[cuban leaf]

I agree with the general premise of the article, but I should mention that in my area a Nordstrom Rack and a new costco were opened.

Problem with stuff like this article is that they sometimes forget to include the stores that are doing better. The US government had to buy out GM, but Ford was (and is) thriving.

[gleeaikin]

Actually GM bought back a lot of it’s shares and last I heard was doing reasonably well. If the big money boys cannot sell their wares, perhaps they will lower their own salaries and pay their workers better so they can afford to buy. Also, people have so much STUFF that we have a 700 mile yard sale in the mid south/central, and another 70 mile yeard sale somewhere else.

[Alberta's Child]

You raise a good point. A lot of what you're seeing here has very little to do with the state of the U.S. economy and is simply a function of overbuilt retail space in this country.

For one of the projects I was working on a couple of years ago, the client had an economist on the consultant team who was doing a real estate market analysis for various sectors of the economy. He presented these interesting historical statistics for the U.S. showing a ratio of retail floor space to population going all the way back to the 1940s. The number was pretty consistent up until the 1980s, then it escalated dramatically until it was something like seven times higher by the mid-2000s than it had been in the 1940s.

It was obvious to everyone in the room that the economy simply couldn't support that much total retail space even if economic conditions were strong.

[GOPJ]

Problem with stuff like this article is that they sometimes forget to include the stores that are doing better.

You're right on this cuban. Yes, McDonald's is having problems... but it's because their store are increasingly staffed by people who are borderline crooks.

[hinckley buzzard]

Notwithstanding the tepid economy, you are right, there is reason to expect a realignment of commercial entities. Nothing stays the same forever. Stores like Sears and Penneys have had a very long run, as have the multitude of basically identical mall stores full of adolescent girls' clothing.

A mega corporation like WalMart will create its own weather, so to speak, and have its own ups and downs. It is perfectly reasonable to expect a healthy winnowing at a time when the market is putting a premium on efficiency, and "lean and mean" is the key to the executive washroom.

[longtermmemmory]

These articles are there to sell broker’s shorting stocks for you.

mentioning blockbuster is a joke.

skipping new companies and new tech is misleading.