|
Mustached Demon posted:There's a Kmart across the street from a Winco here. They occasionally lease the parking lot out to car dealerships for sales to give you an idea of how full it is. Can you check if they still have SNES games, tia
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 07:16
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 5, 2024 06:27 |
|
|
Kmart trip report. The one in town that I drive past on the way to work is closing. A few days ago I saw some poor guy holding the going out of business sign. Pretty sure he was supposed to be shaking the sign around and trying to beckon people into the parking lot but it was 95 and humid that day so he was just sort of leaning against it. Pretty sure he was not well. I needed some stuff for the car today. Wheel cleaner and soap. I was going past there anyway so I figured I'd see if they had that stuff cheap. I noticed that there were still some plants out front. Many of them very brown and sickly. 10% off. There was a yellow sign on the door alerting me that receipts and merchandise would be checked by security on the way out. I saw all the things everyone here has mentioned. Flickering and burnt out lights. Horrible yellow and brown stains on the floors and ceiling. Ancient yellowed shelving. This store hasn't been in clearance mode for more than a week so I can't blame the piles of random poo poo just laying around in no particular order on that. The most depressing thing about the whole experience was the smell. Piss. Not LIKE piss. An overwhelming stench of old, hot urine. It hit me the moment I walked in and it was there the whole way back to the automotive area and back up to the front. I found a bottle of eagle1 wheel cleaner for $5.99, and a can of Ozium air freshener for $4.99. 10% off! I probably could have found the same poo poo at the Ollie's across the street for less but I didn't feel like stopping somewhere else so I bought it. The cashier was a young girl who was way more cheerful than I expected. A rent a cop checked my bag on the way out and marked my receipt with a highlighter. The whole thing just left me bummed. I remember when Kmart was actually a good store. Going there with Mom when I was a child. Shopping for this and that. Getting little Ceasers pizza pizza and crazy bread on the way out. Oh well. Kmart has been a poo poo store for a long time and it's dead now. That wheel cleaner was poo poo too. Left spots on my wheels. gently caress you Kmart.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 08:05
|
|
|
Ive been seeing Kmart ads on TV lately and Im just like "Really?" Heres a good video on the death of a Kmart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6yA7r6WfJo
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 08:59
|
|
|
JB50 posted:Ive been seeing Kmart ads on TV lately and Im just like "Really?" If an alarm goes off in an abandoned K-mart, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a noise?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 12:22
|
|
|
Gumbel2Gumbel posted:God, remember spending hours at the mall with your family? And Christmas shopping? Brutal. Yeah, it was horrible. When I was a kid the store that sold Nintendo games was my only solace, we could get one if we were good the whole time. From like 1998 to 2002, there was a Wizards of the Coast Store, and I appreciated Tower Records, so me and my friend liked that routine on Fridays.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 12:35
|
|
|
JB50 posted:Ive been seeing Kmart ads on TV lately and Im just like "Really?" that got kinda dark in the end
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 12:40
|
|
|
I'm assuming the malls that survive will be the ones that focus 90% on clothes stores and restaurants. And then some "experience" stores like Disney, Apple, Lego, etc. And lastly a few places like Bose & Sharper Image which have never been about good prices or convenience anyway.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 15:18
|
|
|
Sir Lemming posted:I'm assuming the malls that survive will be the ones that focus 90% on clothes stores and restaurants. And then some "experience" stores like Disney, Apple, Lego, etc. And lastly a few places like Bose & Sharper Image which have never been about good prices or convenience anyway. Sans the restaurants, that's exactly one of the malls near me.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 15:20
|
|
|
I hope Spencer's Gifts is doing okay 
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 15:35
|
|
|
Upscale malls are still doing fine. It's the malls that cater to middle class folks that are dying.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 15:54
|
|
|
A Pinball Wizard posted:Upscale malls are still doing fine. It's the malls that cater to middle class folks that are dying. Dan Bell does a series about dead malls on YouTube and most of these depressing malls are around where working class jobs have been disappearing (MI, OH, PA, WV, etc). Some of them are dying because of bad locations but most are due to the economy shifting wealth upward.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 16:14
|
|
|
FlamingLiberal posted:Correct. All of Dan Bell's videos are cool. Watch his dirty room series if you never want to sleep in a hotel again.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 16:17
|
|
|
Yeah I avoid those.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 16:24
|
|
|
Haifisch posted:What kills me is when you're in an area with multiple malls within a 30-40 minute drive from each other, and there's no reason to switch up where you go because they all have the same damned stores. Hmm, I wonder why malls are having so much trouble? this is new york's capital district in a nutshell. except while we did lose a couple malls (latham circle, clifton country and saratoga), there are still a LOT of malls in pretty close proximity and they are all doing well. it's weird.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 16:35
|
|
|
As with most downturns, I imagine the dying malls are the ones based on marginal business models and locations, which the successful ones are popular and well-run enough to have enough customers even in a downturn, and able to trim sails if necessary.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 16:38
|
|
|
financially racist posted:this is new york's capital district in a nutshell. except while we did lose a couple malls (latham circle, clifton country and saratoga), there are still a LOT of malls in pretty close proximity and they are all doing well. it's weird. It was like that in Syracuse and the surrounding area in the 90s as well. Last time I was there, though, they'd demoed at least 2 of them and converted one into a gigantic multi-brand car dealership (save for a Burlington that was somehow hanging on). They've even expanded one of the fancier ones near downtown to something like three times its original size (destroying a bunch of older businesses surrounding it in the process). I seem to remember there being a whole bunch of malls around Rochester as well. Was there something about the I-90 corridor that just made people want to build malls?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 18:34
|
|
|
We have a mall here that does gangbusters, but what you've said makes sense. They have a few upper end boutiques, little things that I can't name with curly letter logos, some upper end chains like Express, some middler but still for-people-with-money places like H&M and Forever 21. They just ditched Sears and added a poo poo TON of food into the mall, so even the poors have something to look forward to. Then there's the experience stores someone mentioned -- we have an Apple Store, a Disney Store, and I guess Williams Sonoma counts. And probably a hundred and seven Bath and Body Works, I don't know what that's about. Every so often you see something crop up with weirder, cheaper stuff. Right now there's a wig store in there. The actual wigs are pricey, but the rest of the store feels off and cheap. I don't see it lasting super long.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 18:59
|
|
|
I would really like to know why every dead mall has a GNC and a Bath and Body Works.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 19:15
|
|
|
FlamingLiberal posted:I would really like to know why every dead mall has a GNC and a Bath and Body Works. Because Bath and Body Works owns, that's why
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 19:16
|
|
|
Because you can't sniff soaps online. Similar reason to why you still see Yankee Candle stores. As for GNC, I suppose it's just the ever-present "maybe I need to do something about my health habits" nag that most people have. And people probably still feel more comfortable buying pills when there's someone professional-looking in the room to reassure them "Yeah, this won't kill you". Although I could easily see that company going under (or online-only) pretty soon.
Sir Lemming has a new favorite as of 19:46 on Jul 17, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 19:41
|
|
|
A Pinball Wizard posted:Upscale malls are still doing fine. It's the malls that cater to middle class folks that are dying. Yeah the one nearest me has turned itself into "destination" experience and is still packed to the gills on weekends. e: looking at their website they even have something called "subzero nitrogen ice cream"
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 19:41
|
|
|
financially racist posted:this is new york's capital district in a nutshell. except while we did lose a couple malls (latham circle, clifton country and saratoga), there are still a LOT of malls in pretty close proximity and they are all doing well. it's weird. Colonie Center seems to be dying, propped up by the Christmas Tree Shop. Crossgates is doing pretty well, though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 19:51
|
|
|
sharknado slashfic posted:e: looking at their website they even have something called "subzero nitrogen ice cream" But the ice cream is just generic Dippin Dots
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 19:53
|
|
|
Iron Crowned posted:Because Bath and Body Works owns, that's why
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 20:21
|
|
|
FilthyImp posted:Nitrogenated foods are a small thing now. Starbucks has Nitrogen Cold Brew that fizzes slightly. Maybe not. There's an ice cream place nearby that takes the milk and cream and uses liquid nitrogen to freeze it and add flavors and chunks. Kind of like a Coldstone Creamery but they don't start with ice cream, just the cream and sugar.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 20:36
|
|
|
I got it - they can put the nighclubs...in the mall. Or how about a bar district...inside a mall...then you can take your drinks from bar to bar.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 21:00
|
|
|
FlamingLiberal posted:I would really like to know why every dead mall has a GNC and a Bath and Body Works. Outdoor outlet mall? Got one. Upscale mall? Got one. Mall for poors? Got one. Huge tourist trap mall? Got one. Fashion outlets? Got one. Sir Lemming posted:Because you can't sniff soaps online. Similar reason to why you still see Yankee Candle stores
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 22:15
|
|
|
JailTrump posted:I got it - they can put the nighclubs...in the mall. That's a good idea, as long as there were patios too.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 22:42
|
|
|
JailTrump posted:Or how about a bar district...inside a mall...then you can take your drinks from bar to bar.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 23:07
|
|
|
Iron Crowned posted:Those strip malls are likely already empty now that Radio Shack is gone i wonder how cheap rents in strip malls are going to become soon. they aren't going to tear them down, so I can't help but think there could potentially be a small resurgence in store-based small businesses now that retail corporations are becoming a lot rarer the towns near me have got a few independent retro game stores, a few new restaurants, a couple of dentists... all sorts of stuff.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 23:09
|
|
|
Tumble posted:i wonder how cheap rents in strip malls are going to become soon. I'm waiting for them to become startup office space.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 23:14
|
|
|
When your CEO is an idiot, well.. "We don't need more customers. We have all the customers we could possibly want," Sears CEO Eddie Lampert said on Wednesday at the company's annual shareholder meeting. May 11, 2017 http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/11/investing/sears-lampert-dont-need-more-customers/index.html Today, Sears is borrowing more money from CEO Eddie Lampert's hedge fund. Lampert, through his hedge fund ESL Investments, has agreed to give the company a $200 million credit line. http://www.businessinsider.com/sears-is-borrowing-another-200-million-from-its-ceo-2017-7 Tomorrow, 
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 23:21
|
|
|
you know, the american south let the civil war go on as long as it did and send as many of its young men to death as it did because the leaders of the confederacy couldn't loving admit they did wrong in promoting slavery and that they were deluded about king cotton swooping in and making the union submit you don't go bankrupt from losing at gambling, you go bankrupt from the martingale you start like a loving idiot after losing your first, reasonable tranche
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 23:24
|
|
|
Sir Lemming posted:Because you can't sniff soaps online. Similar reason to why you still see Yankee Candle stores. As for GNC, I suppose it's just the ever-present "maybe I need to do something about my health habits" nag that most people have. And people probably still feel more comfortable buying pills when there's someone professional-looking in the room to reassure them "Yeah, this won't kill you". Although I could easily see that company going under (or online-only) pretty soon. I kind of wonder if it's a mix of things. I'm going to guess that a lot of people just don't trust the internet enough to buy supplements from a website. When you hear stories about people getting supplements that were literally just pills full of sand it looks bad. Though that was the entire supplement industry and not just the internet. GNC is a pretty old company so I think it has that inertia behind it; the mall you've gone to forever has probably had a GNC the entire time so it's just a fact of existence. I also figure maybe they get people buying protein powder or whatever on the way to the gym. That or people who forgot to order their stuff and had to go to an actual physical store because God forbid you don't have your bottle of magical muscle goo for three or four workout sessions. That or just old people who want to gobble every health craze in existence in a desperate attempt to not die ever.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 23:26
|
|
|
Left Sears about two months ago and the specter of dread and decay in my life vanished almost immediately, thanks for everything Eddie
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 23:34
|
|
|
Lime Tonics posted:When your CEO is an idiot, well..
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 23:34
|
|
|
Subjunctive posted:I'm waiting for them to become startup office space. There's one by me that's an army-navy store, Chinese restaurant, nail salon, and then six different doctors offices all run by a family of medical professionals all with different specialties. It's like Kim's GP, Kim's dentistry, Kim's dermatology...
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2017 23:36
|
|
|
Subjunctive posted:I'm waiting for them to become startup office space. There’s an old CVS nearby that became a locally owned drug store that is now a remote working spot. So that’s pretty close. Strip malls haven’t recovered from 2008 and I’m not sure if they ever will. Normally population growth would eventually catch up, but retail square footage is retracting and shopping habits are going online, so maybe not. They’ve tried turning malls into lofts and apartments. Maybe developers can rezone that local GNC to be a nice one bedroom apartment. Plenty of parking.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2017 00:46
|
|
|
there wolf posted:There's one by me that's an army-navy store, Chinese restaurant, nail salon, and then six different doctors offices all run by a family of medical professionals all with different specialties. It's like Kim's GP, Kim's dentistry, Kim's dermatology... They are buying everything!
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2017 00:51
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 5, 2024 06:27 |
|
|
It would be better to just till over blighted commercial development, let it return to natural land, and focus future efforts on denser, more sustainable urban planning rather than try to force the old bad sprawl to work.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2017 00:53
|
|