Is “Going” Shopping Becoming a Thing of the Past?

Being a retail outlet owner is a scary proposition these days. Lets just come out and say it.  On-line sales are killing retail outlets all over the country.

As the late Howard Cosell would say “Just tellin’ it like it is”. Christmas sales were down for most retailers and on line sales were up. It is a trend that doesn’t look like it is going to slow down either.

This week MC Sports announced it is closing its doors.  A year ago, Quincy lost J.C. Penneys and K-Mart and Sears employees held their breath last week when those two Quincy stores were not on the closure list that was announced. Is it a matter of time before they are?  I hope not.

I really think people would rather go shopping than to go online and search for their sweaters and jeans they want to buy.  Maybe I am wrong in my thinking. I hope not. I have friends who work in retail. And I did so years ago, before the internet.

So what is driving people to shop on line anyway?  My guess is, its inventory or the lack of it at the retail locations. It’s never a problem to get the size you want ordered, but it is a problem if you leave your home and find what you want but they don’t have the size you need. When that happens, in most cases what does the store clerk say?  I can get them for you online if you would like? And there lies the problem.

So how do you fix it? There lies the $1000 question. A question that is only $950 online. There’s the other problem for retailers.