# Giant Economic Collapse this year? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 24, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-economic-collapse-this-year/785108 "2017-04-24T00:19:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-economic-collapse-this-year/785108/21 "2017-04-24T14:55:33Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > The US has much more retail square footage per capita than most other nations. The UK has half the retail space per person as the USA, and it doesn’t seem to be hurting them. I wonder to what extent this just reflects cheaper land costs in the US? ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-economic-collapse-this-year/785108/22 "2017-04-24T18:06:48Z")
I would imagine that as these stores close business picks up at other stores and many of these same employees will find similar work. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-economic-collapse-this-year/785108/23 "2017-04-24T19:20:28Z")
The one thing I see that is bothersome about more brick and mortar stores closing is the loss of sales tax revenue for the states that rely heavily on it. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-economic-collapse-this-year/785108/24 "2017-04-24T19:39:01Z")
Well, honestly, who goes to the store to buy brick & mortar anyway? I just have them delivered, as do all of my friends. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-economic-collapse-this-year/785108/25 "2017-04-24T19:48:33Z")
What if you just want one of each? ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-economic-collapse-this-year/785108/26 "2017-04-24T20:11:26Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I wonder to what extent this just reflects cheaper land costs in the US? National comparisons are often tricky agreed. For example the % of UK and US workforce employed in retail trade is almost the same per link as of a few years ago. Canada’s was higher, while its retail space per capita is lower than UK’s. Some European countries also have a somewhat lower % of workforce in retail than US but the US doesn’t stand out by that measure. And immediately when the theory of ‘Giant Economic Collapse’ was mooted related to retail, people seemed to be talking about employment with sq ft of store space per capita as some proxy, but it’s not particularly. The chance you’d be able to predict a turn in the economic cycle or markets, with useful accuracy including the timing, based on simple stats anybody else can read…I’m always fascinated most by what the mindset and life experience might be of people who believe that’s possible, since it’s so completely removed from reality in my own experience. [http://www.euromonitor.com/medialibrary/PDF/Book\_WRDAS\_Ed70.pdf](http://www.euromonitor.com/medialibrary/PDF/Book_WRDAS_Ed70.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-economic-collapse-this-year/785108/27 "2017-04-24T21:55:18Z")
If the Republicans insist on following a proven failure of an economic plan (supply-side economics; see Reagan/Bush and Bush 2) by giving enormous tax cuts to the wealthy, then yes, we are headed for another economic downturn (see Brownback’s “real live experiment” in Kansas which prompted a fiscal meltdown). ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-economic-collapse-this-year/785108/28 "2017-04-24T22:06:53Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Well, honestly, who goes to the store to buy brick & mortar anyway? I just have them delivered, as do all of my friends. Ironically, the only time people go to a brick and mortar store is when they need to buy stuff like bricks and mortar. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-economic-collapse-this-year/785108/29 "2017-04-24T23:19:41Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Ironically, the only time people go to a brick and mortar store is when they need to buy stuff like bricks and mortar. So it’s a brick and mortar joint? How striking. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-economic-collapse-this-year/785108.md?page=1)