Adieu to Reynolds

Another smaller retail store bites the dust, wiped out by the big chains. News that the Reynolds department stores are closing is sad news for those of us with fond memories of the upscale store in your home town. Growing up in Perth Amboy, that store was Reynolds. It was clearly a step above its competitors on Smith Street in the pre-suburban mall days when you had to go to Newark or New York to go to a really big department store.

The folks who now own Reynolds concede that "the changing retail landscape made it difficult for us to compete.'' That's a polite way of saying that chains such as Kohl's, Marshalls and T.J. Maxx -- with the buying power to offer lower prices and cut exclusive deals on name brands -- drove Reynolds out. Their last three stores in Wall, Stafford and Brigantine, start going-out-of business sales Thursday.

The public has always wanted to get good value for their shopping dollars, and the national chains thrive by satisfying that wish. But shoppers also appreciate the one-on-one service that the smaller stores and mom-and-pops offered back in the day and is so often missing from the big guys these days. That point shouldn't be lost on the larger chains. It can help them avoid falling victim someday to the changing retail landscape.