Barbara Farfan once again has hit the nail on the head. There’s trouble in River City and it rhymes with FAIL. RETAIL,is going through a transition as experienced in the past by Mass Retailers, Deep Discount Drugs and Department Stores. The transition is a result of good times when business people believed that any retail concept will be a winner.Sharper Image, Warner Stores, Disney Stores, KayBee Toy, and Kids r Us are just a few casualties of good retail times gone by.We are heading to a world of Hybrid Retailers based on the dynamics of retail. As grocery retailers needed higher gross product they introduced items other than food into the store assortment. As discounters failed on the apparel side to get the category successful they introduced food for the volume and turns. As drug stores regulated by insurance companies lost their cash cow, they became a convenience 7-11 with milk with everyday items. Put this trend all together and you have the same store offerings under the disguise of a Category Killer retailers.The game is the same only the rules have changed. This rule book now better include Customer Service, Experienced Store personnel, competitive pricing, never out key items, and exclusive product for todays retailers to survive. As a Store Planner and Retail Consultant, for over thirty years, I have experienced the evolution of retailing. The good news is we will have stores to shop in and the “paved paradise and put up a parking lots” will be turned back into “Green Zones”.Jerry Birnbach F.I.S.P.blog: Retailers for a better tomorrowwww.expertretailwitness.com