Belmont University

The Next Buggy Whip

Entrepreneur.com predicts ten businesses that will go the way of buggy whip manufacturers:

- Record stores: My students would agree, They have already transitioned our campus-based business that was a record store into a "dorm store"

- Camera film manufacturing: there goes my Instamatic

- Crop dusters

- Gay bars

- Newspapers:Can blogs be next??

- Pay phones: When was the last time you actually saw one?

- Used bookstores: Does that mean that students will also stop reselling my textbooks?

- Piggy banks

- Telemarketing: Yeah, right....

- Coin-operated arcades

Can you think of any you want to add?


Posted by Jeff Cornwall on April 12, 2008 05:14 AM |

Comments

Movie Rental Stores
Camera Stores
Computer Shops, do-it-yourself

Birdied by: Gary S. Hart | April 12, 2008 01:04 PM

I think newspapers will stay, at least I sure don't want to read my computer at the breakfast table, or on the loo! Saying this, we'll be losing our 6-day afternoon paper, The Capital Times [a liberal bastion in Madison] this coming week.

Birdied by: Tom Luker | April 13, 2008 02:05 PM

Record stores - before including this in the prediction, you should stop by Grimey's on a Saturday afternoon. While there, talk to the owners and ask how sales have been over the last few years (fantastic), especially sales of vinyl (way up).

Birdied by: T. D. | April 14, 2008 09:24 AM

Coin-operated laundry... coin-operated anything really. I work part-time at a cafe, and watch student after student put their $1 coffee refills on their debit cards.

Paper is dead, whichever way you slice it, whatever you print on it.

Birdied by: Holly Hoffman | April 15, 2008 10:41 AM

Video Productions Houses...be very aware!
When I see a great commercial on the web or on tv, I am now thinking first of the video menu from Digital Juice. This isn't a plug for them, just a reality check for shops that think all great video comes from great production shops. Stock footage and a little software makes a pro out of a lot of people.

Birdied by: Sherman Mohr | April 15, 2008 12:55 PM

Does anyone here live in NYC? When I lived in AZ, plastic was everywhere, even for a pack of gum, but there are MANY businesses here in the city that only use cash. Used bookstores have gone on-line (abebooks, powells) or in the case of NYC, The Strand still has its 18 miles of books.

And just out of curiosity, why are gay bars going away? I haven't heard that and can't dream up why...

Birdied by: chel o. | April 18, 2008 09:16 AM

Tap it in and Comment, Please

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