The thing is, when the Amazons of the world can do what they do without all that real estate needed for stores in every city and town, with all those employees, with municipal property tax, heat and lights, shoplifting costs, maintenance, stocking shelves without the aid of computerized humanless conveyor belts it kinda does put Sears and the others behind the ole 8 ball IMO.
All the while Amazon, with its investment tied to shipping and stocking efficiency in much the same way UPS moves its freight in such a way that no B&M store can handle that sort of onslaught of competitive efficiency without some sort of presence (like Costco) that makes a person actually want to go to the mall...
...(italics and bold per KDAC)
^^^^ These two concise points right here. Many consumers suspect but probably have virtually no idea how many hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars of the comapny's revenue, presuming that much is available, is poured right back into operating expenses, salaries, inventory costs, and taxes. These factors are precisely why Amazon, like it or not, is and will most likely remain the king of retail for the foreseeable future. Until a sizeable majority of shoppers fall back in love with having a tangible item in hand prior to purchase, the convenience of not having to commute to a brick and mortar location, park, walk, browse, and wait in line will be perpetually forsaken in favor of simply having an item or items shipped to one's door - even in the face of package theft.
Until circa 2015 or so, I was one of those "hold outs." After getting sick of being followed around stores like a criminal suspect - even with my wife and kid(s) in tow, coming out of the store to witness dents and dings in our car from impatient individuals, sometimes ridiculous crowds, and simply losing the desire to alleviate then-boredom, anxiety, et al. with "retail therapy," I made the decision to make nearly all of my purchases via the net sans food and clothes. The irony of doing so is that I'm even more disciplined with my money and discerning of what I purchase. I empathize with the retail employees that may experience unemployment as a result of diminished foot traffic, but I don't miss shopping at all.
In regard to Sears, I agree with the title of the thread. It wasn't the internet that did them in. From my persepctive, other retailers simply encroached upon the appliance (Best Buy), tool (Harbor Freight Tools), and clothing (Wal-Mart) arenas the company dominated for decades and did a better job of enticing the customer to shop. Menard's, Lowe's, and Home Depot snatched away quite a bit of the appliance and DIY crowds as well. The funny thing about open-market capitalism is that the presence of too many consumer choices from a myriad of businesses doesn't permit an entity to "hang around" long enough and become established in the mind and habits of consumers to reach the status of a cultural institution. In other words, after around 126 years in business, it may be time for Sears to simply hang it up in regard to the retail business. The presence of the internet in addition to a number of large companies selling similar if not the same goods is simply aiding that probability.
) home here in NH. There's is a two story (narrow but deep, "town house" style) with a partially finished attic. Beautiful woodwork inside. In fact, there are several Sears houses in their town.
