Store Closings

I love online shopping. Hate going into stores

The only shopping I like, in a store, is food shopping. Like going to Sprouts and Whole Foods

I like to shop in actual clothing stores so that I can try on things before buying them. You can't do that when you buy clothes online. And then if you order them online and they're not right or don't fit etc. you have to go through the hassle of returning them in the mail.

Everyone I know complains about the extremely poor quality of customer service in almost all retail stores and especially the chains, unless they still live in an extremely small town. Don't blame those that have turned to Amazon.

I shop online but if a business doesn't offer free return shipping, I won't purchase it.

I shop at thrift stores and Goodwill. Amazing bargains and they’re very busy. Someone is shopping in person; all of us clever

No idea how people buy clothing without trying them on. Even brands like Banana Republic are inconsistent with their sizing and cuts. It doesn’t matter as much with socks or polo shirts, but pants?

Were they large/chain stores, OP?

Yes, r6 And I just looked at a list of stores that will be closing within the next year and quite a few are major retailers.

I love online shopping but am pretty much stuck with Amazon because of all the package theft in our neighborhood. (I'm logging lots of trips to Whole Foods to use the Amazon pick-up lockers.) Ironically, I've begun doing more bricks and mortar shopping because of that in the last six months.

I live in St. Louis. Last week, Sears announced it is closing the last, full-line department store in the metro area. For the first time since 1928, St. Louis will be without a Sears department store. Not to mention that all the home grown department stores are long gone.

I rented a PO Box just for accepting packages ordered online. Some retailers use carriers that will not deliver to PO Boxes, but I've learned to use the street address of the post office along with the box number and the post office is happy to accept and hold the packages for me. They simply put a card in my box, and I pick up the item at the counter. I've gotten into the habit of buying online as the stores I like to shop at aren't located nearby, and being pretty tall and broad shouldered, stores usually don't carry my size. I generally reserve my shopping to a few select brands, and they are pretty consistent with sizing. Another hint: the sale and or clearance items online at Saks and Neiman Marcus are generally cheaper than their discount branches.

The retail apocalypse isn't showing any signs of slowing down.

Eight months into 2019, there have already been 29% more store closings announced than in all of 2018.

Based on Coresight Research's figures, retailers' earnings reports, bankruptcy filings and other records, more than 7,600 stores are slated to shutter this year and thousands of locations already gone.

Bankrupt footwear company Payless ShoeSource, which closed its remaining U.S. stores in late June, accounts for about 37% of the closings

Sears and Kmart store closings list: 21 Sears and 5 Kmart locations to close in October

Walgreens store closings: Drugstore chain plans to close 200 U.S. stores, according to new SEC filing

We all went to Montgomery Ward's for back-to-school shopping- and it wasn't there anymore!

Stores did it to themselves.

There were lots of different clothing stores.

Chain stores came about. They undercut prices at independently owned stores and put them all out of business. Then they moved into malls.

I happen to live a 3 hour drive from the nearest mall. It was torture to buy clothes. My mom loves bed closer to a mall but she stopped going because of the traffic and looking for a parking space.

Now I buy online. I don't have to travel to a mall to buy clothing. I order several sizes, try them on at home and send back the ones that don't fit. People like my mom don't have to fight traffic and drive around looking for parking.

When I was growing up every town had clothing stores on Main Street. If you couldn't find anything you went to the next town over.

Things change

And they kidnap your children in malls

I went to a large 2 level sporting goods store yesterday and only saw ONE employee the whole time. N o wonder people order online.

Why did you need employees around r15 ? You needed them to hold your hand while you buy tennis balls ? And I don't see how it correlates with people buying online. What an odd comment.

Sad to see a lot of these comments. As shitty as some store experiences can be, I would NEVER want a majority of my buying/ shopping to be online.

Aww, good for you, dear.

Laziness and entitlement is what's propelling society into a Wall-E esque future where people will just spend their lives in front of a screen ordering everything they need without having to lift their fat asses from the couch.

How fucking sad.

All that home shopping can't be good for the environment. It makes people buy more junk, then it all has to be shipped around the world, and sometimes returned.

[quote]I love online shopping.

[quote]Don't blame those that have turned to Amazon.

[quote]Now I buy online. I don't have to travel to a mall to buy clothing. I order several sizes, try them on at home and send back the ones that don't fit.

Agree R5, R16, R17,R19, and R20.

Online shoppers claim ease and efficiency. However, individual shipping and mass returns have huge impacts on the environment. So the "ease" and "efficiency" is for the sitting individual clicking away on a tech screen - while ordering multiples to be sent back that don't fit! - which involves further effort for others, deleterious emissions and wasteful packaging. Does not seem easeful or efficient at all.

Do sense that many onliner shoppers have limited perception.

With a greater vision, these individuals could see their overall impacts on the environment and all the efforts imposed on others: the processing of shipping, the package handlers, the planes of overnight/immediate delivery transport, the store and warehousing pickers...and on and on. While online shoppers claims of less effort on their part, they do so by placing more effort on others and a burden on the Earth.

Online purchasing may be revolutionary for the disabled, or incapacitated.

While appreciating the "ease" of onliners, ultimately a devastated planet that does not reproduce resources, may result in little to no "shopping".

I recognise the caricature, but I have visions of many obese online shoppers, too lazy and insolent to move themselves out of their own protected bubble to see the greater impacts of THEIR own (lack of physical) actions.

It's a sad vision.

Great post R21

I own a small shop in LA and my neighbor closed her place due to poor sales about a year ago. A year later and customers stop in asking when and why she closed. I want to say because you didn't fucking shop there for a year but instead I just blame Trump. I'm probably not far behind.

I'm in Houston and I think that the malls are economizing by raising the thermostat this summer. I don't remember it being hot inside like this in the past. It's really uncomfortable in all of them. I do not plan to go again until the temperature drops.

I'm with r10, have everything delivered to the street address of my PO. I don't think theft is a big problem in my neighborhood but the front door is only a couple feet from the sidewalk so why take chances?

Yeah R23, I hate when people act surprised that a store closed when they never bothered to patronize it in the first place

What did your neighbor's shop sell?

I love to browse through stores for bargains, but being pretty tall, I often have to order clothing online. I also have a PO Box for delivery of merchandise ordered online, as my front door is also very close to a busy street. I have learned to "defeat" stores that will not ship to a PO Box by using the street address of the post office, followed simply by the number without mentioning the word "box." The post office gladly receives parcels from UPS, FedEx, and DHL for me. I started going through resale shops mainly looking for interesting books and CDs, but I have to admit that I have found brand new designer suits, not cuffed, pockets still sewn together, in my size, for $12. I've also found better deals on the "Sale" pages of high end department stores than at their discount branches, i.e., on the Neiman Marcus sale tab as opposed to Neiman Marcus Last Call.

The only stores where i can buy clothing are many miles away from me (since I won't count Family Dollar),. I would prefer to buy my clothing in a store, but i have to plan to drive across the county, and I really hate driving. And it's frustrating when you're looking for something very specific, and end up spending hours visiting different stores, and still not finding what you're looking for. That's a waste of gasoline (and time). I have a PO Box, and have some of my deliveries sent there, but I work from home, and keep an eye out when I know a delivery should be arriving shortly. My orthopedic surgeon recently gave me instructions on how to exercise the arm that i broke, and they involved elastic bands. I tried looking to see if any of the department stores in the county carried them, but eventually gave up and ordered a set from Amazon. They were delivered in a large, padded envelope, so it was just handled like any other piece of mail.

Dear Lord in Heaven!

[quote] while ordering multiples to be sent back that don't fit! - which involves further effort for others, deleterious emissions and wasteful packaging.

The "multiples that don't fit!" go right back into the packaging they came in and are given either to the USPS mail deliverer when he comes to the house or the UPS deliverer or dropped off at UPS during a grocery shopping trip town, where it gets put together with other packages. No more packaging or gas is wasted and than driving back and forth to a mall. In fact, it's less gas since the mall is an hour and a half drive each way.

I simply don't know WHAT I'll do when the last Dress Barn closes!

[quote] while ordering multiples to be sent back that don't fit! - which involves further effort for others, deleterious emissions and wasteful packaging. The "multiples that don't fit!" go right back into the packaging they came in and are given either to the USPS mail deliverer when he comes to the house or the UPS deliverer or dropped off at UPS during a grocery shopping trip town, where it gets put together with other packages. No more packaging or gas is wasted and than driving back and forth to a mall. In fact, it's less gas since the mall is an hour and a half drive each way.

You're obviously going to do you.

But what about when the "multiple returns" leave your hands?

As mentioned above. Difficult for many to have an overview perspective. Me. Me. Me.

[quote]Sad to see a lot of these comments. As shitty as some store experiences can be, I would NEVER want a majority of my buying/ shopping to be online.

Then some stores need to step it up a bit.

1. Get good customer service. The last time I went to buy something I was ignored by the sales attendant I even asked for help from. She went and tried to help 4 people who didn't buy anything. Meanwhile I was ready to make a purchase and knew exactly what I wanted. I ordered it online afterwards and wrote a letter to the store. If that's not the problem then it's workers talking instead of working or an entire floor with no one around at all to help find something.

2. Get a variety of things people might actually want in the sizes they want. The last time I bought pants in a store I could not find a size 28 waste in anything I was looking at.

3. Have competitive pricing. I went to buy a computer part once and the person actually told me to go online because it would be cheaper apropos of nothing. She was right. It was cheaper by 35 dollars. At least Best Buy has price matching & they will gladly look at your phone if you can pull up an ad and lower the price.

R26 She sold candles, cards, a few antiques. Cute shop-she was there almost 5 years and DTLA is rough so I applaud her for lasting that long.

[quote] But what about when the "multiple returns" leave your hands?

I told you what happens. They go back in the package they came in and are handed to the postal worker when he comes to the house to deliver mail. Or they go to the UPS driver when he makes another delivery or they get dropped off at UPS in town when I go to town to do my grocery shopping.

At any rate, I don't have to sit in my car in traffic for the three hour round trip to the mall and back, nor do I use the gas for a 3 hour mall trip.

USPS and UPS are going to be delivering to a ton of other people in my neighborhood anyway, so why not? Think of all the fossil fuel the entire neighborhood is saving by not driving multiple vehicles to stores and back.

[quote] Me.Me.Me

Ok.

You.You.You

In other words....she sold useless junk r34

"Oh I miss that shop! I used to go in there and look around and buy a birthday card once a year."

I still like outlet malls, the nice ones. I don't go to them often though.

R36 - Exactly! Those kinds of stores won't last in today's economy. If its a niche store without a huge following then its doomed.

Outlet malls were supposed to revitalize marginal areas. It was envisioned that hordes would descend on the weekends and pump much needed capital into the local economy. They put a huge one in a depressed area about 1/2 hr away from me. Turns out it only makes money from Thanksgiving to December 26.

They cut down acres of forest and wetlands to build it.

The town is still building more retail stores even though stores already there routinely go out of business and leave behind empty buildings. Chain stores refuse to adapt architecturally to anything they didn't build themselves.

The town has been begging Trader Joe's to open a store since 2003 and Trader Joe's refuses to open a store there even though the town promised to give them a great deal. The area just doesn't meet TJ's research-based qualifications.

Meh, I still have Nordstrom. Fuck you Flyoverstani.

Stuff I want are not readily accessible- internet buying has been a godsend. For example, there’s a particular brand of polish I want. Look all over town and can’t find it. A minutes on the computer and I get in 4 days.

Outlets also used to sell slightly irregular, returned or last season's merchandise for a discount. Everyone caught onto the fact that manufacturers were just making their own inferior products to sell at their outlets by the 1990s. The outlet mall near me was busing foreign tourists from NYC to the outlets because no one else wanted to shop there. Tour outfits made a visit to the outlet a feature "Your New York vacation will include a visit a to a discount shopping area where you will find clothes, electronics, cosmetics, sports equipment and much more at incredibly low prices!"

[quote] "Your New York vacation will include a visit a to a discount shopping area where you will find clothes, electronics, cosmetics, sports equipment and much more at incredibly low prices!"

So, Times Square in the 70s

There is an outlet mall in the Chicago area, in Rosemont, right next to O'Hare Field. The mall has quite a few high end stores as tenants, such as Zegna, Prada, Gucci, Brunello Cuccinelli, Neiman Marcus, Saks, as well as bunch of ladies brands I am not familiar with. It seems that tourists coming from the Far East arrive on morning flights here, grab a quick shuttle over to the mall, load up on designer stuff, and connect with a afternoon flight later in the day. I admit that I do hit the mall monthly, and the better brands do sell only one line of merchandise. I personally prefer Zegna, and sometimes Cuccinelli. I wouldn't be afraid of buying their items on line as I am familiar with their sizing which is pretty consistant. The retailers, NM, Saks, Bloomingdale, Nordstrom, etc., do have special lines manufactured for their outlet stores. As I mentioned earlier, I usually find I can find better deals on the "sale" or "clearance" section of the retailers' websites as opposed to shopping their outlets.

43 I thought that was common knowledge. Found plenty of great deals for a price closer to what their actually worth. I haven't been in ages but I never actually noticed any major imperfections that would be noticeable to anyone else.

I've been having pretty good luck at Marshall's- not sure if they are nationwide. I like Robert Graham shirts, which are usually $175-ish and found 2 for $39.99. Absolutely nothing wrong with them.

You do have to go regularly though.

[quote] I live in St. Louis. Last week, Sears announced it is closing the last, full-line department store in the metro area. For the first time since 1928, St. Louis will be without a Sears department store.

I don't understand how Sears or Kmart can be a going concern. No one can go to any of their fucking stores!

They'll both be dead in 5-10 years, but the only good thing about their slow death is that it's slow. If they shut down all at once, it would in all likelihood trigger a recession. Their business(es) may not be what they once were, but Sears and Kmart's real estate holdings are pretty massive.

[quote] I could not find a size 28 waste

Oh, dear.

I don't know how much longer Macy's and Dillards are going to hold on. Shopping at either is a terrible experience. I keep praying that it gets better, but it just keeps getting worse.

Parking lots and warehouses are the future of city landscapes.

I forget where it was, but one city turned a mall into condos and it looked pretty nice- lots of parking!

They have a mall like that in Boston, I think. I can't find a picture of the one I'm thinking of. Honestly, I think it would be fun too live at the mall. It would feel like living in an urban center or a small town.

That's what malls were actually originally designed to do - have mixed use, in some cases residential space, blended with stores and community space.

But developers only used the indoor store part in the 50s and 60s.

R36 I suppose you could say that but people do like home decor and candles otherwise we'd all just live in boxes. And I think to deride her ambition and dream of being her own boss is just not something I would do. I don't shop at Ross or Marshall's so I applaud her for trying to bring something nice to DTLA.

R55, Your friend managed to have a nice shop in downtown LA for 5 years and that's quite a feat.

It's more impressive than anything the useless queen at R36 will ever do

Your friend wasted 5 years of her life and had to declare bankruptcy over a dream to sell cards and candles r55. Yes....cards and candles. Let that sink in.

R56 types hysterical tacky frau. You deserve to be shot with a bazooka.

R57, at least she had the balls to set up her own business, that's something a mediocre, serf queen like you will never have.

Also, take that bazooka and shove it up your hideous ass.

R57 I’ve had my own practice since my mid 20s...thanks for playing, you sad twat.

Why so mad? Did your candle pyramid marketing scheme bankrupt you and cost you all you friends?

In Connecticut, bored Wall Street housewives love to start businesses. They call themselves “mompreneurs.” The husband gives them a huge check to get it started. The local newspaper does a big, fawning article about it. Then six months later, when she gets bored with it and/or realizes a successful business actually requires WORK, she ditches it.

Businesses they favor include:

1.) Greeting card, novelty and knickknack shops

2.) Bakeries or chocolate shops

3.) Homemade jewelry (this is a favorite)

4.) Something child-centric (One lady started a business making fancy hair ribbon barrettes. Another one started her own website, which essentially just linked to a whole bunch of children’s activities in our area)

5.) Pilates/Yoga studios.

I have the utmost respect for small business owners who make a serious go of it. However, the proliferation of these vanity businesses started by bored spouses who just want something to do all day are impossible to take seriously. More than anything, though, they highlight the STUPID amount of money these Wall Street guys make (and 90% of them are men—not trying to be sexist, it’s just the reality of Wall Street), to the point where they can provide startup money for businesses that they know will fail just to keep their gorgeous but useless wives busy.

I live in a new-ish neighboorhood that has expensive rents and is very trendy.

But we have so few useful stores here. Everything is focused on the 24-32 year old frauettes.

We have swaths of empty retail space and yet the only places that have opened are:

- Nail salons

- Dermatologists

- Dentists

- Yoga or fitness studios

- Trendy places that sell you 5 dollar salads for $23

I do a lot of online shopping @Lands End. I prefer classic clothing that never goes out of style, and I find that their sizing is always consistent. Their clothing wears like iron, and is on sale every day, usually at 40% off.

Economy is definitely slowing down...so many stores are sitting empty and it's not all Amazon's fault. Many went of biz are restaurants... I see Marshall's eviction notices slapped on these stores (non payment of rent). and the homeless just camp outside these empty storefronts day and night.

Among stores that are opening up are pet focused like Vets, 2 just opened in my area.

I try to limit my online purchases. Unless I know the item I will be getting exactly. I recently bought jeans on Levis website. They had a 75% off warehouse sale (only online). I prefer to give my biz to mom and pop stores, even if I have to pay a couple dollars extra.

I stay away from Amazon. I go to the online store directly if I want to buy. Fuck Jeff Bozo the clown.

[quote] I do a lot of online shopping @Lands End. I prefer classic clothing that never goes out of style, and I find that their sizing is always consistent. Their clothing wears like iron, and is on sale every day, usually at 40% off.

I loved them for years but they did something to make the flat front chinos I get differently - probably cheaper. The seat is now super baggy on them. Or maybe the rise is longer (I have shirt legs).

^*short

R64 ......... 😜 Could you post a picture of your shirt legs, please ?

R64 You're suffering from age related droopy flat ass syndrome. Try the ones with the built-in butt lift.

Or just order a Hubba-Hubba Heinie from Frederick's of Hollywood.

R59, if you think that having your own "practice" makes you immune to financial misfortune then , on top of being a pretentious sack of shit, you're also pretty stupid.

So bitter r69

You must have had several “businesses” fail, and you realized that your stupidity and misjudgment were so the sole cause.

Did you cash in your retirement account? You lost your home because of bankruptcy? Did your partner leave you? Is shouting at strangers on the Internet the only way for you to distract yourself from your numerous mistakes that you will never recover from?

After I discovered Ali Express, I never shopped anywhere else thereafter.

In my area Banana Republic and The Gap closed. That's nuts.

I think the next store to close will be Papyrus. I hardly see anyone in there and few people are buying cards, most people I know are texting greetings etc.

Bear in mind that all these retailers are having trouble during a good economy that's being driven largely by consumer spending.

If a recession hits and people start buying less, even more of them will go under.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal is reporting today that Amazon sells "thousands of banned, unsafe or mislabeled products."

I shop mostly online, and I won’t lie, I dread the fact that now I’m expected to worry about howthis impacts the environment, workers, and other businesses. I just wanna shop, ya know? But I will do it, though begrudgingly.....sigh. I’m not sure though how I’m supposed to adjust my shopping anyway? Half of what I buy isn’t available nearby. Also, for example with clothing, I tend to buy high quality clothes that are made in day Italy. Isn’t that better than made in China? And much of what I buy on Amazon is household stuff. Where else do I buy from (online)? Ace? Home Depot? It feels the same as buying from Amazon as there are no longer independent stores that sell household items. Or food.

Yes, you should shop directly from Home Depot online first before buying on Amazon. There are so many fake products on Amazon. They are too big to check on everything...they don't have time to do it. You're better off buying directly from the store's online website. They have seasonal sales and deals.

I try not to buy from Amazon coz they treat their employees like utter shit. I will not support them by giving them my business.

But isn’t Home Depot owned by a homophobe?

r77 Here we go again. Apparently you have no idea how publicly-traded corporations work. HINT: They don't have an "owner."

They do, however, have a CEO, who could very well be a homophobe (and the shareholders don't care).

There was a sign at Target today saying they have raised the thermostat temporarily due to the heat.

With all of the criticism out outlet malls, I am consistently surprised at the level of service from the Ermenegildo Zegna outlet stores. Just got a personal invitation for a pre sale event, and all I have to do is advise them what items I am thinking about buying, and they will have a selection awaiting me. I am buying all of my better casual and dress clothes from Zegna anymore, again, due to consistent sizing. Admittedly, even as an outlet they aren't cheap, but their clothing is timeless. On the other end of the spectrum, I love Blain's Farm and Fleet is my store of choice for jeans, t-shirts, and work clothes. A pair of Lee slim fit straight leg jeans, a t shirt, and my shitkicker work boots can be a pretty good look for me.

I like crap stores in the USA. You do them the best! Crap stores are crappy in Western Europe and overpriced. Well, they are OK in Germany because the Turkish run them and shop there and won't be fooled by subpar, overpriced imported crap. Otherwise I have luxury tastes and luxury retailing is doing fine in city centres and resorts in Europe. I love shopping in London, Vienna, and Milan during the sale weeks, and the summer and ski resorts, off season, when prices are slashed 80%. The ski resorts are so fucking ridiculous with the pricing, so I don't buy in season, but it's good for a laugh. I think of Bubbles in Klosters.

[quote] There was a sign at Target today saying they have raised the thermostat temporarily due to the heat.

Why would you do that?

[quote] I try not to buy from Amazon coz they treat their employees like utter shit

Yeah but Home Depot treats the 4 employees in each of their stores real well with health care and vacation time and sick time and a pension, right?

I try to shop in stores as much as possible but occasionally cave and shop at Amazon. I almost never buy clothes online. I guess I try to do a 50-50 split.

Forever 21 considers filing for potential bankruptcy, according to Bloomberg.

Shitty clothes nobody will miss.