Retail Wreckage

[jbocker]

Shopping with the Mrs because she needed more 'tops'. Went into a female clothing store and was surprised at the pricing, most stuff was either $20 or $25. In my earlier 'what is this gonna cost' thinking I guessed most would be in the $40-$65 range. A little bundle of purchases were selected from a VERY much larger bundle of try-ons. One of these had an error in pricing, and the shop owner stated "hmm this one has come up as $117".
I asked what should it be.
She said $25.

I thought that sounds like internet pricing, and I am happy to return there but while there were no signs of closing down, I do fear I wont see the shop on my return.

On another note I bought some Kmart 'around the house' shorts for $5 each. They were quite robust not some flimsy vomit coloured pair.
Quite surprised at the price, I have since worn them twice and still no sign of deterioration.

 

[qldfrog]

Welcome to the world of chinese manufacturing.
When the inbetween get removed, it is very cheap and competitive.wait till the effects are felt for cars, housing

 

[So_Cynical]

I was going to buy some pillows from them tomorrow, they have/had a really comprehensive bedding range, was very quiet when i was there buying a doona a couple of months ago.

A reasonable crowd in Harris Scarfe today mid afternoon, vulture mentality?? got some very cheap (not original packaging) pillows.

 

[qldfrog]

A reasonable crowd in Harris Scarfe today mid afternoon, vulture mentality?? got some very cheap (not original packaging) pillows.

Soaring like an eagle, feeding like a vulture?

 

[Humid]

Truth is we haven't had decent governing for 2 decades. I wouldn't pee on the current bunch of libs if they were on fire.

You couldn’t pea on them because without Nelson or Bishop you couldn’t name any
Who are the Libs?
Oh yeah Taylor

 

[moXJO]

A reasonable crowd in Harris Scarfe today mid afternoon, vulture mentality?? got some very cheap (not original packaging) pillows.

Nostalgic/Loss mentality....
Same thing happened when darell lea was closing down.
Everyone wonders: " How could the shutdown?". Not realizing they probably shopped there once every 2 years.

 

[moXJO]

You couldn’t pea on them because without Nelson or Bishop you couldn’t name any
Who are the Libs?
Oh yeah Taylor

The authoritarians got control over the party. The original mantra was something like: " We want to give every opportunity for you to get ahead while we as a government don't intrude negatively in your life".

Now its " Do what we say and no one gets hurt".

Turnbull made the right noises but failed miserably.
Both sides are so far away from their core its ridiculous.

 

[jogibains]

Bricks and mortar has a use-by date. E-commerce doesn't involve exorbitant rents. Retailers aren't seeing this - they're too busy trying to make the problem worse by bashing wages.

Don't have a lot of sympathy to be honest.

Same here no sympathy for retailers they are to greedy. I have friend overseas who have export business overseas they sell item to Bunnigs. I give you a example they sell 1 item for $2.50 AUD and Bunning is selling that item for $50.00 AUD now think. Specifically these big retailers also distroy manufacturing industry just for there profit margins.

 

[greggles]

In January, all of the lazy, upcompetitive (or simply past their prime) retailers are in their death throes. Harris Scarfe, McWilliams Wines, EB Games, Bardot, Curious Planet, Jeanswest. The strong Christmas sales for these retailers obviously didn't eventuate and they are stumbling out of the retail jungle weakened and near death.

Shopping centre rents and other brick and mortar-related overheads are just helping to strangle the weakest of the bunch. I think 2020 will see the last of the struggling retailers fold and 2021 should hopefully see some recovery.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/bus...y/news-story/14c50866e94b06b94f2a392310a12056

 

[Knobby22]

In January, all of the lazy, upcompetitive (or simply past their prime) retailers are in their death throes. Harris Scarfe, McWilliams Wines, EB Games, Bardot, Curious Planet, Jeanswest. The strong Christmas sales for these retailers obviously didn't eventuate and they are stumbling out of the retail jungle weakened and near death.

Jeanswest used to be cool in the mid 80s.

 

[barney]

Shopping centre rents and other brick and mortar-related overheads are just helping to strangle the weakest of the bunch.

Its all a bit sad really …. not for the big players; they are well backed/funded and go in with all intentions of making a killing or get out before being killed.

It's the smaller business's/franchises that struggle (not that there are too many left) … The rents are astronomical and the online world is changing everything for everyone. I'm happy to be a battler sole trader well away from all that kind of stress!

 

[sptrawler]

Car is a bit special, you have the EV effect...wait for an ev, aging of population with new migrants flocking to cities and not buying cars initially, most of them coming with no money, and aging curve of the baby boomers keeping their cars while tradies stop buying hilux as job becoming scarce...
I would not like owning a car dealership next year

Just drove through Victoria park, a suburb of Perth where a lot of car yards are located, haven't been there for 12 months or so, the amount of closed car yards is amazing.
As you said frog not a good business to be in at the moment.

 

[sptrawler]

Bose to close all stores and move to an online format, maybe a sign of things to come?

https://www.9news.com.au/national/b...shopping/8713060a-a056-4011-b02d-fad511b80a97

 

[barney]

Bose to close all stores and move to an online format, maybe a sign of things to come?

I've been a muso for a million years and Bose have always been an innovator with brilliant products …. As you indicate Homer … Online is likely the future for almost everything.

 

[Smurf1976]

Bose to close all stores and move to an online format, maybe a sign of things to come?

I see the point about online and so on.

On the other hand though, well so far it's another day and another one bites the dust.

It's literally running at the rate of one per day at the moment. That's going to seriously weigh on consumer sentiment with everyone hearing this constant stream of news about business closures etc.

 

[barney]

It's literally running at the rate of one per day at the moment. That's going to seriously weigh on consumer sentiment with everyone hearing this constant stream of news about business closures etc.

I doubt Bose will ever be a victim in the big scheme of things but I agree that sentiment (in Aus particularly) will surely be impacted with these closures.

The whole scenario might open the well worn debate that our past and present Aus governments have not had enough foresight in managing/supporting our economy with regard to Retail/Manufacturing etc etc
I'm just an average punter, but I think our propensity to "sell Australia" to overseas interests for short term gain will eventually come back to bite our future generations (children's/grandchildren's) bums, and Retail is just the tip of the iceberg!

Hope I'm wrong

 

[tinhat]

Shopping with the Mrs because she needed more 'tops'. Went into a female clothing store and was surprised at the pricing, most stuff was either $20 or $25. In my earlier 'what is this gonna cost' thinking I guessed most would be in the $40-$65 range. A little bundle of purchases were selected from a VERY much larger bundle of try-ons. One of these had an error in pricing, and the shop owner stated "hmm this one has come up as $117".
I asked what should it be.
She said $25.

I thought that sounds like internet pricing, and I am happy to return there but while there were no signs of closing down, I do fear I wont see the shop on my return.

On another note I bought some Kmart 'around the house' shorts for $5 each. They were quite robust not some flimsy vomit coloured pair.
Quite surprised at the price, I have since worn them twice and still no sign of deterioration.

Nothing is made to last and that doesn't matter to consumers anyway because fashion is so fast moving that everything is junk in ten minutes. That would not be a problem if it were not for the enormous amount of water it takes to grow cotton and the fact that, even if synthetic fibre, these clothes end up in landfill.

 

[rcm617]

With all this doom and gloom in the retailing space, I wonder where the jobs for the lesser skilled school leavers will come from. Online certainly doesn't need the amount of workers involved and on top of this more and more of the supermarkets are forcing shoppers to the unmanned checkouts.

 

[jbocker]

Nothing is made to last and that doesn't matter to consumers anyway because fashion is so fast moving that everything is junk in ten minutes. That would not be a problem if it were not for the enormous amount of water it takes to grow cotton and the fact that, even if synthetic fibre, these clothes end up in landfill.

Agree with you. I don't think they will be in landfill too much into the future, they will go to Op Shops where we can afford them, provided they continue to be run by volunteers. As with water resources, we need to them to fight fires, and maybe we should return to the fig leaf for apparel, albeit I would only need a rose leaf! Hmm then again not till be get SP2000 nuclear sun cream under this changing sun.

 

[SirRumpole]

With all this doom and gloom in the retailing space, I wonder where the jobs for the lesser skilled school leavers will come from. Online certainly doesn't need the amount of workers involved and on top of this more and more of the supermarkets are forcing shoppers to the unmanned checkouts.

All the stores will move to the Amazon model. Only work will be for packers and despatchers, watched every minute by cctv, strictly limited toilet breaks and minimal wages.