# Economic Collapse: Already Started With Big Retailers (Rants, Opinions, and Facts)



## IrritatedWithUS (Jan 9, 2011)

I've been noticing more and more retail stores are going out of business; sending minimum-wage earners scattering. I keep tabs on the financial markets and such. It's a bit of an obsession and I don't know why. 
I sold my stock, I don't want anything to do with the market.

All the Albertson's stores closed in my area - a total of 4 - 3 months ago.
JC Penny, Nordstrom's, and Sears all are going out of business in my area. 
A 125-year old family-run store is also closing 2 of it's locations here. Yet I live in a place with a lower unemployment rate...doesn't seem like it!

Other contributing factors that make me think. Banks and Wall St are profiting and doing great; mom-&-pop shops and other stores are failing.

*Here's a list of other failing stores that I've seen/heard about recently:*

Quizno's filed for bankruptcy and might close all it's stores.

Sbarro's closed 20% of it's stores

Sears is closing stores left & right. Ours here closed. The K-Mart (Sears owns K-Mart) closed as well.

Toys R Us will close over 100 locations this year

JC Penney's is closing 33 stores and letting go of 2,200+ employees in the next 2 months

Red Lobster is closing restaurants and is thinking of rebranding & changing it's name while letting go of hundreds of employees

Ruby Tuesdays is almost non-existent and is closing stores.

Kohls - is "struggling" with a payroll tax hike and has reduced spending on apparel & store closures are seen in the near future.

Radio Shack: Closed many stores here

Walmart - their sales continue to go down; it's the 2nd quarter and they're already faltering. They're putting the blame on "sluggist toy sales and packaged foods"

*
HERE IS A HUGE LIST OF SAME/OTHER U.S> RETAILERS CLOSING SHOPS OR CLOSING ALTOGETHER:*

All 2014 U.S. Retail Industry Store Closings - Complete Alphabetized 
NAMES A THROUGH C ARE ONLY LISTED. 
Company Listing of Store Closings. The numbers to the left are the number of stores closing SOON:

180 Abercrombie & Fitch (by 2015)

1 Abercrombie Kids

3 ACO Hardware

1 Aerie

33 Archiver's

175 Aeropostale ("over the next several years")

26 Albertson's

18 ALCO

11 American TV & Appliance

2 Arden B

223 Barnes & Noble (through 2023)

1 Barnes & Noble College Bookstore

1 Bedroom Expressions

1 Belk

2 Best Buy

1 Big 5

1 Big Lots

5 Bi-Lo

300 Blockbuster

91 Blockbuster (UK)

1 Bon-Ton

3 Books-A-Million

15 Bridgestone

145 Brown Shoes / Famous Footwear

1 Broyhill Home Collections

63 Build-A-Bear (through 2014)

25 Build-A-Bear (through 2015)

17 Cato

3 Champs Americana

125 Children's Place

1 Coldwater Creek

6 Cord Camera

1 Cost Plus World Market

ON ANOTHER NOTE: Business Insider reports that 15% of America's retail malls will close in 2014 alone.
============================================

We're still in a recession but these headlines and bits of info on failing MAJOR retailers worries me. Soon, these minimum wage workers by the MILLIONS will be filing for unemployment and the retailers will run off with profits again as they lay off their workers.

Will it get worse than last time? It's a-comin'


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## memrymaker (Dec 12, 2012)

Losing all the listed businesses saddens me tremendously. I really hope this country can get back on course and moving in a positive direction, but each day, month and year that goes by just paves the downward momentum. . Sad state of affairs when Walmart and Best Buy make the the lists.


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

Irritated, your location says Western USA, so I am guessing you are either in SF Bay area; Reno, NV; Portland, OR; Puget Sound Area, or Salt Lake City. I could guess southern California as well. Where is the location of these closures you listed?


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## talob (Sep 16, 2009)

When I see these kind of threads two words jump into my head ATLAS SHRUGGED.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Some of those closures would likely be a result of the number of people buying books, toys, & electronics on-line now. Some are due to competition from national chains like Walmart. 

I really don't think the economy is getting better & if it was, Obamacare will put an end to that. We got out of the market in 2008, right before things went south. We'll never put our money back in.


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## Geek999 (Jul 9, 2013)

Retaillers have been struggling since 2007 and fighting the move to onlline shopping even longer. They are losing. There's no news in this.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Internet "Stores" don't have the overhead as store fronts do. Sell their product cheaper.
Gas prices make the savings on Internet purchases really attractive.


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

I was thinking that internet sales have had an adverse impact on "brick and mortar" stores. Most retailers I know also have a website for internet sales. Internet sales only stores still have overhead. They have paid staff to process orders, a shipping and receiving clerk, warehouse and storage and computers. They still need a building to operate. 

Internet sales and big store closures are not an indication of market redistribution factors, in my unqualified opinion. My analytical mind says it's something else.


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## Topmom (Feb 16, 2012)

Add these to the list of closures....Dollar Tree and Family Dollar.


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## gabbyj310 (Oct 22, 2012)

After a NOT so nice visit from the IRS to my savings account a couple of years ago.I decided then and there that any and all money would be in small things needed and harder to sell in case "they" came looking.So the mini farm and I'm investing in IT.New well(yet to be dug)when I can,small tractor,nice greenhouse,tools of all kinds,really want an underground cellar or container and I can go on and on. My point is my money will NOT go into the stock market or bank.I keep just enough to pay the months bills,the rest will go into "thing" for the place or buried in a jar under a tree.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

talob said:


> When I see these kind of threads two words jump into my head ATLAS SHRUGGED.


Don't we all wish we could go 'Galt'??


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I think it is a combination of many factors for these stores to be closing.

#1 reason is because the costs of their large locations (heat, cooling, lighting, taxes, maintenance, etc) is smashing their bottom line.

#2 reason is because the consumer is being hammered by taxes (fuel, home, income, etc) and they are having to choose between paying taxes or giving up their homes or even going to jail ... 

#3 reason is because like the game of monopoly - there is only one winner. You and I will never be that winner no matter how hard we try. We give up trying to have the best and newest and settle in the old-fashioned stuff ... like cars that are 10 years old and that don't have built-in MP3 players and Internet and backup cameras such. When we stop buying because we can't afford to - everyone suffers.

... and then on top of all that - eBay and Amazon makes shopping easy. Yes - your money might be going to the BigBoxRetailer, but, you get shoppers who can no longer justify the local store charging $50 for something when they can get it off of Amazon for $20 with free-shipping to boot.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

NaeKid said:


> ... and then on top of all that - eBay and Amazon makes shopping easy.


Brick-and-mortar stores are going the way of the dinosaur... 

I read an article a while back where people would come into a Best Buy store... they would look at, feel, handle the device they want... then scan the barcode with their smartphone and buy it online in seconds.

The physical store can't compete with that.


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## Mase92 (Feb 4, 2013)

As many others have mentioned it is a myriad of things so no it's not the impending doom of the economic collapse. This has been going on since the late 90's. 

As you listed all the CORPRATE giants that are going bye bye, look in your area and in the last 20 how many long term mom and pop shops went away. How many ghost strip malls have you seen as Amazon, Sams, Walmart, Target and a few other success have flourished?

When you get a blow like the last economic downturn we last had, it doesn't pop back overnight and those that can't find a way to stay healthy will disappear.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

One of my "local shops" that I deal with regularly is where I get my motorcycle parts and repairs. I go in there and they normally have what I need and - at decent enough prices. Yes - I know I can get cheaper online many times, but, that doesn't help them out.

I have told them many times, if they have it in store, I will buy from them first, but, if they have to order it in, I might as well order it myself and have it dropped into my mailbox so that I don't have to make a special trip across-town (I used to live walking distance away - now - not as easy to walk it).


They tell me that they understand and they try to have everything as well, but, they can't compete with online-stores. What they may miss in a sale on some sparkle, they can make up in service.

Soon, it will be the service shops that will make money and the sales shops will disappear.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

NaeKid said:


> I think it is a combination of many factors for these stores to be closing.
> 
> #1 reason is because the costs of their large locations (heat, cooling, lighting, taxes, maintenance, etc) is smashing their bottom line.
> 
> ...


#4) too many at the top making salaries in the 7 and 8 digit figures???


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