Some brick-and-mortar chains expand amid way of closures

Amid the closure of brick-and-mortar retailers like Toys ‘R’ Us and Dress Barn, others are expanding. Surprisingly enough, discount stores like Five Below–where everything is really below $5–and the discount grocer Aldi are adding stores this year. So are TJ Maxx, Party City, and Dollar General.

What factors make or break a brick-and-mortar store? A new report in Forbes magazine says online shopping is indeed killing off big-box retailers–but not for the reasons you might think. It’s not just lower prices, but unpleasant shopping experiences in stores, that drives people to shop online instead.

According to Forbes, a study commissioned by ServiceChannel found that 70 percent of shoppers said they recently had experience with a cluttered or dirty retail store. Two-thirds said they had left a store because of its less-than-appealing conditions. Complaints ranged from dirty bathrooms to disorganized shelves.

“Four out of five shoppers said they would rather have a clean store than ones with the newest tech, and two-thirds said retailers are forgetting the basics—like clean floors and well-stocked shelves—in the rush to add tech,” Forbes reported.

While online retailers like Amazon are gaining ground, the majority of shopping is still done in-person, the study found. The future of brick-and-mortar businesses could depend largely on how pleasant the shopping experience feels.