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More than 2,500 stores from beloved retail chains are closing for good in the United States in 2025.

The massive list of store closings led one publication to label it a “retail bloodbath.” Business Insider tallied the number of store closures, putting it at around 2,500, and the trend has only continued. Although some of the chains announced the closures earlier in the year, in many cases, the locations are shuttering their doors for good in May or did so in April.

The retailers include Forever 21, Kohl’s, Family Dollar, Walgreens, and Joann Fabrics.

Walgreens is planning to close 450 stores in 2025, part of a massive string of 1,200 closures that it announced in late 2024, according to USA Today.

In February, Joann Fabrics, a popular store with crafters, announced that it was closing all 800-plus stores in 49 states after a bankruptcy auction, The Akron Beacon Journal reported. On March 5, the company disabled purchases on its website as well.

Most of the Joann stores will close in May, according to USA Today.

According to 9News, the last Forever 21 store was expected to close on May 1. That came after a second bankruptcy filing by the clothing company. Altogether, Forever 21 was closing 354 stores nationwide, USA Today reported.

“After careful deliberation, we have made the decision to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code,” a notice placed on Forever 21’s website says. “We are deeply grateful for the support you have shown us over the years, but rising costs and increased competition from abroad have made our current business model unsustainable.”

Kohl’s announced in a January press release that it was closing “27 underperforming stores, by April 2025.” Those closures spanned 15 states.

“While Kohl’s continues to believe in the health and strength of its profitable store base, these specific locations were underperforming stores,” the company wrote.

Family Dollar is closing “1,000 underperforming store locations as leases expire,” according to The Street, as part of a restructuring that split the brand from Dollar Tree.

JCPenney also announced it was closing seven stores, according to The Independent.

However, far from giving up, JCPenney has launched a multi-pronged branding effort to position the company as trendy, AdWeek reported.

Rite-Aid is still closing stores after a massive list of closings since 2023, according to Oregon Live.

According to CapitalOneShopping data, shopping malls across the United States are closing at a fast rate as shoppers turn to online commerce. Online fast-fashion retailers like Shein and Temu have cut into some traditional stores’ profits, CNBC noted.

Related: Beloved Clothing Store Is Closing All 354 Locations in the U.S.

Jill Sobule, the memorable voice behind the 1995 folk-pop hit “I Kissed a Girl,” has died tragically at the age of 66. According to TheWrap, Sobule died in a house fire on Thursday morning in Minneapolis. She was 66 years old.

While Sobule may not exactly be a household name, her 1995 hit was a truly groundbreaking tune. Sung from the perspective of a woman who has kissed another woman for the first time, and clearly enjoyed every second of it, the song is widely considered the first true openly gay song to notch a place in Billboard’s Top 20.

Related: Lead Singer of Famed Rock Band Dead at 66

The lyrics—which include lines like “I kissed a girl for the first time,” “And then I felt your hand above my knee,” and “Kissed a girl won’t change the world, but I’m so glad I kissed a girl!”—may not sound like a particularly wild admission from a woman in 2025, but the world (yes, even the music world) was a much different place 30 years ago.

At the time, the AIDS epidemic was still raging and the military, via Bill Clinton, had recently implemented what came to be known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Even popular culture, which was two years away from Ellen DeGeneres coming out on the fourth season of Ellen and five years away from the first gay kiss between two teenagers on Dawson’s Creek, was not exactly a safe space. Which made Sobule’s upbeat, peppy tune rather daring—with a totally ‘90s music video that featured Fabio as Sobule’s (heterosexual) love interest.

In 2009, after Katy Perry released her own song titled “I Kissed a Girl,” Sobule offered a profanity-laden statement about Perry’s song to The Rumpus, saying: “F**k you Katy Perry, you f***ing stupid, maybe ‘not good for the gays,’ title-thieving, haven’t heard much else, so not quite sure if you’re talented, fucking little sl*t.” She later clarified that the “feud” was all meant in jest, and that she very much welcomed being displaced as America’s “I Kissed a Girl” Girl.

Over the course of her near-40 years career, Sobule—who identified as bisexual—released eight studio albums, four EPs, and one greatest hits album. In 2022, she created an autobiographical musical stage play titled F**k 7th Grade, which earned a 2023 Drama Desk Award and was a New York Times Critic’s Pick.

Sobule was scheduled to perform on Friday night at Denver’s Swallow Hill Music’s Tuft Theater. Instead, TheWrap reports, an informal remembrance will be held for the artist.

“Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture,” said John Porter, the singer-songwriter’s manager, in a press release. “I was having so much fun working with her. I lost a client and a friend today. I hope her music, memory, and legacy continue to live on and inspire others.”

It can be difficult for passengers to keep track of what is and is not allowed in a checked bag and a carry-on bag when flying commercially. Now, after a recent announcement, passengers have another important item to pay attention to.

The TSA and the FAA recently announced a ban on lithium and lithium-ion batteries in checked luggage. 

According to the U.S. Sun, the ban was officially implemented on March 1, 2025, after a power bank caused a fire on an international flight in South Korea.

The FAA and the TSA recently warned passengers that “all lithium-ion batteries are capable of overheating” and undergoing a process called thermal runaway.

“Thermal runaway can occur without warning as a result of various factors, including if the battery is damaged, overheated, exposed to water, overcharged, or improperly packed. Thermal runaway can also occur on its own due to manufacturing defects,” the FAA wrote in its announcement banning lithium batteries in checked luggage.

The ban covers spare lithium metal and spare rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for personal electronics such as cameras, cell phones, laptop computers, tablets, watches, calculators, etc. This also includes external battery chargers that contain a lithium-ion battery.

Passengers may still bring such items on the plane, but they must be in carry-on luggage – not in a checked bag.

“Spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, must be carried in carry-on baggage only. When a carry-on bag is checked at the gate or at planeside, all spare lithium batteries and power banks must be removed from the bag and kept with the passenger in the aircraft cabin. The battery terminals must be protected from short circuit,” the FAA wrote.

As for why passengers may bring lithium batteries in a carry-on bag but not in a checked bag, the answer is simple: flight attendants are trained to recognize and respond to lithium battery fires in the cabin. However, if such a fire occurs in the cargo hold of the aircraft, flight attendants will be unable to put out the fire.