Secrets of the City

We’re doomed!

When Target hurts, we all hurt, baby.

While it’s patriotic to buy Chinese manufactured products from Target, it sounds like they’re going to need to move to Bangladesh. China’s Michael Moore is gonna be pissed.

Ah what?!?! When the economy slows down (or contracts) revenues fall – especially in the retail sector. This happens quite regularly. So when you get out of high school – take a business or economics class and learn something about our economy and the business cycle.

When target fails, I will miss all of its beautiful stores and their architectural significance.

What will happen with the vast field of idyllic pavement? Our cities will be transformed forever!

yoshi needs a hug.

I think your little economics lesson is too simplistic, yoshi (though I’m up for another one just as soon as I finish high school, about four-and-a-half years from now). I don’t think a “slow down” necessarily means an inherent “speed-up” to follow. I honestly believe our economy has changed beyond the previously viable profit margins. I just don’t think we’ll see profit margins that high in the near future. We’re going to have to adjust to pre-1950s profit margins of 3-5 percent, maybe a little more. And, what the hell, 3-5 percent of a billion ain’t too bad.

I vow to buy as many trendy looking notebooks as possible to save Target.

target is merely a slightly-less-offensive and slightly-more-local walmart.

That’s right wayne. Big Business Baadddd!

Oh goodie! My useless stock tips!

*more

I vow to buy as many trendy looking notebooks as possible to save Target.

If you like notebooksthese are great. You can get them at Barnes and Noble.

They’re expensive, but hey, every day you should give yourself a present.

After using a keyboard almost exclusively for the past 25 years, I’ve virtually lost my ability to write with a pen or pencil. Seriously. I can still print some, if I have to. Let this be a lesson to you .

i have one of those!

they are sweet.

you can’t type all the time.

target is merely a slightly-less-offensive and slightly-more-local walmart.

no.

Not sure what can be offensive about a store.

It’s just four walls and some merchandise.

People in smocks.

20-25% profit margins were unrealistic to begin with. That’s just the greed of Wall Street manifesting itself. If shareholders (institutional or otherwise) had more realistic expectations, they wouldn’t be so demanding. Historically, companies do not make double-digit profit margins.

Back in 1999, Broadcast Electronics, a supplier of broadcasting equipment, had a bang-up year … selling, among other things, lots of generators to radio and TV stations in anticipation of a Y2K disaster. We, of course, know nothing of the sort happened. However, when it came time to forecast sales and profits for 2000, the company shareholders still expected the same level of revenue and profits as had occurred in 1999. Completely and totally unrealistic.

Buy a clue, Wall Street. Please.

There just a bunch of greedy bastards that think their profits should double every year like the stockholder bastards that screw up wall street and the economy everyday thinking they need more and more, while sticking it to the normal people who just get stuck paying for more in every way imagionable. Taxes, gas, food you get the idea. When was the last time you had a really decent wage increase at work?? Say 5% or better to actually try to keep up with everyday costs. I bet it’s a long time.

Just to play Devil’s Advocate for a moment — stores like Target and Walmart often improve in questionable economic times because people stop shopping for clothes and other items at more expensive places and start buying bargain goods at discount stores. So Wall Street may well be concerned for good reason in this case.

But yes, Wall Street is populated with greedy bastards who’ve seen an unprecedented rise in margins and gains. And every one of those greedy bastards buggers their secretary whilst pillaging corporations for all the profit they can. They then proceed to rape the horses and ride off into the sunset on the women with the infamous El Guapo at their side.