One of the hardest hurdles retailers have had to combat over the past several years has been a shift in consumer taste. 

Changes in taste have always been a fickle part of the retail landscape. 

Related: Iconic retail chain begins going-out-of-business sales

Customers are notoriously picky, and they often prioritize things like price competition over brand name. 

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Some folks will drive an extra 30 minutes just to shop at at Walmart, while others go out of their way to hit the local Target. 

And perhaps no store boasts better loyalty than Costco, where some members drive upwards of an hour or more just to shop there instead of at their local big box competitors. 

But for the most part, shoppers prioritize what they’re paying for above other things, like brand name or convenience. 

“For retailer or brand selection, fair prices were identified as the biggest priority for consumers (58%), up five points from last year,” Progressive Grocer found in a late 2024 report. “High-quality products (45%) and coupons and discounts (41%) were also ID’d as influencing factors for shoppers.”

The inside of a Kohl’s.

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Some retailers struggle to keep up

One of the hardest factors for some legacy retailers to compete with is the rise of online shopping. 

Online shopping allows customers to compare prices across thousands of items nearly instantaneously. 

If, for example, you were looking for a new pair of sneakers, you’d be able to search for the set across multiple websites from the comfort of your home instead of having to go into a store. 

And more likely than not, you’d make your final purchase online, too. Especially if you knew what you were looking for. 

This shift in consumer behavior has been a death knell for some legacy retailers that traditionally operate brick and mortar stores in malls or shopping plazas. 

Kohl’s closing more stores soon

One such retailer that’s had a hard time operating in this new environment is Kohl’s. 

Kohl’s enjoyed a heyday in the early 2000s; its stores weren’t often attached to malls, instead conveniently located closer to suburban neighborhoods where busy parents could pop into a store for back to school clothes or new bedding. 

But as online shopping rose in popularity, the Kohl’s model became outdated. And many competitors simply offered more competitive prices. 

So Kohl’s has said it will close some of the underperforming stores of its nearly 1,500 locations. 

And on Saturday, March 29, 27 stores are expected to shutter permanently across 15 states. 

Those states are:

1. Alabama
2. Arkansas
3. California
4. Colorado
5. Georgia 
6. Idaho
7. Illinois
8. Massachussetts
9. New Jersey
10. Ohio
11. Oregon
12. Pennsylvania
13. Texas
14. Utah
15. Virginia

Kohl’s maintains these stores are “underperforming,” as it attempts to right the ship.

In Q4 2024, Kohl’s sales were down 9.4% and 7.2% for the year.

It’s also forecasting a 2% net decrease in sales for 2025.

It also recently announced it would lay off approximately 10% of its corporate workforce and stop accepting Amazon returns at some locations.