Blue Ridge, GA
Quoted from hoby1:The government needs to step in and tax heavy on internet sales or this will be the fate of all but a select few stores.
Wait, tax some to keep others open? That's not a good reason to use the tax code. Taxing all internet sales is coming, and already happens on most Amazon sales. There are 26+ states with distro centers and they cover over 2/3 of the US population - and they charge taxes in those states. So clearly taxes are not a significant differentiator any longer.
Quoted from JodyG:I think a lot of people are missing the real reason they are closing....a failed leveraged buyout by Bain capital.
I thought they were in trouble before the buyout, but ultimately that and a bad business plan did then in. Everyone go look at the Walmart thread - there are dozens of old stores mentioned there that closed long before the internet and Amazon took over. Retail is hard, highly competitive, and Amazon is not the only reason stores close.
Ironically, one of the largest contributors to the internet and ecommerce has THE busiest retail stores I have ever seen - Apple. Always a line for sales or service, and the customers are almost always happy to be there.
