robertperry Loc: Sacramento, Ca.

When the Sears near our home closed last year, I took my wife to the jewelry dept., 50%-80% off. She picked out 2 diamond rings. $4,000, got them both for $800. I'll remind her of how beautiful those rings look on her finger when I buy a Nikon D850.

josquin1 Loc: Massachusetts

Didn't know that there were even 96 stores left to close.

Jim Plogger Loc: East Tennessee

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Most women, young or old, love to be complimented and appreciated. Despite the PC Culture we live in today.

no12mo

Shame. We're going to lose our stores: Sears in Concord, NH and K-Mart in Hooksett. Guess I'd better get my favorite slippers, Route 66 for one last time. Maybe a couple pair.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

Customer service is always important to me. If I don't get some, I'm out of that store. Here are two examples, the first was bad, the second was great.
I went into a Starbucks and made a decision. I wanted a simple cup of coffee before work. As I waited on line, the woman behind me was served first. Another 8 minutes later, the clerk asked me what I wanted. I gave my order and a request to use the bathroom. When I was told there was no facility to use, I cancelled my order and walked out. The clerk was younger than me and probably didn't have a driver license. I got better service from the McDonalds a few feet away. I buy my camera gear in a major store in New York City. The service is exemplary and the staff is very attentive. The selection is phenomenal and the clerks don't try to push overpriced gear. I even enjoy the candy dishes on each counter. I rarely drive there and most often take Mass Transit. The prices are fair market and the store is top rate.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

Better customer service isn't always better online. Although it is nice to buy stuff on the computer in your pajamas, I'm lazy. I don't like buying stuff on the computer because I like to fondle the merchandise.
Please read my other post about a terrific camera and video store in New York City. Merchants of all different products can learn from this retailer. I would rather not say here but I can be privately messaged. It is sad that big brick and mortar retailers are disappearing. But don't be so quick to blame the Internet. Poor business practices are to be blamed. It is the retailers fault that they are disappearing not because of Amazon or EBay.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

This is very true. But I occasionally buy my wife flowers, too. That way she might let me buy the new lens I want.

tommyII Loc: Northern Illinois

I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the K-Mart photo counter. That's where I bought my Minolta SRT102 back in 1975. I loved that camera.

sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

I had a similar experience at a KFC ...In Kentucky. It was years before I ever went any KFC.Thank goodness for ChikFila

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

It is "all the above".
I don't like Walmart. I go there; the customer service is waay better than the nearby Target or Kmart.
I don't use the self checkout machines- they take 3x as long, a real PITA, just to fire an underpaid worker.
I won't buy clothes at mall shops. We have "vanity" sizing. I can buy my wife a Size10 from China, Japan, or Arkansas thru eBay- they're a Size10. At the store- nope. Better bring taped measurements and a list. And the clerks think customers with questions are annoying.
And I just became "one of those". Winter stuff on sale for the holiday. I have a quick half cart of items, I'm in line, and I notice full carts parked everywhere. 20 minutes later- I haven't moved much. I walk up front- and there are 2 young ladies helping each other ring us all out. That's it. The store is almost full. The manager comes up "How we all doing?" I (of course) speak up: "If this was Vegas we'd all have a free drink by now!" And I ask- why no other checkers? He tells me/us: we don't pay over 26 hours a week, overtime, or holiday pay to keep costs down! I ask: So why don't YOU open a register and run some of this line down? He gives me that "What? Me worry?" look and walks off. I push my cart out of the way and I walk off. Maybe the girls can get a few more hours pay doing go-backs.

People, maintenance, advertising ... aren't just costs. They're an investment.
You start getting stingy you start losing. Don't pay for advertising, customers flock to those that sell. Stint on maintenance- customers will stop coming back in to a store that's dirty and poorly stocked.
Start dropping workers. The store isn't straightened. Nobody left to help. The lines got longer. "Look at all the money we're saving!" Well, "look at all the money you're losing!" Don't blame the Internet.