The Fed just tweeted a brutal chart showing the sorry state of US department stores

It's Black Friday, which means American consumers everywhere are knocking down doors in their efforts to take advantage of what they perceive to be a good deal.

But Black Friday is just one day in a year during which retailers are engaged in intense competition with their peers and the disruptors in the industry.

In particular, brick-and-mortar retailers are in a battle with the online retailers, who are able to offer lower prices thanks to lower overhead costs.

Minutes ago, the St. Louis Fed tweeted this brutal look at the state of the department store business. As you can see, sales have only declined since the early 2000s, which coincided with the advent of online retail.

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