Lions and Tigers and... Orange Juice?

It seems to be another example of art imitating life—or is it the other way around?

After 146 years, the curtain is coming down for the last time on the “Greatest Show on Earth” and therein lies the cautionary tale for all you circus lovers and retailers out there.

 Feld Entertainment, owner of the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus, just couldn’t tame a lion’s share of problems and decided it was time to give up. Certainly, the organization’s 36-year battle with PETA and other animal rights groups was a big part of it.

Basically, I’m on the side of the animals. But for all the daredevil acts and the sheer scale of the spectacle, there was nothing more thrilling when I was a kid than seeing the elephants, the big cats and horses prancing in the center ring. It was a uniquely American art form that far outshone anything PT Barnum could have imagined.

It also outlived its own format. High operating costs, the advent of the Internet, video games, changing consumer tastes and a general lack of savvy merchandising, finally did the show in. The circus just couldn’t keep up and come up with a new model that was relevant and interesting for today’s customers. Sound familiar?

Most in the retail business are making every effort to change with the times. Not  a day goes by without seeing or hearing about a new twist whether it’s in the supermarket industry or elsewhere. But there are those who cling to the old ways thinking customers will eventually come around.

Time for everyone in the business to address the elephant in the room—and no clowning around!