This article was written by Michael Snyder and originally published at his End of the American Dream blog.
Editor’s Comment: If the magnitude of the economic disruptions underway are enough to shake Walmart to its core, then it only follows that the entire retail sector is having some major problems, many of which have been reported here at SHTF and through Michael Snyder’s writings.
The double whammy is destroying retail – people shopping online, and an increasing number of people with less and less money to spend. The financial manipulation taking place on Wall Street is spilling over into the mainstream economy and taking damage with every move. Is a bigger disaster soon upon us?
Retail Apocalypse: 2016 Brings Empty Shelves And Store Closings All Across America
by Michael Snyder
Major retailers in the United States are shutting down hundreds of stores, and shoppers are reporting alarmingly bare shelves in many retail locations that are still open all over the country. It appears that the retail apocalypse that made so many headlines in 2015 has gone to an entirely new level as we enter 2016. As economic activity slows down and Internet retailers capture more of the market, brick and mortar retailers are cutting their losses. This is especially true in areas that are on the lower portion of the income scale. In impoverished urban centers all over the nation, it is not uncommon to find entire malls that have now been completely abandoned. It has been estimated that there is about a billion square feet of retail space sitting empty in this country, and this crisis is only going to get worse as the retail apocalypse accelerates.
We always get a wave of store closings after the holiday shopping season, but this year has been particularly active. The following are just a few of the big retailers that have already made major announcements…
-Wal-Mart is closing 269 stores, including 154 inside the United States.
-K-Mart is closing down more than two dozen stores over the next several months.
-J.C. Penney will be permanently shutting down 47 more stores after closing a total of 40 stores in 2015.
-Macy’s has decided that it needs to shutter 36 stores and lay off approximately 2,500 employees.
-The Gap is in the process of closing 175 stores in North America.
-Aeropostale is in the process of closing 84 stores all across America.
-Finish Line has announced that 150 stores will be shutting down over the next few years.
-Sears has shut down about 600 stores over the past year or so, but sales at the stores that remain open continue to fall precipitously.
But these store closings are only part of the story.
All over the country, shoppers are noticing bare shelves and alarmingly low inventory levels. This is happening even at the largest and most prominent retailers.
I want to share with you an excerpt from a recent article by Jeremiah Johnson. The anecdotes that he shares definitely set off alarm bells with me. Read them for yourself and see what you think…
*****
I came across two excellent comments upon Steve Quayle’s website that bear reading, as these are two people with experience in retail marketing, inventory, ordering, and purchases. Take a look at these:
#1 (From DJ, January 24, 2016)
“Steve-
[Regarding the] alerts about the current state of the RR industry. This is in line with what I’ve been noticing as I visited our local/regional grocery store, Walmart, and Target this week in WI. I worked in big box retail for 20 years specializing in Inventory Management. These stores are all using computerized inventory management systems that monitor and automatically replenish inventory when levels/shelf stock get low. This prevents “out of stocks” and lost sales. These companies rely on the ability to replenish inventory quickly from regional warehouses.
As I shopped this week and looked at inventory levels I was shocked. There were numerous (above and beyond acceptable levels) out of stocks across category lines at all three retailers. And even where inventory was on the shelf, the overall levels were noticeably reduced. Based on my experience, working for two of these three organizations in store management, they have drastically/intentionally reduced their inventory levels. This is either due to financial stresses/poor sales effecting their ability to acquire new inventory, or it could be the result of what was mentioned earlier regarding the transporting of goods to these regional warehouses. Either way this doesn’t bode well for the what’s to come. Stock up now while you can!”
#2 (From a Commenter following up #1 who didn’t provide a name, January 26, 2016)
“I’d like to tailgate on the SQ Alert “based on my experience…” regarding stock levels in big box stores. This weekend we were in two such stores, each in fairly isolated communities which are easily the communities’ best source for acquiring grocery items in quantity.
I myself worked in retail (meat) for thirty years so I know exactly what a well-stocked store looks like, understand the key categories and category drivers, and how shelves are stocked and displays are built to drive sales and profits. I also understand supply chain and distribution methodologies quite well.
Each of the stores we were in were woefully under-stocked. This time of year-the few weeks following the holidays-is usually big business in groceries and low stock levels suggest either poor ordering at the store level, poor purchasing at the distribution level or a purposeful desire to be under-stocked.
Anyone familiar with the retail grocery industry is also familiar with how highly touted “the big box store’s” infrastructure is. They know exactly when demand is high and for what items and in what quantities. It is very unlikely that both stores somehow got “surprised” by unusually high demand. It is reasonable then to imagine that low stock levels in rural areas with few options is a purposed endeavor to assure that both the budget conscious and the folks in more remote areas are not fully able to load up their pantries.
Simply put I believe the major retailer in question is doing their part to limit the ability of rural America to be sufficiently prepared. Nevertheless, we are wise to do our best to keep ahead of the curve. God bless your efforts, Steve.”
*****
Yes, this is just anecdotal evidence, but it lines up perfectly with hard numbers that I have been discussing on The Economic Collapse Blog.
Exports are plummeting all over the globe, and the Baltic Dry Index just plunged to another new all-time record low. The amount of stuff being shipped around by air, truck and rail inside this country has been dropping significantly, and this tells us that real economic activity is really slowing down.
If you currently work in the retail industry, your job is not secure, and you may want to start evaluating your options.
We have entered the initial phases of a major economic downturn, and it is going to be especially cruel to those on the low end of the income spectrum. Do what you can to get prepared now, because the economy is not going to be getting better any time soon.
Michael T. Snyder is a graduate of the University of Florida law school and he worked as an attorney in the heart of Washington D.C. for a number of years.
Today, Michael is best known for his work as the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog and The American Dream.
If you want to know what is coming and what you can do to prepare, read his latest book [amazon text=Get Prepared Now!: Why A Great Crisis Is Coming & How You Can Survive It&asin=150522599X].
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good time to get those blue jeans at the mall. check the clearance, Clarence.
Several of the stores that Walmart is closing is because they are replacing them with Super Walmarts. I know this to be the case in Ridgecrest, CA. I am sure it is the case at several other locations. They are not store closings, they are upgrades to a larger store.
In washington DC they closed the small stores, and canned the plans for supercenter. So it is different in some places. Here by Houston they have kept the small stores and opened the supercenters.
I remember when Ridgecrest was barely a wide spot in the road.
The Walmart stores that are closing here in my part of NC are not superstores. They are the small “neighborhood” stores recently built to serve as grocery stores in rural areas. 2 stores within 1/2 hour of me were built from the ground up. These stores are less than 2 years old, so WM is losing a lot of money by abandoning these properties so quickly. I can’t speak for Cali, but out here in the sticks, these stores are totally closing and WM has abandoned the small grocery store concept.
I’ve read that in the rural areas, once these Wal-mart stores opened up – they managed to put all of the family owned, Mom & Pop small grocery stores out of business.
So, once these Wal-marts close down – the people who live in these rural communities will be forced to drive 50 or 60 miles to find a grocery store.
I would think that these areas would be ripe for a return to the old family owned grocery stores system, except for the fact that the economy is in the worst shape its been in since the Great Depression – and with the added cost of the abomination known as Obamacare tacked on to an already thin profit margin, there would be little incentive for anyone to pursue such a family owned business.
Some of the Mom and Pops hung on and will be better off now that WM is gone. Others have folded already, and communities are furious. In those cases, people fought to keep WM out, only to have them come in, stay open a year and then leave an empty storefront that can’t be filled. It’s a mess.
I didn’t care for them. Too cluttered but lacking the things you needed (no socks, school supplies, etc.) Old produce soured from Mexico or California… Not my cup of tea. Our 2local Mom and Pop stores and the local Car Hardware are still here and thriving. Good riddance.
Here in Small town USA in S.Mid Tennessee out little Walmart was built from ground up LESS than a yr ago and just closed.
I never even went in the place.
Wow! I’m thinking some of the places wm was going to open but decided not to are high crime areas. Of those places like yours that opened a store then closed it, I think they bit off more than they could chew. Maybe people are getting tired of cheap Chinese junk? Also, nature abhors a vacuum so it’s possible an independent chain will fill the need….Dollar General, anyone?
They built these stores to put the small grocery store owner out of business, along with their supplier. Basically disrupting every chance of success these private store owners had.
Now they shut down these stores forcing you to make the drive to obtain food at their convenience.
Who really makes the money?
Food, gas, household items. Now they are in complete charge of pricing.
20 mpg vehicle having to go 75 miles round trip to get groceries. Where do you think they will buy that gas?
They have it figured out already.
Absolutely. That was the game plan.
Who wants all of that Chinese crap anyway? obama!
Airplane
Watch closely and who the next occupant is for the wm stores. I predict it will be our “government”. Cheaper than building fema’s. They’ll make good outposts, too.
Article is Barbra Streisand. The area I live in has nothing but retail growth.The wealthy have no problem spending tons of money on the MK, Coach, Costas, etc. Hell even the lower income are buying xbox ones and PS4’s, I cant keep them in stock I gladely take their money. Someday ya’ll will be right but until then keep prepping
Well the stores are drying up where i live .
Must not be enough rich folks ?
Michael’s rehash article is kinda “no duh” around here .
Not a problem. If I keep buying more preps I’m going to need most of that empty space to keep it in.
“We have entered the initial phases of a major economic downturn, and it is going to be especially cruel to those on the low end of the income spectrum. ”
Yes. This is an accurate description of coming events. The correct meaning of “collapse” is with nuclear war, pole shit, EMP, or Yellowstone blowing.
We will experience a prolonged, deflationary depression,lower expectations and consumption. This will be a global phenomena for the masses. For the Uber Rich, not so much. Dollars will be worth more, but there will be fewer of them, and they will not have the velocity they once did.
The link below is a good read for all of those who believe that China is going to surpass the USA sometime soon, as the global economic and military power. Not gonna happen, folks. China (and Russia) need ten good years just to catch up to US.
They are not going to get them.
The FED built China and the FED is crushing China. So much for challenging FED hegemony. I would rather have the FED running the world with the dollar than the CCP with the Yuan. 🙂
http://www.businessinsider.com/5-maps-that-explain-chinas-strategy-2016-1
The store shelves are still stocked well, but many stores around here ARE closing. And yes, I noticed a local store I shop at used to degrade the cheaper store saying when they have sales, it’s because they use expired goods, but I see they have expired or close to expiring food too. I always check to fill my panty with long term storage and not finding what I used to get.
Just made some Chili, the canned beans had a 2010 use by date. Crushed tomatoes 2012, Were just fine. (When the SHTF in 2007 & 8 I bought a truck load of stuff, been replacing it with 25 year pack) A few things have gone bad; jiffy Mix cornbread for one, (edible but off taste); but most is fine.
This is called supply and demand economics. No need to get your panties in a bunch. Most women have 5 lifetimes of clothes hanging in their closets and enough shoes to outfit a hundred legged centipede. How much is enough for retail clothing. Brand new clothes with tags still hanging on them at 2nd hand stores. I just started another company today. Solar energy to help people get off the grid. I will be way busier than many in other obsolete business sectors. 70 percent of solar systems are finances or leased. Get your SH!T people and get busy.
Either adapt and innovate, or evaporate. Gloom and doom pitty porn, will kill your business ambitions. Off the grid here in FL and thriving.
-WWTI.. LET ER’ RIP!!
Exactly! You figure the hoax!
Barbra Stresand. Yuk.
One thing I do to gauge the economy, silly as some may think it, is watch traffic. The area in which I live, traffic seems to have thinned out considerably. Rush hour, shopping days around the malls, and even holidays. Traffic around here is noticeably lighter.
Online retailers maintain little or sometimes no stock (shipping directly from the manufacturer or wholesaler), so in order to compete, Brick & Mortar stores have to decrease inventory. You can’t have millions tied up in inventory and compete with someone who doesn’t. That being said, I do see a major slow down in consumer spending. A lot of people are beginning to realize, that you can’t spend what you don’t have. Maybe that’s a good thing.
I don’t know, but is it possible shrinking inventories may involve difficulty by the retailer in regard to financing? If a store chain is basically insolvent and not paying its bankers on time, the bankers may be tightening up on the money spigot.
What’s worse than bankers not trusting retailers is when the bankers stop trusting other bankers. We saw this start to happen in SEP 2008, and it could lead to a real freeze on products moving thru the supply chain – as in empty shelves.
What is there to worry about the Guberment will take care of you and give you everything you want. NOT!!!!!!
Sgt.
All part of the plan and the keyboard cowards peck, peck, peck away waiting for their turn into the cattle car for forced vaccinations, forced Common Core fascism, forced poison water, air, and food, and of course the final goal of the evil Globalist Corporate elite monsters the keyboard cowards shutter from-RFID Chipping for them and their children. It will be a sight to see the keyboard cowards lining up like sheep to the slaughter, but we have seen it time and again throughout history. These are epic times to be alive watching cowards huddled in fear in their homes and selling their children’s future to the Globalist Fascist genocidal monsters, while they get drunk and watch football, epic times indeed to be a witness to this engineered cowardice and submission to criminal fascist monsters.
More like the smartphone zombies….
Buy socks and underwear.
Slingshot: I was discussing this same thing, and mentioned extra shoes, we order online from Brooks athletic shoes. Zappos is another site with shoes. I hate running around shopping unless I’m sure they have certain items. Even if things stay the same, you use it up anyway. Winter clearance has deals at dept. stores jeans, jackets, etc. now. K mart and Sears are duds, so twentieth century, people are sick of them. JCP in my area, seem to do ok, I seldom go there anyway, have good sales, ditto Old Navy, Academy Sports. Target is mainly a grocery store in my area, rarely go there.
Laura M., there’s empty retail space in my area going back to 2010. Southeast part of town has strip malls that are 60-90% empty. One suburb just has a new shopping center full of outlet stores open in Dec. They’re doing OK for now but it won’t last. Target is a joke; they carry even less than wallyworld. 2 Sears stores along with their auto service centers and parts centers have already closed up here within the past 2 years. Another Sears store with auto service center only 5 miles from me is closing in April. Only one kmart left when there used to be 3. It won’t last much longer either. I always keep extra clothing, i.e., coats, thermals, jeans, underwear, socks, boots, etc. on hand. I have 3 pairs of insulated boots I only wear in the winter. I go to Bass Pro Shop for ammo, gun cleaning supplies, and other prep items. I get good service there and the employees are always friendly and helpful. I do as little shopping online as possible because of the risk of identity theft. I only use a debit card since I have no credit card. I don’t need that credit card bill with the high interest rate which would cut into my prepping. I don’t let anything interfere with me stacking.
The elites are doing a great job of destroying our economy, aren’t they?
@Sixpack…can’t figure out what is going on with the economy here in my part of the country….news flash this morning tells us that the average price of homes in Toronto today is 1 million $$….and the ones over 5 million are also selling like hotcakes being purchased mostly by folks from China….what is going on I woder?? Take care all, CC.
Sorry, typo…should say “I Wonder” ):
BH, on my end of the state, we watch the Bass Pro parking lot, Smoky Mountain Knife Works, and Tanger outlet….also the traffic coming in for vacations on Saturdays, and leaving on Sundays(they usually stay for a week). That’s our indicators. So far, there’s only a slight reduction of license plates from way far away (California) but lots from other states within a three to 4 hrs drive from us. When we see THAT slow, we are in Deep DooDoo….but I’m ready for it.
Better watch using that debit card. Just know if you get scammed which happened to my son & wife, it comes out of your account immediately, and you have to wait several days for it to be replaced, if it is. We were scammed with our visa card, and we did not suffer, because the amount was replaced by company before it could affect us. Just sayin’
A lot of people out of work in that list.
Recovery? It’s the magic-Kenyan economic miracle most of us were probably expecting.
I never guessed that Rawles’ Patriot series was a documentary, but here we are.
Best comment of the day
Our local Costco is a good indicator,
When its busy expiration dates are always a ways out,
Lately almost everything is close to the expiration date, and i mean everything,
Kulafarmer: will ask several friends who shop Sams (we quit them after eighteen years, poor service, long lines) if they noticed same thing there. I did notice same issue as you, late last year on Sam’s produce.
Laura M., I also have a Sam’s membership and used to get some prep items there, but haven’t been in one since last summer.
Fresh butchered meat (beef) is good for three to four weeks just refrigerated. Used to be that you’d buy fresh meat and it still had two weeks before the “use by date”. Now I find most all the meat in any store expires in the next two or three days, and the meat packer just put it out! Really I’m very happy if I can buy meat with a week to ten days to expiration, but no most of the meet is marked that it’s from Austrlia or South America and it expires in the next 48 hours.
The BLM, EPA, FDA and now FBI have all been doing their best to put US beef producers out of business. So now it’s seems cheaper the put meat on a boat in Australia and ship it to the US all the way around the planet? Problem is the trip takes a couple weeks and the food is spoiling as its put on the shelf.
This is insane. This will keep working only so long as the US dollar is reserve currency for trade. Any hiccup in the US Dollar and our stores will be empty. The self sufficiency of our nation is being purposely undermined. Why prep? What could possibly go wrong with a food source 12,000 miles away?
“This is insane. This will keep working only so long as the US dollar is reserve currency for trade.”
Russia and China, with BRICS is trying to accommodate you as we speak. I think the dollar needs to be removed as the reserve currency, if for no other reason than to help defund the war machine.
With the economic and market crashes happening in China and Russia, those plans are on hold. The world will not drop the dollar for the Chinese Yuan that gets devalued monthly, and has lost 30% in just the last year. The Russian Ruble was fine, until oil tanked. Russia’s primary export was oil, but that has lost 65% in the last year.
I guess the can has been kicked down the road again!
If the dollar ever does lose its place as the global reserve currency, I confess I don’t think I have enough stored food, and established growing food for that one.
More like the smartphone zombies….
I noticed at my local Costco that the quality of clothing went down drastically after 2008 and has not come back up. This I noted because I used to get lovely things for the grandkids and they could pass them down. Now the children’s items at Costco I don’t consider worth dragging home on the end of a string–essentially cheap wallyworld junk. I still shop for some things there but watch even more carefully than I did before.
No matter where I shop, I have always checked things over carefully to be sure the item is worth my hard-earned dollar. These days, that habit is getting used quite often.
The inflated prices make it so that I can’t buy as much as I used to since my income has stayed flat. Now force me to pay for healthcare and now I am in survival mode and only buying what I absolutely need. These companies thought that they were going to make a mint by forcing their employees to pay for their healthcare is amazingly shortsighted. Their “Glasses of greed” would not let them see any further than the bottom line.
The warnings of greed or “the love of money” has not hit home with this younger generation yet. Looks like the school of hard knocks is coming upon us to teach us a history lesson once again. Remember the parable of the ant and the grasshopper? How about the five wise and five foolish virgins? It is good to revisit the old sayings. they contain the truth that we need to survive todays foolishness
I’m lucky enough to be able to travel a bit. I went to Central America a few years back. When I travel, I like to try local foods. Yup a lot of “beans and rice”. I hear what you are saying about a bad economy, and I suspect a lot of us will be eating a lot more beans and rice before it’s over.
I have to say I had some great meals that were little more than beans and rice, plus just the right spices. I’d love to see people here share more of these recipes. Beans and rice dishes are world better than the “shit on shingle” granny used to serve, a depression era staple.
…”If you currently work in the retail industry, your job is not secure, and you may want to start evaluating your options.”
Well….if you had to work in retail….what kind of options would you have???? Can’t even jump out the window, most of it is windowless and on ground level!!!!
Po rich,
That’s funny stuff man. I love Snyder’s optimism, ” Oh well, nothing left to do but sit around and wait to die.”. He COULD have said something a wee bit more helpful, such as ” get into the growing doom and despair prediction industry like me, just make sure you sound the trumpets of doom at least once a day, and the great thing about it is you NEVER have to be right!”
No problemo amigo, the new world army is on hand to take their place.
Thanks be to Allah!
Cunts.
Too bad that Yale investment banker guy who coined the phrase American Dream in 1931 isn’t around to see it now.
Hey Rellik,,,
Check out what one of your reps is doing
“I don’t want to take people’s guns away from them but I want people to take full responsibility,” Hawaii State Sen. Josh Green, D – Kona, Ka’u, sponsor of the bill there, toldHawaii News Now.
Green, a medical doctor and past Hawaii physician of the year, falls back on the frequently used argument of comparing guns and cars to make his point.
“They have to pay insurance so that if they’re in a collision and they hurt someone else who’s an innocent bystander, it’s covered. Just like with guns, if a gun falls into the wrong hands or if there’s an accident, just an accident, it makes a lot of sense to me that we have that extra level of responsibility,” said Green.
His measure, SB 3032, introduced on Jan. 27, would require anyone purchasing a gun in the islands first obtain liability insurance with a special fund set up by the Hawaii insurance commissioner for fees off premiums to be used for firearms safety programs and mental health services. In Hawaii, guns are strictly regulated and have to be registered with local police. Under Green’s bill, proof of insurance would be required to obtain and keep a registration and be renewed every five years. Current regulations only mandate an owner register a gun once.
I can smell the cordite and blood now,,,,
Go ahead you fuckers, pass it, lets go
The insurance industry is behind way more than people realize. Time to call them out too.
He is not my senator, mine(Inouye)is just as bad.
Talking to her is useless.
My representative introduced HB710 at my request,
in the last session. (CCW “May issue” wording
changed to “Shall issue”).
The anti gun asshole chair of the judiciary committee
won’t allow it to be scheduled for hearings. So
it is dead.
If Green’s bill passes I can’t
see it holding up. Problem is it takes
years to get to the Supreme court.
Unless you are a Honolulu yuppie, I can’t see
anyone complying, a lot of people making plans,
and cops will become afraid to travel unless
they are in three’s.
” a lot of people WILL BE making plans,
and cops will become afraid to travel unless
they are in three’s”.
The government is already screwing with my healthcare, or lack of
My livlihood, FSMA, water rate audit, etc
They have destroyed our beaches by allowing un checked development,
Anything the people say falls on deaf ears,
The only thing that may get their attention is 4g WF
Like i said, im tired of this crap
I understand, The VA just tried to screw with my medical, but since I’m “In the system”, we got it straight pretty quick.
Since I’m not a “going concern” USDA keeps in touch, but they don’t bug me too much. I get state Ag water, but I put in the line and donated it to them, so they just read the meter and send me a bill I pay every month or two.
The Beaches, I know a Marine Biologist that works for the Federal government. According to him, the Big Island has the best
(cleanest) ocean water of all the islands. Our agriculture wasn’t the same so fertilizers didn’t get washed out into the ocean as badly as it did on the other older islands( we are still just a big rock). We just dump cowshit in the run off. I’ve dove in Maui and Molokai, the water was really shitty compared to what I’m used to here at home.
I’m tired of government also.
Like you have said,
Forkin democrats,,,,
All i know is the government is really starting to grate on people, mostly the old school folks like myself, will it matter? Most likely not, we will either die off or move away or get LaVoyed by the gov thugs.
We now have hotels on beaches they said would never be developed, traffic that gets worse and worse because they sell their souls to developers and tourist industry, un fettered biotech screwing with our ability to grow certain things as well as killing off the bees,
Our near shore pollution isnt from agriculture, it is from the county pumping billions of gallons of waste water into injection wells,
They make it harder and harder to eek out a living, even subsistence guys are being squeezed because now unless you sell your products you are not considerd agriculture.
Fork it,,, Lord if its your will get me out of here
If it passes i will NOT comply, all property worth anything transferred out of my posession
Then if pushed or intimidated in any way,
go on a spree like nobody has seen,,,,
Kula, it sounds like that bill is just a way to sneak in and covertly register / map / locate all gun owners. The legal gun owners. Of course criminals will not comply.
No one should comply
Are the crooks of this country the only fuckin smart ones?
These fucks writing these rules for us to play by are breaking every law on the books
The big real trouble laws , and most people are sitting back fumbling over shit like this while this government sells you and your next generations out
And is the most treasonous bunch
But yes , let’s worry and do nothing about this too while we’re at it
Understand , I am not putting any ofvthiscdirectly in any ONE set of shoulders here
But we really do need to get to the heart of these matters and start standing up for ourselves
Again
Fuckin Lawyers writing laws for everyone else but them
In this case a fucking democrat doctor,,,,
This is why i just want something to happen that unhinges the entire world
Florida has great fun laws. 4 pro fun laws about to be passed including open carry for CCW permit holders. Lovin’ it. Of you live in a shitty police state like IL or NY, that’s your own fault.. get the F out now.
-WWTI..
Yea,,, well remember that road to Hana you liked so much, and that winery with the killer mango bar in the tasting room,,,, thats my back yard,,,,
The problem is i would have to leave everything behind to live in some miserable shit hole in the lower 48, ill pass, stand right here and die in a pile of brass when and if it comes to that,
Ashes to ashes,
Kulafarmer, I have been right in your backyard several times. The Hana Highway is surely a beautiful location, why would you leave? The hubs wanted to open a restaurant over there, but I said only the Hana highway. I don’t think y’all would let a haole in though…
I really dont want to and never will, but if the bill i referred to in the post above here passes i can either become a criminal or leave because i sure as HELL am not going to comply!
Kulafarmer.
Are Haole similar to Yankee’s?
It is a racially charged term. Generally refers to whites from off island as an insult, but not always, it depends on the context. From example, I worked with a man of Portuguese decent. If we stood side by side, and kept our mouths shut you’d have no idea, where either of us came from, beards, general build, and skin tone. As soon as we start talking you would know he was raised local( he graduated from Hilo high school). You would know I was from the west cost mainland.
I would be called a Haole, He would be called “Uncle”( we are both senior citizens) by locals.
Kula- that’s the closest place to heaven on earth we’ve ever been. Stayed in B&Bs… one a cliff house close to the start of the RTH. Stopped along the way at the pools and climbed up to the higher and more private pools. Will be back, God willing.
Seems like anytime the gov wants to have insurance involved, there’s a money-making scheme being hatched. And, of course, there’s all sorts of information to be had for further money grubbing.
kala
Think that something Bro check out Ga. HB. 731
BARFF ! BARFF! BARFF!
Glad I only have Bolt Rifles I shoot.
I guess they will ban thous, and Black powder rifles next.
Oh lets not forget Bows, and Arrows, Spears, and Rocks, and Sling Shots.
mmmmmmmmm 🙁
This all has the makings of a MAD MAXX MOVIE.
CHRIST COME BACK IF YOU ARE OUT THERE LISTENING………..
Anyone receive a survey in the mail from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Admin., U.S. Census Bureau? Well I did. See my post on the previous blog near the bottom on what transpired when I didn’t fill it out and tossed it in the trash.
Yea, i got one, tossed it in the trash with the rest of the crap i get from government
Yep, tossed it in the trash
I LOVE TRASH.
Where’s there’s muck there’s money!
One mans trash is another mans treasure, especially now with all the assholes trying to steal peoples info,,,,
Not them, but we get them ALL the time from the USDA. How many acres? What crops? Animals? On site storage? And yes we have had personal visits…. held in a machine shed. So when S does HTF I’m guessing they’ll send a convoy to steal all the grain we have stored. Rat Bastards are always thinking, gotta give em that.
Po’d, if I get one I’ll also toss it. Thanks for the heads up.
The picture of the lady strolling past the sale sign is PRICELESS. Good job to whoever picked that one out.
She’s a shadow shopper. The ones that stroll around malls for hours with a dazed look but never buy anything.
Where I live our economy was coal bases, we lost a lot of jobs with mines shutting down ,as we also lost a railroad hub that closed down leaving hundreds without jobs, business that supply pipe for natural gas also closed and now gone ,money is tight here as other places I’m sure , being self employed as contractor I have faired better than most but believe money will soon drie up, so I just keep stacking and prepping , hope for best , plan for worst , everyone stay safe out there
Our mall is dying. J.C. Penneys left almost two years ago and small retail stores inside are closing/leaving and in years past it was always crowded. No body is coming.
Also, customer service has gone to hell in a hand basket, especially service on the sells floor.
I grew up in a nice middle class end of town with a mall in the middle of it, in the 60s and 70s. In those days it had two major department stores as anchors, a movie cinema, a big grocery store, and really lovely integrated plantings of huge tropical plants. Center of the mall held an area of well established tropical growth surrounding several fountains of dancing water amid small pools that were on several levels. In at least two of the three aisles of the mall, were large cages holding exotic birds like doves, parrots, a mynah bird. There were no little booths and kiosks cluttering up the aisles; the retail space was only along the sides of the aisles. Dining options were only a lone Hot Sam pretzel place,and a buffet-style restaurant which was a favorite destination for bus loads of folks from the senior center down the road.
Me and my friends and their families went to the mall for everything. For us that was our source for most of our possessions, as well as the local meeting place. Most of the events of my social life took place there, and in young adulthood I worked at two places there, at different times.
In the mid-80s there was a boom. A new, two-storey wing with another department store and restaurants was added, and a food court. All this new stuff was gorgeous, and and every store front was occupied, but I did notice that there were huge crowds of black youths “with attitude”, and also lots of security standing around paying close attention. Sometime in there, the local politicians OKed a new low-income apartment complex near the senior center, and you could see the changes happening. We employees were warned not to walk alone to our cars after dark. One day I did see, from a distance, a minority guy punching a majority girl. Years later, I was told this , at different times, by a police captain and a child psychologist who both worked in the area: that the local gangs that had formed had an initiation requirement, that prospective members had to “draw blood” on a majority woman.
So the rot began in the late 90s. Demographics were shifting. The movie cinema closed, the necessary security would have been too costly. The exotic birds were long gone, the fountain quit working, plants declining and many of the shops that went out of business were replaced with shops of interest only to minority people. Middle class people with money to spend stayed away because of the risk. The wider region lost population when a couple of major industries collapsed or left. The newest wing was completely shuttered and vacant storefronts became numerous, the only department store left was Sears, and a police substation, with pleasant community-related posters on the front window, appeared where a shop had formerly been.
In the 2010s, all of the mall was bulldozed except for Sears, and two years ago even that was gone. Undoubtedly the mall’s location away from any major highway and the rise of Internet shopping had a part to play in this collapse too. Almost all of the restaurants, shops and other businesses neighboring the mall are gone too, and there is barely any traffic on those four-lane roads now, whereas before it was usually bumper-to-bumper.
Now I have this concern that the local powers-that-be will decide to stick major “low income housing” (i.e., “refugees”?) onto the acres where the mall once stood! Hope I’m wrong…
KA-CHING… Get rich quick… Become a prepper seller!
Fuckme!
Is that a muslim slut in that picture?
Zika virus declared international threat… NOT GOOD.
God bless Iowa… Vote Trump.
I just read Trump lost to Cruz by about 5000 votes.
Hey we hit 19 trillion debt friday sweet
This has to be a good thing: the American junk consumer culture was destroying the planet. We need to get to less and appreciate life more.
Just buy products that last: many American makers make quality products: why not support them instead of buying crap from China (Shinola etc.)?
The sooner we stop buying from China and switch to domestic consumption, the better – the better for jobs and prosperity. It will be hard at first, really hard. But America will be stronger and back in the game.
The problem with that is that MANY products are simply not made AT ALL in the U.S. anymore. Many types of consumer electronics have zero U.S. production, and to convince a manufacturer to open a U.S. factory is an uphill battle.
I made a list of all the things I need and if I could get it from a Made-in-America supplier: and I could:
– peanut butter (Cream-nut)
– boots (Red Wing)
– coat (Filson)
– popcorn
– hot sauce (Tabasco)
– jelly
– whiskey (Jack Daniels)
– watch (Shinola)
Agree computers etc. are manufactured in Asia but the ones I like are all designed in the US. Same goes for the software. America is still great if you know where to look.
Frank,(and any else who know)Warchild needs a fucking can opener that won’t break in a few months,especially as do not use a lot of canned goods!I have tried cheapy stores/expensive kitchen places,and still,all junk!
I would gladly buy a kick ass/strong made in the US can opener,any help appreciated.And yes,have the emergency can openers when times get tough and need to leave a solid one behind!
Go to a thrift store or antique store and buy an old fashioned can opener with a wooden handle. They last forever, because there are no moving parts.
I always keep an oversized P-38 in my kit. No handle. Easy to use. Doesn’t take up much space.
I’ve got a second one on my key chain, so I never leave home without it.
I still carry the one I used to eat after a Typhoon on Guam. I used it for months. Our food was mostly 20 year old “C” rats. I keep it on my key chain today, 40 years later. The only problem I encounter is occasionally TSA wants to confiscate it. One time on Molokai, TSA wanted to confiscate it, but relented and walked me out to the airplane and made me put my P-38 in my wifes checked baggage. Only in Hawaii and in America.
Try going to yard sales, flea markets, or estate sales. Lots of bargains to be had. Often people don’t know or care what they have; they just need some money and sell what they have. Be prepared to be patient because smaller items are just in piles.
Warchild, I have 10 of those in stock.
Got a couple of 10 or more year old can openers with black plastic handles. Rounded off thumb piece. Work as good as new. Name is OXO.
The old swing a ways are great. You would have to find them second hand. The new ones do fall apart quick. I have wondered if people that use electric can openers have a manual just in case.
Warchild, I was also tired of cheap can openers that break right away, and after fruitlessly looking for good ones in bricks-and-mortar stores, I found the Ez-Duz-It on Amazon. ALL the parts are metal, and it’s so strong that it works faster and with less effort from you than the cheapo types. Hope this helps.
Nearly 300 people shot in January in Chicago.
I was visiting and working in Cali. 6 years back,a borrowed car so pulled into mall to get out and have a smoke.The anchor store Sears was closed down and saw no cars in parking lot.As I had recently seen remake of Dawn Of The Dead (most of story takes place at a mall)said time to go,was eerie to say least.Pulling back to highway a old guy came up to me at red light,not sure for what but ran redlight and hit the highway.
As for the 300 shot in chiraq,any innocent bystanders have my sympathies,the rest,well…….,am sure they were getting their lives together!
The Walmarts in my area are showing signs of low inventory… In several aisles, I’ve noticed many items only have a quantity of 2 or 3, where last year, the shelves were stocked full. And these are the “Super Centers” not the smaller “Express” stores that they’re closing..
I thought Snyder said the economy was going to collapse last year?
In Burnaby, B.C, Canada. We are also facing the same situation. Although not as severe as the article above suggests. I am noticing stores slowly closing down, one by one. Another store just closed a week ago. As time goes by, I suspect more stores will close.
I talked to a retail store owner at the Metropolis mall in Burnaby, B.C. and they told it’s because the COST of rent has gone up. The rental cost shot up a massively. I forgot the exact cost, this was like 8 months ago when i talked to the owner. I don’t have the exact figures but the cost of rent was like $8k a month but now they are asking $13k a month. So, they had to move to different locations in the mall. Some, stores just straight up closed. The cost is approximate, I don’t remember the exact amount, just going off of my head.
So, it’s also the cost of rent we have to take into account. As the malls also have to pay the Banks back.
Thanks for the news. I was up in your area last June. Seemed okay at the time. I am not surprised since the Canadian dollar has taken on nose dive. I hope you have been stacking PMs. I may take a trip up north and buy some gold. The price in Canadian dollars, to buy gold, is cheaper than buying in US dollars.
One of the reasons I left Vancouver. Part of the problem is the economy, but Vancouver is nuts. Google “crack house or mansion” if you want a laugh about Vancouver prices. And the Chinese will continue to diversify out of China and keep prices high.
You know what? The ONLY places in Canada that haven’t seen a price spike is the Maritimes. I’m a western boy born and bred (dual US/Canadian citizen). But tell you what – I own land in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and it is JUST as pretty as BC for 1/4 of the price. And Halifax is a nice city, too. Vancouver is just now LA north. I’ll never go back – not that I could afford to
Well, I am/was an educator, currently on administrative leave for trying to teach and being bullied by my principal. I am so stressed, I can no longer function. I have never felt this broken and vulnerable before. It is impossible to explain how hard it is to want to continue in my profession, but prevented by fear of reprisals.. . which are never ending. This is our world now, on the small stage and the large. I figure God is getting me, us, ready for what is to come. He wants me home now, preparing full time. He wants me to understand the horrendous pain that is to come. . . the brokenness of all of our dreams and the emptiness of worldly promises. I believe everything happens for a reason. At least I hope so. I have to believe this is all happening for a reason, but I still don’t know how I will get through today, let alone tomorrow.
Hang in there. You are not alone. Take good care of yourself, now. Your gift (of teaching others) will be needed!
Hang in there. You are not alone. Take good care of yourself, now. Your gift (of teaching others) will be much needed!
My very significant other is an educator, i feel your pain!
Many Happy Returns, do yourself a favor and buy the book written by a well-known Harvard Business Professor, “The No-Asshole Rule”. It’s now in paperback.
As the author notes, all of us are temporary assholes when we step out of line, etc. But a “CERTIFIED Asshole” is one who first, is in a position of authority over the victim, and two, makes the victim feel crushed, humiliated, beaten down, etc. Therefore, according to the author, your Principal is a Certified Asshole because she/he meets that two-pronged test!
The book, “The No Asshole Rule”, will tell you how to fight back and do so effectively.
Second, get your Union Rep to get off his/her ass and to go AFTER the Principal for his/her bullying and scapegoating which we also call blame-assigning. NOBODY should be interfering with your professional duties! Make your Union WORK for you because you PAY union dues!
Third, don’t let this certified asshole get away with this! Get a free consultation with a Lawyer who’s forte or strength is in both educational law and contract law. Document how this principal has interfered with you, AND with other teachers/educators.
Finally, Dr. Peck was very clear as to handle these destructive people: they ONLY respond to an authority HIGHER than them! They do NOT listen to reason or common sense, ONLY someone MORE powerful in authority than THEY are! So, therefore, let your Attorney UNnerve both your Superintendent and the Board of Education by rattling her or his LEGAL saber, which means, dangling a LAWSUIT in front of their eyes! NO ONE should EVER interfere unjustly in ANY way when a Professional delivers her or his professional services.
Once your attorney justifies her or his case, you will see them come down real hard on that Principal. And if they don’t, sue the HELL out of them! NOBODY should be able to get away with behavior like this!
The bottom line is this: you yourself have to weigh the costs of putting up with the asshole versus the costs of fighting for both justice and your good name. In fact, there are many in positions of authority in Education and in Corporate America who behave in ways to intimidate, bully, and “crush” people. The good companies always tell them to straighten up and then get rid of them if their asshole behavior continues. There are too many assholes in Administrator positions in schools let alone in corporate America. Don’t let this asshole be the reason you get sick, or go on disability, or even retire.
No one can bully you without your consent! So by arming yourself with the TRUTH as well with an Attorney who can rattle their cage, they will reign in the animalistic (destructive) behavior of the Principal, heck, maybe even reassign her or him.
Document everything, even when this principal has been an asshole to others.
Good luck to you, you will be in my thoughts and prayers. And remember these words from Gandhi, “I might be despicable, but when Truth speaks through me, I am invincible.”
Been there done that. That’s why I’m on admin leave…It’s already at the superintendent level. Oh and no union. My state took away all union power. The “union” stranded me when this began three years ago, so I stopped paying dues. I am on my own. I am afraid to pick up the phone the panic attacks are so bad. My daughter has to drive me to my doctor’s appointments…like tomorrow. I’ve already been to the ER, have a doctor’s note that they must reduce my stress or this will recur, but they don’t care. In fact, my boss said so in those exact words. You have no idea what I’ve been accused of (and CLEARED of) in three years, but it never stops. She pulls kids out of my class to check on me and what I am teaching. One of my students is apparently a mole mischaracterizing me while remaining anonymous. I can’t even identify or face my accusers. Mind you, most of my students are great and most parents love me, but the majority remain silent and I’m having a nervous breakdown.
Hey, why not go to SC or NC and start a charter school? Those gubs are begging people to innovate in education. SC apps are in a few months. NC late Dec or early Jan. 1-2 year delay in funding; but, you could also pick up gigs at some of the new ones. Best part is they can still be in the state retirement program. (charter = State reporting school. All schools, even home schooler, must actually have a charter. duh! Its just not part of a county boondoggle.)
My earlier comment is actually below but I’ll say again here; don’t try to have half a nervous breakdown. Lorazepam, alprazolam, buspirone, venlafaxine, citalopram, or whatever they’re giving you won’t stop it. The key is to not stop it at all but to embrace that it’s happening, acknowledge you can’t stop it, and let it happen. It’s the only way to get over it.
There’s a great big world out there and a lot of it is pretty cool, don’t let yours become small and suffocating.
Oh yeah and just remember at some point you will be able to say “fuck them” again and you will have a smile on your face when you do. Until then make it a double 🙂
In all probability this “principal” either has Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) or is a psychopath. Her/its behavior will never change. She/it has no conscience and she is a predator and always will be. She/it derives her life force from your reactions. Ultimately, the only viable solution is NO CONTACT. NO CONTACT. No one ever wins when dealing with a psychopath or NPD. They are plotting 24/7. We cannot even fathom it.
Have you tried about 4 oz of Glenfiddich 12 over a couple cubes of ice?
I have been there too (though different profession) as have many here. Many say hang in there and i won’t argue that is good for some. I however went through complete mental breakdown and total collapse and didn’t try the hang in there approach at all. I didn’t try to only break 90% or mostly collapse. Once I realized what was happening I let go (I’ve never done that before it’s really weird to do) and just brokedown completely.
Many days you won’t even have the energy to change clothes or shower, much less go out or accomplish any useful function. Once you’ve had enough scotch to forget about rock bottom you eventually realize that over 90% of everything is bullshit and then you can get back up and say fuck them.
Until then make it a double.
Many happy returns,
I am sorry to hear you are going through all this stress. Try to let it go and focus on your family and home. As you noted, maybe getting out of that school was for a reason.
As a former teacher, I understand. Having moved quite a bit over the years (due to my husband’s job), I taught in a number of programs (elementary, preschool, special education) in different states. There were good schools and some with a lot of tension. My most enjoyable teaching experience was in a small private school out in the country.
Remember, your teaching skills and abilities are still with you. Praying for you.
Sincerely,
KY Mom
You need to learn the thousand yard stare, that says someday I’ll crack up and kill you. It comes with a little smile that gets bigger the more they pick on you. Takes a little while but once they notice it and figure it out they really leave you alone.
Happy returns,you can teach and learn from others how to prep.You could also teach illiterate folks how to read(most libraries have programs),helping them in life and yourself as a few more productive/ready people in the world.
I have done that in the past, but my stress level is so great, it will be a long time if ever that I will be able to do so. I’m no longer a spring chicken and even passing schools sends me into a panic attack. I’m literally shut down in that area. I must move on for now, if I can. Thank you for your kind words. Please keep me in prayer.
Comex registered gold inventories plummet 73% in ONE day.
Zerohedge
Direct link…
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-31/comex-registered-gold-inventories-plummet-73-one-day
What was it a big r u n to buy
No worries. They’ll send you paper certificates…
Y’know, sometimes it is useless to post here. On poster, who out of respect will remain nameless, maintains I am a victim of the “false left/right paradigm.” Really?
This smacks of the old leftist “moral equivalency” horsemanure the left used in the cold war. Yes, there are indeed RINOs. Unfortunately, for some who don’t think too deeply, I suppose they draw a moral equivalence between, say, Lisa Murkowski (RINO-AK) vs. Joe Miller, who ran against her, and to whom I sent hundreds of dollars for his campaign back a few years ago.
Truth is, there *can* be some moral equivalence when it comes to RINOs, but ever there, there is a continuum. Sorry that the world isn’t some simplistic black and white.
Worse, our dear, unnamed writer – who apparently knows more about my politics than I do myself – hasn’t the foggiest. As a matter of fact, I am deeply against the NDAA, find CISPA and other internet take-overs disgusting, have written 100 page paper in support of the 2nd Amendment, which my dear critic can review, if he has the intellectual honesty to do so, at https://www.scribd.com/doc/134074309/Gun-Control-Fact-and-Fantasy-April-1 would love to see Dr. Paul’s proposal to audit the Fed done, etc. I am, in fact, very much a proponent of the Austrian school as is Paul, as well.
I would wish some folks would think a little before they write.
But I am afraid you are right one one point: All of you purists who won’t vote for anyone because they aren’t ideologically pure enough (starting to sound like a mirror image of the Maoists) have just voted in Hilary. And I will tell you this: four more years of leftist rule, and this country will NEVER recover.
Yes, yes, yes… you keep repeating: Let it all fail. Out of chaos will come order you suppose? More likely, the children, the mentally retarded, the innocent will all fall victim to what Russia did and suffer horribly – only this time maybe for 500 years, not almost 100. And all you folks with your little bug out properties (all well and good in and of itself. I have one too, in Nova Scotia)? Well, it just may be that, similar to the USSR, only now with high tech, google maps will mark out your little retreat and burn your orchards, supplies and your house before taking you away.
Truth is, your “false left right paradigm” is itself false, and cannot account for a world that cannot be reduced to simple terms. Rather, we need to fight for an ideal, but realize that approximating that ideal may, at times, involve compromises to get there. Would you have allied with Stalin to beat Hitler? THESE are difficult questions, but to reduce this to some little “false left/right paradigm” cliche is sophomoric, useless and simplistic. A more germane question is, e.g., in Alaska, would you vote for RINO Lisa Murkowski, who embodies everything that is disgusting in this country? In my calculus, I ask: If I did this, would this at least allow me to buy time to marshall my forces and get a true conservative/libertarian back in? (Actually, in this case, I would NOT vote for her). That is the question in this election.
I’m sorry life is so complex for my dear critic. However, that is what it is, and wishing it were otherwise won’t help anything.
I’ll also bet this individual has had ZERO involvement with running for his local school board, as a precinct committeeman or anything else to make a difference. Quod erat demonstrandum.
Your “false left right paradigm” be damned (literally). Yours is a philosophy of obscurantism and nihilism. It is a logic of Grima Wormtongue. For me, I will indeed vote for Ted Cruz, and then work like the dickens to hold him accountable, and if he turns out not as I hoped, then hopefully at least we can hold things static until we can educate a new generation in freedom, the Constitution and liberty.
My dear critic can hide in his bolt hole, and call everyone names because they don’t pass his shibboleth… until Hilary’s flying monkeys spot him and take him away. Of course, his children and grand children will eventually be co-opted as well, but whatever.
Very disappointed in the shallow logic of my dear critic.
TEST, it is hard to go depth on a comment blog. I don’t go politics at all on my own blog, I want them to plant food and survive. I have been politically active my entire life, still am. But calling Ted Cruz an alternative to Clinton or Obama when Goldman Sachs has purchased all three of them, is not something I am willing to do. I have never been a purist, but come on, buddyroe. Get out in the trenches with me and fight Citizens United, that made it legal for that to happen. You think the Koch Machine put together a billion for the Presidential race out of their good heart? I stopped working directly for individual campaigns with Bush. What a killer of liberty he turned out to be. I now work with fellow citizens against all these politicians that vote for specific items… like getting rid of civil asset forfeiture. Like stopping militarization of police… like another bailout of the banksters (we lost which Boehner pushed through with 100% of Republican support. Run for office locally? I am new in the hood but have thought about it. I am in the trenches, I hope you are too. D/R corporate machine candidates are wearing me plumb out. Because if we don’t fight through the system, then it will go a different route. For all the claims of wanting to go alternate solutions, I am not seeing a big number of people in the trenches with us fighting now and directly against these abuses. How many of you contacted your people in DC and told them to get rid of the Patriot Act? Now many because they voted to keep it. How many contacted over the gun control bill? Mine went cosponsor on that PoS that won’t get out of committee in the light of day… but I told her I will actively work against her reelection over that violation of our Constitution. Voting for corporate-owned candidate D or corporate-owned candidate R is worthless. Cruz is no less owned by Goldman Sachs than Obama… or Clinton.
Love you long time. Don’t let it bother you what some think.
While I can respect your position and your arguments for liberty I’m not going to be swayed on the voting issue. While I did vote for Ron Paul (he is so awesome I couldn’t stop myself from voting) the problem is that under our current system over 95% of our corrupt government will remain in place no matter who you vote for or if we vote at all.
You are deluding yourself that your vote matters and that things can be fixed by voting. Do you think Washington, Madison, Adams, et al just wanted more people to vote?
Yay retail is finished. Good news. I hate retail. if people listened to me and boycotted consumerism we would be all better off. It’s not the mom and pop places that have a store or two. It’s the corporations like Sears Kmart Walmart Home Depot Amazon. The mega retailers are the problem. They shouldn’t be getting a dime of your $. They are part of the new world order. Don’t drink any Coke products. The stuff will give you ulcers. It has gotten to the point for me that I will go without just because I hate retailers. Just think of the impact your $ has on their bottom line. If everyone stopped buying stuff and just fixed stuff and wore it out or went without theses mega retailers would be finished. It’s not unique or one off stuff. You buy a shirt at Sears and somone else has the same thing ghaaaay. Look at houses I’ve seen the same cheap homedepot light fixtures in many homes. It not an old antique chandellier that’s rare to see anymore. This is what big box retail is. It’s also what socialism is everybody is and has the same crap. Reminds me of the old Soviet Union people drove the same make of car. If you look in old photos you will see the same model of car up and down the street. Don’t be a schmuck and buy junk. Pay more$ and get stuff that’s made to last buy it once.
Don’t shop malls or stores anymore. Amazon Prime and Prime Pantry and sometimes the grocery in town. It all gets delivered to my door,.
Retail job losses are a no sum loss. These store closures won’t hurt spending overall: the workers, the new people on entitlements and the people on lifetime entitlements will still have the same amount to spend. Most of the people working retail jobs are already drawing money on entitlements as poverty workers. Newer startups like Meijer, Fiesta and Aldi are building stores faster than these being shut down. You could have 90% of the stores close down and the remaining ones would pick up the slack. Americans aren’t gonna starve, they are the fattest welfare entitlement people in the history of the universe. Sensationalize something else, welfare entitlement payments will make sure Wall Street gets their 2% gain off of the 9% increase in national debt in 2016.
I’m wondering if people are just plain tired of buying junky items. Most people don’t have a lot of extra money anymore anymore and prefer not to waste what they do have.
Too much is upside down and backwards. Two part time jobs don’t equal one good full time job. Two working adults don’t make enough to support a family (used to only take one). Why do American workers have to essentially compete with the whole world for the jobs in their own community?
Yahooie- I think there is a lot of truth in that. Case in point- I have been looking for a good toilet brush for a guest bathroom. The cheap ones are cheap looking and get icky and fall apart quickly. I have had to hunt for what I want from store to store, and have come to the conclusion that a good brush set that I can leave near the toilet will cost 20 bucks. And they are not found in the bath section of the stores like WMart. They are in hardware.
So, I use my good brush from the Master bedroom to clean that toilet.
It’s the same thing across all small items like can openers, cookie sheets, etc. They are made cheap and disposable- and that is on purpose. But, people are stopping purchasing crummy items and either going without, or buying at resale. I think a lot of it has to do with Boomers hitting retirement. Watch, there’s going to be a huge change in the cell phone industry as retirees turn in their company phones and head to prepaid (cheap) phones.
When Obama had that talk with Putin a long while back where we all heard him say off mic
That when he got in he would be Able to help him more
Well people , he is selling him Uranium and many other high dollar minerals along with the Clintons
And that’s why all these big land grabs are you getting anything out of this ? Fuck no we’re getting the shaft in all this resource mining
People who have a dim view of what’s going on out there
Are not paying attention to the fleecing of our countries resources for the gain for this cabal
That’s trying to fuck the life out of each and every one of us
It’s time to make a stand
They are selling out your dam families people
Wake the Fuck up!
It’s only a movie, it’s only a movie, it’s only a movie.
Now click you heels everyone
and
WAKE UP……………….
Emily Amazon is one of the biggest exploiters of workers. They work their workers like dog ask you can have free shipping. I’m guilty of using Amazon in the past but not no more. Wages of the delivery guy or gal have fallen cause of this. There is a bidding war over who will deliver for less. I just don’t see any good coming out of it. The people who pick orders in their fulfillment centers have to pick 1500 a day and walk miles doing it. For 10 bucks an hr. Should be like 15 hr for that. Just remember that the convenience you get for using them does not help with wages. this is retail still and it’s the most cut throat sector of business. There is a shortage of drivers because the wages are so crappy. Eventually drivers will be making $10 hr I won’t be doing it anymore soon. Being a driver of a package car is easily a $20 hr bit. A trucker should be around $30hr.
Things change. Get over it. Quit sitting there holding your hands in your lap and crying about it. Improvise adapt and overcome or die.
Where I live we go to Sears and they have sales (just after jacking prices no doubt). Then we walk over to HH Greg and buy almost identical unit for $200 less. Similarly, I shopped WMTzon (walmart now is a meta-catalog just like amazon) and Amazon but ended up buying on Jet.com and saving quite a bit on two items. Quite a lot.
Point is, businesses have to serve the market. Location is not what it used to be. Information is much more readily available. Its easier to beat the prices using the Internet than walking into the local Wal-Mart. In fact, I often check Wal-Mart when buying online – like a battery for a scooter – and they simply are not price competitive. Whatever happened to always low prices… is they have to shut stores as they have some other model which does not work. Trying to complete with Audi? Dollar General? Wmt is way out of its league in the low selection, high volume, low price market – and that used to be there exact market.
My dog takes medication, recently my vet has been having a harder time keeping it in stock. past couple of months he’s been giving me 1/2 the amount of pills. It doesn’t effect me yet. I just have to go in more often. Cpould be a sign of things getting scarcier.
bad out there
The ones that say it isn’t just haven’t had it show up yet.
I am one of the fortunate that can continue spending if I wished, but I choose not to. We elected to “Go Galt” when it became apparent that The People would choose “Redistribution” c. 2007. We no longer create things or work that generates wealth – by choice. We also transferred and sheltered the bulk of our wealth outside of the country.
The other issue we noticed was the importing of “vibrancy” into white suburbs, and specifically, white suburbs with a higher than average household income. In our area, public transportation was deliberating piped into the most upscale shopping complex in the nearest 100 – 200 miles (Cartier, Nieman Marcus, Louis Vuitton, etc) against the desires of We, The People. The day the first truckload of EBT/other people’s money gang showed up, the major media was of course there to interview them squawk and preen how happy they were they now had access to the “goo’ shoppin'”. It quickly became apparent that “goo’ shoppin'” also means pockets to pick, stores to shoplift and cars to break into. Cause fairness.
I haven’t stepped into a brick and mortars mall in the USA, for any reason, since vibrancy was imported to our community. I have ceded the public space to them. I note that our secondary mall closest to the newly created centers of vibrancy is tumbleweed city; it now sports an in-house branch of the local PD and the county government uses the space of a former anchor tenant for “educational workshops”. The movie theatre is closed, as are most of the offerings in the food court area. We are not the only family to who forbid our teens from frequenting “high vibrancy” areas, including the malls, skating rink and main park.
This Christmas, we contracted with a local seamstress and tailor to have clothing made for all our clan. The fit and finish was superb and about par what we would have paid through one of the Needless Markup Stores. No visit to a mall required! Since the Redistribution Era began, we have chosen gifts crafted by small artisans and/or “gifts of experience” (ex. we got together and paid for a trip to a romantic small B&B for one of our extended family with lots of wee kids and limited time and money to reconnect). Again – everything in mind making a trip to the mall complete unnecessary. I won’t support my own dissolution or accept what has been politically foisted on me against me my will.
The media of course is refusing to comment or “investigate” this potential add-on cause contributing to the decline of the retail market. When it becomes an unpleasant and risk environment because of the demographics, no amount of hectoring from the Progressives about “tolerance” and “acceptance” will change my behavior or pry a dollar from my pocket. Whenever practically possible, I refuse to buy from corporations that wear their Vibrancy Pride on their sleeves. “Awareness” is a two-way street.
I do shop through Amazon, and our neighborhood does bulk-buying of staples through small companies that have a similar political and worldview. We are on our own, and if we don’t support them, who will?
The secret is to co-locate to white culture-identified areas only. And your quality of life will get much, much better in the process. Think about it: Italian delis, Nordic clothing, German household goods, Swedish design… all will give a better life than living in one of the ‘enriched zones’, where you will have dollar stores, chicken shops, and lots of crap from China.
Run your own ecology and your economy and you will prosper in the process. Take what slop corporate America and the government throw your way, and your life will suck.
Don’t think of them as malls that have closed, rather as FEMA camps that have not yet opened.
Same old thing here in Florida. Went to 2 different Walmarts today to pick up a few items we had on our list and still could not get them. A lot of the shelves were empty. I needed to replace pet food we had been using and there seems to be a real shortage of it there.
There all closing down because they know something big is coming down the pipeline.
Economic collapse is a real concern for Europe.
http://m.disclose.tv/news/iceland_forgives_entire_population_its_debt_total_us_media_blackout/127307
Here’s part of the problem…finding and keeping truck drivers to keep shipments going. The Fed’s just made it more difficult to get a CDL. More testing, more regulations, all of it BS! I know because I have a CDL. We hire CDL B drivers and can’t find them! They either can’t pass a physical, are taking medical marijuana, can’t pass the new requirements for pretrip inspections…etc. Also, I blame our education system pushing kids to go to college instead of vocational technical centers. We need DRIVERS!
Our family is reducing our spending to the bare essentials and trying to keep everything to a minimum. We have to put aside all that we can to pay for health insurance and taxes.