy. Buskers are allowed amps for their guitars and I can't count the number of languages spoken. It's more of an airport terminal than anything approaching 'local'. God have mercy on you at the pier. I'd go Culver City, as a better 'local' kinda thing, but even then you need to get up to SB to really stand a chance of a quiet coffee on the street. > Parking is wack though. Literally all of L…

Even Beverly Hills has great parking. The major bottleneck downtown is parking right now and has been for a while. SM moved fast to build multiple parking structures... and that's where all the foot traffic comes from. Not sure why DTLA is so nonchalant about this. Don't see any construction whatsoever.

Downtown LA has a fantastic parking situation compared to almost any other major city. Tons and tons of cheap parking.

Parking is not DTLA's problem.

Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning

#256

Post by buttersb »

itswhateverman2 wrote: post #128
onion2k wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spend, spend, spend: shop till you drop mentality. If you think malls are only about consumerism then you've misunderstood a big part of their appeal for a lot of people. Young people and groups of friends don't go to the mall on their own. Malls merge consumerism with social activity - they're for people who enjoy shopping with their friends. If that's not you then fair enough, but don't disparage malls simply becau…

I think you misunderstand. Malls only end up as a social gathering spot when there's nowhere else to go. And even then, that only really appeals to teenagers who have nothing else to do. A mall would never be preferable to what was mentioned above, a downtown with brick paths and quality scenery/stores, etc.

We are only thinking of malls in the classic context.

For the last 10+ years many "malls" have been outdoor "areas" with shops, beautified walking paths, communal spaces, grocery stores, movie theaters, etc. Essentially miniature downtowns.

We have both these and the classic style mall here. Only 2 or 3 classic malls any more. However, they are all VERY successful. There were 7-8 and I've watched many die, or be taken over by distribution hubs, data centers (think big non-customer facing building)

We've had about 3-4 outdoor malls developed in the last 10 years. All are going strong, albeit they are new.

Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning

#257

Post by DeltaCoast »

jogjayr wrote: post #220
cwbrandsma wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not disagreeing completely, but your location might be influencing your answer. I live in the northern portion of the USA, we get freezing winters and blistering summers. Come mid-winter...I am not going downtown to walk around outside, we don't hang out outside (unless we are talking winter sports, and then FULLY clothed). In summer, there needs to be shade. Fall and spring, we get wet. But really, it seems like…

Completely agree that weather makes a huge difference to how much you enjoy strolling outdoors over being in a mall. My main complaint about malls is how _loud_ they are: visually and auditory-ly (someone please tell me what the right word is). Malls are crowded, adorned in bright, garish colors, filled with stale food court food smells. There is very little seating other than at food courts, water fountains are hidd…

I've also heard/used 'aurally'

src - http://www.dictionary.com/browse/aurally

Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning

#258

Post by arbitrage »

PatientTrades wrote: post #29

Even with high consumer confidence, retail is dying. The middle class no longer has the same spending habits as it did for the past 60 years. Its fair to say that retail malls and outlets as we know them might not exist in the next 15-20 years. Why would somebody walk into a Macys and buy and item when you can order it of Amazon and have it delivered the same day for %20 cheaper?

The danger is getting locked into a personal taste bubble. If you only order/consume what you already know, you don't get to experience new things.

Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning

#259

Post by retailbuyout »

mschuster91 wrote: post #174

> The root cause is that many of these long-standing chains are overloaded with debt—often from leveraged buyouts led by private equity firms. There are billions in borrowings on the balance sheets of troubled retailers, and sustaining that load is only going to become harder—even for healthy chains. Oooh, I am so happy if this really happens. The entire financial industry that makes "profits" from loading purchased…

If you think these retailers aren’t “too big too fail” you’re underestimating the lobbying and propaganda power of the people holding the debt.

Hell, this article could be an example. A little too tinfoil hat for me, though.

Re: America’s ‘Retail Apocalypse’ Is Really Just Beginning

#260

Post by BadCookie »

astura wrote: post #182
onion2k wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spend, spend, spend: shop till you drop mentality. If you think malls are only about consumerism then you've misunderstood a big part of their appeal for a lot of people. Young people and groups of friends don't go to the mall on their own. Malls merge consumerism with social activity - they're for people who enjoy shopping with their friends. If that's not you then fair enough, but don't disparage malls simply becau…

How young? Many malls have banned people under 18 unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. This practice started around 10 years ago. Just in case anyone doubts me: http://www.parenting.com/news-break/why-your-teen-getting-ba... >Up to 80 malls across the United States enforce a curfew or escort policy for teenagers I was still looking young in 2008 despite being well into my 20s and that's when I got IDed at a ma…

Your story reminded me of when I went on a cruise for my honeymoon. There was a cruise employee who gave my new husband and me a stern warning about how we should not be on the cruise without our parents if we were under 18. (We were in our mid-20s.) So much of society today wants to keep people dependent on their parents forever, it seems.
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