Retailers are like people, really.
Entering a room with a dying person inside, one can get the
feeling of finality, of the end of one’s life journey. Sometimes that feeling
is one of enthusiasm, of anticipation that being with the Lord is imminent.
More often, though, that feeling is of loss, of pain, of sorrow.
It’s the same with a retailer that is either going out of
business or is threatening to be liquidated. There is a sense of gloom seen
among the employees; store shelves are not that well stocked, if it is stocked
at all; and there is a general feeling of unkemptness that would normally not
be evident when things are going well.
As a bankruptcy judge in New York decides today
whether
Sears get a stay of execution
, thanks to a reported five
billion-dollar-plus offer by Edward Lampert, or orders a liquidation of the
126-year-old retailer, that sense of a dying company could be felt walking into
one of its stores. It’s the same feeling that one had walking into a K-Mart
before Sears took it over, walking into a Montgomery Ward near its end, and
even walking into a Hudson’s before its demise.
It’s a far cry from when Sears, K-Mart (Kresge’s before it),
Montgomery Ward and other retail chains were in their prime in the 1960’s and
70’s. Perhaps this came from being younger, but those stores seemed vibrant,
clean and fresh. The items were stacked nicely, the stores well maintained.
Consumer trends and moods are ever changing, and retailers
need to stay on top of those changes or risk liquidation. However, some stores
don’t change and yet stay alive and even thrive, mostly due to being well-kept
in its inventory, well-kept in its appearance, and well-kept in its staffing
atmosphere.
To a certain extent, we can follow those guidelines in our
own lives too. We can be well-kept in our appearance, well-kept in our “atmosphere”
or attitude, even if we are nearing death’s door. That way, the sense of loss,
of pain and of sorrow will be lessened among those we are leaving behind.
Thanks!
