Posted on 12/17/2021 4:58:18 PM PST by jfd1776
“For many like he in small rural cities, the choice often isn’t between Amazon and a locally owned business, it’s one between Amazon and Walmart or a similar big box chain that may not have what I want in stock, not to mention the time and hassle.
Amazon Prime and it’s on my doorstep in two days.”
I despise Amazon and Walmart. The problem is, where else can I place an online grocery order, get everything I want, pick it up tomorrow morning at no additional cost, and save 20% from every where else? Where can I get a case for my Lenovo tablet for $10 and have it delivered to my door in two days? There is no alternative.
That by itself is not the complete picture.
Online retail sales figures are actually lower in 2021 than in 2020. I think online retailers are hitting a ceiling in terms of their appeal and their ability to serve customers.
I believe it. Nothing gas sold out and prices already very good. 60 70% off.
And everything I order has shown up early. I started online shopping last week and almost everything is in. No special shipping and no prime
No mention of the minimum wage.
Interesting.
Perhaps you want the wrong things
Sears, much like Kodak never saw or didn’t react soon enough to the tsunami of change that was about to overtake them.
I went to several stores last weekend looking for shoe laces. Probably used a couple gallons of gas. Finally, went to Amazon and chose between thousands of choices. I had my order in one day.
Mewzilla, I don’t disagree with you....
There are a ton of other things hitting retail hard. The minimum wage, especially the recent jumps in places like Chicago and Seattle up to $15/hour, are certainly awful for retail. So are taxes, regulation-inflated energy bills, property-tax-driven retail space rent hikes, and lots of other things too.
I’m not saying that crime is absolutely the only problem that retailers have to deal with.
However...
What I AM saying is that crime is the key, the giant among problems.
Big retail crime - not occasional shoplifting but smash-n-grabs in the parking lot, follow-home crime, assaults on your way out, gangs turning the mall or shopping district into a gang hangout, and flash mobs in the store - this modern, massive crime wave is the one problem that you can’t deal with by price point adjustments and better marketing.
YES, of course, we need to reduce the minimum wage, and income taxes and property taxes and sales taxes, back to reasonable levels...
But if we don’t get crime back under control, then absolutely nothing else matters.
When people think of a mall as being a crime center, that mall is done for.
JFD
Shrinkage losses are tax deductible.
Prime is 2 days?
No it was..
Now it’s when ever it gets there.
Sears never got a $600 million contract from the CIA like Amazon did. We live in an age of Robber barrons who buy and sell us at their leisure.
The inside walkway mall seven miles away has Costco and quite a few service businesses.
The outside walkway mall about three miles further north has stores with outside entrances that are doing a modest amount of business. The Publix does fairly well and now has an self-checkout section.
In the last few months, I spent $5.99 at a locally owned business.
I think Bezos keeps those “teens” on the payroll to terrorize malls and stores.
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Hmmm. You may be on to something.
I find Amazon very difficult to shop - too many unsuitable choices are offered up.
Small retailers selling their own, custom-manufactured products are still doing fine.
Crime is a problem at big malls - but small retailers haven’t been able to afford those rents for decades. That’s why every mall in America offers the same 35 biggish, Asian supply-chain-driven stores these days.
The idea of the straw that broke the camel’s back comes to mind.
I believe it was named Amazon for a reason. Amazon being widest river on the planet.
Don’t quote me but I think I read in the Bible’s Book of Revelation that sometime the rivers will dry up. It’s all about control, folks.
Westfield is to blame for gentrifying the shopping mall. There used to be the “good mall”, and the “black mall”.
Unskilled work as a busboy, and gardener/lawn boy, elevated to salad girl, Coke vending machine restock & change at a country club, then banquet table setup, decorations, ran the CC dances, and wait staff. All in one year. OH, and met a drama teacher also working extra, Nick the Waiter, who encouraged me to try out for a part in high school play PETER PAN, where i was not one of the COOLKIDS, and had life changing attitude of being a PIRATE.
Part of who i am today, half century later. And started as a busboy.
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