YOU SAY WHAT?!

AS I’M WORKING THE FLOOR, AT MY STORE, MY BROTHER SENDS ME A TEXT SAYING “JC PENNY IS CLOSING.” AND I SAID “YOU SAY WHAT!? JC PENNY IS CLOSING STORES?” I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT. I GOOGLED IT AND FOUND THAT THAT HE WAS RIGHT! THEY ARE CLOSING 170 OF THEIR 1,100 STORES. THEN I SEE THAT BEST BUY CLOSED 250 STORES, AND TOYS ‘R’ US IS GOING OUT OF BUSINESS, CLOSING 800 STORES IN THE US, AND THAT 25% OF SHOPPING MALLS, 275 OF THEM, WILL BE GONE BY 2023. THE LIST OF BUSINESSES THAT ARE BEING FORCED TO CLOSE STORES GOES ON AND ON. THIS SCARES ME, WORRIES ME, AND JUST PLAIN FREAKS ME OUT. WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ALL THOSE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW WITHOUT JOBS? ARE THEY COLLECTING UNEMPLOYMENT? ARE THEY FEELING HOPELESS? WHERE WILL THEY GO? ARE THEY GOING TO WORK IN A WAREHOUSE FOR AMAZON? HOW ARE THEY GOING TO AFFORD THEIR LIVES? I HAVEREALIZED, BY OWNING A STORE, THAT YOU’RE NOT ONLY TALKING ABOUT SALES ASSOCIATES, YOU’RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS, OF PEOPLE WHO PROVIDE DIFFERENT SERVICES TO THESE COMPANIES. WHERE WILL WE ALL GO?

TO HELL ??  YES, YES THAT IS WHERE WE’RE GOING, BUT NOT ME. LUCKILY I LIVE IN SANTA FE, A LITTLE JEWEL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESSERT. THANK GOD FOR TOURISTS, THEY KEEP EVERYONE IN SANTA FE IN BUSINESS. (MOST OF US, ANYWAY.) IF YOU WORK IN DOWNTOWN SANTA FE, THERE ARE SOME WHO HAVEN’T BEEN AS FORTUNATE AS ME.

I KNOW EVERY GENERATION HAS THEIR OWN JOYFUL MOMENTS, BUT MILENNIALS, HAVING ALMOST BEEN BORN WITH A COMPUTER IN THEIR HANDS, HAVEN’T LEARNED TO ENJOY THE FUN OF GOING SHOPPING WITH THEIR FRIENDS. ARE THEY GOING TO DO EVERYTHING ON THEIR PHONE? IT SEEMS LIKELY. BUT HOW CAN WE BLAME THEM? THE POOR THINGS DON’T KNOW ANY BETTER. I WONDER WHERE THEY WILL SHOW OFF ALL THE CLOTHES THEY BUY? I’M FROM A DIFFERENT ERA, WHERE I ENJOY TOUCHING, FEELING, SEEING THE CLOTHES, SHOES, FURNITURE, JEWELRY, IN FRONT OF ME. I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN TRUST WEBSITES FOR THESE THINGS, WHAT YOU SEE IN A PHOTO IS NOT NECESSARILY HOW IT LOOKS IN PERSON, AND I PERSONALLY HATE TO PROVIDE COMPANIES WITH MY CREDIT CARD AND PERSONAL INFORMATION.

I FEEL LIKE WE ARE LIVING IN AN INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION FOR THE RETAIL AGE. LIKE THE 18TH CENTURY HAS COME TO THE 21ST. AS MACHINES TOOK OVER FARM WORK, SO TOO MACHINES ARE TAKING OVER SALES AND RETAIL POSITIONS. IT’S LIKE A SHIFTING OF TECTONIC PLATES UNDER THE FOUNDATION OF RETAIL.

I HEARD THAT JAPANESE PEOPLE HAVE COME OUT WITH AN APP WHERE YOU TALK TO YOUR PHONE LIKE IT’S YOUR FRIEND. IT WILL HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOU, AND EVEN MAKE JOKES! I THOUGHT, YOU SAY WHAT!? I HAVE SO MANY FRIENDS, AND SO MUCH FAMILY, THAT I AM LUCKY ENOUGH TO NOT HAVE TO TALK TO MY BUDDY, THE PHONE. ALTHOUGH RECENTLY, I HAD TO TAKE MY PHONE TO T-MOBILE BECAUSE I HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT, AND I KNOW THAT MY KIDS WOULD CONSIDER ME A DINOSAUR (AND I CONSIDER MYSELF A WOOLLY MAMMOTH) WHEN IT COMES TO TECHNOLOGY, I’M NOT ASHAMED, I HAVE OTHER TALENTS IN LIFE. BUT NOT EVEN MY TEN YEAR OLD GRANDSON COULD FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM WITH MY PHONE, SO I WAS FORCED TO GO TO THE T-MOBILE STORE TO GET HELP. WHEN I WAS AT THE STORE, THEY HAD TO RESET MY PHONE, AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS GOING TO TAKE 20-30 MINUTES. I PANICKED! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO FOR 30 MINUTES WITHOUT MY PHONE!? I DON’T SHOP ONLINE, BUT I DO SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON MY PHONE, CHECKING SOCIAL MEDIA ETC. SO I SIT DOWN AT THE T-MOBILE STORE, TO WAIT, FEELING SO BORED, SO I START LOOKING AROUND THE STORE. THEY HAD SEVERAL POSTERS WITH BIG SLOGANS ON THEM, AND ONE OF THEM SAID “ARE YOU WITH US?” I THOUGHT “OH THAT’S A GOOD SLOGAN FOR MY STORE! CAN I STEAL THE IDEA?” IMAGINING STEALING T-MOBILE SLOGANS KEPT ME BUSY UNTIL MY PHONE WAS READY. PHEW, IT WAS FINALLY DONE, I CAN GO BACK TO MY REGULAR LIFE OF STARING AT MY PHONE.