department stores in freefall

amazing ,,,the changes that occur over many decades

are they all just buying food at coles and woollies...with grog....?
department stores not required anymore...? are they shopping in strip shops...what is happening....
look at how much sales in department stores have plummeted in the past 30 odd years....
this article is about the bigger conglomerates and how their retail concepts are losing sales this year...
extract only....

Thirty years ago department stores and supermarkets dominated the landscape, accounting for 50 per cent of retail spending.

Supermarkets' share of retail spending since 1983 has fallen from 41 per cent to just below 33 per cent.

Craig James, chief economist at CommSec, said department stores would need to constantly reinvent themselves to stay competitive.

The Westfield data was released on the eve of Myer's third quarter results, due out today. Myer's chief, Bernie Brookes, has already warned of a 10 per cent drop for the year.

His counterpart at David Jones, Paul Zahra, has issued a similar warning, acknowledging recently that sales for the first half could drop by as much as 20 per cent.


http://www.theage.com.au/business/department-store-sales-in-freefall-20111108-1n5ju.html#ixzz1dAbDknCk

I expect further depression by shoppers, with the carbon tax hovering like a dark cloud over everyone...

bunker down...stormy skies are here....and the problems lie with the politics...we are enduring...
looks like another year of trouble on the home front...
10% interest rates are a thing of the past....
feels like we are back in the 70's...
what happened to our once properous country