The Death of the Department Store: ‘Very Few Are Likely to Survive’

[sneakypete]

I guess it depends on where you live.  Here, I can't say it's just black people.  I have plenty of lowlife whites, plus some illegals and so-called refugees from the Middle East.  All of them have ruined not only this town, but also the malls and the retail outlets nearby.

As for public transportation -- we have many low to lower middle class people here.  Many of them can't afford cars.  Plus there are still a number of seniors like me.  I never learned to drive (long story about that) and many older people who once drove have, for medical reasons, given up their cars.  So the people here rely on public transportation to get around.  Having public transportation for us is a godsend. 

Eliminating bus service to the mall doesn't work here either.  There is a mall in the region -- I think it's the newest one -- it had regular transit when it first opened, but when it saw other malls decline, the management had the service discontinued.  Well, not only did the mall get rid of the criminal element, it also lost the decent people who relied on public transit.  Now I hear that mall is in financial trouble. 

I still say the mall owners should have invested in armed security.  The stores themselves should have insisted upon it.  I know tenants pay a hefty rent for their space.  They deserve the protection. If some gangsta causes trouble, shoot to kill.  Let the ACLU and the anti-gun  crowd whine.  People should have a safe place to shop.

@sneakypete

bookmarked for later reply.

[Smokin Joe]

Don't know about the rest of the country but out where I am there is a company called Carvana where you can buy your car on line then when you go to pick it up, unless delivered, it is dispensed out of a giant vending machine.

It is advertised all  over. While that's cute, and fine for soda or candy bars, if I am going to buy a vehicle, a test drive is in order, first. It has to fit me, it has certain acceleration, braking, and handling tests it will pass, or I'm not buying it.

It can't do that sitting in a box.

I can't check it for leaks, the way it sits, corners, etc.

Keep in mind I don't buy new, but even if I did, the same would apply.

...and you can't  'horsetrade' with a vending machine.

[sneakypete]

It is advertised all  over. While that's cute, and fine for soda or candy bars, if I am going to buy a vehicle, a test drive is in order, first. It has to fit me, it has certain acceleration, braking, and handling tests it will pass, or I'm not buying it.

It can't do that sitting in a box.

I can't check it for leaks, the way it sits, corners, etc.

Keep in mind I don't buy new, but even if I did, the same would apply.

...and you can't  'horsetrade' with a vending machine.

@Smokin Joe

I just bought a 03 Ford Ranger standard bed,standard cab 4 cylinder pu yesterday with 159k miles on it. A couple of dents that mean nothing to me. Paid 1300 bucks and then had to replace a couple of U-Joints,change the oil in the engine and auto trans,install new filters in both,and replace both u-joints. Oh,a new air filter,too

AC works good,trans shifts perfectly,engine holds excellent oil pressure,and the front end has what looks to be new ball joints and tie rods ends in it,and is a tight as a tick.

Got tired of having to spend what seemed like half a day trying to park my Silverado crew cab 4x4 pu in tiny parking spaces,and tired of making payments on something I didn't really need because if I do need a full-sized pu,I also have a 06 GMC 2500 Sierra 4x4 turbo diesel  pu sitting in the yard that is paid for that will be sold at my estate sale.

The Ranger will be used for local runs to keep miles off my diesel pu,and because it is easier to drive and park.

I also wanted to lose the Silverado truck payments to free up money so I can buy another house at a foreclosure sale in a few months. The house and property where I live now is paid for,so I can always rent it out or sell it to pay off the new property.

And make no mistake about it,there are going to be more foreclosure sales on real property in a few months than there will be buyers.

[Smokin Joe]

@Smokin Joe

I just bought a 03 Ford Ranger standard bed,standard cab 4 cylinder pu yesterday with 159k miles on it. A couple of dents that mean nothing to me. Paid 1300 bucks and then had to replace a couple of U-Joints,change the oil in the engine and auto trans,install new filters in both,and replace both u-joints. Oh,a new air filter,too

AC works good,trans shifts perfectly,engine holds excellent oil pressure,and the front end has what looks to be new ball joints and tie rods ends in it,and is a tight as a tick.

Got tired of having to spend what seemed like half a day trying to park my Silverado crew cab 4x4 pu in tiny parking spaces,and tired of making payments on something I didn't really need because if I do need a full-sized pu,I also have a 06 GMC 2500 Sierra 4x4 turbo diesel  pu sitting in the yard that is paid for that will be sold at my estate sale.

The Ranger will be used for local runs to keep miles off my diesel pu,and because it is easier to drive and park.

I also wanted to lose the Silverado truck payments to free up money so I can buy another house at a foreclosure sale in a few months. The house and property where I live now is paid for,so I can always rent it out or sell it to pay off the new property.

And make no mistake about it,there are going to be more foreclosure sales on real property in a few months than there will be buyers.

I'm expecting big sales in this region, but not for a year or two. We'll see what oil does.

[GtHawk]

Carvana has one of these "vending machines" in Tempe, we used to drive by it all the time when we were taking trips back to our old house in Chandler.  I always thought that was dumb, because you can have the car delivered to your driveway if you wanted.

I personally think the vending concept was directed at millennials who grew up trained for .................OOOOH SHINY!!

[Smokin Joe]

I personally think the vending concept was directed at millennials who grew up trained for .................OOOOH SHINY!!

Yep. People without the people skills to negotiate, too proud to admit they don't know enough to ask questions, and who think every car is just like the one Motor Trend tested (when in reality, no two are exactly alike).

In my experience, that's 'fresh meat' for a car salesman..."Hey kid, just how much do you have to spend, anyway"..

[IsailedawayfromFR]

The end of an era.
Killed off by a microscopic virus... (sigh)

no, it was killed off by the birth of online sales.

If the brand name boys were nimble enough, they would have been able to preserve themselves by adapting that technology earlier.

They by and large didn't.