Category Archives: big box stores

Is Thanksgiving Becoming Thanksgetting?

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      The Friday after Thanksgiving has been deemed the start of the holiday shopping season.  At one time it was a low-key day people spent walking around shops enjoying the long weekend.  In recent years, it has become a maniacal race for bargains.  The opening time of the stores offering sales has crept up by a few hours every year with the inevitable now happening.  Retailers are opening their doors on Thanksgiving day.

      Thanksgiving was created as a day of reflection.  People gathered around for a meal with family, friends, and neighbors in appreciation for all that we have, and for all that we can offer.   The day is being reduced from what we have, to what we can get.  There are lines forming outside of big box stores with people trying to get those 5 big screen televisions that will be offered cheap.  Some are waiting for the latest electronic gizmo that in 6 months will be replaced.  Others want the feeling they are getting something for their money, so they too wait in line.  There are people who believe those few days of shopping will provide the biggest bargains of the season.  Never mind they have weeks to go, this is the day to score big.

     It is a difficult time.  The economy has taken its toll on many.  People have the right to seek out items at low cost if they choose.  What I don’t like is the timing of the deals.  Why should the employees, who don’t make a great deal of money, be the ones who have to report to work?   The executives who make the decision to open are not working that day.  Would it really hurt to wait until Friday?  Can’t we as a nation have one day off that most of us will celebrate?   Aren’t we supposed to give thanks and not think about what we can get?

     My family drives about an hour to celebrate the day with relatives.  It is the most pleasant ride of the year as most of the businesses are closed.  The roads are peaceful and quiet.  On the way back, you can see people in their homes enjoying the day with loved ones.  A day of giving thanks for family, friends, good health, food, and shelter.  The one day of the year when we pause to remember all that we value as it is shared over a simple meal.  These are things that money can’t buy and aren’t for sale.  A day called Thanks”giving”.

Thanks´giv`ing

n. 1. The act of rending thanks, or expressing gratitude for favors or mercies.

Webster’s Dictionary

The Effect of Big Box Stores on Retail

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Article first published as The Effect of Big Box Stores on Retail on Technorati.

Borders book stores have announced that they are going out of business.  Best Buy has decided to reduce the size of their buildings.  Both claim that other businesses and the internet have dramatically curtailed sales.  The economic downturn has also played a significant role in their demise.  What many big box retailers seem to have forgotten is that they did exactly the same to thousands of independent business owners years ago.

I remember when Home Depot was opening in the small cities and suburbs.  The immediate concern was that they would put all the small hardware stores out of business.  They were told not to worry.  That competition would improve business for all, and that what they carried would not affect the small stores.  In a matter of a few years, all the independent hardware stores in the area where out of business.  They could not compete with inventory, price, and store hours. 

Large stores and malls also had an effect on the downtown areas of many towns and cities.  It became more convenient to drive to large stores rather that walk up and down a street to shop.  Small clothing, book, toy, video, and drug stores slowly disappeared from the landscape.  Instead the country has become more and more generic in retail choices.

The loss of these large stores has left a void in many cities and towns.   Huge buildings sit vacant for years with signs advertising leasing opportunities.  Given the current economic climate, the small store owner cannot start up a business as easily before retail was dominated by big business.  The small store knew their customers, employed a steady group of workers, and provided a level of service that went unmatched.

The public is upset to see the demise of Borders.  There is a feeling that literacy in America has suffered a blow.  There may some truth in the sentiment, but wouldn’t it be nice if small stores could make a comeback. It would improve the economy and the retail experience many of us miss.