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the article said even the Kenmore brand is not large enough

WTF? Kenmore is generally more well known and purchased since most Kenmore labled appliances are cheaper than Whirlpool.

Something smells very fishy about this whole deal!!
 
Kenmore is generally more well known

Maybe well known but when people go to Best Buy and see other brands, they could care less. Gone are the days of brand loyalists - Department store sales are a thing of the past - box stores are the way it is today.

Hell, parts of the Sears in Waterloo still looks the same as when it was built in 1969. While I may like it, most of the general buying public sees it as old and dated. Do they really want to buy their flashy new front loaders there?

This is a hypothetical question, of course ;-)

Ben
 
Since Whirlpool has been the soul producer of the kenmore line for almost a century,I seriously doubt that parts will be an issue.Most,if not all,kenmoe parts are interchangeable with Whirlpool either by retooling or rebuilding each unit.The only issues,if any,are the few other manufacturers that make their ranges(Electrolux),specific Refrigerators(L.G.)and vacuum cleaners(Panasonic)standing behind the Sears labled products they make for them.I remember a few years ago when Seras was bought out by Kmart not long after Kmart was able to pull their straps up from a recent "Chapter 11"recoop.I was unbelieving and shocked when the ABC World News spoke about this very questionable purchase.How was KMart able to pull that type of purchase off after their own financial disaster and why did Sears allow such a stupid deal to happen?Don't their higherarchies have any type of backbone to say no? Or was it that Sears screwed Roebuck out of billions of dollars and kicked them out? Karma maybe???What the Hell is happening to our American companies? General Motors, Chrysler,Maytag,all being thrown to the wayside by L.G.,Toyota,Honda,Haire,and Samsung.Thank God that companies like Hamilton Beach,Kohler,and Proctor Silex are still pretty much strong on their own might.
 
I say let's make a bonfire out of stock analysts, and kindle the fire with bundles of Barron's and WSJ's.

By all accounts we're past the worst of this recession. Home sales were up in many parts of the U.S. last month and recent financials have been looking better. If investors have half a brain in their heads they'll wait at least another year (or two) before doing anything drastic.
 
The real estate is worth more than the company

Back in the mid 70's and very early 80's Kenmore appliances were just Beefy in appearance and loaded with features. We had 74 or 75 Kenmores. The D&M diswashers were beautiful by then they had square racks and 3 spray arms(tiny at the top), the portables weighed a ton with the real wood chopping block top. The electric stoves had that nice angled front that kept splatters from getting all over the front of the stove. I still remember one of their microwaves with a mechanical timer that was like a vertical (time line). Not to get off topic, but I did. Sears WAS really great back then. Craftsman the tool, lawn mower line up was great too. Now with mostly Mall stores, i can see the problem, TIME. I think people like the big box stores, shop and go. Sears has tried to long to be all things to all people, and continued to do so, to the point that they still sell everything, but in a mediocre way.
 
Whirlpool Was Never The Sole Producer

Of Kenmore appliances.

My 18" portable Kenmore badged dw is made by Frigidaire for instance.

What Sears usually did was latch onto an appliance maker who had a good product, then ask/purchase a version to be sold under the "Kenmore" brand. Differences are that Kenmore usually made some changes to design and other features to suit their needs. This would explain why when CR rates both Kenmore and the cousin appliance the former usually has better ratings in terms of performance and reliablity.

Kenmore is not just slapped onto an appliance, rather production either shuts down for the cousin appliance, or some other accomodation is made so only the Kenmore version is produced on the line.

As for Sears going down hill, Sears has a large problem in that most if not all it's stores are in malls, and mall traffic has been going down for years now. To be fair, the Best Buy in our area does not sell much in the way of major appliances, but the PC Richards down the street does.

Sears needs to bring themselves to where their customers are by opening stores away from malls. Some of this has already happened with K-Sears stores now carrying some appliances.

As for Internet shopping, the Sears website is a disaster. Slow to load, long hanging times, infested with Java script, many people get that fustrated and are put off. This means a sale lost.
 
Hmm, I saw an article less than 3 montrhs ago saying that for the first time in a number of years, their market share in appliances haed increased against the big box stores and that a couple of the big box stores appliance market share actually decreased.
 
And Another Thing...

...Sears was never the greatest for having enough help, but now that KMart owns them, the KMart mentality has infested the chain to its detriment. I'm talking about being able to pay for your purchase once you've selected something. KMart WILL. NOT. PAY. to have people manning registers, period. At KMart, you have to stand in a very long line at the one - or perhaps on a good day, two - registers open. At Sears, you need to show up with a warrant to flush out what little hired help is left.

It seems to me that taking peoples' money as soon as they make up their minds to spend some would help Sears an awful lot. I cannot tell you how many times checking out has been made such an ordeal that I've told myself, "I don't need it THAT bad," and put something back on the shelf, leaving empty-handed.
 
I'd buy Kenmore appliances if they would bring back the Catalog Stores in small towns. These very small stores would have samples of various large appliances on the floor. You could purchase them or order from the catalog. They would be delivered to the catalog store and you'd pick them up or have them delivered. You had the option of installing the appliances yourself, or having Sears technicians do it for you.

We had a catalog store in our small town (pop. 4500) until Sears shut them all down. They lost a lot of customers for appliances.
 
Up until the late 60's early 70's Whirlpool made all the Sears kenmore Appliances for decades.They(Upton/1900 Corporation) made Kenmore before they made their own.Back during the depresion,Sears befriended Whirlpool and helped them to stay afloat financialy.They have had a deep friendship never since.Whirlpool made Washing machines,dryers,window a/cs,refrigerators,and freezers.DM made the dishwashers,GE made the electric ranges and Roper made the gas ranges (prior to the take over by Whirlpool).At that time,Whirlpool did not make dishwashers of their own nor did they have any ranges.All of the production of ranges and dishwashers of Whirlpool's began around 1960.They began making Sears high end models in the late 70's early 80's.Frigidaire(DM) got their low end line and made their 18"models.Whirlpool and GE were making the refrigerators and GE got dropped then Frigidaire,Amana and L.G got different contracts for different models.For a while,GE was making the electric and gas ranges but now,Frigidaire has the contract for them.
 
Too LIttle Too Late

Everything good I have to say about Sears can be written on the head of a pin with a felt tip marker. I have never understood why anyone would put up with deceptive financing, aggressive phone marketing, shoddy service and a mark up on occluded parts, just to have a Whirlpool in Sears clothing. I won't miss them a bit. They immeadiately turn all sales info over to telemarketers who among other things pressure you into a service contract and a Discover card as well as siding, windows etc. Maybe it's Laundress fault for not accepting the new terms of credit card fees.
 
The problem I had with Sears today (see the slow cooker thread) wasn't a shortage of cashiers etc. It was that they had posted a price online with no indication it was a time limited offer. When I brought in a printout the next day, I was told that Sears changes its sales every Sunday. "How am I supposed to know that?" I asked, a bit irritated that I'd made a trip out of my way to Sears to buy the slow cooker at the online price. The only thing they could offer me was to buy it at $10 more and then hope that there would be another sale in 30 days. Yeah, right. In the event, I found a more recent model of same for, in effect, $15 less than what Sears wanted, at Kohl's (including 20% off for getting a Kohl's charge card). Oddly, it was Kohl's that had the shortage of cashiers and a rather long line waiting to pay for their purchases. But then I'm more or less used to that sort of thing, being a frequent Costco customer.

I'd hate to see Sears go, though. I bought my first roll-around tool chest with top box - packed with tools - in the mid-80's for something like $150 on sale. A few of the tools have broken since then and I've always been able to get a replacement without much hassle at Sears. While not the best tools one can buy, the Craftsman stuff is solid and durable. And it was all US-made at the time.

But I also remember as I was going into the store in Oakland to buy this or that, how awful the rest of the store was. Especially the menswear. Really funky, ill-fitting clothes with outdated styling. Like something a farmer might wear on a Saturday night to a hoedown. And not inexpensive, either. I guess it reflected what Middle America wanted, but it sure wasn't what the Bay Area was wearing... lol...

I have a couple of Kenmore appliances - a 2 cu ft microwave I got around 1998, and a 15 cu ft chest freezer around 2002. Both are very well designed and made and were relatively good deals at the time. I also got my Bosch dishwasher - somewhat dented - at Sears at a relative bargain price (although I suspect the loading crew dropped it on the back upper corner before they brought it to my truck - still works ok though).

Speaking of which, I remember the horror stories of people trying to get undented washers from Sears over on That Home Site. Some friends of mine had a similar problem trying to get an undamaged, new refrigerator out of Sears. They must hire the most incompetent delivery personnel possible. Keeps the Sears Outlet stores stocked, though ;-).
 
Adding a few more words--

Back in their haydays,during the "baby boom" of the 50's and 60's,every appliance manufacturer had their own version of products they specialised in.The employees who made them took pride in not only their work but the quality that made their products work well and last long.all of the people here on this site know exactly what I mean.Yes,there were some pretty bad performers and some that worked well but didn't last long.Because Sears was able to afford opening credit accounts from families who had steady jobs and new homes,the Kenmore line of appliances became the most popular,most sought after appliances in the nation.Their repairmen were well trained and realy worked for Sears,not a contracted out repair company.They knew the appliances inside out and realy fixed them enjoying every minute of it.I remember almost every other house in my neighborhood had Kenmore Appliances.Some had Westinghouse Laundromat washers the builder supplied.Others had wringer washers and easy Spinners.Almost everybody had a gas range and Magic Chef was the brand supplied by the builder.The families that were larger needed automatics,not wringers or spinners,that enabled them to throw a load in the washer or dryer and continue with other housework/child care chores as well as keeping up with the shopping,ironing,dusting,mopping and babyfood or formula.Sears and Whirlpool knew that and did all they could to make appliances that were not only inexpensive but performed well and made to last.Because of that added to word of mouth,those families gained confidence and after the kids went to college,the parents decided to remodel and returned to Sears to pick out their new Kenmore appliances. It didn't matter to them who the hell made them for Sears.All they knew and all they cared about was the previous items they bought thre 20 or more years ago lasted.They weren't replacing a broken down washer or stove.They were upgrading what they had.I remember when the lobis's had their kitchen remodeled in 1971.They got all Lady Kenmore appliances in coppertone and became the talk of the neighborhood because the only other family that had appliances in colors other than white were the Leyghs who had 2 different houses.One had all harvest gold FRIGIDAIRE Custom Imperial built ins and Jet Action 1-18s.The other had the Imperial built ins and Gold Crown 1-18s in coppertone.Everyone else had white and there were 5 of us who had combination washer dryers in place of two different units.The Reeses and we,had the Lady Kenmore combos.Theirs was a 1958 model ours was a 1964.The Prizors,across the street,had the Norge.The Kennerds,next door to the Prizors,had the Bendix from 1960.The Killians had the Westinghouse.In 1966,The Reeses replaced theirs with a newer one from Sears.Now,not only has their quality gone down in appliances and customer service but they more or less have commited suicide by allowing asuch a low grade company that KMart has been since they went from a 5&10 to a monster big box store.Sears already knew that KMart had serious financial issues. Any huge company that can't pay a bill for products sold to them is definately not stable enough to buy a conglomerate like Sears.Again,What the Hell was Sears thinking?I remember talking to customers who would be doing comparison shopping and I'd tell them why shop KMart? they would either be shocked to hear Kmart owned Sears or sware that Sears owned KMart.I'd always win the debate and close the sale.One woman in a group of customers insisted I had it backwards and that Sears bought KMart.she came back that week and explained to me the reason she took so long to return and buy her appliances was that the sales girl at Sears lied to her and gave her a runaround telling her they did not give refunds on specialy ordered appliances.When she called to complain,the phone was answered"Thank you for calling KMart,please hold for the next available agent." She apologised to me and bought all her products with us.I said"No need."and saved her almost $1200 on her purchase.I will hate seeing Sears go down the toilet but I do believe that it is inevitable,don't you?
 
When I grew up I was used to Sears, they seemed to be all over the place. Here in Houston, Sears was never really a major retailer. The few stores they have are mostly stand alone stores, but in neighborhoods you wouldn't want to be seen dead in. (Hmm, go in those neighborhoods and you MAY end up dead). Westwood, South of Downtown on Main and Greenspoint, Willowbrook (not too bad yet, but getting that way) seems to be about it.
We do have a Sears Hardware store near us that is quite large and it sells Kenmore appliances, but there is very little to no traffic in the place.
I do love Craftsman tools. If a part breaks just take it to Sears and they'll replace it for free. If Sears goes under who will take over the Craftsman warranty?
 
sad..very sad

When I was growing up I dont think my parents ever shopped any where but sears...back to school clothes, shoes, drapes, all the kitchen/houshold appliances tires, batteries, craftsman tools...I cant think of much we had that did'nt come from Sears. It's sad to go in the same store I did as a kid and see it as pertty much a dump..it even feels nasty. It's impossible to find anyone to wait on you and one has to wander the store to locate an open register..I did buy a craftsman lawn mower back in May...the sales person was a real PEACH...I almost feel down on my knees and praised the gods of retail because she took time to make her way to the register and ring up my purchase. Although I agree that big box stores are the in thing...I avoid them when I can..I perfer to pay the few extra dollars and trade with the mom and pop store in my community..but there are times when I have to make a road trip to Lowes, Home Depot or the Wal Mart....My gosh while typing this I remembered my mom sitting down with the catolog with me and picking out my first grown up bedspread and drapes for my room...she said I was getting too old for Charlie Brown..LOL!!!..which I think she ordered from the Sears catolog....the spread and drapes were beautiful..gawd..what a queen I was..LOL
 
Our family has never been a big fan of Sears ever since my grandparents had trouble with them in the 1950's. When my Dad's parents were building their home in 1956, my grandfather went to Sears to buy linoleum for the kitchen and bathroom. He received such high pressure to open a charge account, even though he had cash in hand, it turned him off forever. All of the appliances in their house, as well as my parents, and ours, have all been bought from our local appliance stores. We did buy a new Sharp microwave from Sears in May, because they were the only one that had the model in stock that we wanted. Other than that, it had been several years since I had set foot in the store.
 
trippy song from the 60's

Sears has a bathtub ring,Sears has everything.

The 70's was a tramtic time for retailers like Sears and Montgomery Ward.Sears was first to downsize their stores and catalogs.What was once their Kitchen and bath department where you actualy could buy a bathtub ring and had every type of plumbing,heating ,cooling and tools for that particular trade vanished into thin air.Their housewares and notions department disolved and went bye bye, and they began carrying different brand names in their appliance department.Whirlpool and GE were first then came Frigidaire,KitchenAid,Maytag and L.G.Their cafe where you could get hot dogs,popcorn and drinks disapeared too.
Montgomery Ward also downsized but shut down their entire kitchen and bath departments. They also stopped their flooring department and GE Financial took over their company renaming it "Wards".It took GE only 3 years to ruin MW and they went out of business.I,personaly prefered "Monkey Wadd" over Sears because they had a more personal type of greating and were not as arogant as the salespeople at Sears. Sears employees would spend all day with you if they knew you were ready to buy.But,if you showed any resistance,they'd drop you like a hot potato and take the next customer.Even if you were trying to ask questions to learn more about a product but were not ready to buy,too frigging bad.That's why I,myself hate working on commision.It's a cut throat type of business and causes major stress factors.
 
Kenmore

It is a shame to see a great enterprise like Sears fall by the wayside, Back in the good old days, people were loyal to brand names, everything our neighbor had was Sears, Homart furnace,built by G.M.Delco Heat, fridge,A.C,Stove , and a 63 Lady Kenmore Washer I loved as a kid,I have a 57 Kenmore range that is wonderful,I can't find out who made it though,it is not like any other manufacturer's product,the model no. prefix is 101, if anyone knows let me know.
 
WCI made some of their 'fridges in the 70's.

I used to work for the Sears Service center here in town, in the early 80's. It was not uncommon for people to retire from Sears, I'll bet the average employee there had 20+ years with Sears.

Try to find someone there these days who works full time, mich less with more than a year or two seniority. It'll be hard to do. When you've been with a company for years that treated you well, you took some pride in your job, and it reflected, in the customer service, for example.
 
I walked around the paint department in our nearest Sears a couple of weeks ago for nearly 10 minutes - alone, at 6 PM in the evening. 25 years ago, I would have had to line up and wait to speak with a department employee. I worked part-time in that same department from 1980 to 1987 and in the summer, we were swamped at most any time of the day or evening.

I wonder how much of Sears' decline can be attributed, just like their rise in popularity, to their credit card? The extension of credit combined with nationwide availability (catalog) and a massive service network probably did more for the Kenmore brand and Sears than the Kenmore brand. Remember, until the mid-90's, Sears only accepted their own credit cards; Sears and Discover. Often for young families just starting out in their first home, etc. it was Sears that would extend credit when few, if any, other options were available.

Not long ago, Sears touted that "the Kenmore brand was at work in 1 out of 2 American homes." and I suspect credit had a lot to do with that through the years. Kenmore appliances and home products were rarely at the top of the game when it came to performance and reliability. Their Roper-made ranges rarely topped the charts, Whirlpool-made refrigeration was well-rated but the laundry products (until the direct-drive washers) were just average in most categories, D&M dishwashers were so-so and Kenmore vacuum cleaners made by a number of companies were hit-and-miss.

It's sad to think that such an iconic American brand might fall by the wayside, but I'm sure someone will be coming along to sweep up the pieces and breathe new (imported plastic) life into the brand.
 
> Often for young families just starting out in their first home, etc. it was Sears that would extend credit when few, if any, other options were available. <

Strange, I remember the Sears credit card being one of the toughest of all cards to get. If you didn't already have a VISA or MasterCard, you could just forget about applying for a Sears card.
 
As someone who works for Sears Holdings

I will not be surprised if Sears and Kmart go down the tubes. Especially Kmart, their achilles heel is still issues with supply chain management, lack of training, skimpy wages and benefits for employees, and continuous cutting of hours. One person cannot handle 2 or 3 departments at once, yet the bastards at Hoffman are too blind and foolish to recognize that.

I will say that everyone in my family has had a major appliance from Sears. My nan bought my cousin Scott all Kenmore appliances for his first house 14 years ago, and my Aunt Gail uses my Uncle Don's parents Kenmore washer and dryer set from 1973. Don worked for Sears as an auto tech at the Northwest Plaza location, so my nan and Gail took advantage of his employee discount frequently.

Even at some of the dead broad sales I go to in the North St. Louis county area (especially Florissant and Hazelwood), seems like almost every house has at least one major appliance purchase from Sears. They catered to the middle class customer, which is why if you bought a brand new home in North County in the 50's and 60's, you went to Sears cause they had more for your money with the best quality at the best price, and 99% of the time you went back when one of your appliances gave out after 20 plus years of usage.

And their charge card, I hate it and hate having to push them. It's not worth it especially at 22% interest. Shoot I read the Sears card applications in my old Sears catalogs and the questions they ask it's like if you're applying for a home loan. Now with technology you just provide ID, your social security #, and you get an instant decision.
 
Sears.

I came of age long after the demise of Homart, Coldspot, and Silvertone. The only sears-only brands I know are Craftsman and Kenmore. I have never bought an appliance on credit, so I cannot speak for that perspective. I can speak for their products, however.

Kenmore appliances are everywhere. While they have varied in manufacturer and performance, they have never been bad. A Kenmore appliance is one you can consistently count on to get the job done. It is not the best, but it is far from the worst, most of the time. Kenmore appliances, traditionally, have also been pretty well-featured for their price and even though they are made by others, their KM only quirks are interesting enough to satisfy.

While Craftsman tools are not Snap-On, I have been very satisfied with my Craftsman hand tools. Their ergonomics are good, they get the job done without feeling cheap, and they do have that lifetime warranty.

I feel like old Sears tools and appliances, while made by others, had to pass some sort of test to carry the Sears name. This is largely no longer the case. I just feel like Kenmore and Craftsman used to be reliably good. If I needed a tool or appliance I could do research to find the best one or I could just get a Sears. While not the absolute best, the Sears would be better than 2/3 of the competition, no matter what.

The Kenmore and Craftsman names still have a good reputation, unlike post GM Frigidaire, and I think that with some renewed effort on standards, they could be great again. Perhaps they could work out their issues then have an advertising campaign where they admit Kenmore and Craftsman things are made by others, but have to meet their standards to carry the Sears name.

Sorry for not being as eloquent as I would like.
My father still has his Craftsman tools from 35 years ago and they are in as good shape as mine. I think that represents something they got right.

I really need to work on my Lady Kenmores,
Dave
 
When it comes to appliances and other items Sears slaps it's "Kenmore" brand upon the problem is they are no longer top dog.

For years when Kenmore came a knocking to say GE, Whirlpool or any other manufacturer, they could though their weight around in terms of pricing, design and so forth because Sears could move major amounts of merchandise. Today it is Walmart, Lowes and other big box retailers that stole Sear's thunder in that area. Indeed Walmart has been responsible for more changes in retailing than anyone else today, and most certianly is top dog in terms of throwing it's weight around.
 
Unfortunate...

It is unfortunate to see Sears have gone the way it has. I can see why they fail, though, as I have vowed never, ever again to buy an appliance at Sears.

They do their infamous "We will refund your delivery charges through a mail in rebate." I send the rebate off the same day. Three months later I get a note in the mail saying "Oh, you didn't submit this on time."

I call the help line. I sit on hold for > 1 hour. I speak to them. They give me the run around. I have documentation. They say 'OH we will reprocess this no problem.' Two more months go by; I get the same letter.

Finally I write the office of the CEO and FINALLY get satisfaction.

It was only $60 but it was the PRINCIPLE of the thing. Funny thing was I think I cost them more than $60.

Never again. When I had to replace my washer and dryer and Stove I went to Best Buy. They matched the Sears online price (they were doing an incredible sale) and gave me free delivery AT THE CASH REGISTER. Plus their extended warranties were 1/3 the cost of Sears'.

Too bad. RIP old Sears. You've been dead for a while.
 
I have to agree with Greg and JeffG

In Boston in the 80's the toughest CCard to get was Sears if you got that then you could get any other. I got a Filene's store card bought my first TV with it , paid it off on time and was then able to get a Sears card.

But today I hate my Sears card, its all marketing and HEAVY FINES if you don't pay on time. Now that is a REAL issue with me, they set me up with 30 day cycles as usual, well somewhere along the fine print over time they changed that to 20 day cycles and whammo I got hit with $39 here and $39 dollars there so I put the card in the safe 5 years ago! I tried closing it out and they closed and opened a new one and sent that to me. This is it in a nutshell - THEY DO NOT LISTEN TO their Customer's needs. So I am through with Sears. My folks were Monkey Wards types anyway.

I do like and am loaded up with 30 years worth of Craftsman tools so I better get them in for replacements soon.
 
Odd that credit card thing, which I have heard before. I got Sears as my very first one. I think one gets high bonus points for being at the same address for a long time.
 
THEY DO NOT LISTEN TO their Customer's needs.

Well I'd say yes and no.

Every thinkn of why the "calypso" was named as it is?

While I worked for Sears years ago, the CEO was of Hispanic extraction. He was extremely proud of himself to make Sears more "Hispanic-friendly". This included extension of credit to certain customers here and in Mexico, Spanish language overlays for washers and dryers and labeling of the departments in Spanish.

I was rather confused, lately, to be in the center of Connecticut in the greater Hartford area only to hear the piped-in music with a Latin beat and the announcements IN SPANISH ONLY. AFAIK that area is not heavily Hispanic. IMHO It would have been FAR more palatable to include English and other languages as well.

I guess the tradtional customers that made Sears what it is ....er was...don't matter all that much.
 

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