Like Amazon, Wal-Mart is piloting same-day delivery. Can’t imagine how this doesn’t put more downward pressure on local retailers.
More bad news for Newton’s village centers
by Sean Roche | Oct 10, 2012 | Newton | 12 comments
Crazy Divers: Men be like...
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I’m not sure it’s going to affect our village centers as much as you anticipate. Most of the things I’d go to Walmart or Target to buy are not available in our village centers anyway (I don’t count Staples or Marshalls as places I’m concerned about). Same with non-book items on Amazon. When things are available close by, I usually prefer to be able to see them in person before purchasing, plus it’s much easier to make returns if they don’t involve shipping.
Other than an anchor store, Target and Wal-Marts aren’t what we want to see in our village centers anyway, we go there for the boutiques and the personal inter-action and personal touch that we don’t get at these remote and corporate entities. I love the unique items that I get at “Artitudes” or at “Just Next Door” and know that those purchases will be remembered because you can’t get them anywhere else.
Should those shops have online offerings? I really think they should (I’d think they’d need to in order to remain viable) … could village businesses some how form a coalition (like the incubator centers of old) so they can somehow pool resources for these sort of administrative functions? I think these are things that villages can think about to help them remain competitive.
Greer,
Harris Cycleryin West Newton is a great example of what you’re talking about… A wonderful, local business that maintains a personal touch and has extended into a well-regarded worldwide, online business.
@mgwa Good for you for making the point to shop locally. I wish more people would do that. But not everyone is like you.
Also, I get your point, about Staples and Marshalls but those stores pay local taxes too and hire local workers who eat at local restaurants (and therefore also pay local meals taxes) and so on. You should not entirely overlook their value to our economy.
@Greer: I think you are underestimating how this sort of competition hurts mix of merchants in our villages. Artitudes and Just Next Door are great places but we need shoe stores, toy stores, clothing stores, hardware stores, book stores, appliance stores, pharmacies (and so on) as part of our retail mix. Target, Wal-Mart, Amazon etc. do threaten that, especially if they can offer next day delivery and, in some cases, no sales tax.
Finally, we love our villages and want them to be vibrant, but let’s not forget that Needham Street and the malls along route 9 need to be vibrant too.
I agree with mgwa. This will have a minimal impact on village centers, but a much larger impact on big-box retailers.
Expanding the conversation a bit… What ever happened to the anti-trust laws in this country? Giant corporations have made it more difficult than ever for the entrepreneurs both major political parties claim to support. Teddy Roosevelt must be rolling over in his grave.
@Mike: How can you say this stuff has “minimal impact on our village centers”?
If we were to lose — by way of example — Swartz Hardware, Newtonville Books or Green Planet Kids, I’d hardly describe that as “minimal” to each of those store’s respective village.
This is all very interesting. I was really impressed by many of the national retailers that suggested buy it here, pick it up there as an aid to those sending kids off to college. wow. No more U-Hauls.
First Target, and then Walmart kicked Amazon Kindles out of their stores when Amazon offered shoppers a discount if they scanned a Kindle at the store and then ordered from big-A. No wonder.
I don’t know where this is heading, but it seems fair now that Amazon and other on-line retailers should be collecting MA sales tax for purchases delivered in MA.
Being for Wegmans and against other challenges to Massachusetts business is quite an interesting viewpoint. Big box retailers offer items that appeal to the greater masses, and local appeals to you and me.
Greg – you said “we need shoe stores, toy stores, clothing stores, hardware stores, book stores, appliance stores, pharmacies (and so on) as part of our retail mix.”
I agree. The problem is that rents in the villages are so high that many of those stores have been priced out. We used to have a hardware store in Newton Highlands, but he went out of business. The only clothing stores we have are ones I can’t afford to shop.
@Greg, it is not only local stores and jobs, but same day delivery by Amazon and Wal-Mart is perhaps one more nail in the coffin of the local post office branch.
@Ted: Good point. And certainly no one here would argue that post offices aren’t important to the vibrancy of our villages.
Greg– I should have said minimal “additional” impact. The impact and presence of online retailers has already been established, with many having offered overnight delivery for years now. For most products, I don’t think speeding that process up by a few hours is going to be much of a factor.
Let’s take one of your examples, Newtonville Books, [now in Newton Centre]. They have not only survived despite both online and big-box competition, they’ve thrived, even while one of their much larger competitors [Borders] failed. It’s a clear demonstration that village based, brick & mortar retailers can survive online competition, by better understanding their marketplace and through superior customer service. Those things lead to customer satisfaction and earn consumer loyalty.
Personally, I don’t see same day delivery as the threat. The real threat comes about when the government allows any company, online or otherwise, to become so dominant that they can crush their smaller competitors through pricing. The threat becomes even worse when a goliath like Walmart is allowed to expand their stores into an entirely different industry like supermarkets.
In my opinion, the government has been far too reticent in enforcing anti-trust laws to maintain a competitive balance throughout all our business sectors. And it’s apparent to me that we need additional legislation to address online dominance.