Two major corporations have declared bankruptcy this week, one a bookseller and the other a video rental franchise. I need to write a story about it but I’m struggling to determine what, if anything, is lost when these brick and mortar stores close due to the shift to digital media. What do you think? Have you ever had a store close in your area? Did it have any affect on you? Pick a side and argue whether it’s important to have these stores in the community or if natural selection of the capitalist-kind is the better way to go. Respond to the discussion post in the conference room.
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Hello everyone!
I am convinced that there are good and bad things about stores closing completely and stores switching to only selling online. Because I live in fairbanks my opinion is based simply off of that, we are a very small community compared to others. We have had several brick and mortar stores close this year and last. Pier one imports is one that is closing right now and of course that means we are losing the capability to go down to the store and spend money and receive the item right then and there but that also means people may choose to spend their money in a local business which brings money back into our economy. I always try to buy local is that is possible. Pier one is going to be online now so that means people who still want to shop there will pay shipping and the money they make in alaska will leave the alaskan economy completely. Businesses going digital is a good and bad thing. I think because Fairbanks is such a small town every store or food place that closes affects us in a big way, we lose their service but we also lose employment for people which can cause people to be unemployed for longer periods of time. Overall I think it is important to have brick and mortar stores in our community.
Caitlyn, I see your point about being in a small community and needing physical locations in which you can shop. I am curious how much money it saves a retailer to operate online versus through a physical store in a small community. For me a downside to shopping online is that I cannot touch or feel what I am buying before I get it. For some hardline purchases like electronics, this sensory stimulus is not important. I’m pretty sure that most people, myself included, would buy a new video game console online during a Black Friday sale with no problem. Whereas purchasing decorative soft-line items from Pier-1 online would be a challenge, personally I need to touch, feel, and see that type of stuff to know what I am getting before opening my wallet.
I have had several stores close in my town, one of them being a Blockbuster, and for the majority of people that I know, it was sad to see it leave. I personally enjoyed browsing the chick-flick movie section, looking for movies like Anne of Green Gables, Road to Avonlea, etc. with my sisters. Blockbuster was the place to go and get movies to watch if my family and I were ever sick. Now that it is gone, we don’t have a special place to go to pick out several movies for a decent price anymore. Live streaming is certainly taking over but it doesn’t have the same charm as Blockbuster did. I think there are good and bad things that come with natural selection but for me personally, I have only ever felt disappointed when businesses close in my town.
I think it is important to keep brick and mortar places alive as they provide places for families to make memories. In-person stores also encourage entrepreneurship and creativity.
I am from a small town with a scattered population of about 800 in rural Alaska, called Talkeetna. Stores do not or have not shut down here due to digital media. If anything, more shops, stores, businesses and hotels have came here to capitalize on the growing tourism business. This ‘tourist trap’ of a town has been featured on several t.v shows. Man Versus Food has done a segment here, the movie Snow Dogs was based on our town, however due to the high cost of filming here they decided to film it in Canada and alter the name to Tolketna instead. This past winter, Juila Robers and her family vacationed here for a few nights before they flew out to the newly constructed mountain chalet on Mt. Denali. Along with her mere presence and instagram posts this town blew up. Almost all business here have done well because of the easy access to digital media and its beneficial uses of advertisement.
This did get me thinking about how my uncle worked for Barnes and Nobel in one of their Anchorage locations that shut down a couple years back. He talked about how several of his employees were loosing their jobs, including him, and that “no one buys books anymore from stores†pointing to the issue that people either use some kind of digital device to read books or order them online. There is a part of me that feels like it is important to have these stores in a community, but there is also a side of me that thinks libraries are good enough. I am the type of person that likes to have a physical book when reading, however, they are almost always cheaper online than buying them in a store. I also feel as though this is natural selection of the capitalist market and there isn’t much we can do about it. I like using bookstores as a place to go and work and get a coffee. However, coffee shops and libraries serve that same purpose.
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If the majority of us are from Fairbanks, then I guarantee we have all seen a store come and go. Remember when Sam’s Club closed and caused a huge panic throughout the community? I’ll never forget that, I’m pretty sure I even signed the petition for Costco to hurry on up here! Also, when I was in St. Louis, Missouri recently, I went to a fairly large mall. Upon entering the mall, I noticed how many shops were closed, so in this gigantic shopping center I would say only half of it was active. Malls are dying. However, I have never had a store’s closing affect me personally. I also shop 95% online, so I guess in a sense I do contribute to the closing of storefronts. Grocery pick-up has become a big thing too, or Instacart, I will say these are a smart move when trying to avoid impulse buys. Anyway, I am kind of on the fence here. I understand the importance of brick and mortar stores in the community, but then I also love the convenience of shopping online like many people do. My brother lives in Seattle and can get an Amazon order in just hours, unlike here where it takes 7-10 days. Regionally speaking, a lot of places won’t ship here or charge OUTRAGEOUS shipping prices; so I guess with that in mind, I’d say the importance of keeping businesses alive in ALASKA is fairly important.
I agree with you because of the place that we live in, it is more important to keep physical stores. In other states they have so many options that a shore closing wouldn’t affect them at all! My friend lives in seattle as well and she told me she was ordering something from amazon and she needed it that same night I laughed, but when I saw it come to her door just hours later I was amazed, unfortunately alaskans do not have that same luxury!
Having traditional street-side businesses is important because it helps keep the world from completely going digital and just cutting out the important “face-to-face” part. I always find it ironic when I take an online class and I’m one who says “its so important to have face-to-face interactions because human socialization is imperative!” because I love the convenience on online courses. Anyways, I think local companies and businesses are crucial for small towns and help give a sense of community to everyone. When a store shifts to digital media, they eliminate the whole sense of trust and customer service aspect. Also, a large percentage of the community customers who are elderly or unfamiliar with technology will be completely eliminated from them making business. One could argue that the younger generation is the important part because they will be the source of income, but this isn’t the best attitude in my opinion. I am not from Fairbanks, but Soldotna, so I am still familiar with being in a small town. I remember when Lowes went out of business and everyone was concerned about this business going out. It didn’t really affect me personally because I was so young, but this definitely impacted a lot of people who relied on that store’s goods.
Gosh, soulmate here. I am 100% distance student, work from home, and mainly shop online. Though the shopping is because I can hardly find the time to grocery shop…and when I do, half the time I do pickup. LOL! However, the sight of the malls with stores closing is very sad to me and I honestly don’t want to live my life like this forever.
I live right between Wasilla and Palmer in the MatSu valley. Palmer is such an awesome little town with a ton of small business owners and the whole town prides themselves on shopping local and supporting each other. So while I am “part of the problem” right now, I really love the vibe they have going. There are always community events, coordinated shop promotions and the coffee shop is always full of people. Some are just hanging out doing homework but its the best.
I agree. 🙂 Brick and mortar stores do help give a sense of community to a town, especially a small one like Soldotna. (I am also from Soldotna and I also remember when Lowes went out of business) If Soldotna didn’t have any stores save for Fred Meyers, Safeway, and Three Bears, I wonder what type of community it would be. Certainly not a happy one.
I remember when the local BlockBuster stores closed. It caused my family and I to watch fewer movies together than we did before. We used to go as a family to the store and chose two movies each weekend to watch together for family nights. With the closing of stores like BlockBuster, I believe we have lost many opportunities to form family traditions. Another problem that comes with closing local stores is the to the local economy. These stores employ people that live locally in the towns and neighborhoods that they are located in. With the closing of business, more people lose their jobs, and more of our income goes outside of our communities. Having the convenience of going to a local store and shopping for items that you need is one thing that I enjoy having. I like to window shop and look and touch the items that I want to buy, instead of trusting just a picture that is on a computer. Although I do admit that I use the Internet to order items that I cannot find locally, I believe that as we lose more brick and mortar stores, we are losing a fundamental part of our culture. As a child I enjoyed going with my parents each week as they shopped. We would walk down the street, and I would get to look inside each of the store windows at all of the displays. This is something that I feel we would miss as we go more towards an internet-based shopping instead of physical stores.
I completely agree wit everything you said. You talking about blockbuster brought up memories I forgot I had, my family would get together every Friday and watch a movie and now because we have such limited options with Redbox we usually can’t decide on what movie to watch so we don’t do it. A lot of people don’t think about economy when they think about places closing, and because we are such a small town every building that closes has a huge impact on our economy and our society even though some do not believe so. Thank you for talking about economy, it is s important!
I think that you brought up a great point about losing family traditions. While every family is different, I know that while growing up my Mom used to take me to our local Blockbuster at least monthly and that we’d always pick out movies together for our “girls night.” We’d also do a lot of shopping on the weekends. Those moments for me, were unforgettable bonding moments that I was able to share with with my Mom alone growing up. Had we not had local movie rental stores or shopping malls to go to I might not have been able to have those memorable times with her.
The interesting thing is that for me, our closest Blockbuster was an hour away so having access to all kinds of movies (for less money per rental) or a monthly subscription (even back when Netflix was a mail DVD service but even more so to a streaming service) made that sort of tradition way more of a possibility for my family. Before we moved to a far more urban lifestyle that is…
First, the local population in Fairbanks is getting aging, many seniors more than young generations. Second, the commercial rental fee is too high for business owners to sustain their businesses to make profits, especially the local small businesses Third, the walk-in retailers are closing down do not affected me much because there’s an online option available.
I would like to argue that many retail methods have go online, for instance, this Media and Communication class, which I am talking it by online because online options can let me make a better time management. During the winter period, my car couldn’t start and how can l go to a store to return my movie DVD on time? I had to pay extra fees perhaps for being late to return it. I am not sure how much does it costs for late fees. I know that RedBox does have a late fee but not sure about BlockBuster walk-in (closed down). Nowadays, Netflix or other cable movies have offered flexible options for their customers, it’s cheaper and convenience by clicking the remote control, a movie is playing on the TV.
As for a bookstore, such as B&N, I preferred to have a commercial bookstore in the community because I am from lower 48, and I still enjoyed having a cup of coffee and browsing in bookstore for magazines or books. Something that I enjoyed doing for my spare time. Ebook is cool but depends. It’s important to have a bookstore because it reminds us to read. The strange thing ever that ebook can’t have that motivation, I’m not sure for others, but I personally like bookstores.
Thank you.
Yen’,
I agree with your take on the subject, especially about the online options for most products that we would otherwise but in-store. In a place small like Fairbanks and with a demographic that isn’t saturated by younger generations, I think that many brick and mortar stores that have closed down in the past few years have lasted much longer than they would have anywhere else in the states. Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV and Amazon Prime have all but taken over the way people watch tv over all, and the fact that Fairbanks still has a video rental store blows my mind. On the other hand, I think that bookstores are more likely to outlive most other special interest shops. Nice post.
Thank you, Alanna. The population aging was on the local newspaper awhile but couldn’t remember the date exactly. A friend told me that we do have a DVD rental store but a small one at somewhere in Fairbanks. There’s always a surprise! Lol.
I remember some years ago when Blockbuster closed and the RedBox stations started to pop up. Now I’m a 90s baby so I remember having to go to the video store for rentals of VHS and then when they turned to DVD and then to BlueRays. But then I also remember when you could buy the BlueRays with the Anywhere Movies and it gave you access to them online. AND THEN, it was all over. Once I found Vudu, I never bought another movie in a hard copy. We use the old DVDs that we do have in our car, but why would we continuously buy something that is evolving? I have children and they used to ruin the discs by touching them, using them as frisbees, dropping and stepping on them.
The Blockbuster in the Mat-Su closed last year. I never went into one, in the 9 years that I have lived in Alaska. I don’t think that I have gone to one in the last 15 years to be honest. The closing of these stores had little to no impact on me. Instead of renting, I would purchase. Why? Again I had small children who are now teenagers, at no point would I want to buy a rental after it was destroyed because my kids ‘had’ to watch it once.
As time goes on and media and technology evolves, it has truly turned into natural selection or survival of the fittest, if you will. If you aren’t made for the future, you won’t survive. Like VHS’ they evolved and DVDs evolved. And now the possibilities with finding and watching the movies online are next to unstoppable.
I believe it’s important to have physical stores available, for a variety of reasons. First of all, for those of us living in Interior Alaska, we simply can’t get things shipped to us in 2 days like in the lower 48. Recently, my five year old needed new mittens, something that would keep him warm when snowboarding in -20 degrees. The mittens he had been wearing were no longer keeping him warm, and he had practices to attend. So, my options were ordering online or going to a local store.
Thankfully, we have a variety of stores here locally who carry winter gear. I was able to check out my options in three different stores around town and purchase him a pair in time for his next lesson. If those stores were no longer open, I would not have been able to get a pair shipped here in time and he would’ve had to either have cold fingers or skip snowboarding. Beyond that, I was able to talk to the sales associates in those stores and get their feedback on the various mitten options. Being able to have someone who lives locally share their experience with specific products was invaluable. Someone on Amazon reviewing a pair of mittens that they wore once when it got “cold†in Texas would not have been helpful to me, but hearing from a fellow Fairbanks resident helped me make an informed decision when purchasing new winter gear. I’ll admit, I loathe shopping, particularly in-store, but this was a circumstance that reminded me of the importance of brick and mortar stores.
I have definitely been in your shoes when it comes to needing something right away, especially when it comes to winter gear. This was a perfect example of why local stores are so significant.
The main downside I can see with a brick and mortar business closing, is the loss of jobs for the employees. Which may impact the person significantly, or may just be a blip in their life and they move on to another job; possibly an even better job. For the owner of the business, closing down would obviously drastically affect them, but not if they were closing down to move to online sales. The owner actually saves money and makes more profit. Their overhead costs would go down and they would have less employees to pay initially. If were to grow and expand their business, more employees would be needed, but again, overhead cost may be lower and with expansion that means there has been more growth and profit. So paying more employees does not negatively affect the business.
When businesses around me have closed down, the only way in which I have been affected is in the ease of going to get an item immediately that day, or in being able to see the item and test it out. Such as clothes. Sizes and fit varies greatly between brands and makers, online has proven this many times. Buying online does not allow you to try on clothes or see an item in person to gauge what it really looks like, feels like, how it performs, if it is broken or defective prior to purchase, etc. I know there are other stores to go to; an almost mantra people say when one store goes down. But what happens when they keep going down? Store after store? Eventually there won’t be any stores left.. We will become more isolated, less physical, and more technology dependent. Most people don’t realize that shopping in a physical store provides human contact and socialization which some people don’t get often, it involves physically going to the store and walking around rather than sitting on a couch on a computer, it allows us to see all the different selections and options available to us right then and there. (Whereas online, usually you only look at a few models and then make a decision.)
I think there is benefit to having BOTH forms of shopping, so we need to ensure we keep BOTH.
It’s quite obvious how much of an impact online shopping and digital purchases have had on such brick and mortar stores. I truly do not believe that there is any worthwhile argument for saving such stores, except for a classic/nostalgia reasoning. As someone who has lived in numerous big cities and small towns, I have found that smaller towns seem to stay stagnant for longer, like a time capsule. In the last small town I lived in, there were 3 classic drive-ins still in operation, 3 that were not Sonic, but genuine drive-ins that had been established since the early 60s/70s. The demographic of the town however was also primarily an older generation, and I think it makes sense that a town/cities main demographic impacts what sort of services are offered and how popular ‘trendy’ or ‘classic’ stores or restaurants are. In short, I don’t think that it is important to preserve such establishments, if only for the sake of sentimental value. As long as there is a need, physical stores will always exist, but slowly it seems, less valued stores will fade away.
I believe it is the evolution of selling it costs more to the stores to hold unwanted stock and filter in new stock and also to filter out old. With online, you get sold only what people want and do not have a giant waste of capital to move unwanted goods yes it is horrible that stores close but that means there is a spot for the growth of another enterprise to fill its place. Blockbuster is gone and only those with no internet are really affected. So it closed its door because supply and demand did not equal profit. Everything today is about convenience and how you can make my life better. The bad thing about all the stores leaving that I see is the human interaction that is lossed, so now you have fewer places to go and everyone stays home more. In the end, we do not have much of a selection up here and no one wants to just be limited to what is in the stores that are local up here. Not everyone has the money to go to anchorage every time they want to go shopping for something more specific. In the end, I would say that it all comes to do you know what you want or do you want it to find you to tell you to buy it.
I grew up in a very small town in Washington of about 3,000 people. Everyone knew each other and all the businesses were owned locally. This also meant a lot of businesses came and a lot of businesses went. It was very sad when someone went out of business because everyone knew who the owner was, and who lost their job that day, and everyone was in everyone else’s “business.”
I realize that going into the future, having a lot online is a great convenience for many people, especially in the big city, but this is not a great option for a lot of small towns or rural places. People depend on these jobs or they own these “ma and pa” shops and that is their livelihood. I believe these types of businesses also bring a community together. Now everyone is always on their phone or has a screen in their face. In person interaction is becoming more limited and I think this is having an effect on children growing up with how they act around others and adults.
Although I think going into the future their should be adaptations to what is developing, I believe the common store should be a stable presence in the community. However, I don’t know how much longer many of these community stores will stick around.
Unfortunately, capitalism is the name of the game nowadays. Old, inefficient business models die and new ones take their place. It is part of what makes the free market so great as well as heartbreaking. I can remember as a child in the 90’s going to Blockbuster with my family and spending an hour looking at all the movies and reading their short descriptions. It was a rush, we had to physically go to Blockbuster, plus we did not have trailers to watch so it was a game of chance whether the movie was good or not. Unlike today where we can watch a trailer, start a movie then instantly stop it and pick another from thousands of choices. The digitization of media has taken away that feeling and experience but it has replaced it with a convenience. This is typical of humans, to make things as convenient as possible. We cannot blame the companies because they are just trying to give the people what they want and move humanity forward. The simple fact is, no matter how much you would like to keep the local stores around, unless they have huge community support, they are not financially viable and will close.
Prior to living in Fairbanks, I lived in the lower 48. If a local store were to close down due to bankruptcy it’s not something that I would hear about unless I was a frequent shopper there. I also don’t think it would affect me in any way because in larger towns or cities there are an abundance of stores to choose from. The community would not be disturbed as new places are always opening and cities are constantly expanding.
On the other hand, when a brick and mortar store in a small town like Fairbanks closes down I think that it affects the entire town in several ways. It lessens our options of places to purchase items at, decreases community health, minimizes the amount of employment opportunities, and demotes local wealth. Sometimes it is tough as our options for clothing, gear, or shoes are narrow causing most of us to purchase something that is available in store or find something that’s online that doesn’t take forever to get delivered. While purchasing an item online is extremely convenient, you lose the ability to physically try it on, see the quality of the item, and have any questions or concerns answered from a live person.
In the end, I don’t think that much is lost when a store closes down in a big city compared to when it happens a small town. While digital shopping is opportune, easy, and user friendly, I think it’s imperative to do anything and everything we can to keep small businesses around.
I am not sure which bookstore declared bankruptcy, but for the sake of my argument I will use Borders Books as an example. For the video rental franchise, I will use Blockbuster Video. I believe when “brick and mortar†stores close, due to advances in technology such as a shift to digital media, the local host communities that these stores leave feel the impact the most. I understand that we live in times of globalization, where economic prosperity requires businesses keep up with more than just the store across the street or across town. Business entities now compete with everyone in the world. When a franchise that provides a service, whose offerings were outdated technologies closes, the global impact is minor. I say this because it is likely that there is already an established service to take the place of that business. In the example of Borders Books, the issue was not that people were against reading books. The problem was that they found there were more convenient digital means to read them. The same can be said for Blockbuster Video. People still rent and watch movies, but a Netflix subscription is more convenient than going into an actual store location to accomplish the same task.
I want to illustrate the effects of “brick and mortar†business closures on local communities. Envision a strip mall that used to house a recently closed store. This vacancy leaves an eye sore in the community. Nothing says lower my property value like an abandoned building. Especially, when the building housed a business that operated in a facility with trademarked architecture, like a Pizza Hut or a White Castle. What is fortunate in this scenario about books and videos, is that my building design analogy does not apply here. In your average strip mall, another business can easily assume a lease and open-up shop to fill the void. Nonetheless the impacts of store closures to local communities delve deeper than unsightly nuisances and perceived valuation decreases. When physical store locations close, people in those communities lose jobs. Luckily, these are only retail jobs that were lost at Borders Books and Blockbuster Video. I say only because retail jobs are typically plentiful. However, I do understand that losing a job is unpleasant regardless of whether or not there are similar open positions to be had.
Living in Fairbanks, AK, you are limited to stores, so when a store closes it seems like it is the end of the world. Tow stores that I remember having an impact on the community were Sams Club and Sports Authority. Sams Club was the only major grocery store that sold in bulk, and when it closed it had the entire town going crazy. I remember during the last few days of its opening, there was a major sale going on and the lines to get in were insane. Sams Club had an effect on my family because it was the only store where you could buy in bulk, therefore it made it cheaper. I would say it is important to have a bulk store in Alaska because it is hard enough to shop here. We definitely got lucky with Costco opening up right after Sams Club closed. The second store, Sports Authority, closed and it sucked for those who played sports and needed gear. When Sports Authority closed, it sucked for my family because there was nowhere else in town that had the correct gear. So when it closed, we struggled with finding the correct gear in town. It eventually meant that we would start ordering everything online, which did become more expensive because there is usually shipping. However, the world has moved towards everything getting bought online like; groceries, movies, clothes, etc. When Sports Authority closed, I believe it affected the town in a negative way. But in reality, most things today are bought online, so even if Sports Authority wasn’t closed down, in the future everyone would end up purchasing what they want online.
There have been so many changes with stores closing over that past several years and it does have an effect on the flavor of the community. While the shift in commerce and online presence (digital offering and opportunity to shop) significantly changes trends and shopping patterns, I do think it is important to maintain real-life stores in the community. That said, the type of store and content will necessarily change. Personally I don’t see the point in a video store, for instance. Nostalgia is a thing and sometimes it sells…but there aren’t a lot of the same stores from 100 years ago. So it stands to reason that 100 years from now that same will be true. What might be worthwhile is to adapt the offerings to fit the culture/environment. In many ways, bookstores do this already. In addition to books, many offer free WiFi, a fireplace to gather around, a coffee shop…in other words, an experience. Even people who don’t need a book sometimes frequent the bookstore. Some leave with a book, some leave with a digital book, some leave with good memories. Music stores that have survived do a similar thing – cater to the interests of those who love music e.g. instruments, a forum to enjoy or discuss music together, and the actual music. Perhaps this adaptability and community spirit is what has enabled the town of Palmer (I mentioned in a response above) to maintain so many storefronts.
I grew up in Golovin Alaska, a rural village on the Seward Peninsula, off the road system, and 70 miles east of Nome. When I was in elementary school our one grocery store closed, leaving the entire village without a place to do their shopping. People starting eating more subsistence food, the school began getting some produce to sell and opened a student store, one family opened a small “coffee” shop with snacks and movies for rent temporarily, the city began fuel sales, and families had to start ordering food from the two grocery stores in Nome. Ordering from Nome was more expensive because they also had to pay airlines freight for the groceries to be sent to Golovin. So, yes, I have experienced a store closing and it affected everyone. Eventually another store, ANICA, opened through the Chinik Eskimo Community tribe. This gave people a place to do their grocery shopping again, but the store can often run out of things with how slow the freight is showing up. Then another local store opened in 2016, which gave people in Golovin a second place to do grocery shopping. ANICA is more of a “major corporation” because they have stores in other villages, while the second store is owned and run by a family living in Golovin. Having either one of these stores close would have an affect on Golovin. However, if it were a bigger city, and say a Blockbuster closing, I feel like it would not have an affect on me. I am one of the people who has Hulu and Disney Plus and my boyfriend has Netflix and Amazon Prime, so we stream movies and tv shows.
I think brick and mortar stores’ level of importance is dependent on the location of these stores. However, regardless of the location, I believe brick and mortar stores do have at least some benefits for all communities. As someone who grew up on an island of roughly 6,000 people, I know just how important it is to shop locally to help support the community. I’m aware that it would still be possible to shop locally online if the business owners of online stores lived in my hometown, but I just haven’t heard of it before, so I don’t whether or not this would be effective for store owners in my town (might be a good idea for me to try someday).
The only store I can remember closing in my hometown was a dollar store. This was not very relevant in most people’s lives, so there was no major impact on the buyers, but it is saddening to have seen these jobs disappear for the employees. I think the same could be said for a bookseller store and video rental franchise as well. With these types of stores I think it is also important to take into account that not all people have the option to shop online, whatever their situation may be. Also, for certain goods, such as clothes, shopping in person is much more convenient, at least for me.
Overall, I would argue that it is important to have brick and mortar stores because they provide jobs, keep money local and give people the convenience of shopping in person.
It is very easy to become attached to stores, especially small-town mom and pop stories. I grew up in a rural area which was a decent distance from any town big enough to have real stores. One local man used this to advantage and built up a chain of stores named Warehouse Sales. Warehouse Sales was the kind of store that sold everything groceries to plumbing supplies; in fact, the only thing I think they didn’t sell was firearms. Warehouse Sales was a great resource to the local community and allowed contractors, farmers, DYI’ers, and families ready access to good products at a fair price. Furthermore, because it was locally owned, the owner was in touch with the supply needs of the community. This store worked great until one day the owner died suddenly; and he had no will. As such, his property/stores were sold and distributed to his family in accordance with state law. The local community was caught off guard by this, but shortly after new stores began to open following the same model as Warehouse Sales. While these new stores are not as large as the old Warehouse Sales, they show that the free market allows for “economic voids†to be filled and the needs of the community/market to be solved locally/nationally.
In summation, companies exist to provide goods and services to consumers for profit. The price at which the good/service is sold at signals to both the consumer and company the value/worth of the product. This system incentivizes competition, innovation, and efficiency. If done properly this provides the public with the goods they require rapidly and at the best cost. Said more plainly, if consumers want better goods for less, a market change is required.
Honestly, the only store from my home town that closed that I can remember is our video rental store. I remember renting Xbox games, dvds, and vhs tapes from there as a kid, but I can’t say that it really affected me when it closed. When it comes to entertainment sources such as tv shows and movies, a written description before deciding to watch through a streaming service is usually enough. However, I strongly support brick and mortar locations for physical sales of items we use in our day to day lives. This might be an off-key example, but if anyone here has ever bought a PlayStation 3 controller, you might be aware that there are quite literally thousands of replicas available for sale online. This might not sound like a problem, but these counterfeit controllers often don’t work out of the box, or suffer from unplayable software problems. When you go into an actual store to buy such products, even if you buy them used, you can identify in person if the item you are buying meets your specifications. I see brick and mortar locations as a necessity for many purchases, where online services work well in a limited scope.
I have had two instances in my life where the closure of a business has negatively impacted me. The first one was BlockBuster. Every Friday night, my family and I would stop at the video store at the corner of our main street, and we would each pick a movie. Then, we would collectively vote on our selection for that night. We would order pizza, maybe get some ice cream, and all have a family movie night together. It was a tradition of walking up and down the aisles looking at all of the movie options, and trying to decide which movie would win the vote of the night. Once the store closed, that tradition changed. We started picking movies on Netflix or Amazon, and while we still followed the rest of the movie night guidelines, it took away the moment of stopping at the store and browsing through all of the movies.
The second instance was when the cutest coffeehouse and bookstore closed in my hometown. It was a place that my friends and I would go to hangout and study or where I would go by myself to browse the books and read for hours and hours. The owners were an older couple, and they loved all of the customers. There was a special small town feeling to the store. They sadly went out of business, and it was replaced with a video gaming store with large screens and blank walls. I ended up never going back, and it was very upsetting to have lost such a great environment and addition to our community.
Hey Sophia,
It seems like Blockbuster is a common store being discussed over this topic post. I definitely agree that not having that store around takes away from the excitement of going in and looking with family members or friends. While Netflix is definitely more convenient, it does take away from those memorable trips!
In Kotzebue, we used to have a Hansen’s store, which was a store that had two sides. One of the sides was groceries and the other was media, a bakery, and clothing. I was fairly young when it did close, so the details for me are a bit hazy. Anyway, the store was locally operated, but I believed it was owned by somebody in Nome (they also have a Hansen’s store). I’m not sure what exactly happened from a business perspective, but the store in Kotzebue closed and the store in Nome was overtaken by Safeway (but goes by the same name). Since then, our AC store has become a lot more popular which is a store owned by a company based out of Canada.
I think having locally based options for groceries is a huge community and economic advantage. I think people here tend to be conscience about where they may be putting their money for stuff we should have the opportunity to get locally. We do also have the Rotman’s store, but they do have less options as the AC store so if you choose to shop there, you may not find what you need and some people don’t have the resources to go there and then to AC.
I think it’s really important to have stores locally owned because they’re able to put a lot more into the community. We’re lucky that AC is locally owned and they do contribute to the community, but having a locally owned and operated store (like Rotman’s) just contributes to a better community environment and a sense of control over where you’re contributing to instead of contributing to a huge corporation.
The first store that comes to mind when discussing the closing of a store, and reopening of something “better†was the change from Blockbuster to Netflix, and other streaming sources. When I was a kid, I always looked forward to going to the store and looking at all the movies and games that we would rent for the few days or the week, and it just seemed like an overall good experience from my perspective. It also gave me a sense of responsibility at a young age to make sure the game or movie was returned on time and not damaged. It also gave you that sense of excitement just to get out of the house or go with friends and pick out the movie and candy and so forth. I think for human interaction, these stores are vital to stay in towns. I know the Netflix or streaming route may be more efficient or easier to use, but it may not give you those benefits of traditions with family members or friends, and just creating a better environment in a community as you get to know one another and get familiar with other people. It is unfortunate how these stores have been affected by streaming sources, because there are certainly pros to using Netflix and such, just as there are pros to shopping at a Blockbuster type of store. One will unfortunately cancel out the other as more people change to the streaming option because of the ease of use. The closing of these stores can also affect employment which would be rather unfortunate to see.
I do think that brick and mortar stores are important. Local businesses provide products, services, and jobs for the community in a way that online sellers cannot. Local shops help give the community a sense of identity. Thriving businesses is essential for a healthy community. They also help keep money in the community, instead of it all going to giant companies like Amazon.
On the other hand, if a business cannot stay competitive, it should shut down. Having local businesses just to have them around is not worthwhile. They need to be providing goods and services that the community still wants. Shopping local will always be more expensive, but this expense is usually justified. When I worked in construction, we would buy materials from local businesses whenever possible. This was always more expensive than getting materials from Home Depot or Lowe’s, but we recognized the need for local hardware stores. If no one bought from them, they would eventually shut down, forcing people to drive much longer distances for things they used to be able to buy in town.
Hello all! I believe nearly all of us remember a time when a store closed down in our community that had an impact on our lives. When Sam’s Club closed here in Fairbanks, it seemed like the sky was falling. Not having Sam’s around meant that we would be spending more on our groceries, in a place where groceries are already expensive. This also had a big impact on the smaller restaurants and food trucks in town. I also remember when Sports Authority closed, it made it really difficult to get nice sports clothes and equipment in town. As a matter of fact, the summer Sports Authority shut down, I played in the softball league here in town, and it made it nearly impossible to get a glove or bat. Walmart and Play It Again both had a tiny selection, and what was suitable for play was all sold out. I ended up having to Amazon my new glove, which cost me time, but actually was cheaper than the gloves sold in town. It was also sad to see Blockbuster go, I have fond memories of going to the movie store with my parents, and running through the isles scanning movies, looking for the right one.
Personally, I am on the fence of this debate, because I think there are great pros and cons to each side. But, in the spirt of the discussion I choose to argue that it isn’t very important to lose local stores to digital media, as natural selection weeds them out. There are many examples of stores closing to digital media. Like I mentioned earlier, Blockbuster is a perfect example because it closed due to the fact that it couldn’t keep up with the competition of streaming services. It is sad in a nostalgic way that this happened, but it makes complete sense, as streaming services are much more convenient, and give you greater options. In the end though, I think all of this digital media taking over boils down to it simply being more convenient for the consumer. It explains the reason why I took this class online over taking it in person; it’s more convenient to me. I think the markets will balance out like they always do, and while nostalgia plays an important role for our feelings towards brick and mortar stores closing, future generations will not feel the same as they grow up in a different time and market.
In the case of Blockbuster it just became more convenient for people to download or stream movies. The future may be similar for bookstores except that there are those people who like to physically hold a book and turn the pages, not load it to a Kindle and swipe the pages. In Fairbanks we have had several stores close over the passed few years. We have lost Sears, Pier One, and several stores in the Bentley Mall. The one that affected me the most was the loss of Sports Authority. When this store closed we really lost the anchor for select sporting goods. We don’t have anything that has the selection and variety that Sports Authority had. You can find most things online but you have to wait for them to get here and many of the larger items such as weights do not ship to Alaska. Having the brick and mortar stores offers the convenience of being able to go home with your purchase that day and also gives you the chance to actually lay your hands on the item before you buy it. They provide jobs for our community and to a certain extent they offer social interaction and connection with others. I think having the brick and mortar stores is important to our community.
I have never personally been affected by a store closing in my area because growing up in a small town in Texas we had to drive an hour each direction to get to any stores we needed anyway. I do remember as a child going with my parents to blockbuster to pick out a few movies and that was fun, but I found the alternative of Netflix to be much better. However, I think it is important to have these stores in the communities if you are in a small area. Mainly, I think it is better to buy locally and support the community, but without these stores you can’t really do that. Buying online is both convenient and inconvenient. On one hand, you can find whatever you want online with more variety and different price points, but on the other you have to wait sometimes weeks to get what you need in Alaska. Also, if we’re talking about bookstores specifically, I think there is something really special about walking into a bookstore and walking through the aisles looking for the next books you will read. Being able to physically pick up and read, select and take home a new book is much better than buying online. I find it very sad that there are less and less book stores around, but I also really like Barnes and Noble, even though its a capitalist-kind of store.
I totally agree with you about having a different feeling of walking to a bookstore looking for the next book you want to read. You also have so many choices right there in front of you without having to the go to the next page on your phone or tablet. Something about flipping through the pages and plus it’s free if you go to the library.
One thing i do like about having a blockbuster to go rent movies are for people who don’t have internet. They can just go in blockbuster and rent movies plus they had movies that you can’t find in Netflix because sometimes I like to watch old movies that netlfix doesn’t have or Hulu.
A few days ago I went to the Mall in my area of Atlanta Georgia in mostly a low income neighborhood. To my dismay and concerned I found the flagship and main store of the Mall which is Macy’s had signs allover the windows and doors that the store was closing. This concerned me because all the other big stores”J C Penny’s and others had already closed earlier in the month. After walking around and talking with staff and other shoppers, my mind fell on the workers and economic impact this would have a such a low income area that was already ready struggling.
I asked what would replaced the high end store . To my surprise i was told a Dollar store and smaller neighborhood stores. This was disturbing because my mind told me that these stores would not have quality items, health care and insurance for the employees. It is a know fact that in low income communities, there is a fruit and vegetable dessert. When there is fruit and veggies the quality in a disgrace. It is my hope that a quality corporation would move in the the sake of the neighborhood and people.
Bookstores closing and movie rental stores closing does not mean we will go without reading or watching a movie. Both of these are at the tips of our fingers. We are given the option to buy a paperback version of our textbook, or the cheaper e-book. We could go down to Blockbuster (sadly, years ago) and grab Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or instead, I could go on Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Starz, or HBO to find it without ever leaving my home. If these stores closing don’t actually effect our accessibility to these commodities, why is it such a big deal? I do think this is a big deal. One side of this is strictly preference. I was raised up to be a reader. I wasn’t allowed much TV time and wasn’t allowed a cell phone that could text until I was in middle school. Not to go all “elder Gen Z” but I’m sure to some of you that’s hard to imagine! While I can still go on Amazon and funnel even more money in Jeff Bezos pocket, something is being taken away from me. The pleasure of going into a bookstore, looking through all the different sections, and finally picking one that looks perfect is an experience I value very much. So while the convenience of not having to leave my house may be there, my experience is being taken away. This is very much the same with Blockbuster. Every Friday night I would be allowed to go there and pick out one movie with my sister. Even into our early adulthood (before Blockbuster shut down) we still kept up with that tradition. With it now being gone I feel like a large part of my childhood, and a wonderful experience, has been taken. While I am sure many of you could disagree with this, try to look at it a different way. Now, this may be a reach, but stay with me. Within the US, our rates of inmates being released and then going right back to jail or prison is incredibly high. In Alaska, our rates of recidivism are currently at a whopping 66.4%. Ways to combat rates of recidivism within a state have one thing most in common: community. How will rates of recidivism be affected if we don’t have a recognizable community left? With the closing of these stores that are close to our hearts, it’s hard to not imagine a scary dystopian future of us never leaving our homes. For these individuals who just got released, it’s important for them to still feel like they are an integral part of their community. While I am not saying Blockbusters and Gullivers Bookstore is the key to drop recidivism down to 0%, I do believe that a happy community is an involved one. How can we be involved in these particular aspects of our community if they cease to exist?
I do think that brick and mortar stores have a place in most societies but I think there needs to be a distinction between goods that are needed more immediately and expensive to ship ie Sears, Lowes, Walmart, the furniture store, etc, and the more digital capable things like Books, movies, and games, etc. Now that, that is out of the way I believe the question was more talking about the second type the more digital capable things. I don’t see those types of stores closing as a big deal I don’t know if it is because as a kid every movie I wanted to watch or book I wanted to read I could find at the library or the library could get it for me or if it something else. I was not allowed to use the internet until like 10 other than schoolwork because of expensive overuse fees so I was not streaming anything either. I personally don’t see what is lost if these types of stores go out of business. Between the library system and what a person can find online, I think that most if not all the bases are covered so people can get what they want. I believe that this is an inevitable event for these mediums to go online because it is more convenient and faster with more selection than a brick and mortar store can not compete because in the age of easier access to high-speed internet the last advantage is mostly gone of not having access to the internet. Such is the nature of our economy it has to be quick and easy. No longer do I have to go to a store to buy a game because Steam is a thing or go to the store to buy a book because I can download it to my IPad. It is the natural evolution, technology creates and destroys.
To the next question have I seen any major stores go out of business sure but being in Palmer and only being a 45-minute drive from Anchorage and 10 minutes from Wasilla their effect is limited. But to list a couple the Sears in Wasilla is basically dead, and I remember having a blockbuster but that is not a thing anymore. There was a big hubbub when Samsclub closed in Anchorage. But we have a wide range of people in the range of most stores so we can support a lot.
I come from a small town called Haines in the Southeast panhandle of Alaska, in saying that, my small town is also a tourist town and happens to see a lot of traffic. People from all over have tried to start businesses there. Some had even made a name for themselves and had run for a long while. One, in particular, was a Mexican restaurant that everyone in Haines would frequent. Due to financial issues, because running a business in a tourist town in Alaska is very expensive, they had to shut down. A lot of people were not okay with that and some groups even tried to fundraise to keep them running but it still wasn’t enough. As unfortunate as losing the business was, the owners found some joy in it and were happy to leave Haines and find new horizons elsewhere. I side with the idea that businesses should do what’s best for them and sometimes, whether it’s lack of finances, clients, etc, things happen and you have no choice. It can be frustrating at times, especially in a small town to have so many small businesses go out of business so soon. But you get used to it after a while.
Brick-and-Mortar stores closing down due to lack of profit is simply a way of life. More specifically, ANY business closing down due to lack of profit is a way of life. Businesses have life cycles: see a need-> fill a need-> no longer a need-> close down. Some of those life cycles can be longer than a human one, some can be extremely short. The “need” portion of the lifecycle is determined by who is paying for the product.
These particular stores closing down due to the shift to electronic media is a response to something that has already taken place. People have already shifted their business elsewhere and the market share has diverted from the Brick-and-Mortar physical sales market to the digital.
Having been a customer in a town where the Brick-and-Mortar video rental business closed I can understand the frustration of loyal patrons not having access to the product they prefer anymore. Obviously the patronage of the existing clientele was not enough to keep the doors open. These customers will need to go elsewhere to get the product they enjoy, or perhaps even start up their own business supplying the aforementioned product with a different and profitable business plan.
If a particular business is unable to shift its product to meet the market need then it is doomed to failure.
Janeen
Growing up I lived in a small town where there wasn’t much to do. Before phones and the internet took over we would rent movies to pass the time. Luckily, I lived next to a video rental franchise. I loved going there every Friday with my mom. We would rent movies for the weekend and catch up with anyone we bumped into. I didn’t see it before but there was so much loss due to digital media in our small town. When the internet took over and the people who couldn’t afford the new technology would have to find a new hobby. I never thought anything negative would have happened because of this change. But to my surprise our lovely video rental franchise was closing. They weren’t getting as much business as they used to. It was heartbreaking, those kids who couldn’t afford the new technology had nothing to do anymore. Unfortunately, we were getting older and going out more. Lack of entertainment turned them to gangs, video games, or just staying at home bored.
There’s good and bad in any situation but i do believe it hurts less when in a bigger area. For us the problem was that our only entertainment was taken away. When in a bigger city that franchise could of been replaced if it was a bookstore or pizza place.
I understand where your coming from. I think people need to have more consideration for their towns and not only acknowledge what they have, but take the opportunities to go out and be at these places and meet people. Before soon enough none of those options will be available and they will have missed the chance to see these businesses in their prime.
I live here in Kodiak for not so long, but not that long too. I don’t hear that there is any video rental here, but I heard that there is some stores where you can actually buy books from. And there was a cafe/book store that just opened few months ago, and I never been there. I like to read but at the same time, I love to watch movies too. I remembered when I was still in the Philippines, my mother’s co-worker used to download movies for us and saved it to the USB and we can just connect that to our television and we will start our movie marathon. I do not think it is really important to have these actual bookstores or video rentals in the community. Because you can really get those things online, such as Netflix, Hulu, and there’s more. While on the other hand there is amazon, kindle, Chegg, Cengage, where you can purchase or rent books online.
And KFC/Tacobells closed four months ago, at first it was really weird because that is the only place where we can buy good chickens, quesadillas, and many more. But as time passes by, we are getting used to it even though there are times when we are craving for chickens and we got no choice but to get one from Safeway and cook it by ourselves.
The reason that these particular stores are closing is from the simple fact that people are no longer buying their products. While of course there is some value to having a physical store, the simple fact is that value is not worth as much to the consumer as buying the product cheaper online. Why would I go and rent a video when that means I need to drive there, look for the video and hope they have it, go through checkout, go back home to watch it, and then go back and return it? The alternative is just to start watching the movie after a few clicks without having to leave my home at all. If a business isn’t providing a service or product that people want, then they should go out of business. There have been many businesses that have closed recently here in Fairbanks, and none of them have had any impact on me because they didn’t provide anything that I or the people of Fairbanks really wanted. While I feel for the workers of those businesses because they are losing their jobs through no fault of their own, it is a fact of the capitalist system that we have created. The one store that had closed in which the community was affected, Sam’s Club, was almost immediately replaced by Costco. So when a business that is valued by the community does close, another one will quickly replace it.
I fully agree with you. Sam’s Club being replaced by Costco is the best example of capitalism and letting the free market go through it’s natural process. The Sam’s Club franchise was faced with financial troubles and closed many of their stores to stay afloat, but because there was now an open space in the market for a bulk product store in Fairbanks, Costco was able to easily move in and take advantage of an opportunity to make a large profit. As sad as it is to see local stores, media included, come and go, it is a necessary part of capitalism.
Discussing store closing’s hits home for me in many aspects. Growing up at my cousins there was an Amish store local to the area that was a rather hot spot for our small town. As a kid if you were wanting toffee or something sweet then this was were you wanted to go. Then again for those who loved deer like my uncle and cousins we could not let anyone else handle their deer meat. When this family decided to close their store, it was a big lose for the town. Unfortunately, though it is only a loss to those who are personally affected by it. Such as those who choose to buy items there or have them process something for you. Since the store has been gone for nearly 15 years, the younger kids as well as the hunters who live in the area will never feel that lose.
There was also this drive through near my grandmas and it was only open during the summer. The family that ran it was I believed referred to as a generation restaurant. The place had been there since my grandmother was a child. They still had car hops, no electronic ordering areas like Sonic or McDonalds. You pull up into the parking lot and park, then a waitress would come to your window with a menu and take your order. Unfortunately, it burned down due to vandalism several years ago. While the family I am sure was financially affected, the other local restaurants received a larger intake of customers after the restaurant was permanently closed.
Both businesses gave local economy security to the local areas and kept those funds in the area. However, with them gone those funds that would have continued to stay in the area are now going towards business fees for franchises in small towns. Where more of their intake money goes to paying fees to someone outside of the area or ordering specific food from a source out of the area. When local business are closed the local area hurts more because of the bonds formed with customers are taken away.
Store closings are part of the business. I have seen a few bigger stores close, and the buildings they once occupied are a reminder that a small community such as Fairbanks has trouble sustaining the national business profit margin. Sports Authority, Pier 1, Sam’s Club, Blockbuster are just a few of the major businesses that have closed in this area. I am certain of one thing, Blockbuster closed because their customers could stream movies online instead of going out to the video store and picking a VHS tape to take home and watch. Like others in this class, I would go with my family on Friday evening to pick a movie to watch. I remember the first video my family watched when we bought our first VCR, it was 1984. After we watched our film, the intermission was rewinding the tape before we watched the second one. If you didn’t rewind the tape, there would be a charge added to your account for the store employee to rewind it.
Why is this business obsolete and closing? Customers wanted convenience; they didn’t want to have to stand in line to pay for a movie when they could watch it on cable tv. Fast forward to streaming apps such as Netflix or Hulu. I just signed up for Nextflix this month, May 2020. I realized that many people were talking about shows or movies that I wanted to be able to watch when I wanted to watch them. The businesses close because another company is catering to what customers want, convenience, and a fair price.
As sad as it is for a community, closing stores is a necessary and natural part of the changing economy. Bookstores, music stores, and movie stores all rely on frequent and returning customers. In this modern time of media convergence, it is irrational to assume that a brick and mortar store will remain operating under an old business model that is no longer financially feasible.
Community members are often saddened to lose a local business or place of employment, but the media market isn’t the first to succumb to a changing economy. I’m sure many people were upset when the local shoe cobbler closed his doors many decades ago, but this is just another example of a shrinking market for products no longer needed. Many companies went bankrupt during the industrial revolution, and this paved the way for modern technology as we know it. As with all things in life, we either adapt, or get left behind.
Digital media is not going away, and when businesses in the industry realized their customers could conveniently get a very similar product at a cheaper price, they made the decision to close their doors. This is all part of the process of modernization.
As with all change, it may be uncomfortable at first, but it gets easier with time. I was disappointed when our neighborhood movie rental business closed but I can’t honestly say I miss its presence any longer. I now have a much wider, and affordable, array of options without having to step foot outside my door. Blockbuster tried to offer digital streaming, but they were too late to the game and there was not any market space left for them since Netflix and Hulu already had saturated the present market.
I believe the business model of consumption on demand is here to stay and that appointment consumption with forever be a thing of the past. I am not arguing that local businesses are not important, but capitalism will always win. Where we spend our money is the most powerful “vote” on our priorities and it is clear our society at large now values instant variety and convenience.
I am from Fairbanks, Alaska, a very unique community. One thing I find myself questioning at times is how did that store/restaurant not make it here?! There have been several business that come to town, from what it seems do fairly well and then they are gone. I understand some of these businesses have been franchises and have closed due to bankruptcy issues, but, for the most part I cannot seem to put a finger on what exactly causes so many closures. I remember when we used to have a Chili’s restaurant here in town. It always seems busy, and then one day it closed down. I have a lot of memories from that establishment with friends and family. It was honestly kind of a bummer when they left town. I remember being equally as disappointed when Sam Goody and my favorite Cafe in the mall were no longer there. If anything I think those places held more of a nostalgia for me.
The one thing two of these places have in common is that they are franchises. But, still most likely had local owners or within the state of Alaska. Business closures have the potential to have an affect on a large group of people. Job losses, benefit loss, if they were renting this can have an affect on landlord income as well. After Chili’s closed that building sat vacant for a really long time. My thought was that no one could afford that building, to either rent or buy. I think all in all business closure affects more people in a smaller community than a large one.
It sucks that these types of stores are closing down because they were a main proponent in most of our lives growing up. I know for me when I was growing up one of the funnest things about my week was my mom would take me to the video store every Friday after she got off work so I could pick out a couple movies to watch over the weekend. Although those were great memories, I believe that there is not much of a use for video stores like that now that streaming content over the internet exists. The only places I see benefiting from it are places like up here in Alaska where a lot of places do not have reliable internet to stream on, which makes this type of store viable. I mostly want these stores around for nostalgia sake, not much to buy VHS’s and DVD’s from. This is how it is for most people. These types of closure do affect people in smaller communities where those types of brick and mortar stores were staples to the people living there. As for the world as a whole, I don’t think a ton was lost.
I think that it is unfortunate when small stores close in communities. Mom and Pop shops, as they are often called, struggle at times due to pressure to lower prices and mass produce goods in order to compete with bigger box stores. When a town loses a small store, it is often treated with sadness and its loyal customers regretfully must move to a different store, often a larger one, to provide them with the same products. When I lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma last year, there was an adorable little gift shop and ice cream parlor that resided in a quaint section of the old part of town. They were frequented by tourists and residents alike due to their penchant for selling memorable knick knacks and some of the best sundaes, malts, and freezes in the area. Unfortunately, after several years in business, they were unable to keep their doors open due to the larger stores in the area that had come in more recently. It was sad to see them go, especially as their closing occurred quite suddenly and didn’t leave loyal customers time to have one last ice cream to commemorate their existence. While the closing of this small shop did not perhaps have a huge, rippling impact on the community, it was sad to see it go because of the history it held and the friendly service it provided.
Due to technology being at our fingertips and allowing us to do everyday tasks and activities from our laptops/phones in the comfort of our home may have been detrimental to the success of businesses, but the outcomes were inevitable. I live in a small town and stores like blockbuster brought movies to the community that were “easy to rent”. Now that we have applications such as HULU, Netflix, Amazon prime and Redbox at our fingertips, stores like blockbuster were not needed. The way I see it is that our world is constantly evolving, especially when it comes to technology. If you are a business that is stuck in old ways that were once convenient, times change and you have to somehow accommodate to the constant change in technology. For instance, Netflix used to never be an online streaming service for movies. They used to mail you movies after you rented them online. Due to that, tons of other services started to offer the same thing. I understand the small businesses in the community may hold a sentimental value to some people. I remember going to Blockbuster with my friends when i was in elementary school and middle school to scavenge throughout the aisles figuring out what movies we wanted to watch. It was sad to hear about it shutting down but at the same time, it made sense.
I remember that my family was never too big about visiting video rental stores, whether it was to rent films or buy them. However, I have always been a big reader, even when I was a kid. It was always one of my favorite things to do to take a trip to the local bookstores with my mother. As I grew older, I was of course expected to pay for my own books and sadly, by that time it had become more accessible and much cheaper to buy and rent books through my phone. Time passed and many of those local bookstores we used to visit have closed and the others have struggled to adapt to the world we are living in today. Even I, who rarely visited video stores, can see that those too are a dying industry. In this discussion, I am honestly torn on which side I can pick, and while it is a sad thing for me to say I believe that it is more practical for us to move forward with the natural selection that is occurring. While it is important to have these stores in the community, many people cannot afford the prices that local stores have to charge in order to survive. If they could compete with the prices offered by various technological devices I would much prefer to give those stores my business rather than a business such as Amazon.
When a store closes down due to bankruptcy, someone is always impacted. These two retailers closing down as a result of the digital media market growing is saddening because the people who are employed there are now out of jobs and are suffering. I haven’t had many places directly impact me from closing, however they have directly impacted my community because they had closed increasing the “burden” on the taxpayer and people who genuinely care about the business and the employees. I like the fact that our options for tv, movies, books, and the like going digital to give us much wider access in the times where everyone has direct access to the global internet sitting right in their pocket. So, in the end, I would argue that even if the stores are outdated, it is beneficial for communities to have them because it keeps people employed and also gives a place to go and get the hard copies of things that we may want to have a physical version of either for collecting or for when the internet goes out.
In 2017 a bookstore called Gulliver’s Books closed. It was privately owned and ran by a couple that bought it in 2012. They supplied everything from school textbooks to Manga. I liked them because you could take your used books in and get store credit. When they closed I had almost $100 in store credit that I had saved up.
I think having small stores are extremely important to have in the community. Most privately owned businesses put more back into the community. They have lower prices than corporate owned businesses. They give a more personal experience when buying because most of the time the owners are there. If there is a problem you don’t have to call out of state to get it fixed, unless it is something that was order from out of state. Having the small businesses gives the corporate owned one competition, which drives prices lower. Now that Barnes and Noble are the main bookstore here they are able to charge higher prices because there is no where else to go unless you order off the internet.
As far as media like movies go, the closing of blockbuster didn’t really effect me in a way where it stopped me from getting/seeing movies. I do own and acquire the majority of my movies/tv shows digitally. However, we went to blockbuster at least twice a month, sometimes once a week, on the weekends as a family. We would peruse the aisles and pick a movie together as a family, holding the cases in our hands and reading the synopsis’. Then we would buy drinks and snacks to go with the movie. We would all sit down together on the couch, snuggled up with our blankets, snacks and drinks, and we would watch the movie that we all physically went and picked out together. It was this whole involved, family time that we don’t get at all anymore. Now we barely ever watch a movie all together, we want to watch different things and it was never easy to agree, now we don’t have to and it’s kind of sad.
Bookstores are one of my favorite places, especially used book stores, or old bookstores (the opposite of Barnes & Noble even though I love them too). I love the way books smell, and the way they’re neatly arranged. When all of our local book stores closed it was a sad day. We live in a small town and we know the shop owners if you frequent there. I went to school with their kids, and one of them was my teacher. They gave back to the community whenever they could, and they took used books which is something stores like Barnes and Noble don’t do. It hard to compete with the prices of online retailers, and e-books. Often I’ll go on Amazon to look for a book and the “Kindle” version is extraordinarily cheaper than the paperback version. As a bibliophile I refuse to buy a kindle, but I can see the lure. I try and do my small part and buy real books whenever I can, and I prefer to buy them from a locally owned shop, not a chain. Whenever we travel we always visit local bookstores, and try to buy a book from a local author too.
Growing up in rural Illinois, we didn’t have much entertainment besides going outdoors. That all changed when someone decided to open their own video rental store. I found myself in there almost every weekend looking for a movie I hadn’t seen before. I ended up getting a job there when I was in high-school. That’s when I noticed the switch from physical media to digital media. Part of owning and running a business is the highs and lows that come with that business. Convenience is another huge factor. It’s so much easier to just rent or buy a movie on your TV or an app. Why should I jump in my car and drive whatever distance to either rent or buy a movie when I can do it from the comfort of my own home? As sad as it is to see those businesses close, that’s just the way things work. Unless there is some sort of new incentive to use bookstores or video stores, I think the convenience of digital media will continue to push these businesses out.
When I lived in Europe, I used to shop in stores on a regular basis. When a store closed down, it did affect me because now I had to find somewhere else to shop, or I was upset because I couldn’t get what I wanted. In America, I tend to shop online, and I rarely go to a store. Here, it doesn’t affect me if a business closes down. In Europe everything is more accessible and it is easy to get to. Plus, being European, I prefer their style of clothing so I struggle to find what I like in America. In America, unless you live in a city, you are pretty much limited to certain stores, and everything is so spread out. I find it annoying to go shopping here because I tend to drive more than I shop. Plus, most things are cheaper online and obviously everyone has a budget. In Europe, I think it is important to have stores, but in America, I think the opposite.
The loss of these brick and mortar stores is sad to hear but there is nothing to be done about it. There was clearly not enough revenue and the alternatives pose too much opposition. This does not mean that online resources are taking over everything though, because one of the many alternatives to these stores is the library. The library, as many people know, provides movies as well as books. Though these are only available to check out, the library still provides a similar service accompanied by an arguably much better environment. Just because these stores are no more doesn’t mean that we’re losing everything to online resources. Alternatives are everywhere, not just online. Many retailers have book sections and your local library should be able to provide you with any specific needs.
Where I live there’s very few stores I shop at on a regular basis. Although, once a store I did really enjoy shopping at and it did have an effect on me because it was where I bought all my sports gear and athletic essentials. Eventually I grew to only shop online to where if any stores closed down it wouldn’t impact me very much if at all. The closing of stores is something a single person can stop or can control. If the shop isn’t making enough money then it eventually has to close because of it. I believe the natural selection route is just the best way to go when it comes to places on bringing in enough money.
As a Fairbanks resident, I believe that brick and mortar buildings are pretty essential to our way of life. Most online stores don’t ship to Fairbanks which makes things harder to get. I can think of so many cases of things I wanted to purchase online from Amazon and Walmart, but because they wouldn’t ship up here, so I couldn’t purchase those things. Another problem with online shopping in Fairbanks is the time for shipping. I recently purchased a 8 in by 8 in sticker for my car and it took 3 weeks for the sticker to arrive. I understand Covid had a part in that, but it still shouldn’t take that long to get here from Ohio.
When it comes to a store closing in my area, I think back to Sports Authority closing about 3-4 years ago. That was the biggest sports store in the area and when they left, that left Fairbanks with Play It Again Sports for the team sports gear and in general they are heavily overpriced and limited in selection. Therefore, when it came time for me to purchase a softball glove, I had to employ the help of my parents in the lower 48 to get a good price on a glove. It actually saved me $40 to have it done that way. Losing in person stores heavily effects the community in ways just like these and overall hurts the community as a whole.
There is a time and place for brick and mortar stores, they are the stores where memories can be made, or traditions start. Where the person who works the front desk knows your name, making the experience more personal. The lost of stores such as these not only mean the loss of jobs in the community but also a loss personal experience that comes long with stores. I live in a small town in Washington states and we use to have a local bookseller where people had been taking their kids to for generations. It had a staff that knew where almost every book in the store was. It was forced to close a couple years ago. Although it was sad to see it close, it did not seem to fit in the town anymore and less and less people visited it and it was mostly the older generation, such as grandparents bringing there grandkids to get books. Small stores like these proved that human contact and experience you do not get when you buy books online. However well stores such as this bookstore existed and had sentimental value that does not mean they need to stay around. In a world that is constantly changing and were people are more likely to read on their kindle, phone, or tablet there is little need for small stores like these. In these times if the sentimentally of the stores are that important to the city and its community it will stay around. There is a time and place for brick and mortar stores, but there is also a time and place for online retail. Each have their own ups and down, stores provide more personal experience, online provides more selection and potential cheaper costs. The community will pick what is best for it. If the store is a major part, then the town will supply it with enough income to stay in business, however if it is not then going away may be the best thing. There is not straight clear line to whether brick and mortar stores should stay or go, it is all based on what the town needs and wants. But when it comes down to it if natural selection takes a store out of business then it was a necessary cut to the community.
I think, of course, that it is very sad to see places like these go out of business. They add a certain “hominess†or “depth†to towns as they are often catalysts for personal growth, family entertainment, or even community building (movie nights, book clubs, education purposes, etc.)
If things never changed, then we would not be where we are today in all areas of life. In medicine, it is vital to keep moving forward, to find cures and therapies, to preserve and protect life itself. While the bankruptcy of a book store and a video rental franchise cannot be compared on the same scale of life-or-death medicines, there is a point that people must be allowed to put their brilliant ideas into new business ventures.
I have never personally experienced a store closing down but even so, I think that there is a time and a place for everything, and eventually things progress and modify. While it is sad, I do believe that it is necessary and beautiful, even, to see people create, adapt and adjust.
While online shopping can be very convenient, I’ve found that brick and mortar stores are a key component of many communities and losing those stores often caused distress to many consumers such as myself. Personally, I prefer being able to walk into a store and physically look at what I’m going to buy. Maybe I’m just old fashioned, but that’s just how I grew up. When I used to live in Anchorage I remember when Sports Authority closed and I was so disappointed. I would usually go there to buy running shoes or cleats when I was a kid. While I could still purchase them online, I could no longer physically try on the shoes. While it might only disappoint me when some of these stores close, the result is more disastrous for employees of those stores who now need to seek other forms of employment. Perhaps this is a form of natural selection as you said. As much as this seems to damage communities and disappoint consumers in the short term, maybe its for the best in the long term? I suppose only time will tell.
Many places like these two examples in the discussion have closed in my areas where ever I was living. Places like blockbuster and normal bookstores close because it is very easy to get the exact same information online for cheaper or for free. Many of those stores did not keep up with the changing times and new technology which is exactly why they were replaced with companies that were modernizing. For example, Barnes and Noble is not just a bookstore, they have coffee and records, toys, and much more because they know that many people can buy books online which is why they have other product options. While many people still rent movies and buy books in person companies are gaining much profit because of the shift to newer technology. As much as we would love to see stores like this thrive, in today’s world it’s not really possible if you can’t conform with what is new.
While I understand that our world is becoming more technical and people are using bookstores and video rental shops less and less, I do still think they should be incorporated into our communities. There is just something different about opening up a book and reading it and flipping pages rather than holding up a tablet or a computer. And walking into a place like blockbuster and picking out all the movies used to be so much more fun than scrolling on Netflix because there was always something different and so many options. I get that the world is changing but instead of just having places like these shut down I feel like we should try to preserve them for other generation to see what it was like to go into an actual store rather than have everything online at your fingertips.
Hi everyone,
I understand it is more convenient to rent movies on certain website such as Prime Video, then you have Netflix and Hulu that has old movies you can watch, there’s no feeling like going to Blockbuster to looking at different selection of movies they have. Then right next to the registers are snacks you can buy to have while watching your movie. North Pole used to have Blockbuster and i actually enjoyed going to the store to rent movies. Yes, you have to wait for the new movies to be available to rent, but for some people who don’t have to go the the movies to watch the latest movie, they have that option. Plus it also makes a really good date night for couples who don’t feel like driving and want to do something different.
I’m guilty for buying books on my phone, but I still enjoy going to the library and look through all the books on the shelf and something about the smell of books brings memory being in grade school and going to the library and being able to rent the book for a certain amount of time. People are so consume with their phones and tablets that they don’t take the time to fully experience opening a book and flipping through the pages. On top of that you get sidetrack and it’s easy to go on other websites and then you forgot all about the book you are reading.
So this story hits home for me because though living in a city back in Newport News, Virginia, and having a lot of chains, there were a lot of brick and mortar stores that were homegrown and loved within the area. Personally, those stores are pieces of yourself, pieces of the community that die if not preserved. There is no better feeling than knowing and being able to relate to a local business that has thrived because we, as a community and peoples stood to protect it. Seeing a shift to digital media is cool but that takes away from the interaction from person to person, whether returning or common shoppers. For instance, an example would be a record shop recently closing from where I lived and I’ve met so many amazing people in that shop alone. So many bands I saw play live just from me stopping by the shop and them being there. You lose the tangible presence of items that creators worked hard to produce in hopes someone would keep a personal copy of their work in their homes, not on their phones. There’s nothing wrong with having something because of the fact you may live far away from a store or you can’t always get to something in time, but that doesn’t mean you have to resort to online services that don’t help the store. Over the phone orders are a big way, buying online from the store if they have that option. Natural selection has been sucking the life out of us and if it doesn’t stop, it might remove everyone’s individuality.
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I believe that the value of the brick and mortar stores varies based on the population size of the community and the services the stores provide. In a small town the businesses are essential for employment and the flow of products and services to the otherwise isolated population, but in a large city the absence of an individual store could go largely unnoticed due to the sheer diversity of consumer options. Media that converge easily to a digital format, such as movies, also tend to be less valuable as local businesses if all of their services are included in the convergence. When Blockbuster closed in my town, virtually everyone was already using other means of access for movies so few people cared, but when the bookstore Barnes & Noble closed, a large portion of the community vocally disapproved, as books transition less smoothly and are more or less based around a tradition of personal purchase. All in all I do not believe that the physical businesses are essential, so long as the population is not limited by the employment and the services are all accounted for, but do have nostalgic and traditional value that is sad to lose.
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