Buyer BEWARE... fortune cookie says, "be careful if you purchase gift cards for gifts"... those gift cards might not even be worth the plastic card in the hand of the receiver! Yikes! If you KNOW that certain stores are already in trouble DON'T purchase a gift card from that store for a friend or loved one for Christmas.I know that those gift cards are pretty and shiny under the Christmas tree and seem to be more special than cash in an envelope... but "dress up the cash" and make a homemade Christmas card... and, think about it... If you just don't know what to buy, don't limit the recipient to a certain store... cash lets them go wherever they want to get whatever it is their little heart desires...
Are we getting back to basics now or what? Here's a partial list of what I've found that's going on in the retail world as in right now... Please scroll down to the bottom and read my "note," k? Thanks!
Circuit City filed Bankruptcy... they promised to keep all stores open for the holiday season, but after the holiday they plan on closing 155 stores nationwide.
Ann Taylor closing 117 stores nationwide.
Eddie Bauer to close more stores. Eddie Bauer has already closed 27 shops in the first quarter and plans to close up to two more outlet stores by the end of the year.
Cache closing stores. Women's retailer, Cache, announced that it is closing 20 to 23 stores this year.
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, and Catherine's closing 150 stores nationwide. The owner of retailers Lane Bryant , Fashion Bug, Catherine's Plus Sizes will close about 150 under performing stores this year. The company hasn't provided a list of specific store closures and can't say when it will offer that info according to spokeswoman, Brooke Perry.
Talbots, J. Jill closing stores. About a month ago, Talbots announced that it will be shuttering all 78 of its kids and men 's stores. Now the company says it will close another 22 under performing stores. The 22 stores will be a mix of Talbots women's and J. Jill which is yet another chain it owns. The closures will occur this fiscal year according to a company press release.
GAP, Inc. closing 85 stores In addition to its namesake chain, GAP also owns Old Navy and Banana Republic. The company said the closures will be weighted toward the GAP brand.
Foot Locker to close 140 stores according to a company press release.
Wickes Furniture is going out of business and closing all of its stores. Wickes, a 37-year-old retailer that targets middle-income customers, has filed for bankruptcy protection.
Levitz - the furniture retailer - first announced it was going out of business and closing all 76 of its stores in December. The retailer dates back to 1910 when Richard Levitz opened his first furniture store in Lebanon, PA. In the 1960s, the warehouse/showroom concept brought Levitz to the forefront of the furniture industry. The local Levitz closures will follow the shutdown of Bombay stores.
Zales and Piercing Pagoda closing stores. The owner of Zales and Piercing Pagoda had previously stated that it had plans to close 82 stores by July 31. Recently, they announced the closing of another 23 under performing stores. The company said it's not providing a list of specific store closures. Of the 105 locations planned for closure, 50 are kiosks and 55 are stores.
Disney Stores have the right to close 98 stores. The Walt Disney Company announced it acquired about 220 Disney Stores from subsidiaries of The Children's Place retail stores. The exact number of stores acquired will depend on negotiations with landlords. Those subsidiaries of Children's Place filed for bankruptcy protection in late March. In a press release, Disney said it has also obtained the right to close about 98 Disney Stores in the U.S. The stores were not listed.
Home Depot store closings... Nearly 7+ months after its chief executive said there were no plans to cut the number of its core retail stores, The Home Depot, Inc. announced Thursday that it is shuttering 15 of them amid a slumping US. economy and housing market. The move will affect 1,300 employees. It is the first time the world's largest home improvement store chain has ever closed a flagship store for performance reasons. Its shares rose almost 5 percent. The Atlanta-based company said the under performing U.S. stores being closed represent less than 1 percent of its existing stores They will be shuttered within the next two months .
CompUSA (CLOSED)... clarifies details on store closings... Any extended warranties purchased for products through CompUSA will be honored by a third-party provider, Assurant Solutions. Gift cards, rain checks, and rebates purchased prior to December 12 can be redeemed at any time during the final sale. For those who have a gadget currently in for service with CompUSA, the repair will be completed and the gadget will be returned to owners.
Ethan Allen Interiors... announced plans to close 12 of 300+ stores in an effort to cut costs.
Wilson's - the leather experts - are slated to close all 260 mall stores.
Pacific SunWear will close its 154 demo stores after a review of strategic alternatives for the urban-apparel brand. Seventy-four under performing demo stores closed last May.
Sharper Image... recently filed for bankruptcy protection and announced that 90 of its 184 stores are closing. The retailer will still operate 94 stores to pay off debts but 90 of these stores have performed poorly and also may close.
KB Toys has posted a list of 356 stores that it's closing in the US as part of its bankruptcy reorganization.
Dillard's is slated to close additional stores. Dillard's, Inc. said it will continue to focus on closing under performing stores, reducing expenses and improving its merchandise.
Starbucks is still positioned to close approximately 600 company-operated stores in the US.
Pier I announced that they will be closing an 'undisclosed' number of stores.
Kirkland's, a chain of home decor stores, will be closing nearly 130 stores nationwide.
Sprint is to cut 4500 jobs and close 125 stores.
Linens 'n Things is "out of business"... closing 120 stores nationwide
Dell, Inc. has folded its 140 kiosk tents in the US.
Liz Claiborne, Inc. announced it's closing the entire 54-store 'Sigrid Olsen' chain.
Lone Star Steak House will be closing 27 stores - locations were not listed.
84 Lumber to close 12 stores - locations were not listed.
Rite Aid to close 28 under performing stores with locations TBA.
Big Dollar is the first "dollar store" announcement of closing of stores. Looks like Big Dollar will be downsizing by 10 stores.
Please Note: If any of my readers have additional information to this post, please let me know! There may be additions and/or corrections to the list and I want the information that I bring to you to be not only informative but accurate.
Thanks... and, keep pinching those pennies until they squeal!
Frugally yours,
Jan McCracken
