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Brookstone is going out of business, all mall stores closing

American Eskimo

American Eskimo

Banned
Jan 18, 2018
2,625
THIS IS HORRIBLE. Their massage chairs are the best part of going to the mall. Without them, what's the point of going?

Brookstone announced its plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and hopes to find a buyer for certain parts of the chain, which is known for selling unique gifts and tech gadgets at its stores.

The company said in a press release Thursday it's already started the process of shuttering its remaining 101 mall stores across the U.S. Brookstone cast blame on a "continued deterioration of traditional mall traffic."

...

"The decision to close our mall stores was difficult, but ultimately provides an opportunity to maintain our well-respected brand and award-winning products while operating with a smaller physical footprint," Brookstone CEO Piau Phang Foo said in a statement.

The company said it will continue to operate its airport, e-commerce and wholesale businesses — these units are what it hopes to sell. Brookstone currently has 35 locations in airports across the U.S.

This is the second time the retailer finds itself in this situation. In 2014, Brookstone filed for bankruptcy protection and was later sold to a Chinese business that kept most of its more than 200 locations running at the time.
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https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/02/brookstone-files-for-bankruptcy-to-shutter-100-stores-in-malls.html
 
Quinton

Quinton

Specialist at TheGamer / Reviewer at RPG Site
Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,253
Midgar, With Love
You're right, OP. There is now officially no reason to go to the mall.

Some will claim to attend malls for shopping purposes, but we call those miscreants liars and thieves.
 
PanzerKraken

PanzerKraken

Member
Nov 1, 2017
14,981
No one ever buys anything at Brookstones, people just go in to play with the gadgets and giggle at the massager wands.
 
marrec

marrec

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
6,775
YES I was worried about the airport stores.

Where else will I go in Airports to tell the salesperson "oh, I'm just looking"
 
NealMcCauley

NealMcCauley

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,498
My favorite Brookstone memory was watching Helms Deep in Two Towers on a crappy 5.1 system. Even then it was enough to get me interested in surround sound. A few months later I had my first htib system.

So uh, thanks Brookstone.
 

Deleted member 1086

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,796
Boise Area, Idaho
eh. pretty sure this was the place i bought a neat little flashlight from that died within days. sucks more people are losing their jobs, but i wasn't impressed with the store.
 
djplaeskool

djplaeskool

Member
Oct 26, 2017
19,732
RIP bogarting free massage chair sessions

Seriously though, I don't think I'm alone in stating that I've been in Brookstone tons of time and I've never actually bought anything there.
 

Deleted member 32374

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 10, 2017
8,460
Its a miracle they lasted so long.

Last time I was in a brookstone I got chased out for playing with the toy helicopter and crashing it. This was like 2013 or something lol.
 
Vlaphor

Vlaphor

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,202
Topeka, KS
I just realized that I've never actually bought anything in a Brookstone. I've been in several and played with their toys and sat in their massage chair, but never actually bought anything. Everything there was just too expensive.
 
OP
OP
American Eskimo

American Eskimo

Banned
Jan 18, 2018
2,625
Torpedo Vegas said:
I've not heard of this place, or been to the mall in 15-20 years. What would be their 80's or 90's mall equivalent?
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spookyduzt

spookyduzt

Drive-In Mutant
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
10,836
I bought my girlfriend a pillow from there that she wouldn't stop raving about as an anniversary gift. She used it once.
 
WaffleTaco

WaffleTaco

Community Resettler
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
2,908
I bought a really nice blanket from them a couple years ago. I was always wondering how they stayed in business though.
 
Shedinja

Shedinja

Member
Nov 30, 2017
1,815
Whenever I went in a Brookstone, it looked like all they had was the type of thing you'd see priced at "free + shipping" at Wish or some other Chinese site.
 
hydruxo

hydruxo

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,409
That sucks, but also totally unsurprising. It's one of those stores you walk around in and look at the cool stuff then leave.
 
Baron Von Beans

Baron Von Beans

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,176
I worked at a Brookstone for a couple years. Decent place to work. Once a year we got like a 70% discount on Tempurpedic Matresses. I never took advantage, but I know people that did.

While working there, we got juggling kits in. I never knew how to juggle before, but being slow af in the mall during the weekday 9-5, I had a lot of downtime. Taught myself how, and then once I knew how to I always had them with me. I was demonstrating the product while having fun and still learning more about juggling. It was great. I sold so many of them kits.
 
Hecht

Hecht

Too damn tired
Administrator
Oct 24, 2017
9,731
Mostly a bunch of overpriced crap that I can't imagine people really spending a lot in. That said I do remember finding a really comfortable pair of earbuds in one like...10 years ago.
 
HStallion

HStallion

Member
Oct 25, 2017
62,261
I'm surprised it took this long. I was never sure how Brookstone's stayed in business even a decade ago since I never saw anyone actually buy anything in there. At most people would come in, wander around looking at all the overpriced one note gadgets then leave. Maybe they'd sit in one of the massage chairs for a few minutes but that was about it.
 
Skunk

Skunk

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,065
Ah yes, Brookstone... the store filled with nothing but shit you might want, and abso-fucking-lutely nothing you need.
 
StarStorm

StarStorm

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
7,594
I would check out their store, sit in a massage chair and maybe look at a few gadgets and then leave. Haven't bought a thing from Brookstone.
 
ahoyhoy

ahoyhoy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,319
If I had a mansion I'd fill it with Brookstone crap. A bunch of gadgets that all serve one hyper specific purpose and aren't worth the cost or hassle of storing.
 

mrmoose

Member
Nov 13, 2017
21,162
So there are no toy stores, no overpriced cool gadget stores, and no bookstores left in most malls. I guess it's good that guys have smartphones to waste time with now while they wait for their SO to finish shopping.
 
Danthrax

Danthrax

Resettlement Advisor
Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,467
Northeast Ohio
I actually bought a massage wand from Brookstone for my girlfriend for Christmas one time. She loved it ... until the mechanism inside broke just more than two years later. It had a two-year warranty.

Never bought anything from them after that.
 
SoleSurvivor

SoleSurvivor

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,016
Would still love that Mallrats sequel that was promised a few years back. Having aging gen-xers complain about how millennials have killed malls and everything else would be fantastic. I picture them looking around and lamenting all the people who made the effort to go to the mall and are all on their phones not interacting with each other or even the merchandise in the stores.
 
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