From the Business Insider: The retail apocalypse has officially descended on America
"More than 3,500 stores are expected to close in the next couple of months.
Department stores like JCPenney, Macy's, Sears, and Kmart are among the companies shutting down stores, along with middle-of-the-mall chains like Crocs, BCBG, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Guess.
Some retailers are exiting the brick-and-mortar business altogether and trying to shift to an all-online model.
For example, Bebe is closing all its stores — about 170 — to focus on increasing its online sales, according to a Bloomberg report. The Limited also recently shut down all 250 of its stores, but it still sells merchandise online.
Others, such as Sears and JCPenney, are aggressively paring down their store counts to unload unprofitable locations and try to staunch losses."
And remember: Greensboro has 6 TIMES THE NATIONAL AVERAGE OF RETAIL SPACE. How does that translate?
Not only are stores closing but no one is coming to fill the void.
"Retail Space Per Person
Greensboro 142 square feet
US National Average 23.5 square feet
Canada 16.4 square feet
Australia 11.1 square feet
Europe 2,5 square feet"
Now take note: this figure of 142 square feet per person is for the City of Greensboro alone, and does not include the rest of Piedmont Triad which also appears to be well above the national average.
And where did that figure of 142 square feet come from? None other than the 2010 East Greensboro Strategic Plan published by none other than the City of Greensboro. Those dummies thought it was a good thing.
I fully expect to see the Greensboro City Council bailing out connected developers with proposals to convert empty shopping centers into low income housing. But believe me, they won't be doing so because they care about poor people.
I expect a vast migration of people leaving Greensboro beginning with those who can most easily afford to move to greener pastures, thus devastating our local tax base.
Those developers hit with store closings will fall behind on their city and county property taxes.
City and County governments will be forced to look to an ever poorer group of remaining residents for new sources of money.
Municipal services will be cut.
Police departments will be tasked with making a profit for government as takes place in many small towns. Murders will be ignored but don't dare drive 2 miles over the speed limit.
Okay, so that's a bit of hyperbole but you get it. But getting a cop to answer an emergency call will get ever harder as 5 to 6 officers and cars will be tied up with every traffic stop. GPD ain't Highway Patrol, you know-- these guys work en force.
That bail out for Say Yes to Education? It ain't happening. But then after the County Commissioners finish cutting the budget for the County Schools your kids won't be educated enough to go to college in the first place.
More laws against being poor and homeless in Downtown Greensboro will be passed because of complaints from downtown business owners who live in neighborhoods in Northeast Greensboro. That will result in more door to door panhandlers in the Northeast and Southeast, and more aggressive sales people going door to door in the nicer neighborhoods.
You see, there's a pattern to these events and I've been watching it for years.
Too bad your elected leaders never paid attention. Not even Tony Wilkins who remains forever in the pockets of developer, Marty Kotis.
