UNITED STATES—The news I heard over the weekend was just devastating. Another big box retailer has filed bankruptcy and it looks like the end is near for the home furnishings retailer Bed, Bath & Beyond. The giant filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday, April 23 and it is planning to liquid all its stores beginning this Wednesday if they are unable to find a buyer. It sucks that you’re talking about over 14,000 people potentially losing their jobs. Also all those coupons you have rather 20% or $5, $10 or $20 off your total, they’re about to become useless come April 26.
More and more big box retailers are going out of business nowadays than ever before. Let me name a few, some you might remember some you may not. Hmm, let’s see, Mervyns, Sports Authority, Montgomery Ward, Circuit City, Toys R’ Us, Pier 1, Art Van Furniture, Media Play, Radio Shack, shall I continue. Hell, K-Mart I think is all, but gone, and the same can be echoed for Sears that doesn’t have too many stores lingering either. The idea of the mall is also starting to breed bad news and many are starting to shutter stores or close all together. It is really bad that the idea of going to a retailer is becoming more and more potent.
Why? I’ll tell you: E-Commerce. We are just lazy as a nation. We just like to sit at a computer and click and order and have things delivered to the home. The notion of actually getting out of bed, going to a retailer and seeing the product, touching the product, examining how it might look, feel, just no longer exists and I cannot understand it one bit. Amazon is a big proponent of the closure of so many big box retailers. Oh, and I don’t want to hear a single person tell me the retailers need to get with the times.
That is complete BS; Amazon prices are not that cheap, even though if you listen to someone who shops on Amazon you’d think you’re getting the greatest deal in the world. Saving a penny or two on a product is not a game changer for me people. It really is not. If I’m saving $10 to $15 maybe we can talk a little.
I think it’s this notion of getting items delivered at rapid speed that has people so excited. I can get the item I ordered online delivered the exact same day. Guess what? You can get that exact same item the exact same day if you go pick it up in person too at another retailer. The problem with Amazon is if you don’t like the item it ain’t that easy to package it back up and mail it back. Yeah, you have a retailer like Kohl’s who allows you to drop of Amazon returns because they receive a kick-back. However, I guarantee you if there was no kick-back Kohl’s would not be involved.
I’m not a big Amazon shopper, I think I’ve shopped on the online titan maybe 10 times since they have been in existence, and I’m being extra, because I think it is less than 7 or 8 times to be honest. I just don’t feel good about loading the pockets of Jeff Bezos who just comes across so tone deaf I cannot put it into words. In addition, I’d rather not load his pockets more. I rather give that money to the big box retailers. I like the notion of going to a retailer to purchase goods. I don’t want to continue to shop online which makes it very difficult for this massive retailers to stay in business.
What people fail to realize if we continue to shop online and not at the big box retailers that exist over Amazon, we’re going to have a day where big box retailers begin to disappear. That’s not good people. Why? You run into a situation of monopolies forming. What is a monopoly? I’m not talking about the board game, I’m talking about a business that corners the market; they’re the only one offering such products or services and as a result the prices they choose to offer the consumer is pretty stuck with. That means Amazon can start to charge you what they want for a given product and guess what, not much you can do. If you want that product and only Amazon has it, you’re going to have to pay top dollar likely to get that product. And you better believe the delivery rates and the cost to have Amazon Prime is going to rise over time also.
So this is my goal for America this week, get off the couch, get off your butt, go to the mall, go to a big box retailer and spend a few bucks. I completely understand those who are not able to get out and about and have to rely to E-Commerce to get goods delivered to them. That’s understandable, but to those who can move and get around, you have no excuse. Just imagine if we come to world where we no longer have stores we can go to. Talk about Americans not being able to get out and about. It is going to be beyond sad people, it is going to be upsetting as hell.
