CREEPY GHOST MALLS A SCARY SIGN

When was the last time you visited a shopping mall? For me, it had been almost two years, since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. I knew things had been doing downhill before that, when Macy’s closed and Sears pulled out. Still it was a bustling place with rows of boutiques and specialty shops to meet every need. Retail therapy was alive and well. Now fully vaccinated, I drove across town to look for a new fall sweater. Drove around to Penny’s and found they’d blocked the back entrance. The front entrance was lit up as always, and my spirits lifted as I walked in the door. Headed straight toward the inner mall. Then, the shockwaves hit. Most of the stores along the hallways were dark and empty. Gone forever! Only a few holdouts remained; surprisingly, a shoe store and a nail salon. A wave of apprehension washed over me. Creepy glost malls are a scary sign.

Creepy Ghost Malls Are a Scary Sign — Creepy Ghost Malls Are A Scary Sign. Will the economy really bounce back from all that loss?

I needed something to bolster my spirits. Coffee! Headed for the food court. None of the three remaining food bars served coffee. Only bottled beverages. The seating area was deserted.. That made everything seem worse. But of course, it made sense. How many people sit down to eat in a dying mall?

Of the three boutiques left that sold women’s clothing, none had a black cardigan. The merchandise was all picked over, and there were sale racks everywhere. I saw more clerks than customers. Empty handed, I returned to the car. Now I was hungry, but most of the nearby restaurants were shut down. Finally drove to a Chick Filet, where they no longer sell chicken salad sandwiches. Only fried stuff. Most of the seating area closed, Lots of people ordering carryout. The cashier checked in the back and found me some coffee, so I sat down and took off my mask to drink it, along with some little chicken nuggets.

Why is the stock market at an all time high, and home sales booming? The feds tell us everything is coming up roses. But how? Millions of dollars in merchandise, jobs, and potential income have been lost forever in the mall and surrounding areas. Some of that brick and mortar money went to e-commerce, but not all. There has to be a lot of empty pockets. Are we headed for a recession? I don’t know, but creepy ghost malls are a scary sign.

September 27, 2021September 26, 2021

HELP! WE’RE ADDICTED TO CATALOGS.

Believe it or not, I had never purchased anything from a picture in a catalog until I was over 50. Strangely enough, my first job out of college was as a catalog copywriter for Montgomery Ward in Chicago. It was the first step into the glamourous world of advertising. But there’s no way I would have ordered so much as a pair of socks. Not when there was Michigan Avenue, with Carson’s, Marshall Field’s and all of the wonderful stores within walking distance. But later on, I married a man who had been born and raised on a farm in Nebraska. Catalog shopping was a way of life for him. Even before Covid, I had succumbed to the lure of all the shiny catalogs he received. And during the pandemic, it was the only way to go. Now, we receive at least one package every week. Help! We’re addicted to catalogs.

By catalogs, I include shopping websites like Amazon. Buying from a picture on online is no different than a catalog purchase. You like what you see, read the product description, click on “buy now,” and wait for the package to show up at your doorstep or in your mailbox. Sometimes, you’re disappointed. The shoe doesn’t fit, or the beige dress turns out to be yellow. And returns are somewhat of a bother. But I’ve always gotten my money back, and I didn’t have to stand in line at a customer service counter.

I still miss retail therapy. Smelling the perfume as you walk in a department store; seeing all the bright new fashions, geegaws and gimcracks on display. You could spend hours going from one department to the other. But there’s the problem for seniors. A trip to the mall leaves us exhausted.

Online shopping, or e-commerce, as they call it, has increased by 34% since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. Some small shops are beginning to open up again, and a few larger stores have kept their doors open. But now, we’ve grown fond of ordering from the comfort of our homes.. There’s much more to choose from, and it’s so easy. I’m afraid we’ll never see the return of the big department stores we loved in the 20^th century

The trouble is, we’re buying a lot more stuff than we used to. Help! We’re addicted to catalogs.

August 15, 2020August 15, 2020

ANOTHER BLOW TO RETAIL THERAPY

Our neighborhood mall provides air conditioned comfort for summer walkers, and warmth on sub zero winter days. But more, much more than that, it has been home to a discount department store that meets your needs and fulfills your desires. That’s all ending. In another blow to retail therapy, Stein Mart has just declared bankruptcy.

Blow to Retail Therapy: Stein Mart leaves us without retail therapy — Another Blow to Retail Therapy: Stein Mart declares bankruptcy

As a child growing up in the post depression years, the inside of a department store was like a field of dreams. With no internet or TV, entertainment was limited to the radio and movies. Even if you didn’t have a dime, the department store atmosphere was an escape from the humdrum world we lived in. The fragrances from the cosmetic counter, glamorous store clerks, latest fashions, and shiny new housewares promised a better world.. When I was old enough to earn my own money, it was delightful to wander from department to department, admiring all the shiny merchandise before I made a purchase.

Later, after I’d graduated from college and moved to Chicago, I was mesmerized by the glamour and sophistication of the Marshall Field Department store. I would go there after work and simply wander around, admiring the latest fashions. Since I could sew, I often copied a designer fashion for a fraction of the price. And the store windows! Especially at Christmas, they were full of wonder and beauty.

According to Forbes magazine, the appeal of department store was due to these five factors:

Inspiration
Immediate Gratification
Convenience
Taction (the idea of touching, feeling, trying products on, i.e., getting help or confidence in a purchase)
Experience (the memory or social delight of being somewhere)

As a parent, I enjoyed shopping in department stores for my children, even though I was often on a tight budget. But the one of the best things of being a grandparent was shopping with my granddaughters.. I loved taking them to the mall and buying them special things that maybe their parents thought were too extravagant. What a joy to see their faces light up as they bought a pretty dress or a pair of fancy boots.

The pandemic is merely hastening the beginning of the end. Everyone’s ordering online for products they can’t smell, feel, or really see. A picture is one dimensional. What looks good online might not suit you at all. Shopping on a computer doesn’t even come close to the fun of trying on clothes in a department store with a friend or relative along.

There are a couple of chains hanging on for dear life—Kohl’s and Tj Maxx, for example. But will they last forever? Sad to say, I’m afraid retail therapy is coming to a sad, slow end.

June 10, 2020June 10, 2020

AMAZON LURES THE SHOPPING DEPRIVED

Have you ever bought a jigsaw puzzle online? Before Covid-19, we didn’t even own one. But my husband found them a great way to pass the time while staying at home. Trouble was, the local stores were out of all the good ones. So we turned to Amazon. Buying a puzzle by mail order is fraught with hazard. There are sometimes missing pieces—which you don’t discover until you’ve spent about a week struggling to put the thing together. When this happened, we decided to get a refund. Printed out a return label. To our surprise, it said we had to take it to Kohl’s drop off station for shipping return. This seemed very strange, until I finally figured it out. Beware: Amazon lures the shopping deprived..

Amazon and Kohls has formed a partnershipd — Kohls will pack and ship Amazon returns for free. Amazon lures the shopping deprived.

I thought Kohl’s and Amazon were competitors. After all, online shopping is robbing retailers of much needed traffic. But these two retailers teamed up last year for what seemed like a win-win situation. Kohl’s would pack and ship returns for Amazon for free. This would bring traffic to Kohl’s.

I know I’ve been making fun of people who shop for clothes during the pandemic. Why do you need anything new when you have nowhere to go? But I’d forgotten the siren call of retail therapy. When I stepped inside Kohl’s I felt a surge of joy. The brightly lit cosmetic counter. Colorful new summer fashions. Sale signs everywhere. As I made my way back to the Amazon kiosk, temptation overcame me. My senses pulsed with desire. No, I did not need new tops and shorts. Not at all. But I knew what was going to happen, and I didn’t have the strength to stop it.

Like a starving refugee, I darted from counter to counter, filling my arms with merchandise. My face mask was getting hot, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t leave until I had used the 25% discount coupon that I received at the Amazon drop off station. When I got home with my packages, my husband had a good laugh. I had fallen for their trap. Amazon lures the shopping deprived.

July 25, 2018November 10, 2018

SELF HELP WHEN YOU’RE FEELING BLUE

If you were around in the 50’s or 60’s, you might remember that popular ballad by one of the greatest vocalists of all time, Nat King Cole.

“Pretend You’re Happy When You’re Blue” lyrics went like this:

Pretend you’re happy when you’re blue
It isn’t very hard to do
And you’ll find happiness without an end
Whenever you pretend

Remember anyone can dream
And nothing’s bad as it may seem
The little things you haven’t got
Could be a lot if you pretend

We all have “blue,” days. Maybe you had a disagreement with a friend, got into a fender bender, or lost your purse. Perhaps you’re sick and tired of hearing about Trump and feel like the world is falling apart. Whatever the reason, you haven’t slept well, and you wake up in the morning feeling down and out. What to do? Mope around all day? Overeat or feed some other addiction like nicotine or alcohol? No, just pretend you’re happy and act accordingly.

Smile. If it’s a nice day, put on a clean outfit and a pair of walking shoes, put one foot in front of the other, and take a walk through the park. Watch the squirrels chase each other’s tails. Listen to the birds singing. Laugh as the geese stop traffic while nonchalantly walking across the road. Admire the flowers. Watch green tree leaves fluttering with the wind. Feel the warm sunshine on your back. Keep going until you feel your mood lift.

Come back home, fix a cup of tea. Get up and go out with ordinary people, some of whom may be handicapped, yet still going on with their lives. Retail therapy helps if you don’t go overboard. Or maybe an hour in the reading room at the library. Whatever lifts your spirit and makes you realize your troubles aren’t nearly as serious as you thought.

And if you sing this melody
You’ll be pretending just like me
The world is mine, it can be yours, my friend
So why don’t you pretend?