Social media weighs in on some companies that have overcome the odds to stay in business
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It's no secret that many Aussie businesses are struggling to stay afloat at the moment.
With the economy still in recovery mode from the devastating effects of the global pandemic, many businesses have been forced to close down.
But while there are still plenty of businesses struggling, there are also some that have managed to weather the storm and are still going strong.
One Reddit user has taken to social media to ask Aussies which companies have surprised them by managing to keep their doors open despite the challenging times.
"For me, it has to be a mix-up between David Jones, Red Rooster, and EB Games," the user wrote.
The user also noted that some of these companies experienced hardships even before the pandemic impacted businesses across the globe.
A number of businesses have ceased operations due to the economic impacts brought on by the pandemic. Credit: stock.adobe.com.
So how have they done it?
For David Jones, it seems that their loyalty program and online presence have kept them going. Despite many of their physical stores being empty, customers are still shopping with them online and taking advantage of their loyalty points.
Red Rooster has also managed to stay afloat thanks to its strong online presence. Customers can order their meals online and have them delivered, which has kept the business going during lockdowns and other restrictions. In fact, fans of the restaurant have taken to the comments section to point out that the fast food chain never lost its popularity.
One comment read: "As a West Australian the “no one goes to Red Rooster” notion always confuses me. I sat in line at one for 10 minutes just this week."
"The Red Rooster near me is always pretty busy to be fair. In my opinion, their fried chicken is better than KFC as well," another added.
Others expressed similar sentiments for the restaurant, saying that most people underestimate its menu offering.
One person wrote: "I'll die on this hill but Red Rooster is criminally underrated. They've also taken on some rebranding in the last year or so and are now stepping into the fried chicken scene, and tbh, their fried chicken absolutely slaps. At least at my local RR."
Despite the fact that the Reddit user named Red Rooster as one of the businesses that surprised him was still in operation, fans of the restaurant pointed out that it never lost its popularity. Credit: Red Rooster.
Meanwhile, EB Games has been able to stay in business due to their diversification into selling merchandising and Pop Vinyl figures. This has helped them offset the decline in sales of physical computer games.
One former employee shared: "Used to work at EB 10 years ago. 50% of their profit is from the markup on pre-owned games, 50% is on merch like the Pop figurines. I was working there when pops first came out."
"There were like 5 in every store and they were a novelty, but for some reason, people go on a frenzy for them and would just buy them all."
"So it makes sense they're now like 50% of the floor space. Credit where it's due, EB has done a really good job at diversification as it saw the physical games retail space start to dry up."
Other users also shared some of the businesses they know that "miraculously" have stayed in business despite the challenging times.
One user commented on a homeware store called ‘House’ that has been having a "closing down" sale for years. The store has been through a few iterations of closings and reopenings, and it's surprising that it's still in business.
"It closed during lockdowns (NSW) and whenever restrictions eased up it reopened again for a "closing down" sale," the user wrote.
Another added: "Every single House store I've ever seen always has these big 80% off, closing down posters everywhere, yet they haven't closed down."
David Jones managed to stay in business by focusing its operation online rather than selling items in physical stores. Credit: Insideretail.com.au.
Another user mentioned Sanity, a gift store that has been around for a while but doesn't seem to be doing too well. However, there are still a few loyal customers keeping the store afloat.
Muffin Break was also mentioned as a business that is hanging on by a thread. It seems that the older generation is keeping these stores alive, as they are some of the only customers that are still frequenting them.
Others said that Howard storage has been struggling to cope with the rising costs as most shoppers can find cheaper alternatives to their products elsewhere. However, the company has "enough patronage" to keep the business going.
Finally, Godfrey's was mentioned as a store that is difficult to deal with. The sales pitch is so aggressive that customers often just walk out.
One person shared: "Went in to one like 5 years ago to see if they had a particular vacuum in stock and what was the best price they could do for me."
"Salesmen went hard trying to sell me on something completely different. Could barely get a word in. We just walked out halfway through the sale pitch where they put lint on the ground."
However, others pointed out that the vacuums that Godfrey's retails are among the best on the market, hence the reason why they have enough customers to keep them afloat.
It's always interesting to see which businesses are able to stay afloat and which ones are struggling. In an ever-changing market, it's the businesses that are able to adapt that tend to do the best.
How about you? Do you know any establishments that appeared to be struggling during (or even before) the pandemic that have surprised you and managed to survive? Share them with us in the comments below!
With the economy still in recovery mode from the devastating effects of the global pandemic, many businesses have been forced to close down.
But while there are still plenty of businesses struggling, there are also some that have managed to weather the storm and are still going strong.
One Reddit user has taken to social media to ask Aussies which companies have surprised them by managing to keep their doors open despite the challenging times.
"For me, it has to be a mix-up between David Jones, Red Rooster, and EB Games," the user wrote.
The user also noted that some of these companies experienced hardships even before the pandemic impacted businesses across the globe.
A number of businesses have ceased operations due to the economic impacts brought on by the pandemic. Credit: stock.adobe.com.
So how have they done it?
For David Jones, it seems that their loyalty program and online presence have kept them going. Despite many of their physical stores being empty, customers are still shopping with them online and taking advantage of their loyalty points.
Red Rooster has also managed to stay afloat thanks to its strong online presence. Customers can order their meals online and have them delivered, which has kept the business going during lockdowns and other restrictions. In fact, fans of the restaurant have taken to the comments section to point out that the fast food chain never lost its popularity.
One comment read: "As a West Australian the “no one goes to Red Rooster” notion always confuses me. I sat in line at one for 10 minutes just this week."
"The Red Rooster near me is always pretty busy to be fair. In my opinion, their fried chicken is better than KFC as well," another added.
Others expressed similar sentiments for the restaurant, saying that most people underestimate its menu offering.
One person wrote: "I'll die on this hill but Red Rooster is criminally underrated. They've also taken on some rebranding in the last year or so and are now stepping into the fried chicken scene, and tbh, their fried chicken absolutely slaps. At least at my local RR."
Despite the fact that the Reddit user named Red Rooster as one of the businesses that surprised him was still in operation, fans of the restaurant pointed out that it never lost its popularity. Credit: Red Rooster.
Meanwhile, EB Games has been able to stay in business due to their diversification into selling merchandising and Pop Vinyl figures. This has helped them offset the decline in sales of physical computer games.
One former employee shared: "Used to work at EB 10 years ago. 50% of their profit is from the markup on pre-owned games, 50% is on merch like the Pop figurines. I was working there when pops first came out."
"There were like 5 in every store and they were a novelty, but for some reason, people go on a frenzy for them and would just buy them all."
"So it makes sense they're now like 50% of the floor space. Credit where it's due, EB has done a really good job at diversification as it saw the physical games retail space start to dry up."
Other users also shared some of the businesses they know that "miraculously" have stayed in business despite the challenging times.
One user commented on a homeware store called ‘House’ that has been having a "closing down" sale for years. The store has been through a few iterations of closings and reopenings, and it's surprising that it's still in business.
"It closed during lockdowns (NSW) and whenever restrictions eased up it reopened again for a "closing down" sale," the user wrote.
Another added: "Every single House store I've ever seen always has these big 80% off, closing down posters everywhere, yet they haven't closed down."
David Jones managed to stay in business by focusing its operation online rather than selling items in physical stores. Credit: Insideretail.com.au.
Another user mentioned Sanity, a gift store that has been around for a while but doesn't seem to be doing too well. However, there are still a few loyal customers keeping the store afloat.
Muffin Break was also mentioned as a business that is hanging on by a thread. It seems that the older generation is keeping these stores alive, as they are some of the only customers that are still frequenting them.
Others said that Howard storage has been struggling to cope with the rising costs as most shoppers can find cheaper alternatives to their products elsewhere. However, the company has "enough patronage" to keep the business going.
Finally, Godfrey's was mentioned as a store that is difficult to deal with. The sales pitch is so aggressive that customers often just walk out.
One person shared: "Went in to one like 5 years ago to see if they had a particular vacuum in stock and what was the best price they could do for me."
"Salesmen went hard trying to sell me on something completely different. Could barely get a word in. We just walked out halfway through the sale pitch where they put lint on the ground."
However, others pointed out that the vacuums that Godfrey's retails are among the best on the market, hence the reason why they have enough customers to keep them afloat.
It's always interesting to see which businesses are able to stay afloat and which ones are struggling. In an ever-changing market, it's the businesses that are able to adapt that tend to do the best.
How about you? Do you know any establishments that appeared to be struggling during (or even before) the pandemic that have surprised you and managed to survive? Share them with us in the comments below!
