I was in a local shopping Mall last Sunday, 4 pm a number of the shops were closed! Shutters pulled down, lights off the whole shebang… What Gives!!!!

It’s Christmas, a time when people want to shop… a week out from the big event.

In our area we have another shopping mall being added to so we will have more retail outlets, probably more than we need but that’s another story. The existing ones where I was, if they are struggling to make ends meet and can not afford to open ’til 5 on Sunday then something is very wrong. There were people in the mall but not heaps. Down the other end where renovations were completed earlier this year, there were people and open shops, the car park was full… So what gives?

Is it a conspiracy… is the other shopping centre going to buy out the smaller player so they can revamp the centre for themselves? (can’t beat a monopoly…)

I smell a rat but have no proof (hey its just a theory) but I would not put it past the ‘players’ to be in bully mode with the aim of taking over.

What really is at stake is customer service and customer satisfaction, If I want to buy a specific item and the store is closed I can’t buy it. If the Co is in dire straits they need to get out and save what little cash they might have, or market better. The little Chinese massage shop is doing okay, they stand out the front and invite people in. We need more of that.

Go on guys, engage with the paying public, build the relationship, evaluate your offerings. but remember one thing, you are in business, if you lay down and die that’s it the end of the road. I figure on one thing, if you are going to lay down and die, get on with it.