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I worked there when I was 22, 23. I loved my job, but they weren't scheduling me, so I got another job that I was also going to work. I worked at the other place for a week before the manager above mine caught wind and she forced me to quit saying it was a conflict of interest. don't know how it's that when it was a portrait studio, and I worked as a Merchandise Consumer assistant. at least I think that's what MCA stood for can't remember. My manager was furious when she found out and I could hear her digging into the manager above her, talking about how she could get rid of the one employee that came in when called, was never late, and did her job unlike the other two people I worked with. I regret quitting should have left the other job because 4 months later I wasn't getting scheduled at the portrait studio called the district manager to complain because the store manager wasn't answering my calls to find out she told them I had quit and refused to sign any paperwork. Thankfully the district manager was appalled and made sure that I was put into the system as laid off, so I could get unemployment, because that company was going downhill as well, and I wasn't going to work for that branch anymore but couldn't afford to drive to the other one.
I agree sears was a big one here in Canada after acquiring the Canadian department store Eatons if you don’t know want eatons is it’s sears it closed in 2000s and was bought by Sears Canada
I agree sears was a big one here in Canada after acquiring the Canadian department store Eatons if you don’t know want eatons is it’s sears it closed in 2000s and was bought by Sears Canada
I remember a lot of these stores. Miss going to K-Mart, Suncoast, Pier 1, Toys R Us, Radio Shack, KB Toys, Circuit City, Blockbuster, and Movie Gallery.
I pretty much kept Radio Shack successful and open during the 70s and 80s. I was always buying things to add to my stereo system and of course, LP needles. I was sorry to see them go. Their customer service was crap because they hired smart@$$3$
I don't agree with your analysis, mainly because you're missing a key detail. Picture private equity as a vulcher that comes to clean up the carcus after the animal is already dead. Private equity comes in when the company is already dead or dying, then just parts out the pieces, especially the real estate, for a profit. They're vulcher capitalists for sure, but they weren't the reason the businesses were failing for years in the 1st place, in fact, like a vulcher, the only reason they come around is because the business is already dead or dying but has hidden value within it.
Private equity people like to buy faltering businesses, load them up with debt after wowing banks and investors with splashy turn around plans, and peel that money off the books and into their pockets through dividends or consulting and administrative fees. Occasionally, a turn around actually succeeds which is just a bonus for them, but more times than not a failing business saddled with debt only has one direction left.
My first job was at Mervyn’s as a Sales Associate. I was 18. Waldenbooks was my favorite bookstore. Payless Shoe Store, in my opinion, was the perfect store for shoes when you had growing kid, especially when you were on a budget. I remember when a lot of these stores closed.
I worked at a TG&Y in my 20’s as a cashier. Black Friday wasn’t fun with those old old cash registers ….. $20.99 was the twenty dollar key, then you had to individually put in the cents part as 3 quarters, two dimes and four pennies. Imagine doing that for each transaction. Not a fun day, but it was a really fun job otherwise
Yeah, they did the same with Kmart (about 6 stores remaining) while skipping over Sears (about 6 stores remaining). If they were going to move the goalpost stated right there in the title, why would they cover one chain and not the other when both were part of the same holdings company (and therefore fell victim to the same mismanagement), and the latter has a much longer and more prominent position, historically speaking.
My first job ever was at Super Crown Books which had gone out of business, and I was there until the final day. I did enjoy working there because I learned a lot and still have fond memories of the place.
Me and my Mom went to the Rexall in downtown San Diego and had lunch at its lunch counter. I was a TG&Y regular customer when I was a kid. My ex-husband worked at Kinney shoe store in the 1980's. Mervyn's was a favorite store of mine.
Here are a list of stores that I remember right off hand from this video that I'm very glad that you mentioned on there: - Bed Bath and Beyond - Payless ShoeSource/Payless Shoes/Payless - Ames - FYE (which was known as Sam Goody in the video although I remembered FYE much more tbh) - RadioShack - Toys R Us - Blockbuster (or its full name Blockbuster Video)
But Bed Bath and Beyond and Toys R Us still exist. Overstock bought BBB and renamed their company that and Toys R Us came back as small boutiques in Macy’s but are expanding into their own stores
FYE formed as a consolidation of Sam Goody and Camelot Music (the company I worked for initially). I began in 1989 at Camelot. Camelot Music bought a series of regional chains like Strawberries, The Wall, The Box, and others. Not long after, the formation of FYE took place. I left in 2018. There is still one in Charlotte, NC where my friend works.
Dollar Tree is now selling name brands at lower prices, such as Sara Lee Bread, Ben and Jerry, Eggos, etc. I miss my generic ice cream. The same with Dollar General and Family Dollar. I remember Filene's and Kinney's in Chicago.
I fondly remember the 80's mall scene. I worked at Martin's Shoes. My boss's husband worked at Kinney's. We had several of the stores mentioned in this video but we had a lot that weren't. Meis and Snyder's were two anchor stores, Lane Bryant's, Roth's, Waldenbooks, Borders. Several music stores. A huge food court and several major restaurants. Our mall is still open but it's nothing like the 80's mall. I don't think we'll ever get that back.
3:05 Macys was the setting of the miracle on 34th St. But gimbles were featured in the movie because Gimbles was across the street from Macy's, and it's actually Macy's that put Gimbles out of business. I worked at the Macy's in Herald Square. They teach all their workers about their history, including this.
Wow. 50 in this list and I was still able to just pop out 3 more that they missed: Children's Palace, Phar-Mor, and Thriftway. I'm sure there's plenty more that are sadly no more. So many happy memories in many of these stores too. I'll forever be a Toys R Us kid.
Sears, KMart, Strawberry, Easy Pickin's, Montgomery Ward, Alexander's, A&S, Consumer, Associated, Rave, Buster Brown, Thom MaCann, Bakers Shoes, Caldor... just in case you want to do 50 more retailers that no longer exist or exist at an extremely small scale.
Most of them, like Montgomery Ward or Sears are doing online retailing now. So not all that is lost. Oh, and you can find Toys R Us at Macy's. If only Watch Mojo would do a little digging, they would find out that most of these retails we missed so much are still online. I know, because I still get the MW catalog in the mail til this day. And I'm not talking about the outdated ones either. I'm talking about the updated ones.
How can a description of lost retail chains not have a discussion the toxic influence of the private equity industry? Leveraged buyouts buried retailers in unmanageable debt while making the PE pirates tons of money.
This. Also several of these brands are/were owned by big parent companies that are doing just fine. The Limited, for example, was owned by the same parent as Bath & Body Works (remember when BBW was only a section inside The Limited?), Victoria's Secret, Cacique, Limited Express, etc. That company is doing just fine.
always went in steve and barrys, don’t remember buying anything just went in at a time when i spent hours at the mall, i remember when they sold stephon marburys shoes there also, 2000s was such a great time 😢
I remember taking my daughter into KB Toy Stores a couple of times when she was 1 to 2 years old. I've got childhood memories of going through that store with my mom. Sad to see it go!
So many retailers where the answer to "why they died" is "Walmart killed them" (or Target or other similar deep discounters) And so many others where the answer is "leveraged buyout or other dodgy financial shenanigans that made a few people richer at the expense of everyone else"
at my location, we only had maybe half the stores in this video, but i was a kid till my early adulthood when they were around i miss the most Borders bookstore. we lost Borderrs Sports Authority and Pier One Imports in one mall and it wasnt due to a lack of customer trafic but corporate.
Kmart was mismanaged before they bought Sears. Instead of investing in updating their stores, they chose to buy other retailers. Then Eddie Lambert came along and ran both Sears and Kmart to the ground as he was focusing on real estate, not the retail side. As of today, only 2 Kmarts are open in USA - one in New York and Miami, FL
I am a real life Toys R Us kid. I made two radio commercials for the company when I was a child. I was completely heartbroken when the company announced its bankruptcy and closures. 😭😭😭
At least other stores are still around to this day, such as Hot Topic, Spencer's, Macy's, Dillard's, Wal-Mart, GameStop, Big Lots, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Lane Bryant, JC Penny, etc.
Half the stores you listed are in deep financial trouble. The only ones that aren't are Spencer's and Walmart (not sure why you left Target and Costco off, they're doing fine also). Dillard's and Dollar Tree are staying afloat as is Hot Topic. The rest are either considering bankruptcy or have already entered into it.
Rexall made me laugh, because I was in a band in the late 70's into the early 80's called RoXlide. We named it such to use the huge X in the name to replace the letters, but to also have brand recognition alongside the larger Rexall brand. Most people misspelled our name as Rockslide, because they couldn't get their heads around the X replacing "cks" and that it was all one word. :D
There were more defunct retail stores in the USA that also existed and are no more or have very little locations left today. More department stores like Sears, Montgomery Ward, Gottschalks, additional May department store chains (Foley's, Hecht's, Robinsons-May, etc.), some Federated department store chains (The Bon Marché, Burdines, Goldsmith's, Lazarus, and Rich's), The Broadway, Jordan Marsh, and Bullock's. Sears is still around, but with only 10 locations left in the world. Montgomery Ward went out of business in 2001, but is revived as an online-only retailer since 2004. All May department store chains (including Filene's in this video) became Macy's in 2006. Gottschalks went out of business in 2009, the same year Mervyn's did. The five aforementioned Federated department store chains also became Macy's, but in 2005. The Broadway, Bullock's, and Jordan Marsh also became Macy's, but in 1996. Furniture store chains like Wickes and Levitz existed, both of which went out of business in 2008 or 2009. Drugstore chains like Sav-On/Osco, Thrifty/PayLess, Eckerd, Revco, Longs, and K&B also existed in the USA. Sav-On and Osco drugstores became CVS Pharmacy in 2006. Thrifty and PayLess drugstores became Rite Aid Pharmacy in 1998. Eckerd Drug became CVS Pharmacy in 2004 for its Sun Belt state locations while the remainder became Rite Aid Pharmacy in 2007. Revco Drug also became CVS Pharmacy, but in 1997. Longs Drugs also became CVS Pharmacy, but in 2009 for its mainland USA locations. Longs Drugs is actually still around, as a subsidiary of CVS Pharmacy for its locations across Hawaii. K&B drugstores also became Rite Aid Pharmacy, but in 1997. There were also two former membership-only warehouse club chains that existed in the USA, Price Club and Pace Membership Warehouse. Price Club became Costco Wholesale in 1997 while Pace Membership Warehouse became Sam's Club in 1994.
Thank you for reminding me of Esprit, it was one of my favorite outlets in Orlando, and I completely forgot about it. Thinking of it makes me feel so much nostalgia and I'm going to their site now. ❤❤❤
Man I was a manager at Blockbusters and I was a huge Steve and Barry shopper. We would travel far because Steve and Barry had awesome prices and great shoes and clothing.
Tuesday Morning was a retail store that closed last year. It’s on the vein of Pier 1. It sold merchandise and collectibles from other countries. It’s last year it sold Christmas ornaments from Pier1.
Many moons ago, when the PlayStation 2 was at its peak, I went to Toys R US and purchased an accessory for my system. Well, the device was defective. I returned the following day with the device and my receipt with the hopes of obtaining a refund. I was greeted with, "We do not accept returns on opened electronics." I told the manager, "How was I supposed to know if the item was defective or not if I did not open it." Her response was, "Well, that was the chance you took when you bought it." Before leaving, I gave the manager the big "Fudge You" before vowing to NEVER set foot in their establishment again because Walmart and other retailers accept returns without a problem. So, it is also to say that Toys R US's poor service and asinine return policies could have also played a part in their downfall. As for the child in me, I do miss the store.
@@PJL7095 She told me that's the policy. What companies don't realize that there are many other establishments that sell the same goods. If you don't treat your customers well, then your profits decrease while the other guy's profits increase.
I believe Virgin is now a cruise line with the same red logo .I have been on a few cruises with other lines for families I believe that one is for adults only
My first tip for business owners is to look into the best selling quality products and only expand if you feel confident enough and sell things people want and good customer service is key to success 😊
I was really impressed with Bed Bath and Beyond. They had very friendly employees. More than once I asked to see the manager to praise an employee who had helped me.
I remember that a Movie Gallery opened up across the street from our Family Video. I went in once just to look around, and found a movie in their sale bin that I wanted. I took it up to the counter, and... "Oh, we can't sell this to you unless you're a loyalty member." That was the last time I set foot in there.
I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and my go to music place was “The Wiz” Their slogan was “nobody beats the Wiz!” Good memories. They were like a tower records for my hood. Anybody else remember The Wiz?
We used to call our local Ames “A-mess” because the aisles were narrow, disorganized stocks, filthy bathrooms, and stuff always all over the floor or in the wrong place.
In San Diego, CA: Yogurt places like Penguin's, Heidi's, & Zipz really fell away, Tuesday Morning, Babies R Us, one local Round Table Pizza left; Boston Market & TGI Friday's gone, Crown Books was done in more by internal family conflicts but changing times hurt as well; Comp USA & Good Guys Electronics; The Sweet Factory, Pei Wei Asian Diner, & Fuddrucker's all gone; Cinnabon, Wetzel's Pretzels, Rite Aid & Red Robin are on life support; & there's only one Mrs. Field's left at the San Diego Convention Center when there was once one at every mall we had.
I was so excited to buy a toy at the Toys R Us at the Mall of America recently. I miss it so much, and would have been bringing baby a lot if it was open near me
@@bazzerker35s They don't exist in the United States anymore. The focus in on that fact. It is also mentioned in the video that some of those mentioned in the list still exist elsewhere.
Man I remember working at CompUSA back in the day. Started off in the electronics department and then moved to cashier. Black Friday was the worst day of the year. A long twelve hour shift. I worked till the very last day.
Hill’s was a legendary store where I lived growing up. Ames bought them in a heavily leveraged buyout that ultimately killed them as well, though they were doomed themselves and simply didn’t know it. The bottom line is this: the only way anyone can survive in the retail space is to offer something unique and stay strictly with that. Any attempt to expand into other areas and broaden sales will result in Wal-Mart and Target eating your lunch due to simple economies of scale or people shopping your inventory so they know what to buy from Amazon. That’s why companies like Lowe’s, Harbor Freight, and Best Buy are still alive, they stick to what they do best.
I actually thought that Kmart went out of business because of Walmart. Well that's what happened where I live (about 70 mi north of Philadelphia) in Pennsylvania anyway. Kmart was the place to go, that place was always busy and then once Walmart showed up they closed within the year. Nichols is also a store that closed up years ago, It was bought out by Kmart (that was over 30 years ago)
'Kmart Was by Far My Favorite Store. Especially When I Was in College, etc. Loved The Jacilyn Smith Clothing Line. Got So Many Compliments. They Had Some Fantastic Stuff At Some Stores, & Not So Much At Others. Loved Finding Cute, Great Bargains All Throughout The Store. I've Always Hated 'Wal-Mart, So Haven't Been There in Years and Years! ❤🎯❤
I remember most of these stores (realizing many were regional) since being a child through adulthood. Now, as I'm pushing 70, I'd rather shop locally even if that means reduced product selection over the big box stores (especially WM which intentionally put small town businesses out to become a localized monopoly).
So many stores from when I was a kid are gone besides these ZCMI was a popular one in Utah. They were sold to Meier and Frank, and then Macys. All the buildings it was in as well have been condemned. I still miss their lights and candy windows during the holidays. The Peppermint Place was a fun candy store in Utah. Kids could actually go upstairs and watch candy canes being made. They also had climbers on the candy canes which I miss. Christopher and Banks was a good store to get dress clothes. The pandemic unalived it. Hallmark was really fun when they had their ornaments revealed. There is only 1 left I know of and it isn’t the same as it was.
Were it not for a POC named Tandy, Radio Shack would most likely still be around. You could tell almost immediately after Tandy got involved that the quality of Radio Shack's products was going down. Tandy also bought McDuff's, another electronics store then shuttered them all by the middle of the 1990's. I still have a Pioneer receiver that my wife bought for me along with a refrigerator that is still running after we got both in 1994. Tandy was like a cancerous virus that destroyed everything it touched.
Mervyns is the saddest on the list. I worked there for 12 years. The reason it really died was because Target sold the company to investors. The investors wanted to sell the PRIME properties. We were never slow or lost money, the store was always thriving. It did NOT need to go down the way it did. It would still be standing today if it had been handled correctly.
Of the back half of this list, Suncoast hits my nostalgia button the most, with Waldenbooks coming in a close second. I'd like to add a comment. Many of the stores have another thing in common, especially many of those near the top of the list. Many of these stores thrived at the expense of smaller Mom and Pop stores. My example: we had a place called Video Station near my house and Blockbuster ran them out of business. So some may say that it's karma, these stores going away because of the market.
The Disney Store is still in business in Times Square. In fact, some of the footage you just showed was from that very location. I'm there all the time, so I recognize it.
McCrory's. I love the old dime stores. With the little breakfast counter and bar to sit down at. You could find just about anything there. I spent a good bit of time finding things to do in there over my summers spemt at my Gramma's, and lots of my change went to their candy aisle. I miss Bubbke Burgers :( and smoking my chewing gum cigarettes ! You could exhale once to make the corn starch blow out. We thought we were so cool ! Lmao ! Those were the good old days....RICHWAY !!! I MISS RICHWAY SOOOO MUCH TOO ! AND THE WILD PAIR SHOE STORE ! And the shoes with the bassett hound ?
Which of these stores do YOU miss the most? Let us know in the comments!
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Toys R Us
99 Cents Only Stores
Circuit City
Mervyn's
Sears
Radio Shack
Hollywood Video
Payless ShoeSource
I really miss Payless.
Borders, Toys R Us, and Blockbuster.
I’m still in shock that 99 Cents Only Stores went out of business! My college days past time of buying cheap school supplies is gone now.
@@TonyWilliams27Yeah. I am going to miss buying some cheap candy and snacks there.
Sears should have been #1 on the list because that store was iconic to every American household.
Definitely
I worked there when I was 22, 23. I loved my job, but they weren't scheduling me, so I got another job that I was also going to work. I worked at the other place for a week before the manager above mine caught wind and she forced me to quit saying it was a conflict of interest. don't know how it's that when it was a portrait studio, and I worked as a Merchandise Consumer assistant. at least I think that's what MCA stood for can't remember. My manager was furious when she found out and I could hear her digging into the manager above her, talking about how she could get rid of the one employee that came in when called, was never late, and did her job unlike the other two people I worked with. I regret quitting should have left the other job because 4 months later I wasn't getting scheduled at the portrait studio called the district manager to complain because the store manager wasn't answering my calls to find out she told them I had quit and refused to sign any paperwork. Thankfully the district manager was appalled and made sure that I was put into the system as laid off, so I could get unemployment, because that company was going downhill as well, and I wasn't going to work for that branch anymore but couldn't afford to drive to the other one.
It's not even on the list let alone no. 1
I agree sears was a big one here in Canada after acquiring the Canadian department store Eatons if you don’t know want eatons is it’s sears it closed in 2000s and was bought by Sears Canada
I agree sears was a big one here in Canada after acquiring the Canadian department store Eatons if you don’t know want eatons is it’s sears it closed in 2000s and was bought by Sears Canada
I remember a lot of these stores. Miss going to K-Mart, Suncoast, Pier 1, Toys R Us, Radio Shack, KB Toys, Circuit City, Blockbuster, and Movie Gallery.
I pretty much kept Radio Shack successful and open during the 70s and 80s. I was always buying things to add to my stereo system and of course, LP needles. I was sorry to see them go. Their customer service was crap because they hired smart@$$3$
Same
I worked at pier 1 in 2005. Ah, memories
My RadioShack I worked closed just last year wild how slow it was
yea miss going to toys r us, sears, circuit city, suncoast, sam goody and spencers when they were spencer gifts
Worked at Circuit City until the doors shut. It still is one of my favorite jobs. I still don't shop at best buy til this day lol
Love the loyalty. ❤
Circuit City 'assumed' Future Shop in my town so I felt similarly toward it
‘ Where Service is state of the art…’ I still remember the jingle 😅
Do NOT forget how much *private equity* is responsible for many of these losses, especially with Sports Authority, Toys R Us, and Payless.
Plz explain
For sure. Can you say "leveraged buyout?"
In a nutshell... Watch the "Bust Out" scene from Goodfellas.
I don't agree with your analysis, mainly because you're missing a key detail.
Picture private equity as a vulcher that comes to clean up the carcus after the animal is already dead.
Private equity comes in when the company is already dead or dying, then just parts out the pieces, especially the real estate, for a profit.
They're vulcher capitalists for sure, but they weren't the reason the businesses were failing for years in the 1st place, in fact, like a vulcher, the only reason they come around is because the business is already dead or dying but has hidden value within it.
Private equity people like to buy faltering businesses, load them up with debt after wowing banks and investors with splashy turn around plans, and peel that money off the books and into their pockets through dividends or consulting and administrative fees.
Occasionally, a turn around actually succeeds which is just a bonus for them, but more times than not a failing business saddled with debt only has one direction left.
We never knew how good we had it
Man, the Disney store was an absolute experience.
Gone, but never forgotten....
I loved but it to expensive
I thought it still existed!
@@ameliac504 Online only, though.
It’s still exist here where I live in Texas
@@GamerGal30 Does it?
My first job was at Mervyn’s as a Sales Associate. I was 18. Waldenbooks was my favorite bookstore. Payless Shoe Store, in my opinion, was the perfect store for shoes when you had growing kid, especially when you were on a budget. I remember when a lot of these stores closed.
I couldn't agree more about Payless. 2 yrs ago I had one of the last pair of Airwalk OG shoes. But too bad. They are long gone
Love Payless n Mervyn
Unless you worked at Border's Books, you will never understand how heartbreaking this closure really was.
I always favored Boarders over B&N
I’m still mourning Borders
Barnes & Noble still a float after (35) years in Melbourne Fl🐊.All other competitors folded 20 years ago. 😇. Remember those (DVD) stores-???🤔.
@@asullivan4047 there is still one here too
I miss bookstores. Barnes and Nobel.
Gimbels wasn't the main store in the original "Miracle on 34th Street," it was Macy's. Gimbels was featured in "Elf."
Yes, thank you! Elf was the one movie that got me to know what the Gimbel's store was despite never having been AT Gimbel's myself!
“Gimbel’s is gone, Marge-long gone! You’re Gimbel’s!”
That's what I was thinking
The fact that it says Macy's 4th in the background as they say it was Gimbles is hilarious
Gimbels in NYC is now the Manhattan Mall. It's not very big but it is 10 stories high.
I really miss Pier 1 Imports.
OMG! I remember TG&Y when I was a kid. I loved that store!
I worked at a TG&Y in my 20’s as a cashier. Black Friday wasn’t fun with those old old cash registers ….. $20.99 was the twenty dollar key, then you had to individually put in the cents part as 3 quarters, two dimes and four pennies. Imagine doing that for each transaction. Not a fun day, but it was a really fun job otherwise
Stores that don't exist:
WatchMojo: "Well #50 & #49 still exist on a smaller scale" haha
First time here @ mojo? Lol
Yeah, they did the same with Kmart (about 6 stores remaining) while skipping over Sears (about 6 stores remaining). If they were going to move the goalpost stated right there in the title, why would they cover one chain and not the other when both were part of the same holdings company (and therefore fell victim to the same mismanagement), and the latter has a much longer and more prominent position, historically speaking.
My first job ever was at Super Crown Books which had gone out of business, and I was there until the final day. I did enjoy working there because I learned a lot and still have fond memories of the place.
Me and my Mom went to the Rexall in downtown San Diego and had lunch at its lunch counter.
I was a TG&Y regular customer when I was a kid.
My ex-husband worked at Kinney shoe store in the 1980's.
Mervyn's was a favorite store of mine.
Here are a list of stores that I remember right off hand from this video that I'm very glad that you mentioned on there:
- Bed Bath and Beyond
- Payless ShoeSource/Payless Shoes/Payless
- Ames
- FYE (which was known as Sam Goody in the video although I remembered FYE much more tbh)
- RadioShack
- Toys R Us
- Blockbuster (or its full name Blockbuster Video)
But Bed Bath and Beyond and Toys R Us still exist. Overstock bought BBB and renamed their company that and Toys R Us came back as small boutiques in Macy’s but are expanding into their own stores
FYE formed as a consolidation of Sam Goody and Camelot Music (the company I worked for initially). I began in 1989 at Camelot. Camelot Music bought a series of regional chains like Strawberries, The Wall, The Box, and others. Not long after, the formation of FYE took place. I left in 2018. There is still one in Charlotte, NC where my friend works.
@@andrewft31 Bed Bath and Beyond's name was bought and another company is wearing it's skin as an online only presence. It's basically gone.
I think the store that hurt me the most as a kid was ’Toy R Us’ and as an adult ‘99 Cent Store’ 😢
Dollar Tree is now selling name brands at lower prices, such as Sara Lee Bread, Ben and Jerry, Eggos, etc. I miss my generic ice cream. The same with Dollar General and Family Dollar. I remember Filene's and Kinney's in Chicago.
I fondly remember the 80's mall scene. I worked at Martin's Shoes. My boss's husband worked at Kinney's. We had several of the stores mentioned in this video but we had a lot that weren't. Meis and Snyder's were two anchor stores, Lane Bryant's, Roth's, Waldenbooks, Borders. Several music stores. A huge food court and several major restaurants. Our mall is still open but it's nothing like the 80's mall. I don't think we'll ever get that back.
Who else remembers A&P green stamps? I remember getting a tent with them in the 1970’s with my grandmas help!
Yes remember those .
I remember them,got lots of items saving them.
What an excellent video. It brought back so many memories!!
3:05 Macys was the setting of the miracle on 34th St. But gimbles were featured in the movie because Gimbles was across the street from Macy's, and it's actually Macy's that put Gimbles out of business. I worked at the Macy's in Herald Square. They teach all their workers about their history, including this.
Wow. 50 in this list and I was still able to just pop out 3 more that they missed: Children's Palace, Phar-Mor, and Thriftway. I'm sure there's plenty more that are sadly no more. So many happy memories in many of these stores too. I'll forever be a Toys R Us kid.
Sears, KMart, Strawberry, Easy Pickin's, Montgomery Ward, Alexander's, A&S, Consumer, Associated, Rave, Buster Brown, Thom MaCann, Bakers Shoes, Caldor... just in case you want to do 50 more retailers that no longer exist or exist at an extremely small scale.
I loved bakers when I was a pre teen.
Even the ( ROMAN ) Empire eventually imploded-!!!😳
Most of them, like Montgomery Ward or Sears are doing online retailing now. So not all that is lost. Oh, and you can find Toys R Us at Macy's. If only Watch Mojo would do a little digging, they would find out that most of these retails we missed so much are still online. I know, because I still get the MW catalog in the mail til this day. And I'm not talking about the outdated ones either. I'm talking about the updated ones.
@@michigangirl5072Toys R US could and may likely return
@@williammacdonald3173 babies r us is at kohls. toys is the 1st monopoly to fail in my time.
How can a description of lost retail chains not have a discussion the toxic influence of the private equity industry? Leveraged buyouts buried retailers in unmanageable debt while making the PE pirates tons of money.
This. Also several of these brands are/were owned by big parent companies that are doing just fine. The Limited, for example, was owned by the same parent as Bath & Body Works (remember when BBW was only a section inside The Limited?), Victoria's Secret, Cacique, Limited Express, etc. That company is doing just fine.
always went in steve and barrys, don’t remember buying anything just went in at a time when i spent hours at the mall, i remember when they sold stephon marburys shoes there also, 2000s was such a great time 😢
I remember taking my daughter into KB Toy Stores a couple of times when she was 1 to 2 years old. I've got childhood memories of going through that store with my mom. Sad to see it go!
So many retailers where the answer to "why they died" is "Walmart killed them" (or Target or other similar deep discounters)
And so many others where the answer is "leveraged buyout or other dodgy financial shenanigans that made a few people richer at the expense of everyone else"
💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
The closest thing I had to a Blockbuster store was Family Video, which is now out of business.
I had blockbuster and a jumbo video. Mostly went to jumbo video cos my aunt ran it and awesome pop corn you got for free ^^
I have accounts at both ones.
Never had one but had a family video, movie gallery, and Hollywood movie, all within 15 miles
I remember family video too.
I miss Kmart and Payless and Toys R Us and Blockbuster the most
Radio Shak was owned by TANDY our favorite leather crafting store.❤❤❤❤
at my location, we only had maybe half the stores in this video, but i was a kid till my early adulthood when they were around i miss the most Borders bookstore. we lost Borderrs Sports Authority and Pier One Imports in one mall and it wasnt due to a lack of customer trafic but corporate.
Kmart was mismanaged before they bought Sears. Instead of investing in updating their stores, they chose to buy other retailers. Then Eddie Lambert came along and ran both Sears and Kmart to the ground as he was focusing on real estate, not the retail side. As of today, only 2 Kmarts are open in USA - one in New York and Miami, FL
Sharper Image! It's like SkyMall but in person. Almost forgot about it, thank you!
I am a real life Toys R Us kid. I made two radio commercials for the company when I was a child.
I was completely heartbroken when the company announced its bankruptcy and closures. 😭😭😭
Toys R Us is still around, but in Canada though. There's only a certain amount of Toys R Us in Canada.
Also, they brought back Toys R Us in Macy’s. If there is one near you like in a mall, go there and there might be a Toys R Us.
Stores I miss a lot:
1. 99 cents only stores
2. Bed Bath and Beyond
3. Disney Store
Stull have 99 cent store here Oklahoma n still have one Sacramento ca
At least other stores are still around to this day, such as Hot Topic, Spencer's, Macy's, Dillard's, Wal-Mart, GameStop, Big Lots, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Lane Bryant, JC Penny, etc.
Yip still here
Half the stores you listed are in deep financial trouble. The only ones that aren't are Spencer's and Walmart (not sure why you left Target and Costco off, they're doing fine also). Dillard's and Dollar Tree are staying afloat as is Hot Topic. The rest are either considering bankruptcy or have already entered into it.
@jaxonwoods8181 I don't know when it will happen.
the disney store is still around, i miss kmart and tower records, payless shoes, boarders, RadioShack, toys r us and blockbuster
Ditto
Toys R Us I found out is still around that I found at Macy’s.
Rexall made me laugh, because I was in a band in the late 70's into the early 80's called RoXlide. We named it such to use the huge X in the name to replace the letters, but to also have brand recognition alongside the larger Rexall brand. Most people misspelled our name as Rockslide, because they couldn't get their heads around the X replacing "cks" and that it was all one word. :D
*I love how he pronounces the word "chain" So mindful, so demure!*
There were more defunct retail stores in the USA that also existed and are no more or have very little locations left today. More department stores like Sears, Montgomery Ward, Gottschalks, additional May department store chains (Foley's, Hecht's, Robinsons-May, etc.), some Federated department store chains (The Bon Marché, Burdines, Goldsmith's, Lazarus, and Rich's), The Broadway, Jordan Marsh, and Bullock's. Sears is still around, but with only 10 locations left in the world. Montgomery Ward went out of business in 2001, but is revived as an online-only retailer since 2004. All May department store chains (including Filene's in this video) became Macy's in 2006. Gottschalks went out of business in 2009, the same year Mervyn's did. The five aforementioned Federated department store chains also became Macy's, but in 2005. The Broadway, Bullock's, and Jordan Marsh also became Macy's, but in 1996. Furniture store chains like Wickes and Levitz existed, both of which went out of business in 2008 or 2009. Drugstore chains like Sav-On/Osco, Thrifty/PayLess, Eckerd, Revco, Longs, and K&B also existed in the USA. Sav-On and Osco drugstores became CVS Pharmacy in 2006. Thrifty and PayLess drugstores became Rite Aid Pharmacy in 1998. Eckerd Drug became CVS Pharmacy in 2004 for its Sun Belt state locations while the remainder became Rite Aid Pharmacy in 2007. Revco Drug also became CVS Pharmacy, but in 1997. Longs Drugs also became CVS Pharmacy, but in 2009 for its mainland USA locations. Longs Drugs is actually still around, as a subsidiary of CVS Pharmacy for its locations across Hawaii. K&B drugstores also became Rite Aid Pharmacy, but in 1997. There were also two former membership-only warehouse club chains that existed in the USA, Price Club and Pace Membership Warehouse. Price Club became Costco Wholesale in 1997 while Pace Membership Warehouse became Sam's Club in 1994.
Thank you for reminding me of Esprit, it was one of my favorite outlets in Orlando, and I completely forgot about it. Thinking of it makes me feel so much nostalgia and I'm going to their site now. ❤❤❤
Man I was a manager at Blockbusters and I was a huge Steve and Barry shopper. We would travel far because Steve and Barry had awesome prices and great shoes and clothing.
No Sears? No
Montgomery Ward?
No Tuesday Morning?
service merchndice, builders square
What is Tuesday Morning?
I'm not an American but I love watching these topics about American mall stores
Tuesday Morning was a retail store that closed last year. It’s on the vein of Pier 1. It sold merchandise and collectibles from other countries. It’s last year it sold Christmas ornaments from Pier1.
@@charliejoson9145 It was a gift store
@@cindeed4422 Cub foods
Blockbuster actually had a chance to merge with Netflix but they thought they'd be ok
Remember when Blockbuster also did DVD by mail?
“No”: Famous last words!
Even if they accept I highly doubt they would still be selling dvds at this point they'll probably be a streaming service now just like netflix
Hastings being one hits hard.
Many moons ago, when the PlayStation 2 was at its peak, I went to Toys R US and purchased an accessory for my system. Well, the device was defective. I returned the following day with the device and my receipt with the hopes of obtaining a refund. I was greeted with, "We do not accept returns on opened electronics." I told the manager, "How was I supposed to know if the item was defective or not if I did not open it." Her response was, "Well, that was the chance you took when you bought it." Before leaving, I gave the manager the big "Fudge You" before vowing to NEVER set foot in their establishment again because Walmart and other retailers accept returns without a problem. So, it is also to say that Toys R US's poor service and asinine return policies could have also played a part in their downfall. As for the child in me, I do miss the store.
What's there to miss-???🤔.
Shopped there once ,bought a baby bath tub with sauna ,sauna never worked .Glad I never wasted time returning it ..never went there again anyway.
HOW RUDE! The manager should have been kinder to you by accepting the return
@@PJL7095 She told me that's the policy. What companies don't realize that there are many other establishments that sell the same goods. If you don't treat your customers well, then your profits decrease while the other guy's profits increase.
@@kbramlett6877 the joke went over your head. The manager wasn’t rude. You were
Woolworth is a large chain of supermarkets in Australia.
Fry's customer service was horrible.
Blockbuster and The Disney Store were both great stores to go. I miss my childhood 😢😢😢😢😢
I believe Virgin is now a cruise line with the same red logo .I have been on a few cruises with other lines for families I believe that one is for adults only
I used to go to The Toys R Us in Maple Grove, I’m glad it came back at Mall Of America!❤️📺🎶👍🏻
My first tip for business owners is to look into the best selling quality products and only expand if you feel confident enough and sell things people want and good customer service is key to success 😊
When Hastings closed here in Texas I was sad 😞
I remember Radio Shack we me and my sister got radio headphones for Christmas. When Christmas was more fun.
I was really impressed with Bed Bath and Beyond. They had very friendly employees. More than once I asked to see the manager to praise an employee who had helped me.
I miss Borders Book Store
Ditto
Me too
Filene's basement was my everything 💥
I remember that a Movie Gallery opened up across the street from our Family Video. I went in once just to look around, and found a movie in their sale bin that I wanted. I took it up to the counter, and...
"Oh, we can't sell this to you unless you're a loyalty member."
That was the last time I set foot in there.
Wow. What an amazing - and sometimes painful - trip down memory lane. RIP Rimshot my friend.
I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and my go to music place was “The Wiz” Their slogan was “nobody beats the Wiz!” Good memories. They were like a tower records for my hood. Anybody else remember The Wiz?
Same here! That and V.I.M. for jeans! LOL
@@poptoyphotos5175 omg, VIM!! Many jeans were bought there.
I bought my first CDs at The Wiz. Spice World and CrazySexyCool was on repeat all Thanksgiving weekend.
@@mollysmithe143 “The Wiz”? You’re certainly not talking about that movie with Diana Ross, right?
Only one Wiz I know, Elaine’s boyfriend.
We used to call our local Ames “A-mess” because the aisles were narrow, disorganized stocks, filthy bathrooms, and stuff always all over the floor or in the wrong place.
In San Diego, CA: Yogurt places like Penguin's, Heidi's, & Zipz really fell away, Tuesday Morning, Babies R Us, one local Round Table Pizza left; Boston Market & TGI Friday's gone, Crown Books was done in more by internal family conflicts but changing times hurt as well; Comp USA & Good Guys Electronics; The Sweet Factory, Pei Wei Asian Diner, & Fuddrucker's all gone; Cinnabon, Wetzel's Pretzels, Rite Aid & Red Robin are on life support; & there's only one Mrs. Field's left at the San Diego Convention Center when there was once one at every mall we had.
We still have some Round Table Pizza locations up here in Northern California/Bay Area. Pizza Hut, not so much
Bought Craftsman tools at Sears back in the 70s. Still have them to this day.
Man I miss most of these stores smh damn I’m old
Great video ❤ well done 👍 ❤
There’s still a Disney Store in Times Square. And there are Toys R Us stores inside all the Macys stores
I remember Kmart was closer to our house but it closed in 2016, and it turned
Into a cheap store.
CSV and walgreens are going to join the list soon
Hastings Entertainment. Miss that store.
I used to shop at Esprit frequently. It fit my style, and I occasionally scored some great deals during sales 😀
There are actually 325 Kmart stores across Australia and New Zealand.
Oh wow. I had no idea there were Kmarts outside of the US. (I used to live not far from the first one.)
I was so excited to buy a toy at the Toys R Us at the Mall of America recently. I miss it so much, and would have been bringing baby a lot if it was open near me
I worked at Venture in the early 90s.. They're gone, too.
I’m not sure how you can make a video titled stores that don’t exist and then tell us how most of them still exist…
That's what I don't get, from the description of this video.
I live in Canada and we have Rexal stores.
They’re just running out of videos to make 😂 this is their 3rd or 4th video where they say “businesses or stores that don’t exist anymore” 😂
It's like that famous saying: "Those who live now is just a shadow of their former self"
@@bazzerker35s They don't exist in the United States anymore. The focus in on that fact. It is also mentioned in the video that some of those mentioned in the list still exist elsewhere.
Every RUclips channel use misleading titles and thumbnails
More that can be added to the list-
Sears
The Broadway
Bullocks
Saks, Fifth Ave.
May Co.
Crown books
Kmart
And the list goes on.
Bullock's Wilshire, Robinson's later merged with May Company became Robinson's May. SoCal was great in the 70's, '80's and 90's.
I remember Bullock's and Robinson's May Company The Broadway. Penney's Dillards. Sears.
Man I remember working at CompUSA back in the day. Started off in the electronics department and then moved to cashier. Black Friday was the worst day of the year. A long twelve hour shift. I worked till the very last day.
I remember going to the Disney store for my seventh and eighth birthdays ;-;
Hill’s was a legendary store where I lived growing up. Ames bought them in a heavily leveraged buyout that ultimately killed them as well, though they were doomed themselves and simply didn’t know it.
The bottom line is this: the only way anyone can survive in the retail space is to offer something unique and stay strictly with that. Any attempt to expand into other areas and broaden sales will result in Wal-Mart and Target eating your lunch due to simple economies of scale or people shopping your inventory so they know what to buy from Amazon. That’s why companies like Lowe’s, Harbor Freight, and Best Buy are still alive, they stick to what they do best.
Every time I smell popcorn it reminds me of Hill’s.
I remember Rexall. I went to one of the last ones back in 2002 back home in Pontiac, MI.
Disney Stores still exist. I live in New York City and we have a big one in Manhattan near Times Square.
Are there others? I've only seen that one (and of course all the ones at the parks, and there is one outlet store in Florida).
I actually thought that Kmart went out of business because of Walmart. Well that's what happened where I live (about 70 mi north of Philadelphia) in Pennsylvania anyway. Kmart was the place to go, that place was always busy and then once Walmart showed up they closed within the year. Nichols is also a store that closed up years ago, It was bought out by Kmart (that was over 30 years ago)
'Kmart Was by Far My Favorite Store. Especially When I Was in College, etc. Loved The Jacilyn Smith Clothing Line. Got So Many Compliments. They Had Some Fantastic Stuff At Some Stores, & Not So Much At Others. Loved Finding Cute, Great Bargains All Throughout The Store. I've Always Hated 'Wal-Mart, So Haven't Been There in Years and Years! ❤🎯❤
Payless Shoes was my favorites store. Worked at Ames and never heard of some of these stores, shame.
I enjoyed this video. I learned a lot.
I miss the 99cent stores. They were so much fun to shop at.
Comp USA, Payless, Circuit City, Toys R Us.
I remember most of these stores (realizing many were regional) since being a child through adulthood. Now, as I'm pushing 70, I'd rather shop locally even if that means reduced product selection over the big box stores (especially WM which intentionally put small town businesses out to become a localized monopoly).
John Cusack is a legend!
So many stores from when I was a kid are gone besides these
ZCMI was a popular one in Utah. They were sold to Meier and Frank, and then Macys. All the buildings it was in as well have been condemned. I still miss their lights and candy windows during the holidays.
The Peppermint Place was a fun candy store in Utah. Kids could actually go upstairs and watch candy canes being made. They also had climbers on the candy canes which I miss.
Christopher and Banks was a good store to get dress clothes. The pandemic unalived it.
Hallmark was really fun when they had their ornaments revealed. There is only 1 left I know of and it isn’t the same as it was.
I miss Borders, KB Toys, Radio Shack, and Circuit City.
1:30 i definitely called this brand "ESpirit" 😂😂😂 I didnt even realize there was no i there
Were it not for a POC named Tandy, Radio Shack would most likely still be around. You could tell almost immediately after Tandy got involved that the quality of Radio Shack's products was going down. Tandy also bought McDuff's, another electronics store then shuttered them all by the middle of the 1990's. I still have a Pioneer receiver that my wife bought for me along with a refrigerator that is still running after we got both in 1994. Tandy was like a cancerous virus that destroyed everything it touched.
Mervyns is the saddest on the list. I worked there for 12 years. The reason it really died was because Target sold the company to investors. The investors wanted to sell the PRIME properties. We were never slow or lost money, the store was always thriving. It did NOT need to go down the way it did. It would still be standing today if it had been handled correctly.
Of the back half of this list, Suncoast hits my nostalgia button the most, with Waldenbooks coming in a close second.
I'd like to add a comment. Many of the stores have another thing in common, especially many of those near the top of the list. Many of these stores thrived at the expense of smaller Mom and Pop stores. My example: we had a place called Video Station near my house and Blockbuster ran them out of business. So some may say that it's karma, these stores going away because of the market.
The Disney Store is still in business in Times Square. In fact, some of the footage you just showed was from that very location. I'm there all the time, so I recognize it.
McCrory's. I love the old dime stores. With the little breakfast counter and bar to sit down at. You could find just about anything there. I spent a good bit of time finding things to do in there over my summers spemt at my Gramma's, and lots of my change went to their candy aisle. I miss Bubbke Burgers :( and smoking my chewing gum cigarettes ! You could exhale once to make the corn starch blow out. We thought we were so cool ! Lmao ! Those were the good old days....RICHWAY !!! I MISS RICHWAY SOOOO MUCH TOO ! AND THE WILD PAIR SHOE STORE ! And the shoes with the bassett hound ?
My childhood circuit city, sears, toys r us, tower record 😢😢😢
Starbucks selling tea is like a candy store only selling fruits covered in sugar. lol
thankfully Japan still has 70+ Tower Records, and they are still wonderful.
I really miss Tower Records. Go to store for music and movies I was a regular customer at the San Jose Fry’s store mentioned
Louisiana-- solo serve - a clothing store,name brand ,new at low price. Love this store