Tag Archives: Tampa Bay Times

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What will fill the mall of the future? Probably not more department stores

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When the Maas Bros. department store chain went defunct in 1991, Burdines was there to replace it. In 2004, Burdines was wiped away as stores were converted to bear the Macy’s name.

But when the time comes, what will replace Macy’s? Probably not another department store.

Department store chains have defined the way Americans have shopped in traditional malls for decades. But in recent years, those household name brands have reported significant sales losses year over year, and they are shuttering stores faster than they’re opening them. Some experts say it’s because department stores are antiquated and they’re failing to keep up with the fickle demands of younger shoppers. Maybe that’s why fewer shopping centers are relying on traditional department stores to be the anchors they need to draw new customers these days.

Read more here.

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Being a driver at Uber or Shipt isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, Tampa workers say

 

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Jeff Loper was one of the original drivers who signed up for Uber when the app launched in Tampa Bay last year.

At first, it was easy to make money driving on the weekends when rates were $1.25 a mile and the number of drivers was relatively small.

But Loper says fares around Tampa Bay are now 90 cents a mile and there are dozens more drivers on the road competing for fares.

“I made $6 an hour last weekend. That’s less than half of what I was making last year,” said Loper, 63.

It’s easy to see why working as a driver for Uber or as a delivery person for Shipt would be a dream job for some people. You’re not stuck in an office. You’re kind of your own boss. You set your own schedule.

Indeed, hundreds if not thousands of people in the Tampa Bay area are working today as independent contractors for ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft or are delivering Publix groceries for Shipt. People who rent out rooms in their house through Airbnb also fall into this category.

But as many of these people are now finding out, there’s peril in becoming an independent contractor.

Read more here.

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Who’s getting paid to renovate Tampa International Airport? Lots of locals

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TAMPA — Tampa International Airport made it a priority to hire local construction firms when it came time to divvy up nearly $1 billion in renovation and expansion jobs.

o far that appears to be paying off.

Of the 293 subcontractors working on projects at the Tampa airport, 274 are local companies or ones with regional offices here. With nearly 9,000 construction jobs expected to be a part of the $953 million project over the next two years, local firms have won primary contracts for most of the $428 million that has been awarded so far.

Construction is nearly a third of the way complete and within budget so far.

Read more here.

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Column: Online shopping now so much more than just Cyber Monday

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Isn’t every day pretty much Cyber Monday nowadays?

A lot of the big retail names, from brick-and-mortar chains like Walmart and Best Buy to online companies like Amazon, offered Black Friday-like specials all weekend long online, starting on Thanksgiving and spanning into what has been traditionally known as “Cyber Monday,” or the Monday following Turkey Day.

With so many options of where to browse and shop on the Internet these days, is Cyber Monday really relevant anymore? This year is the 10th anniversary of Cyber Monday, which was coined by the National Retail Federation to create yet another promotional shopping holiday.

Ten years ago, online shopping wasn’t quite the animal it is now. Amazon can deliver goods to your house in an hour. You pick up groceries curbside at Walmart when you order online at some stores.

“People shop online all year round. Online shopping has become so much more than it was,” said Faith Hope Consolo, chairwoman of the Retail Group for Douglas Elliman Real Estate in New York City. “The lines are so blurred now. Some of the stores are trying to push Cyber Monday into the Sunday before.”

Read more here. 

 

On air appearance with WTSP Ch. 10:

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Theme park industry gazes beyond Orlando to the next mecca

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Step aside, Harry Potter and Mickey Mouse.

Orlando may be the global mecca of amusement parks with mammoth players like Universal Studios and Disney World drawing hundreds of thousands of tourists to the Sunshine State every year, but the giant entertainment companies were hardly mentioned by global theme park industry leaders at an annual industry conference this week.

The future, it seems, isn’t necessarily in Orlando.

A rising middle class in Asia and the Middle East is fueling development of new theme parks overseas. New rides are based on emerging technology, from virtual reality goggles that are synced with the dips and loops of roller coasters to interactive rides where guests use their hands to throw digital snowballs — all of which is hard to do in parks like those in Orlando largely built-out already.

Read more here.