Eco/Geekonomics – Sears and Kmart stores to close

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Not a happy holiday season apparently.

I had been hearing about trouble at Sears, but not the Kmart part of Sears Holdings.  There's a hefty amount of stores closing, about 100-120.  I'm sure the lousy economy is an obvious part of it – as is the move to online (and man, judging by the scene out here during shopping time, online is a good bet).

They're also not alone – Wal-Mart is hurting.  They just have presence, gobs of cash, and stranglehold on their side.

So why is this here, in our Sanctum Geektorum?  Because this is big news:

  • Those quick retail jobs people rely on for cash are going to be affected by lack of opportunity.
  • If there is more of a move online that may change opportunities – and bring some for you.  As I've noted many times I still think Wal-Mart is going to try and build an online presence.
  • Amazon is more likely to be further in the crosshairs after this because, well, e-commerce and such.  This is going to further negative attention on Amazon – though it may result in a can't-beat-em-join-em approach.
  • These closings could affect communities severely depending on where they are.  It may affecy yours.
  • It's a reminder many brands are not "sacred" in this economy.  Your name will not necessarily save you today.

– Steven Savage

Burn Your Box

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Is your career in a rut?  Is your business in a rut?  Are you in a rut?

If you're in this situation, you've probably been told "think outside the box," which basically means "get outside your current assumptions" to see new opportunities and solutions.

This is wrong.  You should not think outside the box career-wise.

You should get out of the box, set it on fire, and jump up and down on the ashes before sweeping them into the river to be washed out to sea forever.  You then need electroshock therapy to forget your box.  By the time "the box" has imprisoned you it's not something to get out of a little bit – it is something to DESTROY.

In fact, here's a guilty secrets for us geeky, neo-literati, otaku fan-types.  We are just as capable as anyone of being able to straightjacket our minds.  In fact, we're probably very good at it since we're use to using our imaginations, and we can dream up an amazing amount of ways to shackle ourselves.

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Survey Sunday Roundup: Cultural Infusions

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Just a note, since a lot of you are on vacation, busy, or otherwise occupied, Survey Sunday is going to skip a week.  We'll pick it up next week, when you're merely hung over from New Years.

So we asked . . . (and by the way due to a glitch I had to adjust things slightly)

1. Right now there's a lot of media popular in North America that comes from Britain and Japan. So what other countries do you expect to affect North American media in the next decade?

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