Death of Australian department stores.

Discussion in 'Markets & Economies' started by leo25, Aug 30, 2019.

  1. leo25

    leo25 Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Whenever i go into a department store it's as if i entered a Chinese ghost city.

    I think they are starting to get the hint, there is no recovery!
    It didn't help that they have a bad selection of products, over inflated prices and staff with little to no knowledge about the products they are selling.

    https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/com...ely-close-stores-as-profit-plunges/ar-AAGuX2i

    https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/aust...stores-that-are-closing/ar-AAGx05K?li=AAgfIYZ
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2019
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  2. Jislizard

    Jislizard Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    High rent and high staff wages in addition to people being able to buy things direct from the internet and cutting out the middle man.

    I rarely go to shopping centres now.
     
  3. Oddjob

    Oddjob Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Yep, Aust dept stores have been struggling for years against online retail. Back in the day, you'd walk into Grace Bros / Myers (dependent on which state you lived in) and could buy furniture, electronics, music etc not just clothing which both Myer and DJ appear only to sell now. 100% agree with sales standards in department stores now.

    The same way that suburban shopping centres changed the way we shopped in the 60's, online is doing the same IMO for those products where tech / other advice is not required will do the same to some department stores / retailers.

    Note: The vast majority of the Big W's to close are in regional town (only 3 in metro).

    It will be interesting to see "on line" sales volume for Bunnings now that they have introduced that ability for the home shopper. I love the ability to buy online, but when it comes to Bunnings, that's different...that's fun!

    BTW: With DJ's going to sell food via some BP servo's, I will want to know which ones (so I can avoid) as I detest waiting for someone who has filled up with fuel and then mucks about in the servo shop for X mins whilst their car is still at the bowser etc.
     
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  4. leo25

    leo25 Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Nothing beats going to Bunnings on a rainy day. You can always justify buying something as there is always something around the house that needs fixing.
     
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  5. Stoic Phoenix

    Stoic Phoenix Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    @Oddjob - a brief breakdown of the DJ's/Myers model
    They sublease space out to retailers to sell their wares across their stores in brands they dont own for "rental of their footprint in store and a cut of sales" .
    A lot of the staff in Dj's stores arent DJ's employees, they are employees of the brand they are selling for.
    There is a move more towards clothing/cosmetics than furniture, whitegoods because more volume with a smaller footprint for whomever is leasing an area in the store.
    Electronics gone once Dick Smith went busto, they were the last electronics leaseholder in DJs and no one wanted that gig afterwards.
     
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  6. Oddjob

    Oddjob Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    To be honest I can't even remember Dick Smith being in a department store like DJ's.
     
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  7. openeyes

    openeyes Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Online sales were always going to change the landscape. How the companies thought that they could ignore online sales for so long has always amazed me. Clearly it is to their peril. Noting of course that they are all try to reposition now. But it is the Uber and taxis. The Taxi industry will never recover. Become something else but certainly not like it was. Retail shopping is the same. What was will never be again. Where it will go is still unknown. AI has not really made its presence known nor virtual reality.
     
  8. leo25

    leo25 Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    I never knew Dick Smith ran the electrical department in David Jones. How long did they do that for?
     
  9. Stoic Phoenix

    Stoic Phoenix Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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  10. leo25

    leo25 Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Mean while Costco seems to be very popular in China :eek:

     
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  11. openeyes

    openeyes Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Yes that yes that was pretty wild
     
  12. Skyrocket

    Skyrocket Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    I always get a sausage whenever I go there which is quite often as they have a wide range of things I regularly use/need and the few bucks/cents I'd save getting them off Ebay is not worth the wait.
     
  13. mrsilverservice

    mrsilverservice Well-Known Member

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    This video reminds me of the stalking and robbing of the baby formula in coles,woolies etc :confused:

    Sadly today it doesn't take much for people to give themselves permission to behavior like animals :mad:

    To tell you the truth it makes me sick,the future looks just fine and dandy :rolleyes:

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    The Book of Psalms Chapter 115 verse 15

    May you be blessed by the Lord,who made heaven and earth :)
     
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  14. leo25

    leo25 Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Yep that's the feeling i get too. And China showcases Shanghai as the most "advanced/sophisticated" part of China.
     
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  15. wolfstack

    wolfstack Member

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    By the time they put stuff in the stores it's out of date and too expensive and the staff are too underpaid and therefore too dumb to tell you about the product. I buy everything online after watching reviews on youtube.
     
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  16. openeyes

    openeyes Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    We have similar scenes in Australia on Boxing Day sales - sometimes at least.
     
  17. leo25

    leo25 Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Yes, but i have never seen someone rip meat out of another persons hand. That takes the boxing sale videos to another scary level.
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2019
  18. Oddjob

    Oddjob Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    I'll never understand the madness of the Boxing Day mayhem crowd. In my book, Boxing Day is for recovery from Xmas lunch (& dinner), first beer at 9am to freshen up, then cricket from the G'ee at 10am. Best day of the year.
     
  19. openeyes

    openeyes Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Exactly- chill out and kick back. Not fighting over a half price vacuum cleaner!!!
     
  20. JulieW

    JulieW Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    It's a very weird phenomenon indeed.

    I suspect there's more to the whole thing than buying at a discount - massive or not.

    Mob behaviour is a good reason to stay away from mobs.
     

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