Incomplete list of U.S. retail/banking/service sector job loss announcements and shutdowns for June 2016:
“…not only did we see dishonest lending at the origination stage and then dishonest securitization where the investors were defrauded and told that the loans were of good quality when they actually weren`t, but we saw dishonesty in terms of breaking the transfer process and the chain of title that goes from entity to the other, and when individuals were foreclosed on, they were done so with false documents which was a cover-up… …..the evidence that was used for the foreclosing entity to prove that they actually owned the loan and had an interest in it was faulty. It was fabricated. It was forged….. …this is still going on today…. ….the lender is supposed to make a promise that they`ve underwritten the loan and seen that the borrower has the ability to pay. …..A lot of these defaults were servicer driven where you had loans that were 2 cents short and put into default….people getting foreclosure notices when they paid cash on their homes! There was a serious breakdown in the system of property records law which is 150 years older than the Constitution!”-David Dayen, interviewed on Nightly Business Report
Business Management Daily reported that managers “manipulate” layoff announcements. There are a growing number of court cases where management has been proven to be creating layoff lists to get rid of employees they don’t like (which is illegal), instead of for economic reasons.
Alabama: In Decatur, after 24 years Marvin’s Building Materials shutdown.
Arkansas: Bentonville based Walmart eliminating 1-thousand 5-hundred ‘cash counter’ jobs at 5-hundred U.S. stores! In an effort to increase profit margins Walmart administrators are going to centralize their store accounting ops. Walmart is ending the acceptance of Visa credit cards in Canada, due to jacked up credit card fees for Canadian retailers.
California: Amazingly, and despite my continued reporting of massive layoffs across the Golden State, including the Bay Area, the UCLA Anderson Forecast claims that employment in the Bay Area is at full capacity! But wait, the term Full Employment is misleading, it does not mean everybody literally has a job, it means that everybody who wants a jobs and is willing to take whatever slave wage pay level is offered can potentially become employed. What irony, Simply Hired issued a shutdown WARN, 94 people in Sunnyvale jobless by the end of July. In Ontario, events contractor AEG Management eliminated 280 jobs! Also in Ontario, staffing agency Adecco issued a mass layoff WARN, 730 jobs gone by mid-August! In Citrus Heights, after 44 years Northridge Music Center shutdown, the frustrated owner literally blames “everything”. In Fresno, after 66 years Sunnyside Department Store shutting down, local news media say its the last of ten family owned stores on Butler Avenue. Home furnishings seller Restoration Hardware laid off 53 people from their Corte Madera HQ. Employment training service for old people Experience Works shutdown their Napa office, six jobs gone. In San Francisco, now revealed to be a scammer LendingClub eliminating 12% of its jobs due to crashing loan applications, due to the discovery that a former CEO had been using the website to intentionally rip-people-off. And after 46 years aQuarius Records shutdown, it supposedly will re-open under new ownership. San Francisco based clothier GAP issued a mass layoff WARN, 2-hundred jobs gone by mid-August! Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO) laid off 68 people. Here’s how administrators refer to a bad economy: “The competitive demands of this industry require that we continually adapt and innovate to meet evolving client needs.”
Colorado: In Longmont, consignment shop Serendipity shutdown due to “…a steady decline over the past two years” in sales after the landlord put up a For Lease sign: “People thought I was closing. It scared away business.”-Vicky Boone
Connecticut: In Litchfield, after 30 years Robertson Jewelers shutdown due to declining sales. CAROLEE New York jewelry issued a shutdown WARN for their Stamford operations, 47 jobs gone by mid-August.
Delaware: Draw Another Circle has made it official and placed Hastings into bankruptcy, as part of their plan to try and sell-off the dying entertainment chain. If nobody buys it then all remaining 126 Hastings stores will be shutdown affecting more than 1-thousand jobs! It’s blamed on crashing sales.
Florida: Bankrupt Sports Authority issued a shutdown WARN for their Miami store number 296, 90 jobs gone by the end of August. After 35 years Turner Tree and Landscape chapter 11 bankrupt busted due to $7-million USD of debts. The biggest bank in Manatee County now has the smallest deposits on hand, Too Big to Jail Bank of America shutting down and selling-off its iconic Bradenton office. Clothier Chico’s laid off an undisclosed number of HQ employees in Fort Myers, blaming it on ” the rapidly changing retail marketplace”.
Georgia: In Atlanta, after 46 years recording studio Doppler Studios shutting down, no reason given. Atlanta based Too Big to Jail mortgage servicer Ocwen Financial Corporation revealed it laid off 120 people!
Illinois: New car dealer AutoMatch USA issued a shutdown WARN for their Morton Grove location, 30 jobs lost by the end of August. Payroll contractor RAS Services issued a shutdown WARN, 84 jobs gone by the end of July due to loss of contract. Despite surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions, Schwartz’s Intimate Apparel shutting down: “Business is changing and we either adapt again and change the way we do things. Or we can say, ‘It’s been a wonderful run. Thank you for 100 years’.”-Ben Schwartz
In Chicago, GE Capital began laying off 44 employees, no reason was given to state employment administrators. Chicago based job analyst Challenger, Gray & Christmas is blaming crashing teenager employment on the bad economy: “The general trend in summer employment among teens has been downward and that trend has been going on since the late 1970s. …..Restaurants and retail outlets are still hiring teens, but not as many as in the past…… …summer camps, neighborhood pools, amusement parks…the number of these jobs is not really growing.”
Indiana: After 15 years Talbott Street nightclub shutdown because it’s “what the owner wanted to do”. In Rushville, after 75 years Public Paint & Wallpaper shutdown, the owner blamed increasing competition and changing shopping habits: “We are still hopeful that someone will come along and buy the building and start the dream of having their own business in downtown Rushville. We will begin liquidating all remaining inventory right away…”-Ryan Berkemeier
Iowa: In West Des Moines, Little Padded Seats baby supply store shutting down their Valley West Mall location. The owners blame crashing foot traffic at the mall, and even tried to sell the entire business unsuccessfully. Todd’s Naturalizer shutdown their Valley West Mall shoe store, the owner said it wasn’t worth it to renew the lease.
Kansas: In Topeka, after 57 years Gardner’s Flooring America shutting down by the end of August, the owners revealed they had been made an offer on the property they couldn’t refuse. In Topeka, after seven years retailer The Merchant shutdown after being sold to the owners of Cyrus Hotel. Local news media say it’s all about property speculation.
Kentucky: Louisville losing 45 years old Charlie Wilson’s Appliances, the owner decided to move to Clarksville. In Nicholasville, decades old Carpenters Dish Barn shutting down in July, due to road construction.
Maine: In Bangor, House of Brides shutdown without warning, local police flooded with complaints from customers who paid for undelivered services: “It is not clear at this time what the outcome will be, but rest assured we are looking into the reported incidents.”-Bangor police
Massachusetts: Boston Weak based Too Big to Jail investment Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Company (aka GMO) eliminated 65 jobs, due to a 20% decline in fund values.
Michigan: After 34 years Ypsilanti Cycle shutdown. In Ann Arbor, after 70 years G&H Barbers shutdown due to the new property owner wanting to redevelop the property. In Midland, Stanley’s Furniture shutting down after 65 years. The 74 years old owner said he wanted to shutdown five years ago, he credits his success on being able to know what the trends are. In Clare, after 23 years New Wood Store furniture store shutdown, they sold the property.
Minnesota: In Minneapolis, after 68 years Rush’s Bridal shutting down, the family owns the building and can make more money renting it to somebody else. In Ithaca, Standard Art Supply & Souvenir shutdown, no reason given but local news media discovered the property owner was asking the city for permission for new construction. In Rotterdam, Things Remembered shutting down due to not being able to renew the lease. In Northfield, after one and a half years comic book shop The Quill & Blade shutting down in July. The owner originally planned to shutdown just six months after opening, blaming his lack of business experience. He decided it was more fun reading comics than trying to sell them. In Saint Cloud, thrift clothing store Threads shutting down after eight years, so the owner can focus on her new store. In Willmar, decades old Hardware Hank Express shutting down, the owner blames crashing sales on the intrusion of ‘Big Box’ competitors within the past few years. In Mankato, after 59 years Ive’s Repair shop for cars shutdown, the retiring owner reminisced about how much he was paid when he started out as a gas station attendant: “I think I made 75 cents an hour if I remember right, pumping gas, scrubbing toilets, scrubbing the office, and scrubbing the shop floor, that was our job…”-Gary Iverson (I remember my father telling me about his high school job in a grocery store in Barstow, California, in the 1950s. He made pennies per hour, yet the cost of living was so low back then he was able to buy, and fully customize, a 1949 Mercury as his first car! Try doing that now, even being paid $15 per hour it can’t be done!)
Mississippi: In Clinton, the United Artist movie theater shutdown this weekend. In Hattiesburg, after 18 years Trees n Trends Unique Home Decor shutting down due to “downward” trending customer traffic, which began when a big call center was built next door.
Missouri: Springfield base John Q. Hammons Hotels, and 70 of its affiliates, now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.
New Jersey: In Hackensack, after 22 years Gold Ray Jewelers shutdown due to the landlord refusing to renew their lease. In Brick, after 50 years kayak and canoe seller Jersey Brick suddenly shutdown, the owners didn’t explain, they just wrote “Closed thanks for 50 years!” on a chalk board. In Vineland, after 22 years Music Central shutdown: “…our industry is not as vibrant as it was 10 or 20 years ago. Since 2008 we have found it hard to make a profit.”-John Epifanio, co-owner
New Jersey: Saks Fifth Avenue eliminating 137 Short Hills jobs by September!
New York: Real estate market analyst Reis issued a shutdown WARN for their NYC office, the Big Apple to lose 52 jobs as Reis gets the hell outta Dodge and moves to Westchester by the end of September. AIG (American International Group) revealed it suddenly laid off about half a dozen people mid-month. Elitist Ralph Lauren issued a mass layoff WARN for its NYC ops, 316 jobs gone between now and October! Ralph Lauren also shutting down 50 stores and eliminating 1-thousand jobs across the country due to crashing sales! Ralph Lauren revealed there is no economic recovery saying its sales have crashed for the past three years, and needs to cut costs by $220-million USD, just for next year! Office sharing startup WeWork froze hiring and will layoff about 70 people. Amazingly administrators say it’s part of their plan for “growth and expansion”, claiming they will hire “hundreds… by the end of the year.” WPH Midtown Associates decided not to renew the lease on their Buffalo Holiday Inn Hotel, 82 jobs gone by September. After 53 years Chatham Bowl suddenly shutdown, no explanation reported by news media. The Cheshire Cat clothing store shutting down by mid-July. In NYC, after 28 years Rebel Rebel Records blaming jacked up rent for their shutdown. In NYC, Ansonia Laundromat shutdown blaming crashing revenues. Bankrupt Sports Authority shutting down their Glendale, Woodside and Westbury stores, 173 jobs gone by the end of August! NYC based Too Big to Jail Goldman Sachs announced it will kill-off an additional 98 jobs in a third round of layoffs between July and October, blaming a 47% crash in revenues. In NYC, after 33 years Belraf Fabrics shutdown their store on Orchard Street, due to the rent being jacked up. In Bronx-NYC, ABC Carpet and ABC Home Furnishings shutdown, 78 jobs gone. In Niagara Falls, despite surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions Harris & Lever Florists shutdown, the owner blames competition and the city’s shutdown of Lewiston Road: “People rerouted after that, and they never returned.”-Maggie Murgia, co-owner
North Carolina: In Wilmington, after five years Arrow Fine Art supplies shutting down, the owner Linda Arrow yearning “I want a life, and I want to create my own art.” In Hickory, after 70 years eccentric Berndt’s store shutting down due to increased competition. Charlotte based Too Big to Jail Bank of America announced it will ‘accelerate’ its job destruction by 8-thousand jobs as part of its “digital banking” plan! It’s blamed on a sudden 15% increase in people using digital banks instead of brick-n-mortar banks (never mind the fact that increase was forced by BoA shutting down 23% of its offices since 2009). In Raleigh, children’s clothing and toy seller Nüvonivo shutting down their brick-n-mortar store, but will continue with internet sales. The owners said it wasn’t worth it to renew the lease on the brick-n-mortar property. In Kannapolis, after 32 years Baucom-Phillips Jewelers shutdown, the owner revealing that being a business owner mean no quality time: “When you are 78-years-old, if you are going to have any quality of life you have to stop working sometime.”-Rex Baucom
Ohio: In Columbus, after six years Objects for the Home shutting down, apparently the owners will be opening another smaller version of their furniture store at some future unknown date and location.
Oregon: Northwest Community Credit Union shutdown their Coos Bay office. In Salem, after 116 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Greenbaum’s Quilted Forest shutdown due to the owners not being able to find “the right person” to take over the business.
Pennsylvania: After 29 years Hanover Home & Garden shutting down in July, the owners saying “it’s time to retire”.
South Carolina: In Florence, after 22 years Phil Nofal’s Fine Footwear shutting down, the owner (who’s worked in the shoe business since he was 12) says “I’m tired. I’m 61 and I’ve done this my whole life.”
Texas: In El Paso, after surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions Regis-Bernard Furniture shutting down due to the owner wanting to retire. In Pampa, Hastings books-video-music shutting down due to not being able to meet corporate’s profit expectations, 28 jobs gone by September. Big 5 Sporting Goods shutting down five of its eight Texas stores! Local news media say administrators refused to talk about it. In Houston, Too Big to Jail JP Morgan Chase eliminating 90 car loan jobs. In Irvine, Too Big to Jail Maryland based OneMain Financial eliminating 116 jobs by mid-July, saying only that they must “downsize”!
In northern Texas there appears to be an exodus of teenagers as the number of kids on their Summer break, and looking for a job, has been halved from their peak in the 1970-80s, Texas job analysts blame it on a rise in low paying back breaking jobs usually reserved for migrants: ”Most jobs involve more grunt work, more low level work and Generation Z doesn’t find those jobs appealing…. …There is no such thing as a kid job anymore because companies are reliant on every level of labor they have.”-Ron Newton
However, down south in Houston TV station CW39 conducted an unscientific survey and found that many U.S. teenagers are looking for a job, but nobody is hiring: “I’m looking for a job right now which is kind of hard. This is like the fourth place I’ve gone, but most places are sort of slow in the summer so it’s a lot harder to find a job.”-Sanitago Navarrete
“I couldn’t find a job or an internship and I thought I could be useful in some other way. I’m volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary.”-Alexis Acevedo
“What the numbers show for Houston is that, they’re not interested in kicking back this summer. We’ve had over 4,000 applications for 1,500 opportunities.“-Vanessa Ramirez, SER Jobs for Progress
Virginia: Radford University shutdown its 20 years old non-profit Small Business Development Center due to losing money on the non-profit operation. In Virginia Beach, after surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions Crawford House Furniture shutting down when the inventory is gone, no explanation. After 60 years The Clock Shop shutdown their Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall store. In Reston, after five years Baby Blossom supply and gifts shutdown because the property has been sold by the greedy landlord. In Richmond, after 34 years Dave’s Comics shutdown due to the death of the owner. Union Bank & Trust shutting down five offices located inside Martin’s Food Markets, due to low transaction volumes. Florida based Home Shopping Network (HSN) eliminating 257 jobs starting in August! It’s part of their plan to shutdown their fulfillment facility. Internet based Vicarious Clothing shutting down their Fredericksburg brick-n-mortar store: “We can’t justify the overhead when there isn’t enough foot traffic.”
Washington: OfficeMax shutting down their Gateway Shopping Center store in Yakima, no further details were given. In Seattle, after 58 years A-1 Laundry shutdown: “The industry has changed quite a bit and it’s a little tougher as a small business to exist.”-Chris Eng, owner
Washington DC: The Pew Research Center reports that Summer jobs for teenagers on break from school are getting harder to find, the main reason is due to crashing sales for the employers who usually hire teens for the Summer. In 1978 summertime teen employment hit its high at 58%, but ever since 2010 it’s hovered around 30%. The Brookings Institution reports “Employment rates fell most dramatically among teens, and large disparities between whites and blacks persist, particularly among teens and young adults.”
The U.S. Federal Reserve Bank says 76-million U.S. citizens barely get by financially. 46% of U.S. citizens would be devastated by a financial emergency. 45% say it’s because their jobs do not give them steady income as their work hours constantly change.
Wisconsin: After 34 years JR’s Waupaca True Value Hardware shutting down after failed attempts to sell it. The current owner blames family health problems and the fact he’s tired of working 67 hours per week (owners of businesses don’t get paid overtime). Bankrupt Sports Authority issued a shutdown WARN for their Greenfield store, 46 jobs gone by mid-August.
30-31 May 2016: “NO OTHER CHOICE…WITHOUT A LINE OF CREDIT”
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification.
I found a 2010 AFL-CIO analysis (titled The Public Availability of WARN Notices: Lack of Accessibility and Disclosure…) which proves what I’ve been suspecting in my search of state WARN notices; most states are not complying with federal WARN regulations and are not publicizing or tracking mass layoffs.
Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed!
Employees of religious non-profits might not qualify for unemployment assistance: “If the non-profit organization is a church, you may or may not be entitled to unemployment. It all depends upon state regulations for church employers. In many cases, churches are allowed to set their own rules regarding unemployment benefits, meaning the church can choose whether to offer benefits to former employees.”
The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) no longer issues mass layoff reports: “On March 1, 2013, President Obama ordered into effect the across-the- board spending cuts (commonly referred to as sequestration) required by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended. Under the order, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) must cut its current budget by more than $30 million, 5 percent of the current 2013 appropriation, by September 30, 2013. In order to help achieve these savings and protect core programs, the BLS will eliminate two programs, including Mass Layoff Statistics, and all ‘measuring green jobs’ products. This news release is the final publication of monthly mass layoff survey data.”