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Retail Stores Closing Doors

Financial pressures, shenanigans, repositioning, layoffs…

• Sharper Image - I can’t believe it took this long. How many people really need over-priced massage chairs or TVs that cook you breakfast?
• Movie Gallery - Who?
• CompUSA - The Marshalls of computer hardware, software, & accessories.
• Ethan Allen - Doesn’t make me think “quality furniture”; I feel like it’s more of a footwear catalog…with lots of brown shoes.
• Sofa Express - Because there aren’t a whole lot of places to buy crappy furniture.
• Levitz - Still using “You’ll Love it at Levitz”…I’m pretty sure that’s almost 30 years old. Do you still hear Gap saying, “Fall into the Gap”?
• Macy’s - Doesn’t count; closing 9 stores this year, but opening 11 to 13 more over the next 2 years.
• PacSun - Too many places to buy this crap.
• Kirkland’s Home - uuhhh
• Fashion Bug, Lane Bryant, & Catherines - I’m actually not allowed, by law or something, to talk about this.
• Talbots Kids & Men - They have these for kids & men?
• Sigrid Olsen - Resort wear?
• Jasmine Sola - Scandalous! Sexual misconduct taking down a 38 year old upscale women’s clothing retailer. I must find out more…
• Krispy Kreme - Don’t care. None of their stores are easily accessible to me & for that I believe they deserve to suffer.
• Starbucks - This shouldn’t affect me; I can’t see them closing any shops that are in or near well-populated areas…which is where I tend to live.
• 84 Lumber - Rats; now I’ll just have to get my wood from Home Depot or Lowes.
• Home Depot - Was almost worried there for a sec. But, it’s only call centers; doesn’t really count (except for the poor 950 people losing jobs).
• Pep Boys - Laying people off as a strategic plan to change its product mix & add “smaller neighborhood service shops.” I love words & apparently so do most corporations that lay tons of people off while trying not to freak out investors by verbally acknowleding they’re in financial doo-doo.
• Rent-A-Center - Every time I see commercials or think of this place I laugh. Sometimes it’s more like cracking up. Not sure why, but I think it starts with renting this kind of stuff. How is this acceptable? Seriously…quit being so cheap & BUY IT! Is everyone you hang out with cheap, too?
• Rite Aid - CVS is better.
• Sprint Nextel - Losing out to Verizon & AT&T. Whatever. None of those 3 carriers get reception in my apartment (& I refuse to get a land line).

There’s no shortage of news specific to struggling retailers. It will be interesting to see how they adapt through innovation, technology, sound decision making & solid execution.