The "retail Apocalypse"

Leviathan

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I don't know if anyone's noticed, but it seems like all the stores in the countries are dropping off like flies. Sears, Kmart, Payless, Gamestop, JC Penney's, Macy's, hhgregg, and even some Walmarts are closing left and right.
One website I went on says more than 3500 stores are closing this year.
http://www.toledoblade.com/Retail/2017/04/04/Apocalypse-for-retail-3-500-stores-closing-in-17.html
So I wondered what everyone else thought of this. Do you think it's anything to worry about? I personally think that in about 10 years time stores you actually walk into and shop may be a relic of the past. Everything is shifting to what you can do on the Internet and phones in the name of "convenience" and pretty soon there will be no reason for anyone to leave the house. That's not to mention what it will do to jobs. People say another factor is that people just don't have extra money to shop with anymore. And no time either because they're always working. Taking away their jobs because the stores are closing won't help.

I also read about the Amazon store without any cashiers a few months ago. Where you just check in the app with your smartphone, pick up whatever you want, and the sensors or whatever will know what you pick up and it will be charged to your Amazon account. I think it seems that humanity is becoming obsolete. Even with cars soon being able to drive themselves, what will there be that technology can't do? The future seems like a frightening prospect to me.

I also know one conspiracy theorist who says they're going to use the empty store buildings as their FEMA camps but I haven't looked up on that.
 

Qedr

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Really? Which countries do you mean (some source articles)? Cause in my country there are more and more shops everywhere. Name a town and surely you'll find a supermarket like Lidl or other (of course all ran by foreign corporations). It looks like shopping is becoming a national hobby.
I also read about the Amazon store without any cashiers a few months ago. Where you just check in the app with your smartphone, pick up whatever you want, and the sensors or whatever will know what you pick up and it will be charged to your Amazon account.
I read about it some time ago - I don't think it will pass in my country :D most ppl would find a way to shoplift there.
 

TMT

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I don't know if anyone's noticed, but it seems like all the stores in the countries are dropping off like flies. Sears, Kmart, Payless, Gamestop, JC Penney's, Macy's, hhgregg, and even some Walmarts are closing left and right.
One website I went on says more than 3500 stores are closing this year.
So I wondered what everyone else thought of this. Do you think it's anything to worry about? I personally think that in about 10 years time stores you actually walk into and shop may be a relic of the past. Everything is shifting to what you can do on the Internet and phones in the name of "convenience" and pretty soon there will be no reason for anyone to leave the house. That's not to mention what it will do to jobs. People say another factor is that people just don't have extra money to shop with anymore. And no time either because they're always working. Taking away their jobs because the stores are closing won't help.

I also read about the Amazon store without any cashiers a few months ago. Where you just check in the app with your smartphone, pick up whatever you want, and the sensors or whatever will know what you pick up and it will be charged to your Amazon account. I think it seems that humanity is becoming obsolete. Even with cars soon being able to drive themselves, what will there be that technology can't do? The future seems like a frightening prospect to me.

I also know one conspiracy theorist who says they're going to use the empty store buildings as their FEMA camps but I haven't looked up on that.
Or maybe everything being automated we won't really need to work and we can focus on what's really important, leisure. The future is never as bad as you expect, as long as the militaries of the world don't cause a major catastrophe or environmental concerns get too far out of hand.
 

Aero

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Retail is one of the great hustles of America, but it can't last forever the way it is. It is really happening, people are wising up. Inflation has basically destroyed the middle class. Most of these people out here don't have much, so why go spend money on garbage from Kmart?

Companies will have to innovate or they will fall. Automation might not be a bad thing, If it makes unskilled workers find a better job. That's how I see the path forward. Get rid of unskilled low paying jobs completely. Pay everyone decent money and get quality work over quantity. Because that's how it is right now. These suits just think thousands of minimum wage high school kids will get shit done. And they wont. They make it all worse.
 

JoChris

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I don't know if anyone's noticed, but it seems like all the stores in the countries are dropping off like flies. Sears, Kmart, Payless, Gamestop, JC Penney's, Macy's, hhgregg, and even some Walmarts are closing left and right.
One website I went on says more than 3500 stores are closing this year.
So I wondered what everyone else thought of this. Do you think it's anything to worry about? I personally think that in about 10 years time stores you actually walk into and shop may be a relic of the past. Everything is shifting to what you can do on the Internet and phones in the name of "convenience" and pretty soon there will be no reason for anyone to leave the house. That's not to mention what it will do to jobs. People say another factor is that people just don't have extra money to shop with anymore. And no time either because they're always working. Taking away their jobs because the stores are closing won't help.

I also read about the Amazon store without any cashiers a few months ago. Where you just check in the app with your smartphone, pick up whatever you want, and the sensors or whatever will know what you pick up and it will be charged to your Amazon account. I think it seems that humanity is becoming obsolete. Even with cars soon being able to drive themselves, what will there be that technology can't do? The future seems like a frightening prospect to me.

I also know one conspiracy theorist who says they're going to use the empty store buildings as their FEMA camps but I haven't looked up on that.
It is following the same pattern here in Australia. Lots of empty shops in the centre of town/cities that I have been all over Australia. That is starting to happen in shopping centres as well. A lot of previously successful chain stores and companies going into receivership.

If shops don't go online now they're doomed. What that's going to mean with fewer jobs, increasing job insecurity and resulting lower/ frozen pays for employees..... where are they going to get customers from?
 

Maya Sagrada

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I agree and disagree. We're shopping more than ever, we're just stepping away from big retailers that you named. And for good reason, IMO. I live in a city that is slowly turning "hipster" so maybe it's just here but a lot of people are switching to local businesses instead. These type of stores are in overabundance anyways, and kill so many small businesses when they are built. Not all of these companies provide a livable wage and benefits for their workers either. I believe I saw an article discussing Subway's future plan in I believe the UK to hire "Apprentice Sandwich Artists" to be paid $6 hourly for a probationary period. A lot of these companies get caught cutting corners all in the name of corporate greed, so to that I say GOOD RIDDANCE!
 

Aero

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Exactly. I can describe corporate culture in perfect terms. They act and look the part of professionals, but these fools are actually children. If you speak out, that's considered trying to get "someone in trouble". It's not considered trying to improve the company. It sounds like I'm joking but I'm not. Who the hell acts like that? Getting in trouble is part of the job, it's called consequences.

Give any moron an office and some people to rule over and they will think they are the shit. At that point they will tolerate no criticism whatsoever. It doesn't matter if the company will save 1 million dollars. If a boss will look bad about it, consider that idea DOA. And BTW I believe the people at the top running these companies know it's a problem. They just don't care, because like I said. Retail is a hustle anyway
 

SkepticCat

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If you believe there actually is this sinister deep state 'Illuminati' element that doesn't care about Humanity and views people as nothing more than assets then it really doesn't matter what "the future of shopping" will look like. In that case, the scenario of them going ahead and murdering a large percentage of world population makes complete sense since such an 'Elite' would have no need of human beings, the future being AI, robotics and transhumanism.

Either way, I don't think it's relevant discussing what you describe is happening to retailers. Is it a problem some low-waged people will become redundant professionally and lose their jobs due to stores switching to e-shopping? Not really. This simply makes society more efficient - outside the lack of direct human contact, that is. The real question is how society's wealth is distributed when these futuristic developments become reality: Will we move in the direction of sharing wealth and spending more time educating the now freed up workforce or will we see a distribution that further increases the wealth gap between the "1% Elite" and the "masses"?

This is why all the false flags in the US conducted for the purpose of getting people to part with their firearms and the lies are so alarming... Why do you think they're conducting these black ops aiming to repeal the 2nd Amendment? Well, the logical progression of a such hypothesized completely cynical, Malthusian-minded elite gaining access to advanced robotics and computing systems is adequately summed up by the first 'commandment' on those Stones.



Additionally, this scene from the almost prophetic, highly symbolic movie we all remember comes to mind - pay close attention to what is being said here, especially at 1:50, chilling:


In my opinion, since I believe this conspiracy is real, the only logical thing for us to do is to if not panic then at least make every possible effort waking people up to these things. Every single day passing by now is basically just hoping all of the above is "just a conspiracy theory"... but then, why are they trying to take people's guns away with phony 'terrorist attacks', as we have ample proof of by now? For my part, however, I don't see anything I can do that will make a difference. I've tried talking to people about this and they just laugh at me. Perhaps some of you can do better. Or, we can all just pretend all of this doesn't match up a little too well and just forget about the whole thing - no harm could come of that, surely...

The only thing that doesn't add up are the 'terrorist scene' crisis actors. Their performance is so laughably bad I simply can't fathom why an organization with unlimited funds would risk utilizing such amateurs. Somehow, however, most people believe these acts are real (proof: there hasn't been a revolution overthrowing US government) so what they're doing is actually working. I suspect this is in fact about how they are required to issue a 'fair warning' before they proceed with their evil schemes. Right now, though, people are completely ignoring these warnings - laughing at them, in fact - which does not bode well for the future.
 
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Lisa

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Or maybe everything being automated we won't really need to work and we can focus on what's really important, leisure. The future is never as bad as you expect, as long as the militaries of the world don't cause a major catastrophe or environmental concerns get too far out of hand.
I think people like to work...gives us a purpose. Too much leisure can be boring and bad for the soul.
 

Lisa

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Could it also have something to do with the minimum wage set to be raised to a crazy amount? Who wants to pay an entry level worker $15 an hour?

I think, having worked in retail that there's no respect for the worker or that they have lives...that makes it hard to attract and keep employees. Now all retailers are about pushing credit and rewards programs to try to win loyalty because it is a competition. The company I worked for is really about draining whatever the CEO can from the company and he doesn't care about his employees or the customers...its all about what he can get and he's already wealthy, if it goes under..he doesn't care. And it's going down...once it was a flourishing company...but I think he did that on purpose.
 

DisenfranchisedDespot

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Retail is one of the great hustles of America, but it can't last forever the way it is. It is really happening, people are wising up. Inflation has basically destroyed the middle class. Most of these people out here don't have much, so why go spend money on garbage from Kmart?

Companies will have to innovate or they will fall. Automation might not be a bad thing, If it makes unskilled workers find a better job. That's how I see the path forward. Get rid of unskilled low paying jobs completely. Pay everyone decent money and get quality work over quantity. Because that's how it is right now. These suits just think thousands of minimum wage high school kids will get shit done. And they wont. They make it all worse.
I'm in complete agreement with you. I'm reminded of McDonald's employees wanting 15 and hour and within a year a small company proposed a fully automated system with one to two individuals performing maintenance on the robots.

Then let's look at brick and mortar retail seriously - it sucks for the vast majority of purchases. Dollar amount doesn't equal quality anymore and China doesn't automatically equate to junk. I can furnish, repair, and remodel an entire home with only Amazon and Wayfair and spend far less than buying anything from Sears. In addition I have reviews to support my purchases and generally stellar customer support not received in the brick and mortar.

I'm honestly for automation if it means people are forced to actually have skills as it just bumps up the overall average plus efficiency is always a good thing.

@SkepticCat
I don't believe you're wrong in your assessment and that we're dealing with a double edged sword.
 
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Retail is one of the great hustles of America, but it can't last forever the way it is. It is really happening, people are wising up. Inflation has basically destroyed the middle class. Most of these people out here don't have much, so why go spend money on garbage from Kmart?

Companies will have to innovate or they will fall. Automation might not be a bad thing, If it makes unskilled workers find a better job. That's how I see the path forward. Get rid of unskilled low paying jobs completely. Pay everyone decent money and get quality work over quantity. Because that's how it is right now. These suits just think thousands of minimum wage high school kids will get shit done. And they wont. They make it all worse.
I always hear that Minimum wage is only paid to teenagers looking for entry level jobs. In my region however, especially after the great devaluation-wealth transfer of 08' I notice a lot of middle aged adults at or near those positions. Its not a scam working class people are pulling. Its not as if major employers all pine for the return of the middle class of the 1950's, where one income provider in a family could provide a decent living with their skilled jobs and small businesses. I suspect the idea of the masses being reduced to dispensable cogs that die off without investments being made into them is the dream of the elite.

I actually don't believe in an arbitrary minimum wage. Wage pay should be based on a percentage of how much the company makes. This enforces the reality that they're all in it together. The success or failure of the company is everyone's responsibility. Even (non ownership) executives are employees too. How many just had parents who put them through the right parties after high school to put them over everyone else?

I agree that the return of high skilled jobs is a key to restoring an independent middle class. But these skills have to be taught. Even as businesses complain about not having the right employees with the right skills, I notice that a lot of these employers demand previous knowledge and experience, rather than offer training themselves. I imagine their excuse is that another company will only "steal" their investment, which means that they have the right to "steal" from someone else. There are a few companies that still offer apprenticeships, but they are rare. Meanwhile many of the higher paid trades are reserved for those with connections.
 

Aero

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I always hear that Minimum wage is only paid to teenagers looking for entry level jobs. In my region however, especially after the great devaluation-wealth transfer of 08' I notice a lot of middle aged adults at or near those positions. Its not a scam working class people are pulling. Its not as if major employers all pine for the return of the middle class of the 1950's, where one income provider in a family could provide a decent living with their skilled jobs and small businesses. I suspect the idea of the masses being reduced to dispensable cogs that die off without investments being made into them is the dream of the elite.

I actually don't believe in an arbitrary minimum wage. Wage pay should be based on a percentage of how much the company makes. This enforces the reality that they're all in it together. The success or failure of the company is everyone's responsibility. Even (non ownership) executives are employees too. How many just had parents who put them through the right parties after high school to put them over everyone else?

I agree that the return of high skilled jobs is a key to restoring an independent middle class. But these skills have to be taught. Even as businesses complain about not having the right employees with the right skills, I notice that a lot of these employers demand previous knowledge and experience, rather than offer training themselves. I imagine their excuse is that another company will only "steal" their investment, which means that they have the right to "steal" from someone else. There are a few companies that still offer apprenticeships, but they are rare. Meanwhile many of the higher paid trades are reserved for those with connections.
Yes, exactly. It's a huge misconception that minimum wage workers are all high school kids. The facts are, most people making minimum are people who previously didn't have to work. Some of that might be their fault, or the fault of the bankers and wall street.

There is a name for how much inflation we have had in the past 30 years. It's called robbery. Why worry about one of those "retirement funds" employers set up. They can just steal it from you anyway. The real problem is you have rich people basically gambling their money away, but still wanting to maintain their "baller" lifestyles. In order to do that, they have to steal money from somewhere. Or at the least, turn their entire business into a hustle. You know? Make you fight for the money that's supposed to be yours.

And yeah. Most managers are way to lazy to train anyone. The guy who writes the schedule is just trying to get that shit done. They are just looking at payroll hours, not at the skill level of the person. That's not going to change, you can't teach people skills when their job isn't working with people. Why would any of them want to put in that effort? When they can just hang out and gossip. If they ever get called out, they will just lie. And I'm not just being cynical, I've seen it.
 
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I agree Aero, although the skilled training I was talking about would not be something a manager could teach, but rather requires certifications and apprenticeships. I keep reading and hearing employers complain about not finding skilled people, mainly in industry, repair, etc. Unless there's a school to teach, how can one be trained?
 

Aero

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I agree Aero, although the skilled training I was talking about would not be something a manager could teach, but rather requires certifications and apprenticeships. I keep reading and hearing employers complain about not finding skilled people, mainly in industry, repair, etc. Unless there's a school to teach, how can one be trained?
The schools and programs are out there. But people today don't seem to want to go to them and learn. Everyone is going to school for something that might interest them a lot, but ultimately the job isn't in demand. And I actually think this is a real problem. I mean our culture is kind of teaching people to look down on those type of jobs. Like electricians, they make huge bank. But the title has no glorification, you know? You make over six figures but you're still just an electrician.
 

williejonesjr

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I don't know if anyone's noticed, but it seems like all the stores in the countries are dropping off like flies. Sears, Kmart, Payless, Gamestop, JC Penney's, Macy's, hhgregg, and even some Walmarts are closing left and right.
One website I went on says more than 3500 stores are closing this year.
So I wondered what everyone else thought of this. Do you think it's anything to worry about? I personally think that in about 10 years time stores you actually walk into and shop may be a relic of the past. Everything is shifting to what you can do on the Internet and phones in the name of "convenience" and pretty soon there will be no reason for anyone to leave the house. That's not to mention what it will do to jobs. People say another factor is that people just don't have extra money to shop with anymore. And no time either because they're always working. Taking away their jobs because the stores are closing won't help.

I also read about the Amazon store without any cashiers a few months ago. Where you just check in the app with your smartphone, pick up whatever you want, and the sensors or whatever will know what you pick up and it will be charged to your Amazon account. I think it seems that humanity is becoming obsolete. Even with cars soon being able to drive themselves, what will there be that technology can't do? The future seems like a frightening prospect to me.

I also know one conspiracy theorist who says they're going to use the empty store buildings as their FEMA camps but I haven't looked up on that.
Slightly OT slightly relevant.

 

Haich

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Retail stores aren't entirely finished, where I live there's no more high street or independently owned stores but there are large shopping malls with cinemas and restaurants. It's like a fantastical space where you just forget real life. No worries about debt, work , family etc you just eat, shop and relax. It's definitely a form of escapism where the consumer is being encouraged to indulge beyond their means...

I Mean you can't get almost anything on credit these days and the internet shopping market is soaring. We're triggered and intrigued by impulse buys and quick flash sales. It's all a distraction and a preoccupation of the mind is disastrous as it distances us from the realities of life. We lose our sense of responsibility and are never gratified by the endless streams of attainable produce and goods.

Gluttony and greed is an illness
 

Haich

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Retail stores aren't entirely finished, where I live there's no more high street or independently owned stores but there are large shopping malls with cinemas and restaurants. It's like a fantastical space where you just forget real life. No worries about debt, work , family etc you just eat, shop and relax. It's definitely a form of escapism where the consumer is being encouraged to indulge beyond their means...

I Mean you can't get almost anything on credit these days and the internet shopping market is soaring. We're triggered and intrigued by impulse buys and quick flash sales. It's all a distraction and a preoccupation of the mind is disastrous as it distances us from the realities of life. We lose our sense of responsibility and are never gratified by the endless streams of attainable produce and goods.

Gluttony and greed is an illness

You can get anything on credit ****
 

The Zone

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Just to add a bit to this...Amazon is very active opening warehouses all over the US, but they are already running into labor law suits from employees who feel overworked for low pay and some slave driving practices are in place. The starting wage is 9 bucks an hour for workers. Amazon is also messing around with a lot of high tech delivery options including drones and they use an algorithm to predict your next purchase from vast amounts of information collected from you. There is already a brick and mortar store near me with no check out. There are employees and security but you basically just go in and out.

Not to be left out, Walmart is now offering a similar service where people shop on line and they load at the store upon arival. Both retailers are putting the smaller guys out of business in that they buy in bulk and corner the ma and pa stores to where they cannot flourish.

The kicker is it is the elite who control most of tech savy retailers. People can say Bezos is this or that but he seeks to control every aspect of your shopping and Amazon is dominating these days despite being in major debt not that long ago. They will continue to use the very low end labour they are creating with so called advancements to feed the machine.

Shopping and the retail industry as we have known it is in a state of change as everything will go the route of smart devices. Chip up, RFD is almost here.
 
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