If ever there was an industry that has been turned inside out, it is retail. For years it was strictly a mom and pop business, whether it was the corner grocery or a dress shop or a hardware store. Then in the 1800's, as urban environments started to grow and the population grew more sophisticated and discerning, department stores made an appearance. Macy's (1858), Bloomingdales (1861) and Sears (1886) became fixtures, showcasing the latest innovations in clothing, home furnishings and luxury items people didn't even know they needed.
As the suburbs exploded malls made their appearance. Usually anchored by one or more major department stores, they also provided space for specialty retailers. These shops essentially deconstructed those department stores back into individual establishments catering to particular areas and specific tastes. While the social aspects of malls were appealing, they were hardly efficient for shopping for necessities. That led to the growth of the Big Box Stores like Walmart, Target and K Mart, offering one stop shopping for everything from underwear to bicycles to floor lamps.
And then came the internet.
Buying online meant pants you couldn't try on, appliances you couldn't test and tennis racquets you couldn't swing. And what's worse, you couldn't take any of that stuff home with you, you had to wait for them to be delivered. No way that will work, right? Well, way. After some initial hesitation and some tweaking of the business models, we went into ecommerce in a big way. How big? Founded in 1994 as a book seller, Amazon had total revenue the following year that was just $511,000. It has grown steadily, pivoting from just books to handle practically every item under the sun. But especially driven by the pandemic, its growth has gone from merely eyepopping to positively nuclear: for the 12 months ending in June it sold more than $610 billion worth of goods, topping every other retailer physical or online outside of China.
But a closer examination of the number reveals a subtle distinction. Whereas Walmart is a single store, with all its sales going towards its bottom line, Amazon has become a collection of stores under one roof. Almost 2 million independent sellers have storefronts there, and they account for 56% of the items sold. And a large number of those sellers are not large operations, but very narrow specialty retailers. One sells phone accessories, another lawn furniture, another sweatshirts. There's the KRATAC store for archery supplies, the SparkPod store for shower heads and the Joytale Store for dog collars.
So it seems we do want singular specialty retailers, as long as they all occupy the same space on our couch. We're loath to get up and go anywhere when we can click and have it in our hands within the week, sooner if we are Prime members. Unless, of course, it is something so singular, so brand specific, then we might make the trip to the city or the mall. That accounts for the Apple store and the M&M store and the Coca-Cola store. Icons each, the flagship product of their segment.
Which leads us to the Oreo Cafe.
The 3500 square foot emporium devoted to all things round and chocolate with vanilla in the middle just opened in the American Dream Mall in Rutherford NJ. Yes, you can buy various versions of the classic cookie. But the real action is in the custom made dishes featuring Oreos, like a waffle sundae with Oreo chunks in the waffle. Or a cheesecake layered with Oreo cookie mousse and chocolate roses. For true believers, and not posted on the in-store menu, is one only available if you know about it from Instagram, the Oreo Donut S'Morewich. Since I haven't been sworn to secrecy, I will let slip that it's scoops of Oreo ice cream, chocolate waffle cone pieces, a marshmallow-glazed donut, fudge, sprinkles and Oreo cookies. You can also order with a side of insulin
Whether the Oreo Cafe will be as successful as the HBTower Store remains to be seen. After all, on Amazon you can order a stepstool from HB, have it at your house within days, and even return it if it's not high enough. Can't do any of that with an Oreo Strawberry Smoothie. On the other hand, one is a ladder, the other is an Oreo Strawberry Smoothie. My money is on the drink.
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Marc Wollin of Bedford buys online because it's easier. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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