I have been a retail manager and am a Retail BIGBOX manager and I can tell you business SUCKS!! Ask me a question.

What if anything are people buying?

Grey Aliens: where are they from?

People are buying only what they need to survive. Nothing extra, or very little. Business SPIKES at the first of the month,using their governemnet subsidies, lasts for 4-5 days , then we are in survival mode, like the consumer.

Grey Aliens are from the dairy case at Safeway.

Are you still making a profit?

Have they dropped your performance targets?

We are profitable. Expense control however is becoming more and more the emphasis. Less PAyroll ,floor care, supplies...
Also company is gearing business towards the government subsidy folks.
1.5% increase in sales is the companies' target. Problem is, business is trending DOWN recently say, since the oliday anyway.

Do you put cameras into the female bathrooms?/

If you wished to do that, what or whom could possible stop you?

Unfortunately, cameras everywhere except the bathrooms. Cmon now silly boy.

well when a person can go online and buy shit cheaper...


autozone/oreilys fuel injectors $70 for one.

Online $26 - $35

Shit is way over priced at retail stores.

I do most of my buying online.
Amazons goal is to oust Brick and Mortar.
They are off to a good start.
By the way, you all I am sure have seen the news about Best Buy, Barnes and Noble...
Well mark my words, Best Buy will be online ONLY within 5 years MAX, Barnes and Noble will do it before then. KMART and Sears will be GONE within that same time frame. That is Right... GONE.

Business only appears to be up at my big box because we have an extra week in our fiscal year. That's it. Factor in that most people will lose a whole paycheck this year due to SS tax increases. Retail is set to take a massive hit. Ripple effect incoming...

And yes, I'm a big box retail executive.

Do you sell food too, or just hardgoods?

On your hardgoods only lines are people buying "house equiping" items again (home sales are up, or so they say) or are they just buying basics like clothing etc.?

If hardgoods are down is any category down particularly bad?

Both Food and Hard Goods.
Basics are selling, frilly items are not.
Water and Food sell.
At the first of the month it all sells.
After that nothing sells.

Big box is such a stupid name, no wonder you are taking a bath

So when people try on clothes in the dressing room, they're on camera?

Is your store's shrink going up considerably over the past few years? And is upper management actually aware of the trends in motion? Or do they just keep upping your store quota regardless of deteriorating economic conditions? Do they tell you this is just a blip, that things are bound to improve?

Why did you start this thread?

What do you really want us to ask?

I didnt name it Big Box.
A side comment. I am constantly AMAZED at our older customers say like 60-80. They are all WELL aware of what is going on and MANY and I mean MANY are secretly prepping. Water, Guns, Food, Ammo. Dead serious.

I started this thread because I am Pissed off at the media, govt complex that is reporting such great numbers, Stock Market rising ... what a joke. It will take only 1 major calamity to wipe out this country. War 7.00 fuel, inflation. We are heading toward disaster. Very Close.

Our company is quite realistic in goal setting and forecasting. SHRINK is out of control. Nearly doubling in the last round of physical inventories. Thats the last 12 months.
Emphasis is on that and Safety(lawsuits...)

Are online sales compensating for the lack of in store sales?

No cameras in potties or Dressing Rooms. Sorry.

Are you fat?

A question for the anonymous Retail Big Box executive.
Are you seeing the first of the month business as we are.
And the HUGE dip after that?
And on the plus side are you seeing stability in your employment as we are?

No I am not fat. And Online sales are not offsetting B and M dip.

Mainly a suburban strip center environment. 10 days to empty our store.
And yes, your uncle probably shops here.

Thanks for the pin.
I am so tired of hearing our President.
What an Anti-American agenda he has. This country in the shitter. People are SO buffaloed drinking the Kool-Aid. And as each of you know , the 47% will pay dearly in the long run.BIG

At the first of the month you might say our clientele changes DRAMATICALLY. Therefore, no I do not wish to install cameras in the bathrooms.

how many people do you fire every month for stealing ?

Yes. We have specifically positioned ourselves to gain that slice of the business pie by letting the EBT users know exactly what they can purchase in our stores.

Food, HBA and clothing basics are business drivers.

As far as stability... Our employees usually have 2nd jobs and they have been aware of the reduction in hrs from those jobs due to Healthcare act changes. Everyone shows up to work, cross trains, and finds ways to pick up hrs here and there.