topic Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY in Among Friends

STORES SEEM EMPTY

Shanus — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 12:51:02 GMT

I have been in my mall and Target several times over the passed week and the stores are not crowded for this time of year.

I'm not sure if folks are waiting for Black Friday (I never go), but there are so many good sales now I was surprised. I personally tend to purchase a lot online, but some things like shoes and makeup just have to be purchased in person.

The stores I went in were piled up with merchandise.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

Group 5 minus 1 — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 12:55:20 GMT

Also there is a shortage of personnel,so very few to stock shelves.

Money is tight and credit card debt is at an all time high. Things may never improve,I am sad to say.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

Shanus — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 12:57:21 GMT

@Group 5 minus 1 Added to what you said, I think unfortuneately crime has kept people away, too.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

They CallMe MRWILKES — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 13:19:54 GMT

The National Retail Federation has just released its annual survey and forecast for Holiday 2023 consumer spending.

Spending is projected to rise 3-4% over 2022, a rate of growth generally in line with recent years. Total spending could reach $967 billion.

The biggest change is expected to be online purchasing, which will grow 10% to almost 30% of total sales. Almost 60% of consumers indicate that at least a portion of purchasing will be made online. So foot traffic in stores can be expected to drop.

Retailers indicate temporary hiring will be in the 345,000 to 450,000 range.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

GinaV24 — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 13:06:37 GMT

I haven't been in Target recently. The last store I was in, other than the grocery, was Walmart when I picked up an online order I made. The parking lot was not as crowded as it usually is but there was a steady flow of people.

I hear you about the crime issue these days. I keep a close eye out since with all of the car jackings and robberies in the stores, it is concerning. There have been several robberies of people at various banks in the Philadelphia area! One woman was making a deposit of $30K and was hit over the head & the $ stolen.

I never do the black Friday thing - that kind of chaos doesn't excite me at all!

We're not doing a big Christmas anyway. My brother has been sick for over a year and I've been helping him. When we do go out, I have to be very careful if he's with me because his hearing is bad & he moves really slowly. We really don't need any more stuff.

Take care of yourselves when you are out.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

kaydee50 — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 13:09:17 GMT

We were in Target yesterday and it was pretty crowded and well stocked.

What really suprised me was we had lunch in a local German restaurant that is pretty large and every table was taken. We were happy to see that it is doing so well.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

skatting44 — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 13:25:53 GMT

2 of my local Home Goods stores were packed with shoppers last Thursday and this past Monday .

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

They CallMe MRWILKES — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 13:45:55 GMT

Personally, I don't foresee consumer contraction at all this Holiday Season.

What's evolving is where they shop, so not seeing them in a mall is not indicative of a reluctant consumer.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

hgsuddle — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 13:47:33 GMT

The stores in my area are packed - lines to the back of the store at Costco, half-hour waits in line at two different TJ Maxx stores, etc, People are shopping - perhaps more prudently and at more discount places, but they are shopping. I very rarely shop at the mall - if I buy anything from a department store it is Nordstrom - free shipping and free returns. I don't have to go there.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

SoCal Bred — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 13:53:57 GMT

I don't venture out as much as I used to, I do stop at Target maybe every 2 weeks, the problem is I like to shop early in the day before the crowd and since they do not have help to stock the shelves at night they do it during the day so you have to manuever your carts around them while doing your shopping same goes for the grocery stores.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

CANDLEQUEEN — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 14:40:21 GMT

My husband and I were on Macys' last Sunday afternoon, and I was surprised at how many people were actually out shopping! So maybeit just depends on the day ,place and store!

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

bikerbabe — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 14:50:23 GMT

I think it’s in part because Black Friday is no longer just Black Friday, it’s the entire month of November. 😂 It spreads out the crush of people.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

Trinity11 — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 15:26:15 GMT

I was in two malls on Long Island last week @Shanus and they were packed. I mentioned to my husband, to remind me not to go on weekends again. Even the small strip mall near us was packed.

I bought a new winter coat in Nordstrom and there were no mirrors available, the dept. was so packed. I had to wait at the Estée Lauder counter.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

jlkz — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 15:40:59 GMT

@Shanus

As the weather gets colder in those temperature zones, and / or the holidays also get closer, the stores may get busy. Couple this with widespread delivery issues, folks may buy extras just to have " timely " gifts.

Every thing is cyclical: things can go from very negative as one poster noted, but over time things do change although the change might be different from what occurred in the past.

During COVID, we lost so many folks....that can have an impact as the buying cohort got diminished. With work from home widespread, lots of relationships began to evaporate and possibly the gift-giving component also shrunk.

Lots of little / big trends can drive the changes we are seeing. How the retail environment will respond long term will be interesting.

Regardless, I want to send an early wish to our posters, new and old, for a warm and peaceful holiday season. And, the grace to see and give joy to those we encounter.

May 2024 bring calm and the courage to make it so.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

ScrapHappy — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 16:14:08 GMT

I went to Walmart yesterday for a turkey breast for Thanksgiving. Not crowded, but didn't expect it to be in the morning during the weekday. They seemed pretty well stocked on Black Friday items and noticed a lot more coming out and putting put on shelves. Stores in my aree on the weekend are packed with people.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

LindaSal — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 16:24:54 GMT

It will be interesting to see how it goes with the holiday shopping thing. I guess location has something to do with it. We are lucky to live in a fairly safe area but still I get a bit nervous now if I go out alone. DH mostly comes with me to do grocery shopping and errands. We went to our big store here (BJ's) yesterday and it was not busy at all, but then again we go on a Tuesday morning.........we avoid going shopping on weekends.

I don't have a lot to purchase at Christmastime so I mostly buy online and order gift cards from Amazon. I'm already finished so now I'm concentrating on getting ready for Thanksgiving!

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

Kachina624 — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 16:51:09 GMT

More and more, people are shopping online. I know I am, and haven been in a store since the start of the pandemic. I can get everything I need delivered to my door.

I did have to go to Walgreens for my annual flu and acovid vaccines as Amazon is not yet giving them.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

Kachina624 — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 16:55:25 GMT

@skatting44 wrote:
2 of my local Home Goods stores were packed with shoppers last Thursday and this past Monday .

@skatting44. That could be because Home Goods is doing a lot of TV advertising. I even told m6 sister she needed to check them out.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

Estellee — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 17:09:13 GMT

I try to stay out of the stores on weekends. Weekdays are a whole lot better to shop.

Re: STORES SEEM EMPTY

shoptilyadropagain — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 17:25:07 GMT

Our mall only has a handful of stores left and I don't even pay attention to the parking lot. The other stores are stand alone or in a strip mall and they always are packed. I'm not a huge fan of Target and only set foot in there once or twice a year but the parking lot is almost always full.