Posted originally onJan 2, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
Over 6,481 retailers have closed their doors since the beginning of the new year, according to data from Coresight Research in November, but that figure is expected to reach 7,327, marking a 57.8% increase in closures since 2023.
During the pandemic, closures exceeded openings by 180 stores in 2020, with the gap widening in 2021 to 6,000 retailers. There were 5,919 store openings in 2023, barely easing the burden. While online shopping has nulled the need for many brick and mortars, the types of retailers that experienced the steepest declines are telling.
Nothing at the dollar store costs a dollar. That changed years ago during the pandemic, thanks to tariffs and supply chain issues. Retailers had to mark up these cheap goods to make a meager profit. As a result, Family Dollar shut their door to 677 locations and 99 Cents Only stores shed 371. Big Lots, also known for selling discounted items, has been forced to close 580 locations, although the bankruptcy played a larger role.
Rite Aid also experienced bankruptcy in 2024, closing 408 locations. Pharmacies, in general, took a major hit this past year. Walgreens plans to close 1,200 locations over the next three years and lost 259 locations in 259. CVS closed 586 locations as well. The convenience of picking up items while at the pharmacy does not overshadow the need for a discount. People are not willing to pay more for essentials at the pharmacy when they can receive them for a discounted price elsewhere. The same goes for convenience stores like 7-Eleven which shed 492 locations in 2024 with plans to close another 400 worldwide.
Another major contributing factor is the workforce – people do not want to work low-wage jobs that do not support their cost of living. Enter any pharmacy or low-end store, and you will find a severe shortage of workers. One pharmacy by me that is part of a major chain is only open two days a week because they simply do not have the staff to keep it operating.
There is a reason that retail closures are at their highest level since the pandemic. Americans are spending more on less and their spending habits are shifting from convenience to practicality.
JPosted originally on the CTH on anuary 2, 2025 | Sundance
Despite the FBI saying there are no connections between the New Orleans terrorist attack and the Las Vegas attack at Trump hotel, alarming connections continue to be made by the public between both the New Orleans attack using a truck which killed 15 people, and the Las Vegas attack using a truck that was unsuccessful (except in killing the driver).
NEW ORLEANS – Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old Texas man accused of crashing a truck into New Year’s Day revelers in New Orleans, killing 15 and injuring dozens of people, served in the U.S. Army for 13 years including a deployment to Afghanistan, the Army said. (read more)
LAS VEGAS – According to senior law enforcement sources, 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger was the driver and had several Colorado Springs addresses associated with him. […] “Master Sgt. Matthew Alan Livelsberger enlisted as an 18X and served in the active duty Army from January 2006 to March 2011. Livelsberger then joined the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012, followed by the Army Reserve from July 2012 to December 2012. He entered the active duty Army in December 2012 and was a U.S. Army Special Operations Soldier.” “Additionally, U.S. Army Special Operations Command can confirm Livelsberger was assigned to the command and on approved leave at the time of his death.
According to early media reporting, Matt Livelsberger, aka Matt Berger, was on duty station in Germany and on leave at the time of his death in Las Vegas. His wife was reportedly unaware of his location. After the Tesla Truck Explosion in Las Vegas, officials are saying that they found a Military Identification, Desert Eagle pistol, an SLR B-30 AR Pattern Rifle, an IPhone, and a Smart watch all in Matthew Livelsberger’s name. Also, Livelsberger had sustained one gunshot wound to the head.
From Paul Sperry: “Federal records reveal the anti-Trump ex-wife of suspect who detonated a Cybertruck bomb outside the Trump Hotel in Vegas donated cash to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) around the same time as the Bourbon Street terrorist’s donation to the DCCC.” (link)
Both attacks happened within hours of each other on the same day. Both attacks were carried out by U.S. Army servicemembers. Both Army Vets attended Fort Bragg (Fort Liberty) at the same time. Both attacks used EV trucks (F150 EV and Tesla Cyber Truck). Both trucks were rented with the same app Turo. Both attacks had similar IED explosives as part of the attack. The FBI claim there is no connection.
Coincidentally a U.S Army Soldier was recently arrested [PDF HERE] for hacking the phone data of President Donald Trump:
While the indictment [PDF] doesn’t specify any hacking activity or victims’ names, Cameron John Wagenius, 20, is suspected of being a cybercriminal known as Kiberphant0m, who claimed to have breached at least 15 telecommunications firms including AT&T and Verizon, according to KrebsOnSecurity.
Wagenius is allegedly an associate of Connor Riley Moucka, one of the men accused of compromising multiple organizations’ Snowflake-hosted environments, stealing sensitive customer data housed in the cloud storage service, and then extorting victims for millions of dollars.
Infosec journalist Brian Krebs spoke with Wagenius’ mother, Alicia Roen, who said her son worked on radio signals and network communications at an Army base in South Korea.
[…] On November 6, shortly after Moucka’s arrest, Kiberphant0m bragged on BreachForums about stealing AT&T call logs for President-elect Donald Trump and for Vice President Kamala Harris. The crook threatened to leak all of the call logs unless AT&T contacted either Kiberphant0m or Reddinton, and signed the post “#FREEWAIFU.”
The identity of Reddinton remains unknown.
According to the court documents, on or about November 6, Wagenius did “knowingly and intentionally sell and transfer, and attempt to sell and transfer, confidential phone records information of a covered entity, without prior authorization from the customer to whom such confidential phone records information was obtained fraudulently.”
Wagenius appeared in a Texas court on December 20, and federal prosecutors requested his extradition to Washington state (more)
With Louisiana as the home state of Speaker Mike Johnson, and with the Cyber Truck (Musk) being used to attack a President Trump property, the obvious concern about political attacks in advance of President Trump’s second term are obvious. (Except, apparently, to the FBI)
The fact that U.S. Army personnel are involved, and specifically from Fort Bragg which was the base identified as visited by former assassin Ryan Routh, makes the concerns all the more alarming.
PRESIDENT TRUMP – “Our Country is a disaster, a laughing stock all over the World! This is what happens when you have OPEN BORDERS, with weak, ineffective, and virtually nonexistent leadership. The DOJ, FBI, and Democrat state and local prosecutors have not done their job. They are incompetent and corrupt, having spent all of their waking hours unlawfully attacking their political opponent, ME, rather than focusing on protecting Americans from the outside and inside violent SCUM that has infiltrated all aspects of our government, and our Nation itself. Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen to our Country. The CIA must get involved, NOW, before it is too late. The USA is breaking down – A violent erosion of Safety, National Security, and Democracy is taking place all across our Nation. Only strength and powerful leadership will stop it. See you on January 20th. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” (read more)
PRESIDENT TRUMP – […] “With the Biden “Open Border’s Policy” I said, many times during Rallies, and elsewhere, that Radical Islamic Terrorism, and other forms of violent crime, will become so bad in America that it will become hard to even imagine or believe. That time has come, only worse than ever imagined. Joe Biden is the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA, A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER. What he and his group of Election Interfering “thugs” have done to our Country will not soon be forgotten! MAGA” (LINK)
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