Displaying items by tag: WEWS

Children in the future will know what it was like to be a Toys ‘R’ Us kid. But it is not just the toy stores that are being affected.

Jonathan Walsh, consumer reporter at WEWS/News 5 in Cleveland, joined the Ray Horner Morning Show to talk about the change in shopping habits. Walsh believes today's consumer is very concerned with convenience shopping, which does not bode well for the traditional brick-and-mortar stores such as Toys ‘R’ Us, Claire’s, and Sam’s Club, which are either closing some or all of their facilities in the near future. He says those stores failed to embrace the online shopping boom, and their downfalls are evident.

Shopping habits are changing across the board, not just in retail. Walsh mentions the trend in “curbside” grocery shopping, where employees of the store pick out items on a list made ahead of time. Even stores like Target and Walmart have introduced groceries into their facilities for the consumer’s convenience.

This week, Northeast Ohio will say goodbye to two familiar faces and voices.

Leon Bibb has been a fixture in Cleveland news for 38 years. A native of the Glenville area, Bibb first joined WKYC-TV after a stint in Columbus. In 1995, he moved down the street to WEWS and has been there ever since. Bibb talked spoke to Tony Mazur about his life and career and the emotions going into his retirement.

In a business where moving from town to town, station to station is par for the course, Lee Jordan has been with News 5 for thirty years. Jordan talked about working on the groundbreaking Morning Exchange program, as well as covering fascinating stories about members of the community.

Both Bibb and Jordan plan to stay active after their final newscasts. Bibb says he's currently putting together a book, and Jordan plans to relax and truly enjoy the seasons in Northeast Ohio.

Remember the days of shopping for clothes at Sears? What about the Blue Light Specials at Kmart? Those days are rapidly becoming a distant memory, thanks to the way retail has changed in the age of the internet.

Jonathan Walsh, consumer reporter at WEWS/News 5 in Cleveland, joined the Ray Horner Morning Show to talk about the near and distant future of retail stores. Walsh says traditional malls and brick-and-morter stores have fallen by the wayside as far as what the customer wants. Young buyers are looking to spend their money on attractions than straight retail.

Because the consumer wants to spend their dollars on entertainment in addition to retail, Walsh believes destination shopping centers such as Crocker Park and Legacy Village are still doing fine.

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