Have large department stores gone beyond their usefulness?

If you were to look up large department stores such as “Boscov's” in the dictionary, it would redirect you to “anomaly.” If it were an answer in Jeopardy, the question would be “What is an uncertainty?” Yet, if it were a spin result on Wheel of Fortune, it would always be “bankrupt.”

Larger department stores similar to Boscov's rest in the middle of many different fates. While their prices, though scattered, are alarmingly low enough to suggest that business is faltering, the towns they are anchored in, such as Binghamton, NY, fight to keep these stores around. In regards to Boscov's, walking into the store is like stepping into a world where the height of 1980's financial elitism meets a dollar store. Some of the items are elegant, well-made and quite expensive, while other items are noticeably cheap. Some items feature prices that confuse due to their low price. Aside from spotting items with faded or discolored tags, many items sell for mere dollars despite the fact that their original price was exponentially higher. Some items originally marked at $40-60 sell for $2.99-9.99.

It's kind of similar to how those who discovered the wreckage of the Titanic or ventured back into the area surrounding Chernobyl felt; in awe of how past decades have been so well preserved. There is an oddly placed candy shop, a station meant for engraving metal and building trophies, and other areas that suggest both the company has been left behind and that the store is disorganized.

Leaving these department stores is oftentimes a confusing process. It's difficult to adapt to new technology, the delights of text messaging and wireless media, and magical laser-based music discs. Stepping back out into present day brings to consciousness the fact that the world has progressed far since the height of Boscov's and other stores similar to it. It's a world that is situated after the closing of many chain stores thanks to the recession, and just after the rise of super companies such as Walmart and Apple. However, after stores fell and the dust settled, what remains are oddly forced stores such as Boscov's that leave onlookers stuck in a state of stupefying, bewildering awe.