A giant wave of store closures is about to hit the US

Business Insider ^ | Dec 31, 2016 | Hayley Peterson

[TaxPayer2000]

Retailers are bracing for a fresh wave of store closures at the start of the new year.

The industry is heading into 2017 with a glut of store space as shopping continues to shift online and foot traffic to malls declines, according to analysts ~SNIP~

Nearly every major department store, including Macy's, Kohl's, Walmart, and Sears, have collectively closed hundreds of stores over the last couple years to try and stem losses from unprofitable stores and the rise of ecommerce.

But the closures are far from over.

Macy's has already said that it's planning to close 100 stores, or about 15% of its fleet, in 2017. Sears is shuttering at least 30 Sears and Kmart stores by April, and additional closures are expected to be announced soon. CVS also said this month that it's planning to shut down 70 locations.

Mall stores like Aeropostale, which filed for bankruptcy in May, American Eagle, Chicos, Finish Line, Men's Wearhouse, and The Children's Place are also in the midst of multi-year plans to close stores.

~SNIP~

[wally_bert]

Other than a few stocking stuffers, everything was amazon-ed.

I generally dread Christmas for a lot of reasons but it was very low stress.

My grocery shopping is a week to 10 days in between stops.

[wally_bert]

Other than a few stocking stuffers, everything was amazon-ed.

I generally dread Christmas for a lot of reasons but it was very low stress.

My grocery shopping is a week to 10 days in between stops.

[AFreeBird]

My first computer was a TRS-80 (16K) Color Computer. With a Videotex ROM cartridge, 300 baud manual modem, and a Compuserve trial.

It was the coolest thing...

And - Megawars! My First on-line, character based graphic, interactive game.

And bowing out of lab time at college and going home to do my computer lab work, was awesome.

Those were the days. (For me)

[dfwgator]

You couldn’t have paid me to go to a mall over this holiday season.

[sheana]

I do most of my shopping online. eBay, Amazon, Nordstroms Rack and Hautelook for clothing.
The stuff I buy on Amazon and EBay is ether stuff the stores don’t have or it’s a lot cheaper.
Nordstroms Rack and Hautelook are super easy returns.
Only time I’ve been in the mall in years was last month when my phone broke and I went to the Apple Store.

[cynwoody]

The 1970s was the best time for Radio Shack. I used to buy shortwave radios there! And Heath kits. I was such a 1970s nerd.

Remember the Heathkit GC-1000 Most Accurate Clock?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgNtlpSumHg

Nowadays available for ~$10.

[bert]

clock?

how bout a heath Q multiplier?

[cynwoody]

I can’t buy clothes on line.

Recently, I bought clothes online for the first time.

I wanted cargo pants to make carrying my oversized smart phone easier. Couldn't find the right length (31") at Kohl's. Tried Kohl's web site. No dice. Found and ordered in a few minutes on Amazon. Arrived two days later, free shipping.

Of course, I knew exactly what I was getting, because I had examined the merchandise in a Kohl's store. Actually, I had previously bought a pair, settling for 32" length. But those were just a tad too long.

[Arthur McGowan]

I just bought Kirkland organic olive oil from Amazon because all the brands in the stores are fake.

And a visit to Wal-Mart is like a trip to Somalia.

[cynwoody]

how bout a heath Q multiplier?

They made a slew of ham gear, as I recall. But the clock was uniquely interesting.

[Arthur McGowan]

https://youtu.be/uJ9bnC1v1xc

[DannyTN]

The 1970s was the best time for Radio Shack. I used to buy shortwave radios there! And Heath kits. I was such a 1970s nerd.

I don't know why they moved away from stuff like that. They should have taken a home depot approach to educating consumers on electronics. And they should have moved into rebotic kits. They have a couple but it's weak.

They look like everybody else now. And I don't see how they will survive being just like everybody else.

[Reily]

It doesn’t look like they are surviving!
I couldn’t tell you where the closet Radio Shack is in my area of NoVa.

[Arthur McGowan]

“Shutdown” is a noun.

[radiohead]

I go to my local mall so little, I don’t even know if we have a Macy’s. But it doesn’t matter, as I buy from them online.

Our mall has all the regular stores, but we are in a small-ish college town and the selection isn’t very good. I’m much better off, and can always find what I want, by shopping online, whether it is amazon, Macy’s, Walmart, etc. And that’s just the big stores, I also shop from online catalogs from smaller shops for everything from clothes to shoes to home decorating items. Why would I leave the house?

[BobL]

You’re probably right, but it saves me a keystroke and associated data bit (which slows down the transmission on the web).

[proudpapa]

Why build new churchs, prisons,libraries, courthouses or govt. offices. Just wait a few years and set up shop at the local mall.

[kiltie65]

Yes, shopping online is convenient. Sometimes what you order isn’t as nice as the picture, however. And in this little valley where I live there has been an uptick in Fed Ex and USP packages being swiped, also the community mailboxes being pried open.

[pa_dweller]

There's also Allied

[Cyclops08]

Capitalism. I love it. If they cannot compete with online then they deserve to die.

No one is too big to fail