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Connections

Connections: Can brick-and-mortar stores survive in the age of Amazon?

The retail giant Toys “R” Us has filed for bankruptcy and is closing its stores across the nation. The move is leaving more than 30,000 employees out of jobs, health insurance, and severance pay. It’s the latest retail chain owned by private equity firms to close its doors. Companies taken over by these firms are often shouldered with the firms’ high debt loads, pushing struggling companies to a faster decline. Progressive groups say the pattern is a reminder of the human cost on working class people, and the cycle needs to stop. But others say private equity firms do bring value to some companies.

Toys “R” Us closing its doors also raises another question: can brick-and-mortar retailers survive and thrive in the age of Amazon? Our guests weigh in on the economics:

Connections
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.

Connections with Evan Dawson

Connections is our daily, live talk show. It airs live weekdays, noon-2 p.m., and re-airs at 9 and 10 p.m. You can also find us wherever you find your podcasts.

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