AMHERST, N.Y — You've seen the headlines everywhere about big box stores closing left and right, with the Christmas Tree Shops the latest to bite the dust.
"We're all just heartbroken, I'm in the hallway crying," said Tracy Morgan store supervisor.
CTS joining the list with Bed Bath & Beyond, Office Max, some Best Buy stores and more.
"So if the electronic industry doesn't survive when everything is based on electronics, I just don't know," said Morgan.
7 News is going beyond the headlines so you can hear from a variety of voices. You'll hear from:
- A shopper from the Town of Tonawanda
- A consumer expert from UB
- A real estate and economic development specialist
- A local business
The Shopper
Renee Abbott stopped by the Christmas Tree Shops store on Niagara Falls Boulevard because she had to.
She had a $25 gift card that had to be used by July 20, since the store will soon no longer exist.
"Shocked. Very shocked because every time you came in here there was always a lot of customers. It was a go to store for a lot of people," said Abbott.
She's seeing that shift happening everywhere and she's not the biggest fan.
"I'm not an online shopper. So as long as retail is going to be there. I'm going to do my best to continue to shop retail," said Abbott.
The Consumer Expert
Associate Professor Charles Lindsey at the University at Buffalo says this landscape has been on the move for years and it's happened in three waves.
Wave 1: Overbuilding shopping centers and malls in the 80s and 90s
Wave 2: The Amazon Effect of the early 2000s shifting shopping online
Wave 3: The Pandemic, moving people even more online
Online spending makes up about 25%, but that means most stores still make their money from in-person shoppers.
"Retail, still the largest private sector employer in the US, so not going anywhere anytime soon, it just looks a little different, considerably different than it used to," said Lindsey.
Lindsey says you now have to shop smarter and harder.
Use services like Camel Camel Camel or Google Shopping to compare pricing. Check deals for in-store or online or a mixture of both BOPUS (Buy online, pick up in-store)
The Real Estate Expert
While some stores are closing up shop, others in the same Niagara Falls Boulevard Plaza have full parking lots in the middle of a weekday.
"Traditional, older markets like Buffalo, people still like to see it, feel it, touch it, smell it," said Jim Fink, real estate and economic development specialist.
He predicts the Walden Galleria and the Niagara Falls Fashion Outlets will survive, but noted the question marks around the McKinley Mall.
So now developers are switching up the game.
"Getting further away from traditional retail, more mixed use, residential, senior housing, recreation, entertainment, so that is the future," said Fink.
The Local Business
The one stop shop for all your red, white and blue needs is alive and thriving, celebrating 13 years in business.
Foot traffic is high, sales are good and things could get even better with big box stores shutting down.
"Absolutely opportunity for us with them closing it's more traffic for us, trying to get the point across to buy American, help your neighbor out, your neighbor's working here, you want to help support them," said Robert Whalen, Head of Purchasing and Wholesale at Made in America.
He says having their products made domestically, is another thing that sets them apart.
