Clock is ticking faster for Sears/Kmart
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I'll have to check out the inventory health of the Sears in Mankato, MN, next time I'm there. I picked up bags for a shop vac 2 years ago and wandered through the store a bit; looked fine at that time. Honestly don't know that I've been there since.
Sears was the Amazon.com of its time. Sad but probably inevitable that it will evaporate.
Sears was the Amazon.com of its time. Sad but probably inevitable that it will evaporate.
Will have to visit the Sears store in Greenville before it closes.Read an article on MSN News that suppliers no longer want to provide goods for Sears-Sears is having trouble making payments on their product orders.Good greif-close Sears and K-Mart and be done with it-is all of the suffering for both places necessary?Or---will someone PLEASE FIRE "Eddie"?This idiot should have been sent packing a long time ago.
vacerator
Well-known member
I think Eddie's
job was complete two years ago. Nothing will change, nor is desired to change.
Once companies are past their prime, they are piece mealed off, or milked by top exec's until the final year of operation.
job was complete two years ago. Nothing will change, nor is desired to change.
Once companies are past their prime, they are piece mealed off, or milked by top exec's until the final year of operation.
I am of the opinion that Sears might have been better off without the Kmart merger. I'm sure there would have been struggles but certainly not of this magnitude they are now experiencing.
I'm a young'un though and have heard on several occasions that Sears' decline set in way before the merger. Some people say it started in the 80s.
I can see why Sears is struggling on the online front, which is a crucial part of most any large retailer's business these days. They had the opportunity back in the late 90s to be what Amazon is now, but senior leadership shrugged off the concept of shopping online as a fad that shall pass.
I'm a young'un though and have heard on several occasions that Sears' decline set in way before the merger. Some people say it started in the 80s.
I can see why Sears is struggling on the online front, which is a crucial part of most any large retailer's business these days. They had the opportunity back in the late 90s to be what Amazon is now, but senior leadership shrugged off the concept of shopping online as a fad that shall pass.
Shopped at Sears a couple of weeks ago to buy some clothes on sale. The amount of selection is definitely dwindling. This was at Rolling Oaks Mall in San Antonio. They were pushing their 25% credit cards hard. Seriously, who would sign up for one of those?
They carry the David Taylor line of men's clothes and I do like it.
They carry the David Taylor line of men's clothes and I do like it.
Here in SE Michigan we're in a very slightly stronger market for K-Sears than much of the rest of the country--only this year have they been closing most locations. Sears peaked in about 1972...it's been downhill since then for them. They shut the catalogue in 1992...had a colleague then who was RIFed from them down in Dallas. They had a revival in the 1990s (Softer Side of Sears) but really started the decline 20 years before...the KMart merger didn't do them any favors. They had started a division called Sears Grand which actually had some promise before merging with KMart...KMart got distracted with their diversifications (would have been much better with just Pace and Super KMart (which were actually quite pleasant stores)...
fan-of-fans
Well-known member
Eddie Lampert sounds like a jerk from what I read about him. He won't listen to anyone, it's his way always right... He doesn't even come to the meetings, he does it from his house in FL...
The Kmart merger definitely did not help. I agree things probably weren't great before that, but they certainly have gotten worse after.
Even lately it seems things get worse. I notice Sears no longer have suits. The vacuum bags continue to decline in quality. TV department has lots of empty spaces.
And as mentioned suppliers won't ship items as not sure they will get paid.
The Kmart merger definitely did not help. I agree things probably weren't great before that, but they certainly have gotten worse after.
Even lately it seems things get worse. I notice Sears no longer have suits. The vacuum bags continue to decline in quality. TV department has lots of empty spaces.
And as mentioned suppliers won't ship items as not sure they will get paid.
This is too bad. When I went shopping for a socket set a few years back, Sears Craftsman sets had plenty of 6 point sockets, so I got them. I've never had luck with the 12 point sockets, and the Kobalt sets are full of those. I've always preferred Craftsman hand tools.
vacerator
Well-known member
Six point sockets
are better than 12 point. Craftsman always had both, and the 6 point costed more.
I think 12 points maybe could get at rusty or odd bolts.
are better than 12 point. Craftsman always had both, and the 6 point costed more.
I think 12 points maybe could get at rusty or odd bolts.
cornutt
Well-known member
The Sears here closed in February. (The mall it was in is being torn down.) The newspaper mentioned that this is the first time in about 75 years that there has not been a Sears in town somewhere. JC Penny was in the same mall and it is also now gone from town, for the first time in a very long time.
Saw somewhere in a press release quite a while ago that they were aiming for 600-700 stores in core markets to serve as hubs for online orders. I'm sure that was planned well in advance. I wouldn't be surprised if nearly all Kmart stores are closed first.
The top store in our market is loaded to the helm with merchandise so it might be a good indicator of what stores they plan on keeping (and ours still has plenty of suits). They also repainted several sections and got more up to date fixtures for small appliances.
As far as thin TV department don't forget they downsized electronics and this is the time of year TVs are cleared out for new models too following CES, it's nothing unusual usually when I upgrade TVs I do somaround this time of year.
You can probably infer a lot already based on your local economy and store location.
The stores I've been in that they closed were stocked to the bare minimum, so instead of say a peg loaded with socket wrenches they maybe had one or two, or maybe one or two tool sets instead of a complete shelf full.
One had virtually no merchandise at all and it appeared as though they were just using it as a delivery hub for local appliance orders until it closed, nearly a third of the floor space was all appliances tagged for delivery.
The top store in our market is loaded to the helm with merchandise so it might be a good indicator of what stores they plan on keeping (and ours still has plenty of suits). They also repainted several sections and got more up to date fixtures for small appliances.
As far as thin TV department don't forget they downsized electronics and this is the time of year TVs are cleared out for new models too following CES, it's nothing unusual usually when I upgrade TVs I do somaround this time of year.
You can probably infer a lot already based on your local economy and store location.
The stores I've been in that they closed were stocked to the bare minimum, so instead of say a peg loaded with socket wrenches they maybe had one or two, or maybe one or two tool sets instead of a complete shelf full.
One had virtually no merchandise at all and it appeared as though they were just using it as a delivery hub for local appliance orders until it closed, nearly a third of the floor space was all appliances tagged for delivery.
this is a very serious paradigm shift
Sears, JCPenney, Macy's. All anchor stores that made the indoor shopping mall what it is/was.
Sears, JCPenney, Macy's. All anchor stores that made the indoor shopping mall what it is/was.
fan-of-fans
Well-known member
I went to the mall today and noticed Kmart has banners and signs up that they are having a blowout sale and everything is up to 20% off. No mention of closing, but I would think that's what is going to happen. They were not on the list of spring closures but don't know about summer.
Another weird thing I noticed at Sears was what was a very big vacuum department has been nearly cleared out. All of the upright vacuums of Kenmore and other brands are gone and the shelves have been taken down to bare walls. The only vacuums still on display were Kenmore canisters in the middle and a Shark canister and accessories. There were a few Kenmore uprights in boxes out in the middle of the store but otherwise no uprights. Not sure what is happening there.
The area next to floor care that used to have cleaners and detergents, as well as microwaves has been cleared out and is now home to a dishwasher display, but there aren't any countertops installed on them yet.
Another weird thing I noticed at Sears was what was a very big vacuum department has been nearly cleared out. All of the upright vacuums of Kenmore and other brands are gone and the shelves have been taken down to bare walls. The only vacuums still on display were Kenmore canisters in the middle and a Shark canister and accessories. There were a few Kenmore uprights in boxes out in the middle of the store but otherwise no uprights. Not sure what is happening there.
The area next to floor care that used to have cleaners and detergents, as well as microwaves has been cleared out and is now home to a dishwasher display, but there aren't any countertops installed on them yet.
