I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy.
Here is a quick update to the blog. I moved around the gadgets on the home page. In addition to the changes, I also added a YouTube Retail and Expedition links tab that will take you directly to the YouTube channels I follow. I encourage each and every one of my blog readers to take a look at these channels, there is something for everyone who likes retail and more. My Youtube channel is also listed here as well.
Here are the most recent documentation projects I am working on. Things are a little bit slower on the documentation side, but I have some big projects in the works. My backlog of already documented posts is still large, so I will continue to post new articles as time permits.
Macroplaza Mall update with the final Houston area Sears. How is the store faring as the last one standing? Well, things are not looking good for this store and inventory levels are much lower than I have ever seen them.
The final days of the North Shepherd Sears in Houston Texas. I am trying to do a weekly update on the North Shepherd Sears up until the store closes in August. All of my trips will become a large blog post which can bring some closure to this 70 year old iconic Sears location. Sadly the neon has been turned off for now.
Thanks for adding the links to the YouTube channels. That'll make it easier to keep track of these channels. It looks like the Dead Malls people have been through Houston and the rest of Texas here recently. I'll have to check out the Palestine Mall video. I think I went to that East Texas mall about 30 years ago, but I don't remember for sure. I know I was in Palestine and I do remember a Kroger there which is still around apparently and is somewhat vintage, but I suppose not anymore so than some of the more vintage Greenhouse Krogers in Houston. I think that was the same trip where I stayed at a hotel literally next to the Tyler, TX Kmart.
ReplyDeleteThat LCD video board at the Macroplaza Mall is pretty interesting. I wonder what they will advertise when Sears goes out of business.
I remember that corner of the N. Shepherd Sears quite well. I would usually enter through that door and would check out the men's clothes. There isn't much left it seems other than jeans. It's a shame that the store is closing, of course, but I do look forward to seeing your collection of photos from the closing sale when you get it up. That's certainly a Sears which deserves a proper send-off.
It might not be a bad idea to add some links to some of the newer retail blogs in your list of blog links. There are certainly some good ones like Retail Retell's blog and Random Retail's blog. The My Florida Retail/AFB blogs are good as well. There are others, but those are some of the newer blogs that I keep an eye on these days.
Anyway, I'll have to check out those YouTube videos now. I have not even heard of about half of those channels.
I had been wanting to add that YouTube link gadget for a while. Last night I finally put it together. I will add more blog channels to my webpage links probably next week, it has been a while since I updated the list. These are the Youtube channels I currently follow, but I will continue to add more in the future. The Deadmalls of Discord is a very good resource to find out about up and coming channels.
DeleteThe Macroplaza Mall sign switches from business to business. It is a fairly new addition to the mall. I just happened to see the Sears ad while driving up to the mall, and went back and waited for it to get a photo of it safely.
I wonder if Sears is going to end up like Blockbuster, with only one location left. Same for Kmart also. If they both had only open store left each, then maybe it would be busier than any other Sears/Kmart was in the past few years because I think that the hypothetical last remaining store would be busy like the last Blockbuster because people want to step in for nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteGuam would be the most likely Kmart to remain if the rest of the chain went under. But don't forget Kmart is big in Australia.
DeleteSears is big in Mexico and will survive long after the US Sears is gone. I am not sure if any iconic Sears locations in the USA are left that would be nostalgic for shoppers. Maybe the Brooklyn location could be the last one standing.
Why does Kmart have a location all the way in Guam? Well I’m assuming that when that location opened, Kmart was still performing well a they wanted to expand their reach, like Walmart. I should instead be asking how is it still open.
DeleteI always wondered how that store came to be. It is probably the top store in the company, the videos I have seen online show it to be super busy. The store has a lot of products you will not find at any other Kmart stores that are either locally made or shipped from nearby countries. Management seems to have more freedom to stock the store up than I have seen at other Kmart stores.
DeleteKmart once had stores all over the world. Not all of those managed to stick around, but their stores in the US territories were quite successful it seems. I suspect these stores have managed to stay successful due to a lack of competition and good local management. It wouldn't surprise me if some local business interests try to buy these stores from Kmart and keep them going in one form or another even after Kmart dies here in the mainland US.
DeleteI suppose some chains like Walmart find places like Guam too difficult to manage using their existing management strategies so they don't even bother with them. Walmart has a certain way that they deal with vendors, but they probably can't use those strategies for a store with only one location. The product mix at stores like Guam is quite varied with a lot of mainland US products, a lot of products aimed at the local population which is quite different from what we would buy, and then products aimed at tourists.
Guam gets a lot of tourists from across Asia. It's one of the cheaper and easier ways for people in Asia to visit the US. My understanding is that Kmart is a tourist destination and that the tourist buses makes stops at Kmart. Tourists probably go there to get a taste of US retail and also to buy low-price souvenirs. The employees at the Guam Kmart must be able to speak many very different languages.
From the photos of these stores, the Kmarts in the territories seem to be better stocked than US mainland Kmarts. There's probably some combination of these stores being better funded and having superior local management compared to Eddie Lampert's people here in the mainland. These stores may also deal with suppliers who weren't burned during the bankruptcy so that may help as well.
Items often cost more in far-flung places since it costs a lot to send it there and so perhaps Kmart does not have to worry about being as price conscious as they would be in the mainland given that and the lack of competition.
You have probably already seen this, je, but according to a newspaper report out of the US Virgin Islands, it seems that the Kmarts over there have the same inventory problems as the mainland Kmarts. I'm guessing they won't be around for much longer. Here is a link to the story.
DeleteThat is a very good comment that pretty much touches all the bases of how Kmart still has stores in these far-flung areas. Hawaii also up until recently had a lot of Kmart stores sort of like Puerto Rico does in 2020.
DeleteLand cost may also be another reason why Walmart or Target have not established a store in Guam. Kmart has probably been there for so long the value of the land has jumped enormously.
Thank you for sending that article over, I had not seen that one yet. Those Kmart stores are sounding more and more like they are not going to make it out of 2020. With less than 100 combined full size Sears and Kmart stores left, I have not idea how they are going to survive.
DeleteI could see Sears/Kmart end up having no liquidation sales with closing locations, but just outright close the stores and ship the merchandise to other stores to make them seem full with merchandise.
ReplyDeleteIt is possible for that to happen, but most of their stores are now so far apart. Usually the liquidation company offers a good deal for Sears inventory for Sears to earn some income quickly from the closing sale.
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