Saturday, March 25, 2017

Signs Of The Times

I may be getting old, but it doesn't seem like that long ago, when K-Mart was the place to shop.
I remember everything being reasonably priced. My first suit came from K-Mart. I got my film developed at K-Mart. Slurpees, popcorn, and cotton candy at the snack bar up front next to the jewelry counter. Dinner at the restaurant in back... I put toys for my kids on layaway at K-Mart. OK, yeah, I am old...   Still, today's K-Mart is certainly not your Mother's K-Mart. In fact, in Utah, K-Mart has ceased to exist. There were more cars parked at K-Mart during the last 4 weeks of store closing sales than in the last 2 years combined. Everyone likes a bargain, but looking at the discounted prices reveals part of why they went out of business. Everything was way overpriced - or at least available much cheaper elsewhere.
Macy's. I remember Macy's being a high class store. Too expensive for me to shop at, yet they were a powerful company who kept buying out struggling retailers. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.They too are closing stores left and right. 75% off at our location and still nothing I think is worth the cost.
Hopefully your local mall doesn't have a Sears, JC Penney, and Macy's or you might as well call in the wrecking balls and bulldozers now.

Is there anyone my age who didn't look through the Sears 'wish Book" before Christmas and dream of all the fun toys they could have? Where has our childhood gone?
Is Walmart to blame? Amazon? Corporate greed? All of the above? No matter what the cause, these once iconic shopping meccas will soon be just a memory...