What's the problem with Bed Bath And Beyond?

[Nicholas Scheuer]

I've read that they are in trouble. Yesterday I went in one at a popular shopping center (not a mall) and checked the windows first to see it they were open as there were no cars parked in front. Turned out there were 3 employees inside, but I was the only customer. Is everyone wanting that type of merchandise shopping on-line?

[rbgarr]

A friend worked there during the Xmas rush and said it was pretty clear they were going under: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/08/busin...tcy/index.html

[L.W. Baxter]

i figure they got killed by ross, marshalls, tj maxx. discount stores with the same housewares for way less moneys.

[Jim Bow]

Amazon took away their customer base. Why get in your car and drive to a store, find the waterproof Bluetooth shower speaker, stand in line to pay, and drive home.

Amazon will deliver your waterproof Bluetooth shower speaker tomorrow.

And tomorrow night you can listen to Nickleback while you shampoo.

[Hugh MacD]

Sad to see the trend, myself. I'm one of those guys who has to pick things up and play with them before I buy. The upside of that is that I won't be buying as much "stuff".

[Paul Pless]

never been in one

[TerryLL]

Could be shrinkage. Losses run about 20 billion a year nationwide for major retailers in the US, mostly due to shoplifting. Walmart is closing all its stores in Portland due to losses from organized shoplifting.

[L.W. Baxter]

Could be shrinkage. Losses run about 20 billion a year nationwide for major retailers in the US, mostly due to shoplifting. Walmart is closing all its stores in Portland due to losses from organized shoplifting.

it seems that the new rule of our litigious society is that store security can't physically intervene. because the store can be sued. so, they call the cops, and the cops do nothing.

what every store needs, is a white teenage boy patrolling the area with an assault rifle, shooting anyone who reacts against his presence. we are all helpless to stop it, because, "the law". why not take advantage of this gaping loophole in our criminal justice system.

[TerryLL]

it seems that the new rule of our litigious society is that store security can't physically intervene. because the store can be sued. so, they call the cops, and the cops do nothing.

what every store needs, is a white teenage boy patrolling the area with an assault rifle, shooting anyone who reacts against his presence. we are all helpless to stop it, because, "the law". why not take advantage of this gaping loophole in our criminal justice system.

Kyle Rittenhouse is just the man for the job.

[bluedog225]

Employees were getting shot. The management said “stop intervening.” Now people simply walk out with stuff.

I’d be interested in hearing actual solutions. Membership clubs are one way to avoid higher prices through theft. As is Amazon.

[Paul Pless]

I’d be interested in hearing actual solutions.

clearly more guns will need to be a key component of any proposed solutions

[TerryLL]

Employees were getting shot. The management said “stop intervening.” Now people simply walk out with stuff.

I’d be interested in hearing actual solutions. Membership clubs are one way to avoid higher prices through theft. As is Amazon.

Our local Home Depot has every power tool locked behind grills or cabled down.

In Vermont a group of Home Depot shoppers took matters into their own hands and attacked a shoplifter walking out with a cartful of unpaid tools. Lots of thumbs up on social media for the good guys who took down the shoplifter. No guns involved, just your average mob of burly construction workers.

[StevenBauer]

Could be shrinkage. Losses run about 20 billion a year nationwide for major retailers in the US, mostly due to shoplifting. Walmart is closing all its stores in Portland due to losses from organized shoplifting.

Wait. Portland has never had a Walmart. Oh, that Portland….

[Paul Pless]

portland michigan doesn't have one either

[TerryLL]

Wait. Portland has never had a Walmart. Oh, that Portland….

Yeah, I'm talking about the Portland way out there on the left fringe, where the police get defunded and the businesses close down due to rampant lawlessness. Once a great city.

[Canoeyawl]

Amazon took away their customer base. Why get in your car and drive to a store, find the waterproof Bluetooth shower speaker, stand in line to pay, and drive home.

Amazon will deliver your waterproof Bluetooth shower speaker tomorrow.

And tomorrow night you can listen to Nickleback while you shampoo.

This^

Why pay a merchant to double the price of an object, then take an hour (or two) driving and generally waiting when you can find it in a " catalog", push a button and have it delivered for less cost, without counting your time as value. If your time has value, this is a no-brainer!

Retail has gone the way of buggy whips folks.

Before the interstate highway system and cheap gas, this niche was captured by the Sears and Roebuck catalogs

[TerryLL]

This^

Why pay a merchant to double the price of an object, then take an hour (or two) driving and generally waiting when you can find it in a " catalog", push a button and have it delivered for less cost, without counting your time as value. If your time has value, this is a no-brainer!

Retail has gone the way of buggy whips folks.

Before the interstate highway system and cheap gas, this niche was captured by the Sears and Roebuck catalogs

For sure. On-line shopping soared during Covid and there has not been a return to previous levels on in-store shopping. Amazon is happy as a clam that Covid gave them such a boost.

The outbreak of industrial-level shoplifting has been the final straw for many.

[phiil]

Amongst dumpster scavengers, BB&B was reviled for their practice of tagging all returned merchandise in their dumpsters with red spray paint.

[bluedog225]

Poor Sears. Short sighted old men could have could have been kings.

[Gill]

Could be shrinkage. Losses run about 20 billion a year nationwide for major retailers in the US, mostly due to shoplifting. Walmart is closing all its stores in Portland due to losses from organized shoplifting.

So, why is it that Walmart can make money everywhere but Portland?

[mike9199]

That is a pity honestly, they have some good quality products

[skuthorp]

Humans trashing their own society? Why am I not surprised?

[Breakaway]

This was BIG NEWS a couple of weeks ago.

Apparently BBB modus operandi was based upon coupons. So, many thousands of people were scrambling to use their coupons before XX date.

[Garret]

Along with missing the internet bandwagon, BB&B switched to store brands - most of which were named & made to look like real brands, but were absolute junk. I bought a coffeemaker there - Cuisinart clone - it lasted 6 months & when I went to return it for repair/replacement they said too bad - your receipt is too faded to be valid & no, we can't print you another.

Their closing won't affect me, as I'd never go in one again anyway. I did meet a beautiful woman shopping there who wanted to take me out for a drink though. No - I didn't take her up on it.

[CWSmith]

It is true that a lot of stores are going under because of Amazon and other online competitions.

However, the answer to the question, "Why get in a car and..." is that when you can put your hands on it, you get a much better sense of whether it's any good.

[NeBek]

I also was interested in this question, so I surfed the Internet and looked through the Bed Bath and Beyond reviews on this website. From what I read, this retailer faced supply chain bottlenecks and had problems keeping items in stock, and customers didn't exactly fall in love with the new products. In 2021 and 2022, the company's woes worsened.

[gypsie]

Bed bath and beyond?

Honestly, I thought you were talking about old folks homes.

[Rich Jones]

I couldn't care less about BB&B but my wife is upset.
It was one of the very few stores left in our area.
There is literally no place to shop other than Walmart and TJ Max.
I mean no place.
We are forced to either buy online or drive 90 minutes to the nearest stores
and even then, there is very little choice.

If our local lumberyard goes under, that would be a true tragedy.

[Canoeyawl]

Who was it here that started a garden supply and debated naming it Bird Bath and Beyond?

[David G]

never been in one

And it shows! <G>

[Mrleft88]

never been in one

Which one? I'll assume it's the bath.

[Nicholas Carey]

Amazon took away their customer base. Why get in your car and drive to a store, find the waterproof Bluetooth shower speaker, stand in line to pay, and drive home.

Amazon will deliver your waterproof Bluetooth shower speaker tomorrow.

And tomorrow night you can listen to Nickleback while you shampoo.

Sad to see the trend, myself. I'm one of those guys who has to pick things up and play with them before I buy. The upside of that is that I won't be buying as much "stuff".

Exactly so. And you're supporting a local business (or at least the local employees of a large corporation) and keeping cash in the local economy.

[elf]

Sad to see the trend, myself. I'm one of those guys who has to pick things up and play with them before I buy. The upside of that is that I won't be buying as much "stuff".

From Bed, Bath and Beyond? Have you ever been in the place? Is it really the kind of retail stock that you go shopping for often enough to make a difference in its bottom line? Sheets? Towels? Rattan bedside tables and lamps? Candlesticks and table linens?

The biggest problem they had was that they went big on the mediterranean look for way too long. Every upscale customer who had a big, new McMansion that would show up in the latest interior decoration magazine only needed to furnish a single one of those monsters. Once that was done, they didn't need that product any longer. And that was just for their locations in seaside resorts. Besides, that clientele didn't buy that stuff from Bed, Bath and Beyond. In addition, can you imagine a market for that look in Iowa?

Still and all, I think their biggest problem was a combination of Amazon and the pandemic effects, especially getting so much of their product from Indonesia. Probably lost two full seasons to product sitting in boats in LA and Seattle.

For that they have Mr. Trump to blame, and they should be sueing him instead of going out of business. It was his bumbling of the pandemic which has created nearly every problem the economy has had for the last 3 years.

The pandemic is a great example of why Mr. Trump's businesses went into bankruptcy.

[Garret]

I couldn't care less about BB&B but my wife is upset.
It was one of the very few stores left in our area.
There is literally no place to shop other than Walmart and TJ Max.
I mean no place.
We are forced to either buy online or drive 90 minutes to the nearest stores
and even then, there is very little choice.

If our local lumberyard goes under, that would be a true tragedy.

With Lowes & Home Despot nearby, all local lumber yards within 10 miles have closed. Even within 25 miles there are 2 left - both the ones well known for high prices. There are still 2 local sawmills at least.

I drove by the BB&B yesterday & it had a big "Store Closing" sign up. As per my post above - no loss at all as far as I'm concerned.