April 10th the FOR LEASE sign goes up on the Ultimate Electronics building in Tigard. The entire industry is upside down in debt and soft sales and that includes the leading giant "Best Buy". Nobody can win at this low margin & high overhead game. We could see the small mom & pop electronics store return to the scene or it will be 100% on line. Another sad commentary for retail. Mark Wattles did not have the big bucks behind Ultimate Electronics, it was HP who wanted their products placed in key spots throughout the store. Will the human factor be totally lost? Think about what categories have been murdered by the faceless web. Newspapers, Travel Agents, Book Shops, Music Shops, Electronics, Video Stores and the list goes on & on. Sad state of affairs in this new world.
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