The Decline of Brick & Mortar

It seems like every time we turn around, another retailer announces the closing of more "brick and mortar" stores. Online shopping and other contributing factors have put the traditional trip to the mall on life support.

The following closures are in the works:

• Family Dollar has announced plans to close 370 under-performing stores this year. They have also announced plans to cut prices on approximately 1000 basic items. If these things are only a buck now, how low can they possibly cut them?
• Radio Shack plans to close up about 1,100 of it's stores. I am actually surprised that this place has stayed afloat all of these years. On the rare occasion that I stop by a Radio Shack, there's usually no more than one or two people in the store.
• Staples, the country's largest office supply chain, is planning to close 225 stores this year. 
• Office Depot will also be closing up some stores due to the recent acquisition of OfficeMax
• Macy's, who has done relatively well this year, is still planning on closing several stores
• Sears announced that it will be closing their flagship store in Chicago as well as hundreds of other stores around the country. This will also spill over into several K-Mart locations
• J.C. Penney will be closing a 33 of it's stores this year

No doubt, I like the convenience of shopping online. I can quickly compare prices and, in most cases, get the best deal possible. From a consumer standpoint, it makes the most sense.

But on the other hand, I also like to "touch" the product before I buy it. Back in the day, I would head over to the local Circuit City for some due diligence prior to purchasing a new television or other electronic gadgets. I really liked that I could interact with a real, live person and ask questions about my potential purchase. I also liked that I could purchase my item immediately as opposed to waiting for it to be delivered via the online method.

Although I buy almost all of my music through Amazon.com these days, I do miss the days of thumbing through the record/tape/CD racks of the old "record" stores. These stores are all but extinct now. The old Record and Tape Traders chain, where I used to buy most of my CD's, has been reduced to one location. And Best Buy's CD section is pretty much non-existent in most locations.

Along these same lines, I used to really enjoy mall shopping. Within walking distance, I had endless "live" retailers to browse through. Most malls resemble ghost towns these days. I recently stopped at the Owings Mills mall. I think the only two stores open in whole place were Macy's and J.C. Penney. As I ventured out into the mall itself, the vast number of vacancies seemed a bit spooky. It reminded me of the mall setting in the  original "Dawn of the Dead" movie.

It didn't seem that long ago that we would go to the video store to pick up a movie. I used to get a kick out of watching the "video sharks" huddle around the return bin. These people would patiently wait, sometimes for hours, to get their hands on the new releases. Sometimes, when I happened to be returning one of the hot movies, I would wave it in above my head as I walked into the store. The video sharks would start to salivate as they jostled for position. As the Blockbuster employee delivered the movie back to the return bin, these morons would practically trample one another trying to claim it. It was like watching a bunch of Walmartians fight over the electric shopping scooter. My point here is.....you can't have this kind of fun with Netflix!

Brick and mortar stores definitely have their benefits. It really is a shame to see so many of them going by the wayside.....

kw