We had a story the other day in which it was stated that “retail theft has been lower this year in most of the country than it was a few years ago, according to police data.”
But MNB reader Mike Moon asked a good question:
But I have to wonder, how much retail theft is going unreported because merchants don’t believe there will be any punishment or prosecution? These smash and grab thieves are so very brazen because there are very few consequences in many jurisdictions.
Fair point.
Though I do occasionally wonder about all the folks who talk about smash-and-grab thieves. Have they seen such things for themselves? Or just read/seen the stories about them in media outlets.
Just curious. Because there are folks who suggest to me that it isn’t as bad as has been suggested in some circles.
On another subject, from an MNB reader:
On the WSJ article on reducing store size, I spent 50 years in supermarket development. When I started supermarkets were around 35,000 sf and starting to roll out stores in the 50,000 sf range with the addition of health and beauty aids and more non foods. In the 1990’s Purity Supreme bought the Angelos chain with stores in eastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod. Purity made a major investment in renovating the Falmouth, Ma, Angelos within its 35,000 sf. This was after strong consumer research said the above average age population in the store’s market preferred the smaller footprint as easier to shop. This was to be Purity’s statement store on the Cape.
Stop & Shop opened a 50,000 sf replacement across the street. Much of the Falmouth store’s customers voted with their feet and crossed the street to shop in the store with the greater offers. I have watched the 50,000 sf stores morph into 60,000 sf, 75,000 sf and up to 100,000 sf. Interestingly, when costs to build, merchandise and operate these big stores escalate there was always pressure to revisit the 50,000 sf prototype which will probably be the sweet spot for today’s supermarkets other than the specialty operators.
Another MNB reader wrote:
I understand your point on smaller size retail stores but senior shoppers have no problem shopping in Costco, Sam’s, BJ’s, Target, WalMart, etc. It’s more about delivering value as do smaller stores like Aldi, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts along with the big boxes. Many mid-size stores have convenient locations but they better step up their game at the risk of becoming obsolete.
Good point.
We have friends who are around our age, retired, who will go off to Costco to spend an afternoon wandering around.
I’ve already told Mrs. Content Guy that if I ever suggest such a thing, it will be time to start investigating homes where she can drop me off and leave me.
Another MNB reader wrote:
I agree 100%. Just the thought of walking through a giant store makes me tired. I am 60+ but I don’t think that I’m that much different from other shoppers in that I want a shopping experience that offers some discovery. I am content to bounce in and out of 2 or 3 different stores to get what I need. I can quickly find what I’m looking for and have time to see what is new – the innovative items are often on display in the smaller and more specialized stores.
I still have to hit a larger store to pick up the staples, but I know exactly where they are and get in and out quickly. I don’t spend any time looking for disrupters because everything on the shelves tend to look the same. I miss the old Larry’s Markets in Seattle, but find similar experiences in Haggen, New Seasons, Whole Foods and Trader Joes – can you tell I’m in the NW?
I loved Larry’s Markets – they were fabulous stores. I remember one that used to be right next tio a movie theater, and they’d stay open late on weekends and sell a lot of desserts and coffee to folks after they went to the movies – it was a great example of opportunistic marketing.
And I remember a terrific interview I did there with Nancy Lazara, the Cordon Blue-trained chef who helped propel Larry’s into the big leagues.
Memories, as Dean Martin once sang, are made of this.
On another subject, an MNB reader wrote:
On the Macy’s buyout, is this a play to take the company private to continue rebuilding and repositioning ( what happened with their conversion to smaller store formats?) or a savvy real estate play? Their downtown Manhattan flagship location is probably worth the investment.
I think that’s a very interesting point.
On the subject of margins and prices, one MNB reader wrote:
I’ve never been a fan of newly created words, but “Greedflation” is one I agree with. It’s rampant. As a mostly retired grocery industry professional, I still visit a wide variety of supermarket formats on a frequent basis. I’ve found recently that low price formats do a better job of passing on cost increases only, while most other formats take advantage of inflation to push prices as high as they can get away with. This is probably because low price formats know their customers are more price sensitive to begin with. The discrepancies on the same item between two stores is amazing.
And, reacting to all our McDonald’s coverage, MNB reader Jerry Schindler wrote:
Say what you want about McDonalds, in 2005 I bought McDonald’s stock at $35. Today it was $288. Plus it paid a decent dividend all those years. I can’t remember the last time I was ever in one of their restaurants. The (im)moral side of this story is, if the Moonlite Bunny Ranch ever goes public, buy some shares.
Wow. Thanks for making me laugh out loud. And check my stock portfolio.
The post Your Views: From Retail Theft Realities to Greedflation appeared first on MNB.
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