The end of brick and mortar stores?

brianlux

Many brick and mortars have gone out of business.  The question I often ask is, Will any survive in the coming years?  I think my wife's store will continue to go on for a good while, but it is in a small city with good tourist traffic.  Those are big pluses. 

But what about in larger cities?  Very sad news just came out yesterday that all Dimple Record and book stores in Sacramento are shutting down.  That's a huge amount of retail brick and mortar, gone gone gone.

Thoughts?  Do you enjoy brick and mortars.  Do you/ will you miss them?

F Me In The Brain

They are here to stay, however they have to evolve.  The stores that offer no experience and are simple commodity transactions are going to be impacted the most.
The idea that there is a retail apocalypse is the result of some lazy journalists typing sensational stories to try and garner clicks

The simple truth was that the market was oversaturated with locations - and worse, many brands really have little to offer in uniqueness.  These will be corrected in the short term

brianlux

F Me In The Brain said:

They are here to stay, however they have to evolve.  The stores that offer no experience and are simple commodity transactions are going to be impacted the most.
The idea that there is a retail apocalypse is the result of some lazy journalists typing sensational stories to try and garner clicks

The simple truth was that the market was oversaturated with locations - and worse, many brands really have little to offer in uniqueness.  These will be corrected in the short term

Well, for sure, yes, some small business stores make it a better experience.

But most of the records stores and bookstores I know of are a good to great experience.  Sadly, I can name more of them than I care to think about that are now gone, and they were a great experience.  Either not enough people knew about them, or had the chance to have those experiences, or not enough people supported the experiences, or both, and they are gone.  Remarkable places like Chimera books and records in Palo Alto.  Gone.  Wessex Books in Menlo Park.  Gone.  Sunset Books in San Francisco's Sunset District.  Gone.  The amazing Streetlight Records on Noe Valley S.F.  Gone.  The Beat- a marvelous record/CD store in Sacramento and now all five Dimples, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone.

F Me In The Brain

I hear you, Brian.  The middle size shop is even more at risk - and that stinks 
I wish I were talking out of my ass, but in this case I am not.  This is what my actual business is.  
There will many deserving stores that close - but everything is a measure of the customer interaction.
If people connect then the retail location will survive.
It has to be an omnichannel experience these days.  You need to be able to loop the digital experience with the physical experience and allow the shoppers the opportunity to pick how they browse and buy.
It should be enough to have experts on-site to help a shopper but in many cases that is just a step in the right direction.
Tough world out there right now 

brianlux

F Me In The Brain said:

I hear you, Brian.  The middle size shop is even more at risk - and that stinks 
I wish I were talking out of my ass, but in this case I am not.  This is what my actual business is.  
There will many deserving stores that close - but everything is a measure of the customer interaction.
If people connect then the retail location will survive.
It has to be an omnichannel experience these days.  You need to be able to loop the digital experience with the physical experience and allow the shoppers the opportunity to pick how they browse and buy.
It should be enough to have experts on-site to help a shopper but in many cases that is just a step in the right direction.
Tough world out there right now 

You know, you are right, FMITB.  And in many respects, it's all very Darwinian. And Darwin was right and what's right is true and truth is good and things are what they are.  I guess for, me the truth sometimes is a hard pill to swallow. 

Fuck, no wonder I like a band with the word "dinosaur" in it, haha!

And by the way, in case I missed it or forgot (happens these days) , it would be interesting to hear more about your business. 

mickeyrat

brianlux said:

F Me In The Brain said:

They are here to stay, however they have to evolve.  The stores that offer no experience and are simple commodity transactions are going to be impacted the most.
The idea that there is a retail apocalypse is the result of some lazy journalists typing sensational stories to try and garner clicks

The simple truth was that the market was oversaturated with locations - and worse, many brands really have little to offer in uniqueness.  These will be corrected in the short term

Well, for sure, yes, some small business stores make it a better experience.

But most of the records stores and bookstores I know of are a good to great experience.  Sadly, I can name more of them than I care to think about that are now gone, and they were a great experience.  Either not enough people knew about them, or had the chance to have those experiences, or not enough people supported the experiences, or both, and they are gone.  Remarkable places like Chimera books and records in Palo Alto.  Gone.  Wessex Books in Menlo Park.  Gone.  Sunset Books in San Francisco's Sunset District.  Gone.  The amazing Streetlight Records on Noe Valley S.F.  Gone.  The Beat- a marvelous record/CD store in Sacramento and now all five Dimples, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone.

you know why they are gone? fucking millenials in tech are why they are gone. they prefer all media in digital form.

they prefer a sterile soulless thing over the richness of tactile experience.

pjhawks

as we grew up knowing them, yes they will be gone soon.  the throw racks of shit all over and have people stand and wait in a line to pay days are coming to an end. i went out last Christmas season once and did shopping in a mall. went into a clothing store and waited about 15 minutes in line to pay. as i waited in line i thought to myself 'why the fuck am i here when i could do this at home?'  Bottom line is brick and mortar stores have to make some dramatic changes in my opinion to survive.  i think the biggest thing is they need to get rid of traditional cashiers. they need kiosks where you can swipe and pay so you don't have to wait. they need Apps that allow you to find what you are looking for in an easier more-user friendly way.  why am i going to search through a store for something hoping i find the right type, size, and color when i can do that online in like 5 minutes?     Now obviously mostly what I am referring to is clothing stores.

Books  and music stores only the specialty ones will be able to survive.

One thing i think will survive is appliance and furniture places. i don't see people buying a lot of appliances or furniture without seeing them.

F Me In The Brain

brianlux said:

F Me In The Brain said:

I hear you, Brian.  The middle size shop is even more at risk - and that stinks 
I wish I were talking out of my ass, but in this case I am not.  This is what my actual business is.  
There will many deserving stores that close - but everything is a measure of the customer interaction.
If people connect then the retail location will survive.
It has to be an omnichannel experience these days.  You need to be able to loop the digital experience with the physical experience and allow the shoppers the opportunity to pick how they browse and buy.
It should be enough to have experts on-site to help a shopper but in many cases that is just a step in the right direction.
Tough world out there right now 

You know, you are right, FMITB.  And in many respects, it's all very Darwinian. And Darwin was right and what's right is true and truth is good and things are what they are.  I guess for, me the truth sometimes is a hard pill to swallow. 

Fuck, no wonder I like a band with the word "dinosaur" in it, haha!

And by the way, in case I missed it or forgot (happens these days) , it would be interesting to hear more about your business. 

I am an executive in a technology service firm.  We consult with retailers (200-2000 locations, what are called Tier 2, Sub $10B companies generally) & provide services on new locations, technology improvements, and ongoing maintenance for anything IP-based within the 4 walls.

I can speak all day (and sometimes do) about the changing face of retail. 

It is changing -- but it is really a necessary purge. 

tempo_n_groove

I would say if you are in a big city to sign a long term lease or buy the building, renting sucks and you can get priced out.

I'll use Baseball cards as an example.  If you buy a graded card there is no reason to ever enter a brick and mortar store ever again.  If you like a raw untouched card then you need to see it in person and go to an actual store.  These are for the most part dried up too.  Everything is online and are "group breaks".

brianlux

pjhawks said:

as we grew up knowing them, yes they will be gone soon.  the throw racks of shit all over and have people stand and wait in a line to pay days are coming to an end. i went out last Christmas season once and did shopping in a mall. went into a clothing store and waited about 15 minutes in line to pay. as i waited in line i thought to myself 'why the fuck am i here when i could do this at home?'  Bottom line is brick and mortar stores have to make some dramatic changes in my opinion to survive.  i think the biggest thing is they need to get rid of traditional cashiers. they need kiosks where you can swipe and pay so you don't have to wait. they need Apps that allow you to find what you are looking for in an easier more-user friendly way.  why am i going to search through a store for something hoping i find the right type, size, and color when i can do that online in like 5 minutes?     Now obviously mostly what I am referring to is clothing stores.

Books  and music stores only the specialty ones will be able to survive.

One thing i think will survive is appliance and furniture places. i don't see people buying a lot of appliances or furniture without seeing them.

For large stores that can't (or won't?) hire enough stores, this might be the way to go.  And maybe that is OK for some things- every day kinds of things you don't really need to see before purchasing.

On the other hand, at our store, or any of the Dimples stores or any other record or book or small business store, take away the people and you take away the soul  of the place.  As it is, we are becoming more and more a soulless society and replacing humans with machines (at least in some cases)  is part of that loss of soul.

brianlux

F Me In The Brain said:

brianlux said:

F Me In The Brain said:

I hear you, Brian.  The middle size shop is even more at risk - and that stinks 
I wish I were talking out of my ass, but in this case I am not.  This is what my actual business is.  
There will many deserving stores that close - but everything is a measure of the customer interaction.
If people connect then the retail location will survive.
It has to be an omnichannel experience these days.  You need to be able to loop the digital experience with the physical experience and allow the shoppers the opportunity to pick how they browse and buy.
It should be enough to have experts on-site to help a shopper but in many cases that is just a step in the right direction.
Tough world out there right now 

You know, you are right, FMITB.  And in many respects, it's all very Darwinian. And Darwin was right and what's right is true and truth is good and things are what they are.  I guess for, me the truth sometimes is a hard pill to swallow. 

Fuck, no wonder I like a band with the word "dinosaur" in it, haha!

And by the way, in case I missed it or forgot (happens these days) , it would be interesting to hear more about your business. 

I am an executive in a technology service firm.  We consult with retailers (200-2000 locations, what are called Tier 2, Sub $10B companies generally) & provide services on new locations, technology improvements, and ongoing maintenance for anything IP-based within the 4 walls.

I can speak all day (and sometimes do) about the changing face of retail. 

It is changing -- but it is really a necessary purge. 

Sounds like interesting work. 

You would laugh to see how low tech my wife's store was when I started working with her there in 2001.  They had (I'm not kidding) no computer, no cash register, no internet sales and only one phone line.  They have moved up the line a bit in technology to survive, now using the internet to research books and sell the more obscure titles on-line- things that would not likely sell in the store itself, using a computer program to keep the books, and having two phones, one of which has an AP to connected to smart phones.  But the place is still relatively low tech, somewhat quaint even.   But I think some of that quaint atmosphere has helped keep the store going.  I think a lot of people like the homey, familial, people friendly feel of the place.  But some of us there are getting old and sooner or later the next generation will take over the store and who knows what changes will transpire. 

pjhawks

brianlux said:

pjhawks said:

as we grew up knowing them, yes they will be gone soon.  the throw racks of shit all over and have people stand and wait in a line to pay days are coming to an end. i went out last Christmas season once and did shopping in a mall. went into a clothing store and waited about 15 minutes in line to pay. as i waited in line i thought to myself 'why the fuck am i here when i could do this at home?'  Bottom line is brick and mortar stores have to make some dramatic changes in my opinion to survive.  i think the biggest thing is they need to get rid of traditional cashiers. they need kiosks where you can swipe and pay so you don't have to wait. they need Apps that allow you to find what you are looking for in an easier more-user friendly way.  why am i going to search through a store for something hoping i find the right type, size, and color when i can do that online in like 5 minutes?     Now obviously mostly what I am referring to is clothing stores.

Books  and music stores only the specialty ones will be able to survive.

One thing i think will survive is appliance and furniture places. i don't see people buying a lot of appliances or furniture without seeing them.

For large stores that can't (or won't?) hire enough stores, this might be the way to go.  And maybe that is OK for some things- every day kinds of things you don't really need to see before purchasing.

On the other hand, at our store, or any of the Dimples stores or any other record or book or small business store, take away the people and you take away the soul  of the place.  As it is, we are becoming more and more a soulless society and replacing humans with machines (at least in some cases)  is part of that loss of soul.

agree for specialty stores for things like books and music the personal touch is definitely a plus.  

F Me In The Brain

brianlux said:

F Me In The Brain said:

brianlux said:

F Me In The Brain said:

I hear you, Brian.  The middle size shop is even more at risk - and that stinks 
I wish I were talking out of my ass, but in this case I am not.  This is what my actual business is.  
There will many deserving stores that close - but everything is a measure of the customer interaction.
If people connect then the retail location will survive.
It has to be an omnichannel experience these days.  You need to be able to loop the digital experience with the physical experience and allow the shoppers the opportunity to pick how they browse and buy.
It should be enough to have experts on-site to help a shopper but in many cases that is just a step in the right direction.
Tough world out there right now 

You know, you are right, FMITB.  And in many respects, it's all very Darwinian. And Darwin was right and what's right is true and truth is good and things are what they are.  I guess for, me the truth sometimes is a hard pill to swallow. 

Fuck, no wonder I like a band with the word "dinosaur" in it, haha!

And by the way, in case I missed it or forgot (happens these days) , it would be interesting to hear more about your business. 

I am an executive in a technology service firm.  We consult with retailers (200-2000 locations, what are called Tier 2, Sub $10B companies generally) & provide services on new locations, technology improvements, and ongoing maintenance for anything IP-based within the 4 walls.

I can speak all day (and sometimes do) about the changing face of retail. 

It is changing -- but it is really a necessary purge. 

Sounds like interesting work. 

You would laugh to see how low tech my wife's store was when I started working with her there in 2001.  They had (I'm not kidding) no computer, no cash register, no internet sales and only one phone line.  They have moved up the line a bit in technology to survive, now using the internet to research books and sell the more obscure titles on-line- things that would not likely sell in the store itself, using a computer program to keep the books, and having two phones, one of which has an AP to connected to smart phones.  But the place is still relatively low tech, somewhat quaint even.   But I think some of that quaint atmosphere has helped keep the store going.  I think a lot of people like the homey, familial, people friendly feel of the place.  But some of us there are getting old and sooner or later the next generation will take over the store and who knows what changes will transpire. 

Times they are a' changing.  I do think that single store booksellers are a good spot to keep things personal...but selling online for the obscure/rare books sounds smart.