INCREDIBLE

OFFER!

$200 Bonus + Up to 5% Cash Back

Earn a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

Plus, enjoy 0% intro APR for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers (then 18.24% - 27.74% Variable APR).

APPLY NOW

Member FDIC

7 Retail Stores That Just Aren't Worth It Anymore

These stores are declining, and nostalgia has left the building.

By Amanda Machado , Edited by Calista Headrick

Updated June 30, 2026

Add Us On Google

Classic Gen X movies portray shopping and hanging out in malls as the peak, primetime activity for American teens, but walking into a mall now leaves younger generations wondering "why?"

In 2025, more than 8,000 chain retail stores closed, and those that remain are under pressure from Amazon, Walmart, and other discount stores. Many nostalgic retail chains have cut quality, raised prices, or let the in-store shopping experience slide in favor of an increasingly frustrating digital shopping landscape that even the best cash back credit cards can't help.

Take a look at the long-standing retail chains that are still operating but have meaningfully declined in value, quality, or customer service.

Sears

The iconic retail company known for its mail-order shopping catalog had a good, long run that began in the 1800s, but it's time to read the remaining five stores, whatever is the company equivalent of last rites.

The Sears empire was built on the core concept of bringing accessibility and affordability to the rural masses, but that has left them aimless since the internet arrived. The twentieth century gave a brief hope that the lucrative real estate holdings would be converted into mixed-use developments. However, that dream never materialized.

A Reddit post asked Sears staff when they knew it was the end of the company, and one former employee said: "They had us take out half the lights in the store to save on electricity. That was when I realized".

Shopping for cheaper auto insurance? Enter your zip code here to get started.

Target

It used to be lovingly called "Tar-jay," but that was the old Target, where middle-income Americans went for affordable prices on quality goods, but now it's just a red Walmart.

In April, the company gathered store directors from across the country to focus on improving customer service, which had slipped significantly since the pandemic. CEO Michael Fiddelke acknowledged that the product assortment and shopping experience are focuses for their improvement plan.

Macy's

A Macy's shopper asked Redditors what the department store was like in its prime, because the current experience is like a ghost town of what it once was.

"Macy's was something else," explained u/myredshoestories, "Lots of interesting departments — book departments where authors did signings and readings, candy departments, unique restaurants, special events, personal appearances, fancy grocery and specialty food items in departments like "The Cellar", some had beauty salons, plus innovative merchandise displays, insane holiday times, well trained and professionally attired staff, great buyers who had vision for their departments and stores — not some homogenized, one size fits all mandate."

Macy's currently has 437 remaining locations, and none of them offer the all-day spectacle of wonder the older generations of shoppers got to enjoy.

Goodwill

The prominent second-hand thrift store is nearly unrecognizable from its humble roots. Goodwill began as a church Reverend collecting unwanted or broken household items from wealthy neighborhoods in a burlap sack.

He would then hire people society deemed "unemployable" to fix and mend the donations, which were distributed to those in need or sold at a very low cost.

These days, many Goodwill locations are just marked up dollar store junk, which is the exact opposite of what their target demographic needs.

Old Navy

Old Navy was launched in the 90s as a poor-man's Gap, offering a warehouse outlet store that sold less expensive versions of the Gap line.

"Today is a far cry from mid-2000s and older Old Navy," says u/anabanana100 on Reddit, "The quality has gone WAY down. Our wages are stagnant, and they're trying to placate us with the illusion that we can still afford things. The reality is that to find equivalent quality, you have to spend a lot more and then you realize how much you're being underpaid."

Kohl's

What used to be an affordable store for family shopping has turned into "a crazy pyramid scheme," according to Reddit u/WomanOfEld, while u/Tree_640 describes the experience as "playing sudoku with Kohl's cash".

Customers think that keeping track of two separate rewards programs while balancing coupons and promotions timing is too much work for mediocre clothes with an inflated base price.

Don't Miss: 9 ways to tackle high grocery costs you won't hear about from your grocery store

Best Buy

"Best Buy went from being the place where you'd feel like you were endlessly dodging employees in every aisle, to a place where when you walk in, it's just like 'may the odds be ever in your favor'," said Reddit u/Have_A_Jelly_Baby.

The electronics retailer seems aware they need to make changes, and this year announced that Jason Bonfig, the company's Chief Customer, Product, and Fulfillment Officer, would succeed Corie Barry as the next Chief Executive Officer for the retail chain.

Bottom line

Retail chains that flourished under a prosperous middle-class consumer base are discovering a financial disconnect that is sending businesses into a panic.

A report by Zipline revealed that executives rate their understanding of store operations a 9.13 out of 10, while store leaders put that assessment at a 5.67. Consumers see this disparity as well, recognizing that C-level decision-makers are out of touch with the daily reality of tackling high grocery costs and rising costs of daily essentials that the rest of us face.

More from FinanceBuzz:

Low spend threshold for its welcome offer
Cell phone protection benefit (subject to a $25 deductible)
Apply Now

Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
$0 annual fee.
No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.

Wells Fargo Active <span class='whitespace-nowrap'>Cash<sup>®</sup></span> Card

5.0

Apply Now

on Wells Fargo's secure website

Read Card Review

Intro Offer

$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months

Annual Fee

Why we like it