I've been a little silent lately. Mostly because life took a huge spiral after March 9th, mostly in the same manner as just about everyone else's did, and I just did not feel much like writing. I still don't, and not really ready to write about what happened to me just yet. Oh, I can say that I was one of the 36+ million who are unemployed, one of the million+ who caught the virus, and one of the many who have just been over it. But there is more, and I'm just not ready to talk about it yet. But I will at some point. Just not today.
What I am willing to talk about is to take a step back to the my decluttering and minimalism thoughts just maybe one more time.
I really don't watch the news, especially 24-hour news. I gave it up after the whole presidential debacle of 2016. It wound up being the healthiest thing I have ever done in my entire life. It doesn't mean I'm not informed or don't know what is going on. I just prefer not to have it in my face all of the time. My blood pressure has actually improved, as has my outlook on life and mental well-being (for the most part).
What I do get are text alerts of snippets of news that interest me. For example, business news. Unfortunately, the thing that has come through too often lately is the announcement of the permanent closing of long-time businesses, both local and national. Some are even international. Last night it was a favorite local steakhouse that has been here for decades. This evening, the announcement of Pier 1 closing.
But something started making me consider why these stores might be closing. Maybe the writing has been on the wall for some of these stores, and the pandemic was really what pushed them over the edge. I love Pier 1, but really when was the last time I set foot in the store, or when I last purchased anything? It has been a very long time. They had cute and fun items, but they were not needs, and often overpriced.
And as for the steakhouse, even longer. In fact, I didn't go unless someone else was paying, as it was way outside of my pay grade. And I actually make a decent wage, when I'm employed.
Someone made the comment about the death-knell for capitalism. No, corporatism is trying to strangle capitalism, and has been for quite some time. But sometimes, companies don't evaluate their customer base enough to understand the shifting marketplace.
For example, online shopping, or e-commerce, is a growing force. Some think Chinese companies and Amazon have the upperhand, but I'm seeing homegrown entrepeneurs start to take over with small boutique style shops that are highly successful. Some think that that they have to link to Amazon to be successful, but with e-commerce tools like Wix and Shopify, as well as Propay and Square, they can be their own standalone and be free to call their own shots. In fact, I'm in the process of launching an online consignment shop focused on plus sized women in the next couple of weeks. I just had to make sure I was covid free before launching.
While bigger stores are seeing the writing one the wall, smaller nitche boutiques online are finding a rise. It's a new economy, which means it is not over.
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