I will readily concede that no retailer can compete on price and an unlimited, if virtual, inventory at Amazon or elsewhere online.
However...many of retail’s problems are self-inflicted.
1) They worry less about the current sale and more about the next one. A once-simple checkout procedure is now a sparring match with cashiers asking for loyalty cards (irony alert), quizzing you on why you don’t have one, demanding to know your details so they can ‘look you up,’ and pressing you to obtain one.
2) If retailers want market research, then they can bloody well pay for it and conduct it themselves. Stop hounding me to ‘visit this web site and take a survey and register to win.’ I’m tired of getting receipts longer than a roll of toilet paper. You want feedback? Here’s some feedback: how about thanking me for my purchase instead? ‘Have a good one’ is not the same thing as gratitude.
3) Retailers are suffering death-by-actuary. By hyperanalyzing sales figures, they are creating a death spiral. If you stock only ‘top sellers,’ you eliminate variety. Eventually, this whittling will turn a redwood into a toothpick. Retailers will claim they are attempting to protect their profitability but the result is a boring sameness of merchandise across so-called competitors. What’s the point of shopping retail if I have no option but to wear what everyone else is wearing? Have you seen some of these people? If I can’t tell Macy’s from Dillard’s from Belk then what incentive do I have to shop at one over the other?
4) The OEMs (brands) aren’t helping. It’s clear that they are issuing tiers of product, with some going to mass retailers, some to specialty stores, some to their own ‘factory stores’ (what used to be outlets featuring bargains) etc. Anyone paying attention knows that if you’re looking for a particular model of adidas shoe, for example, you can eliminate certain retailers from the search as they stock only low-end or targeted models. And you’ll probably end up ordering from Zappos anyway due to miserly purchasing decisions by retailers. Why are retailers buying a single size run? It’s madness, especially considering the concentration of purchases in a particular size range (e.g. shoe 9-11). There’s a reason clearance sales have shoes sizes 5, 6, 7 and shirt sizes Small and Medium - nobody buys this stuff! Why are OEMs and retailers sticking to this outdated, futile approach?
I freely admit my tastes are particular and overly-considered but I remain shocked that I can walk through an entire mall without even being tempted by a product. Or perhaps it’s because I reject ‘fashion’ in favor of a shoe that isn’t as light as a bedroom slipper (and will fall apart quickly) or a shirt through which I can read a newspaper.
If we must buy clothes made in China so be it. It doesn’t mean I want to look like a bike-riding peasant in Beijing, however.
Nice rant. Have a good one!