You may have noticed that the department store business is going through a giant wave of consolidation these days. Department stores started booming after the Civil War, and they continued to be the shopping location of choice until now. But these days people want less expensive discount stores, and many of the department stores have had to merge or cease operations. Now, Federated Department Stores, which owns Rich’s-Macy’s and Burdines among others, may be merging with May Department Stores. May owns Lord & Taylor, Marshall Field’s and Filene’s. So, all of the stores that used to stand on their own so proudly are now going the way of the Dodo bird. Most stores are probably going to be under the Federated umbrella and only Saks and Nordstrom will be left to compete for business. But for consumers this is good news. There are so many retail options out there that these stores have to constantly compete for our business. Malls are even more at risk than department stores because people just don’t go there anymore. People prefer to shop at outdoor “lifestyle centers” than at enclosed malls, which cost much more to maintain and operate. So, take your pick of where to shop because you can’t lose.