Party City CEO Barry Litwin told corporate employees Friday that the company was “winding down” operations immediately and that today would be their last day of employment, CNN reported
I guess all the former Party Citys can become Spirit Halloweens sometimes?
There is no reason to party in these times.
Parties over.
Fun!? In this economy?
The brand always seemed kind of silly to me. I’m sure the margins are good on their items, but most people will think to go to a retail store instead of a specialized party store. Target and Walmart both sell food and alcohol in my state, so I can stop there and get everything I need for the actual party…
They had a fantastic selection of balloons. You could easily set up gift bags with unusual and fun kitch, They were an absolute mecca for young child birthday parties. Somebody graduating, somebody throwing a baby shower, you can’t really find a lot of the stuff they had there locally and definitely not in the selection they had.
Of course, all their shit is still available because in the end it’s all Chinese trash that you can get from Alibaba or temu for 1/10 of the price, But you can’t just go across town and get it now, you need to plan a few days in advance. Even finding a place that uses real helium to inflate a balloon is getting kind of rare.
It provided jobs and expertise in good times, before the Walmarts and Targets and then Amazons merely offered cheap.
Like so many things, it was better when there were stores for everything that had to charge more but employed more, tended to have better quality, better sourced products, and provided actual service, but the short term pied piper of “get it for $6 instead of $14” fucked us all in the long run, we murdered main street and made our own communities worse to save a buck today. Now the jobs that are left suck more, the prices suck from lack of competition, and we need only look in the mirror to see who enabled their con.
At least in the whole being a society and not a bunch of rugged individuals in a race to hell sense.
Not that party city or any specialized retailer has been a quality source for products or expertise in a long time. From Bed Bath and Beyond to Toys R US, specialized retailers are just zombie chains clinging to a societally better economy and culture that died decades ago, forced to abandon service and quality to limp along for another fiscal year until they cease to exist so Walmart can then jack up the prices for their party supplies now that there’s no competition to kneecap for same day balloons.
I genuinely seek out speciality stores whenever possible. The selection and quality at Target/Walmart is… forgettable.
What kind of savage has a party without balloons?
I got confused and read it like you went to Party City for food and alcohol.
Like damn, all my Party City had was balloons, plastic silverware, and costumes. I mean you can probably get drugs from the stoned kid working there, but not every store.
That’s a bit sad. Guess I’ll need to keep an eye out for closing sales. I swear it’s every months a store is closing nearby.
Sounds like they’re shutting down immediately.
Though I’ll definitely look out for fixture sales.
Just the slow decay of America’s golden era. I wonder what America will eventually look like in 20 years,… Cold War Poland?
Hope they are handing out the same ration sizes. That would fix the obesity problem but cause something else.
Online shopping is gradually usurping traditional, physical shops. But on the flip side, maybe replace the old store locations with affordable housing?
I watched a YouTube video on how they are renovating mall parking spaces and sometimes the upper floor of a mall to be housing. Pretty cool stuff.
Party city is more of a strip mall place. Harder to see that one work out. Maybe a restaurant. Plus I like physical stores. Until we get VR store experience it fun to just go in and see what’s on the self that I wouldn’t think of.
Unless they’re keeping the managers around to run sales, it doesn’t sound like they’ll have the staff for clearance. Maybe you could do a little morally justified looting, though?
When the black on yellow signs go up, the stores are being run by specialized liquidation companies. The same employees that were laid off by PC are probably getting jobs (for a while) from the liquidation company.
If I ever forgot I was on Lemmy…
Happy to be of service!
I mean, who can afford parties any more. Not even joking. None of my friends are buying anything extra for parties. Kids parties as well. Just the essentials.
Idk, what circles you’re moving in, but consumer spending is up markedly, consumer sentiment is up, the economy is strong, and inflation continues to come in at healthy levers month after month for almost a year now.
That’s why companies like Party City are in such good financial situations.
There’s not really a correlation between a healthy consumer economy and a single market actor. Keep trying though, you’ll get it eventually.
Yet not long ago I recall reading that people were spending unbelievable amounts of money on Halloween. Even for their pets! Expensive costumes. You name it. People don’t seem all that wise on these things.
They took all the party money and converted it to halloween money.
“Winding down”?!
Motherfuckers set off a nuke!
Edit: I’d be down for a year-round Spirit-light
Yeah, “winding down” isn’t compatible with “effective immediately”.
“You misunderstood. We’re winding down (gestures to C-suite suits). You are packing your shit and getting the hell out of my store. Release the hounds Smithers.”
When you use corporate lingo (that happens to also be everyday lingo with the exact same definition) but don’t know what it means.
Spirit-light, nothing! Halloween should be a state of mind, not a holiday!
Party City has been circling the drain for a while. All the stuff they were good for has been replaced by dollar stores, spirit Halloween, and Amazon delivery. All they really carry that I can’t get anywhere else in a couple hours/overnight somewhere else is helium/filled mylar balloons. This is just the “time of death” declaration.
vulture capitalism at it’s best. and when I say best I mean the absolute worst.
I coulda sworn this happened like a decade ago. Idr the last time I even noticed a Party City.
Crap. Where will I get single-color M&Ms now?
Amazon unironically
Times Square M&M store. If you don’t live near NYC, well whose fault is that?
There’s one in Vegas too. and it’s not like you need any more reasons to fly to Vegas right?
Man, in my city, the Party City building used to be the 99 cent store about 20 years ago and has been Party City ever since. Now they’re going out of business so what will be the next 20-year-viable business to occupy the space?
Pickleball courts
Poor Sharon Needles, she’ll be homeless now.
“Go back?! I CAN’T, PHEE PHEE!!”
Yeah, $10 for 5 regular ballons seems reasonable. Get fucked Party City.
The price of those balloons includes helium and the labor to fill them. It’s not entirely unreasonable.
Im taking about a package of shitty balloons.
I’m on their site and 15 ct not inflated is only $1.49 before a small discount.
Touchè CEO of Party City. I stand corrected on balloons. The tchotchke single use party bullshit is still overpriced.
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Damn, where will we send Sharon Needles to now?
the party is over
