[seeker1950]

My coworker began reading me a list of stores that are closing or cutting way back. I couldn't believe it...Home Depot, JCPenney, closing many stores, though not all of them.
Here is an article which names many more..
Can you believe this? More store closings. Don’t know if you shop at any of them, but here is the list.

Macy's — 9 stores

Ann Taylor closing 117 stores nationwide
A company spokeswoman said the company hasn’t revealed which stores will be shuttered. It will let the stores that will close this fiscal year know over the next month.

Eddie Bauer to close more stores
Eddie Bauer has already closed 27 shops in the first quarter and plans to close up to two more outlet stores by the end of the year.

Cache closing stores Women’s retailer Cache announced that it is closing 20 to 23 stores this year.

Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Catherines closing 150 stores nationwide. The owner of retailers Lane Bryant , Fashion Bug , Catherines Plus Sizes will close about 150 underperforming stores this year. The company hasn’t provided a list of specific store closures and can’t say when it will offer that info, spokeswoman Brooke Perry said today.

Talbots, J. Jill closing stores. About a month ago, Talbots announced that it will be shuttering all 78 of its kids and men’s stores. Now the company says it will close another 22 underperforming stores.
The 22 stores will be a mix of Talbots women’s and J. Jill , another chain it owns. The closures will occur this fiscal year, according to a company press release.

Gap Inc. closing 85 stores. In addition to its namesake chain, Gap also owns Old Navy and Banana Republic . The company said the closures — all planned for fiscal 2008 — will be weighted toward the Gap brand.

Foot Locker to close 140 stores
In the company press release and during its conference call with analysts today, it did not specify where the future store closures –
all planned in fiscal 2008 – will be. The company could not be immediately reached for comment

Wickes is going out of business
Wickes Furniture is going out of business and closing all of its stores, Wickes, a 37-year-old retailer that targets middle-income customers, filed for bankruptcy protection last month.

Goodbye Levitz
The furniture retailer, which is going out of business. Levitz first announced it was going out of business and closing all 76 of its stores in December. The retailer dates back to 1910 when Richard Levitz opened his first furniture store in Lebanon , PA. In the 1960s, the warehouse/showroom concept brought Levitz to the forefront of the furniture industry. The local Levitz closures will follow the shutdown of Bombay .

Zales, Piercing Pagoda closing stores The owner of Zales and Piercing Pagoda previously said it plans to close 82 stores by July 31. Today, it announced that it is closing another 23 underperforming stores. The company said it’s not providing a list of specific store closures. Of the 105 locations planned for closure, 50 are kiosks and 55 are stores.

Disney Store owner has the right to close 98 stores. The Walt Disney Company announced it acquired about 220 Disney Stores
from subsidiaries of The Children’s Place Retail Stores. The exact number of stores acquired will depend on negotiations with landlords.
Those subsidiaries of Children’s Place filed for bankruptcy protection in late March. Walt Disney in the news release said it has also obtained the right to close about 98 Disney Stores in the U.S. The press release didn’t list those stores.

Home Depot store closings
ATLANTA - Nearly 7+ months after its chief executive said there were no plans to cut the number of its core retail stores, The Home Depot Inc.announced Thursday that it is shuttering 15 of them amid a slumping. U.S. economy and housing market. The move will affect 1,300 employees.

It is the first time the world's largest home improvement store chain has ever closed a flagship store for performance reasons. Its shares
rose almost 5 percent.

The Atlanta-based company said the underperforming U.S.stores being closed represent less than 1 percent of its existing stores. They will be shuttered within the next two months.

CompUSA clarifies details on store closings
Any extended warranties purchased for products through CompUSA will be honored by a third-party provider, Assurant Solutions. Gift cards, rainchecks, and rebates purchased prior to December 12 can be redeemed at any time during the final sale. For those who have a gadget currently in for service with CompUSA, the repair will be completed and the gadget will be returned to owners.

Movie Gallery — 160 stores as part of reorganization plan to exit bankruptcy. The video rental company plans to close 400 of 3,500 Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video stores in addition to the 520 locations the video rental chain closed last fall.

Pacific Sunwear — 153 Demo stores

Pep Boys — 33 stores

Sprint Nextel — 125 retail locations
New Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse appears to have inherited a company bleeding subscribers by the thousands, and will now officially be dropping the ax on 4,000 employees and 125 retail locations. Amid the loss of 639,000 postpaid customers in the fourth quarter, Sprint will be cutting a total of 6.7% of its work force (following the 5,000 layoffs last year) and 8% of company-owned brick-and-mortar stores, while remaining mute on other rumors that it will consolidate its headquarters in Kansas . Sprint Nextel shares are down $2.89, or nearly 25%, at the time of this writing.

J. C. Penney, Lowe’s and Office Depot are scaling back

Ethan Allen Interiors: The company announced plans to close 12 of 300+ stores in an effort to cut costs.

Wilsons the Leather Experts — 158 stores

Pacific Sunwear will close its 154 Demo stores after a review of strategic alternatives for the urban-apparel brand. Seventy-four
underperforming Demo stores closed last May.

Sharper Image: The company recently filed for bankruptcy protection and announced that 90 of its 184 stores are closing. The retailer will still operate 94 stores to pay off debts, but 90 of these stores have performed poorly and also may close.

Bombay Company: The company unveiled plans to close all 384 U.S.-based Bombay Company stores. The company's online storefront has discontinued operations.

KB Toys posted a list of 356 stores that it is closing around the United States as part of its bankruptcy reorganization. To see the list of store closings, go to the KB Toys Information web site, and click on Press Information

Dillard's to Close More Stores
Dillard's Inc. said it will continue to focus on closing underperforming stores, reducing expenses and improving its merchandise in 2008. At the company's annual shareholder meeting, CEO William Dillard II said the company will close another six underperforming stores this year.

[gimmeice]

WOW, that is a lot of stores, I don't shop at many of them. The economy is so bad right now, I can see why these places are closing.

[seeker1950]

I don't shop at any of them either...well, maybe Home Depot occasionally when I need to fix something. Still, I'm surprised and concerned.
Patty

[kimmydawn]

This is so incredibly sad, not to mention scary.

Hubby found out last week that one of their sister companies is closing its doors for good, and two more are being shut down for six months to control loss. He said it was so dismal at work, with grown men bawling and not being able to talk...thinking of their friends and families just all of the sudden being out of jobs they've held for years...knowing there's no way they could go anywhere else and make that.

Their company is pretty safe at this point and has work through next September, but also the company at large will be putting all sales into his plant because it will be open and puts out the best product with the least loss from error. So we can pray that his long-term position there is secure for at least another.

I'm praying hard that the economy sees some relief soon.

KD

[Perna]

There's lots others too recently:

http://money.aol.com/special/retail-...-closing-doors

hey well look at the bright side of it all. they will probably be having a lot of blowout sales where you can get stuff at a really cheap price. they have movie gallery's here in canada. i dont think we are closing any of our stores yet but then again i dont really pay attention to that kind of thing.

[Beyond77]

Here in my area, the major store closing that is going on is at a Linens & Things.

There have been rumors of some other stores closing soon, mostly the ones that are listed in the article Perna posted. But even besides those, factories and other industrial centers where I live are closing and/or laying off people left and right.

Very Scary!

what this does not show is how many family owned biz's have had to close over this year.
I pray for all....

[madisgram]

that means a lot of people will be out of work. don't know where this economy mess is gonna take us...

[krzyk101]

I think as many have said here that they don't shop at those stores. Most of those stores are stores that sell 'luxury items' or expensive things and people just can not afford to shop at these stores.

You look at the bargain and discount stores who are booming like Dollar General, Goodwill, Salvation Army and Oh Wal Mart is taking over, with profits raising as the stores like Wal Mart are running all or lot of stores out of business.

Yet, what can one do when there is just no money to spend, no savings, and living paycheck to paycheck, I fear it will only get worse.

People are not able to spend extra dollars for a special label sewn into a article of clothing double in price at these high end luxury stores. grocery's alone eat away at the paycheck, let alone to buy a leather jacket or a table setting for 12 and hundreds of dollars.

Looks like sadly we are being forced to go back to the 'basic necessities'

My heart go out to those minimum wage workers trying to support themselves let alone their families.

[seeker1950]

I totally agree with you, Kryz. I know there are a lot of people, like my sister, who shop frequently at Linens and Things, Talbotts, ane even more expensive stores. I've never been able to afford it, but it is sad for the people who are employed at these businesses.
Patty

[Capp]

My thoughts are also with those who will be out of work...

Add in the difficulties that individual states are having and the number of unemployed rises...
Here the state budget has been slashed, and there have been closings of state parks, field offices, and cut backs at the state hospitals.
Quite frankly, my SO is very concerned about his job...very

[(JD)]

Linens and things closed a few stores in the area, but went Chapter 11, reorganization and didn't close all stores.

Home Depot closed two stores but opened a mega store in the same area here.

I think much of the problem is not so much the economy, but that the local WALMART opened. They can't compete with them, cheap sweat shop labor from China.

I refuse to shop at WalMart.... however with the new CEO, maybe things will change.

[EnglishMajor]

I am truly sorry for the people who will be losing their jobs because of the stores that will be closed. Maybe it's the economic cycle of things, but I know that doesn't help. I have been a customer of Talbot's for a couple of years because I needed an affordable professional wardrobe, and they have great customer service. I believe they closed only their children and men's departments.

Pep Boys? No tears for them. Absolutely the worst place to go for car repairs or service (DON'T GET ME STARTED ON PEP BOYS!!)

[jbug]

I was saddened to hear one of my favorite local stores is closing here. We have a store here called Trees and Trends it is a home decorating store and they have dirt cheap stuff and there is a store within a store called Jewelry and Handbag warehouse that will also be closing and I am trying to get mom to go down to Fayetteville with me on Friday to go get some deals. I am redecorating my bedroom and want to see if they have anything I can put in it.

I am putting all black and white things in it and have European influences in the pictures on the walls. My sister lives in Germany and for Christmas last year I had her go around her town and take pics for me and she framed them for me in simple black frames and I have them in a collage on my wall. I also want a big picture of the Eiffel Tower for the space by my bed and want to see if I can get it at Trees and Trends.

Jbug

[katheryn]

i have to add that woolworths is in trouble here all 800 stores are about to close and they are nearly a 100yrs old also mfi with several stores

[(JD)]

You still had Woolworths? They closed out of Florida decades ago!

The guy who owns the closest restaurant (to me) was telling me he was just at the restaurant owner's warehouse and was amazed at all the supplies there... hard equipment from so many restaurants going out of business.

I'm glad he's still surviving well. Maybe parents are actually giving their children real meals now (though BK and MickeyDs may be busier than ever )

[Doesitend?]

The sad news is this is just the beginning of the downfall of the US economy. I live in a major city in NC, and although there is not a drastic slowdown in spending, it is still slowing. We have a pretty stable economy right now...but speaking of WalMart...Our SuperWalMarts are always so packed that I typically avoid them unless necessary. I was remodeling a room, and visited one usually busy store three times in one week. There were no lines, no hustle-bustle. I asked the greeter where all the customers were...She said it had been slow for a couple of weeks. This economy is going to affect more than just the high-end stores....small family-owned businesses, banks, and major discount retailers will be more and more affected.....just keep your budgets tight and try to keep spending if you can. That is the only thing that will help.....

[EJ711]

Consumer spending has been WAY down.

Less spending by consumers, equals layoffs for businesses, equals less spending, equals more layoffs.

[multipixie9]

most of my life i've had to be careful about spending. right now we are the most "comfortable" we've ever been, but i really want to encourage all who are reading this thread.

there are MANY awesome websites that teach how to make things last and how to cut back creatively and get free from debt. these sites are not gloomy and scary they are very inspiring as people share their insights and triumphs as they learn to do things in new ways.

things are difficult now and may get even more challenging but there are ways to stretch those dollars and make life good even when the money is tight.

google terms about frugality, thrift, living cheap but well. There are books and many thousands of websites and blogs showing how to make a little last and how to do things in new ways.

some of my favorites: about.com/frugality, simple dollar, living on a dime. i am addicted to my only pay for website called Simple Savings. it is an australian website and it has tons of ways that people can get out of debt and live better on less. many people are learning how to live on one income and have fun and NOT feel deprived. how i wish i had had something like this when my children were young.

in times like this many people go through some values changes and they learn new skills and even make new friends. they come out at the end of the hard time with more skills and greater confidence in their ability to survive whatever life is throwing at them. we can do this too and encourage each other on the way!

i think it was Franklin Roosevelt who said, "All we have to fear is fear itself"! if we let fear immobilize us we will not be able to grow and cope. if we take this as a challenge and not a threat we can do what we need to do and get by much better than we might think we can.

leslie and her pixies

[krzyk101]

I feel for all who are trying to find work in this tough time and those who are loosing jobs and small business's having to close up shop due to the larger stores still dominating the towns and city's around here and all over.

I feel very strongly about my dislike saying kindly, about Wal Mart Super centers. I find that they are what I can only imagine what at one time was called like the 'Big Oil' I think? I just know that when a Super Walmart opens, seems at least 2 stores close there doors fast
It is horrible, I shop ANYWHERE but Wal Mart as I once lived in a larger city than I do now and seen one by one the stores I loved close due to the arrival of the Wal Mart Super center.

The city I moved here from 2-years ago, was like this, it was Wal Mart or nothing. The others couldn't compete. I am the type of person who if unable to locate an item and need assistance, don't like to be told, 'not my department'...

I just feel like someone or some agency needs to step in and stop about Wal-Mart from taking over and leaving our choices to one, them.....

Thank you, krzyk101

i have to agree the super centers do kinda wipe out the other bizs

[EnglishMajor]

The small town close to me was barely on life support until Wal-Mart opened. I'm not defending Wal-Mart nor its policies, but the town actually revived when Wal-Mart came in. More restaurants, hotels, fast food chains (well, maybe not so good) and a movie theater opened up. The only other grocery store in town, Kroger, had to do some much-needed renovations, and that was a good thing.