10 Businesses Facing Extinction in 10 Years
Previous-
Gene J. Puskar, AP
Going, Going and Gone By 2017
Determining which industries aren't long for this world may seem easy enough. But some types of businesses, such as telemarketing, are surprisingly hard to kill. And then again, other industries, probably the ones you're sad to see go, can't find a way to survive.
Start setting up your office pool, because here are picks for 10 businesses facing extinction in 10 years.
Next: Record StoresMore From Entrepreneur.com:
-
Getty Images
Record stores: Record stores are closing in, well, record numbers. Tower Records shut down all 89 stores last year after concluding it couldn't withstand the onslaught of online music stores and chains like Wal-Mart, which can offer lower prices and sell other items to offset the smaller number of CDs being sold.
Odds of survival in 10 years: Great, if you consider Wal-Mart a record store.
Next: Camera Film ManufacturingMore From Entrepreneur.com:
-
AP
Camera Film Manufacturing: From May 2006 to May 2007, the volume of prints made from digital cameras grew by 34 percent. Film camera sales fell by 49 percent, while digital cameras sales continued to grow -- by 5 percent. Of American Internet users, 70 percent own a digital camera.
Odds of Survival in 10 Years: Some entrepreneurs who specialize in making camera film for amateur photographers could possibly make a living.
Next: Crop DustersMore From Entrepreneur.com:
-
Sally Ryan, The Naperville Sun / AP
Crop Dusters: The number of crop dusters is dwindling, and the profession can be dangerous. Just several weeks ago, an Arkansas crop dusting company was ordered to stop flying in Iowa after spraying farm workers with a fungicide.
Odds of Survival in 10 Years: Farmers say that they'll always need crop dusters. But commercial airlines are increasingly taking business away from the small, independent crop dusters.
Next: Gay BarsMore From Entrepreneur.com:
-
Getty RF
Gay Bars: Around the country gay bars have been going out of business as gay men and women have been gaining greater acceptance in society. What used to be a hangout for people who felt unwelcome elsewhere is becoming less necessary.
Odds of Survival in 10 Years: As with many industries, the very best of them will endure; the rest won't.
Next: NewspapersMore From Entrepreneur.com:
-
Photodisc
Newspapers: The numbers have been falling precipitously since the 1990s when the Internet came on the scene. In the past year, the Audit Bureau of Circulations twice has posted drops averaging 2.1 and 2.8 percent over six-month periods. Newsrooms across the country have been hemorrhaging staff.
Odds of Survival in 10 Years: They won't disappear; they'll be on the Internet.
Next: Pay PhonesMore From Entrepreneur.com:
-
Seth Wenig, AP
Pay Phones: In 1997, there were more than 2 million pay phones in the U.S.; now there are approximately half as many. There are probably always going to be certain places like airports and hotels that offer pay phones, as long as there are people who don't own or can't afford cell phones.
Odds of Survival in 10 Years: They'll be around, but won't be anything to call home about.
Next: Used BookstoresMore From Entrepreneur.com:
-
Tim Boyle, Getty Images
Used Bookstores: Those that are still open are relying on what's making them obsolete: the Internet. A used bookstore used to be the place to find that beloved, out-of-print children's book you used to read 17 times a day. Now just type that title in a search engine and order it within minutes.
Odds of Survival in 10 Years: Some of them will still be eking out an existence, but the handwriting is on the wall.
Next: Piggy BanksMore From Entrepreneur.com:
-
Artville
Piggy Banks: You may chuckle, but as we continue gravitating toward a paperless society, it's not difficult to imagine a day when piggy banks no longer exist.
Odds of Survival in 10 Years: Sure, there will probably still be a few around -- in antique shops.
Next: TelemarketingMore From Entrepreneur.com:
-
jupiterimages RF
Telemarketing: The good news is that the industry may finally be dying; the bad news is that it may take a while. Telemarketing has been hit hard by the national Do-Not Call list that was established five years ago. However, this is set to expire in 2008, unless you remember to register again.
Odds of Survival in 10 Years: They'll be here. Humbled, more impotent, but probably still here.
Next: Coin-Operated ArcadesMore From Entrepreneur.com:
-
Sally Ryan , The Naperville Sun / AP
Coin-Operated Arcades: For those of you who thought arcades were already dead, they still exist -- at movie theaters, miniature golf courses and other touristy spots -- but it seems only a matter of time before they vanish from the landscape. Ten years ago, there were 10,000 arcades in the nation, and now the number is close to 3,000.
Odds of Survival in 10 Years: Game over.
Next: More From Small BusinessMore From Entrepreneur.com:
-
There's something big happening every day on AOL's Money & Finance Channel.
Don't miss another day. Bookmark your favorite Money Web site.
More From Small Business:
Nine Reasons You Should Be Selling on eBay
Young, Rich and Successful
The Best Home Franchises for 2007More From Small Business:
SMALL BUSINESS
- Start a Business
- The Startup 3
- Small Business Marketing
- Business Management
- Small Business
Finance - Business Auto Center
- Business Resources
- Networking
- Mobile
INVESTING
BUSINESS NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE AT WALLETPOP
Unique Business Ideas
Unique business ideas don't just grow on trees. However, they do grow in the fertile imaginations of innovative entrepreneurs. Check out 10 of the most compelling small business ideas.
Small Business Tools
Small Business Coaches
Meet AOL's small business and career coaches! Success experts like Brian Tracy and Tom Peters will help you increase sales, get motivated, and build a better business.