Retailers going offline

Who will be next? It has been a game of “Watch the Next Big Retailer To Burst” of late with some of the biggest names falling hard.

Harris Scarfe put up the white flag in December, Jeanswest announced it was in the hands of administrators and Bardot said it was shutting 58 stores across the country this month.

Fashionistas are left to ponder who will announce they’ve come to or are nearing the end of their cotton spools next.

There has hardly been time to put away the tinsel on what is meant to be a retailer’s paradise. Tough times are not confined to just clothing retailers either. This week, fans of the Smithfield Sanity store were given a scare with word it would close its doors before a last-minute miracle meant it would continue to sell its music and entertainment wares. Apparently an older and loyal demographic at the northern beaches was its saviour.

Time will tell if this stream-averse age group will be enough to keep the music and movies playing.

The harsh reality is, shoppers’ tastes and habits continually change and if businesses don’t, they will fail. They also have to manage costs.

Personally I love, when I get the time and inclination, to walk into a physical shop to scratch a retail itch.

I can’t stand reading books on an electronic device, I want to try on a dress and see that it looks and feels great and then walk out the door with it then and there. Instant gratification.

I also like good service — people who know what they’re selling and want to help you. It’s part of the deal as far as I’m concerned. They want you to buy their goods — you want good value.

I don’t want to ask for help and find out in two seconds flat that the shelf hanging on the wall knows more about their products than they do or that politeness and courtesy somehow became traits “so last century”.

I fear that in our seemingly time-poor society, we are becoming more reclusive and unwilling to engage face-to-face.

And that applies to both sides of the counter. Hubby and I were shocked when he returned a pair of sandshoes I had given him for Christmas that didn’t quite fit. When told they didn’t have his size, they refunded our money and told him to go online and order a new pair rather than order the right size in for him.

What was to stop this customer from taking their money and spending it elsewhere or not at all?

Luckily for them, they did get their money online but a whopping $100 less, because the right-sized shoes were on sale on their website. Online shopping is a real threat as it’s convenient and private, but I’ll take good service and an immediate transaction any day.

THE HARSH REALITY IS, SHOPPERS’ TASTES AND HABITS CONTINUALLY CHANGE AND IF BUSINESSES DON’T, THEY WILL FAIL. THEY ALSO HAVE TO MANAGE COSTS.