Final answer:
Shopper's Choice Department Stores should seek short-term financing options like a business line of credit or negotiate with suppliers to resolve their cash flow issues and ensure continued operations.
Step-by-step explanation:
To meet their immediate needs, Shopper's Choice Department Stores should consider short-term financing options to address their cash flow shortages. This could include seeking a business line of credit, a short-term loan, or negotiating payment plans with the suppliers themselves. By doing so, they can ensure continued operations and avoid disruptions in their supply chain. Additionally, implementing better cash flow management practices for the future will prevent similar situations.
The history of department stores and mail-order catalogs, as described, provides insight into the development of national markets and consumer behavior. Department stores like Shopper's Choice are legacies of a retail evolution that began with the advent of fixed pricing, branded products, and marketing that reshaped consumer expectation and access. The strategy for addressing their current payment issues must also consider the changing dynamics of retail and competition with modern e-commerce as a backdrop.