No business is immortal.
But some business are especially vulnerable, owing to the passing of time, or the advancements of technology.
Indeed, owing to cell phones and streaming services, businesses like Radio Shack and Blockbuster were rendered more or less unnecessary (unless you live in Bend, Oregon).
Leaving one to wonder how many businesses which one could once find in any shopping mall in the United States might soon become obsolete?
Redditor carcony97 was pondering that very question, leading them to ask:
"What major company do you genuinely believe won’t exist in 20 years?"
Crafters Take Note!
"Etsy."
"Refusing to actually enforce the rules that their brand is known for (small-scale, handmade) will kill them as they become yet another place for dropshippers."- JimmyRecard
Things Are Different Down Under...
"Here in Australia, I'd guess Target."
"Target got bought out by Kmart and they've recently changed all their homewares and toys to the same cheap Kmart brands."
"Yes, we live in an alternate universe where Kmart is super popular and the trend-setter in decor."
"As someone who grew up in America during Kmart's demise, it's just as weird to me!"- Heruuna
It's A Digital World...
"DISH (Television)."- Carramannos
"I work at a roofing company and 95% of our clients ask that we don’t put their dish back up."- rizcriz
Tuning Youtube GIF by Feliks Tomasz Konczakowski Giphy
Something Won't Always Be In Fashion...
"JCPenney."- texasram
"Most general department stores."
"Only the high end and the very low end will survive."- Dis_engaged23
Enjoy The Ride While It Lasts...
"Nissan has been on life support for the last 10 years."
"The recent merger with Honda seems to have fallen through which looks like they are on the path to extinction."- Sixstringthings
How The Mighty Have Fallen
"Went to Sears lately."
"Totally depressing and every employee was checked out."- Thin-Mixture-1827
store market GIF Giphy
Look Elsewhere For Your Cravings
"Quiznos."
"From a couple thousand a decade ago down to less then 150."
"There’s one about a mile by my house that only exists thanks to spacex (Hawthorne)."
"The sec they leave, that franchise does with it."- Mediocre-Telephone74
Dog GONE It...
"As someone who used to work there, Petco."
"They keep making terrible decisions that piss their customers off."
"Oh, they also treat their employees like crap and their animal care is a joke."- xscapethetoxic
Most Of the CW's Shows Are Canadian... Just Saying...
"I think one of the American TV networks will close up shop - or rather, two of them will merge."- Next_Ad_1323
why am i fail dead tv GIF Giphy
People Prefer To Be ONLINE Than In Line...
"I hesitate to guess."
"I grew up with Sears, Montgomery Ward, and JC Penney’s as the biggest retailers in the country."
"Now they’re mostly extinct."
"Walmart was the biggest retailer in the world when I left my job at Sears for one with more consistent pay (not commissions)."
"The Kmart merger was promised to push Sears Holdings into the top 3 retailers, to compete with Walmart and Home Depot on equal footing."
" Amazon was only an online bookstore at the time."
"Wow, how quickly things changed."- Chad_Hooper
INDEED... There Already Is...
"Indeed - surely there will be a better way."- adventuretogo
At Least There's CVS... For Now...
"Walgreens."
"They’ve been bought up by a private equity firm, now that firm is going to strip them for parts."
"They’re already closing stores and they weren’t doing great before the buyout."
"They’ll be lucky to last five I’m not sure if they can make it past ten."- Nishnig_Jones
Pamela Adlon Shopping GIF by Better Things Giphy
A Race To The Finish...
"Office Depot and Staples have been circling the drain and trying to buy each other/merge for more than 10 years."
"Definitely one of them is gone pretty soon."
"Or else Amazon just absorbs them both."- Unable_To_Forward
Building Up Only To Fall Down...
"Walgreens."
"Rite Aid is already going bankrupt, CVS is closing stores but will still be around as a major insurer."- Predictor92
Game Over
"Half the gaming industry."
"Most major players are now subsidiaries and are 1 mistake away from being dead weight."
"The titans of gaming that still have strength don't have much reputation to stay alive for no more than a decade."- Suitable-Pirate-4164
Any business needs to learn to keep up with the times.
It will be interesting to see if any retailers are able to get people to actually visit their stores, or go the way of Bed Bath And Beyond...