Sears "burning money" & closing stores

[volvoguy87]

Sears.

I was born in the early 1980s, so I never experienced Sears in its glory days. I do remember going there with my parents and being amazed by the appliance section, which seemed to stretch on as far as my little eyes could see. The tool department was a wonder to behold, and the lawn and garden center was heaven.

I recently went to the Sears in Erlanger, KY to buy some tools (Kenmore appliances may have fallen, but I still like my Craftsman wrenches and socket sets because I can't afford Snap-On). The store was quite dated, but pretty clean. The employees were helpful, and they had what I needed at a fair price. The wait to check out was longer than I would have liked. Maybe this particular Sears was an oddity, but I was okay with my shopping experience there. That being said, the shopping atmosphere tends to be better at most other stores, except for Wal-Mart.

Once upon a time, Kenmore appliances were thought by many folks to be the top value for the money for a high-quality appliance. Maybe Maytag's laundry equipment was of better quality than a Whirlpool Belt Drive at the time, but the Whirlpool Belt Drive washers and 29

 

[whirlcool]

I take it that "Sears has everything" no longer applies...

 

[jamiel]

Interesting, we're still in Sears-mart land here in Michigan, since K-Mart was based here they haven't let the stores go downhill quite as badly as in much of the rest of the country, but they are closing stores one at a time and leaving bigger and bigger gaps between stores. That said, they still have several Super KMart stores in SE Michigan (their supercenter) which are honestly a plausible alternative to Meijer (Wal-Mart isn't even mentioned in polite society here )

 

[dustin92]

I think I've only been in the sears store here once (maybe?) in 3 years. I have only been in one out of two Kmart stores, and only a handful of times. I last went in Kmart before Christmas and vowed to never step foot in the place again- the store was dirty, dull, and just blah, and it flat out STUNK. Prices were far too high, except for a select few items that were on sale. I ended up buying a pair of shoes, and tried to return them after they fell apart- I had worn them -maybe- 5 times and the sole was coming off, but it had been over 30 days so they wouldn't even do an exchange. The employees were unfriendly and rude, and the whole experience was just generally unpleasant. I can shop at Walmart or Meijer and get better quality merchandise at lower prices. Kmart has a Huge parking lot that is never anywhere near full, and it is truly an inconvenience to drive across it in order to park. I don't think I have ever seen over 10-15 cars in the parking lot, while Meijer is about 1/4 mile beyond Kmart on the same street, and on a normal day you have to look for a parking space. Walmart is usually even busier. I'm surprised they (Sears and Kmart) Haven't gone out of business yet. Obviously they don't have long.

 

[petek]

The Super Kmart in Port Huron is depressing, you wouldn't want to go back..Their Walmart and Sears are both nice though.. Then the Walmart Supercenter on Hall Road at 94, that's another depressing looking store inside. It's odd how one of their stores can be quite nice and another the complete opposite.

 

[sudsmaster]

Our local Kmart always grosses me out with noxious odors.

Last time I cruised through the store I started coughing as soon as I entered, like I had breathed in some bad particles, and it didn't stop until after I'd left. Other times it just stinks. It's very depressing most of the time.

Walmart and Target are luxury shops in comparison.

 

[alr2903]

Most likely the "downward spiral" is part of a dog and pony show to keep the creditors, vendors and manufacturers in line as long as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[d-jones]

The truly sad thing here is that Sears isn't simply dieing, it's being slowly strangled to death by grossly incompetent management. I still think Sears could be saved, but not with current leadership. They'd all have to go.

 

[danemodsandy]

What I Don't Understand....

Is how anyone at Sears could possibly be under any illusions that they need to change, or go under.

They have the example of their own catalogue division as the starkest possible example - something that had endured for something like a century, killed in a few years by bean-counters and ineptitude.

I well remember a conversation with a catalogue division executive in the early '80s, when I was still attempting to communicate just how ungodly unpleasant it had become to deal with Sears, in hopes of helping to salvage the situation.

The guy's attitude could not have been clearer: "We've been around forever, and we're going to be around forever, in spite of anything one of you unwashed idiots calls me and tells me about. I'm doing you a favor letting you even speak to me."

I often wonder what happened to him.

 

[whirlcool]

Lots of companies who are no longer around had that same kind of attitude. Back in the 70's United Airlines was just like that. They fix it and it comes back again, they fix it and it comes back again. They just keep losing money over and over again.

I don't think that the capital investment firm that runs Sears Holdings wants Sears to be around forever. They are slowly draining every last cent out of it and keeping every last dime made and returning none of it to store operations. This will only last so long before something collapses. I think we'll see them try to sell off Kmart next, but I don't think they will be able to find any buyers.

Want to know who to complain to? Here is a list:

http://www.searsholdings.com/govern/

 

[e2l-arry]

But it's still sad,

Like a lot of people here, my folks bought almost everything at Sears in Oakbrook Il. All my Dad's tools, some of which I still have today, were Craftsman. My mom's appliances were mostly Kenmore. When I was just barely 16 my first job was at Sears Oakbrook. I worked at the "Sears Coffee House" their in store diner - restaurant. Long since discontinued. But 16 year olds could work there or the popcorn/candy department. Both of my sisters worked there too. It was a great place for a part time job. This was in 1970 and in those days the full time employees got commission AND profit sharing. That was their retirement. Did they do away with that or are thousands of retired former employees going to be screwed in their old age when they finally go under? Again, just very sad. I'm still trying to be loyal. I bought my furnace, water heater, washer, dryer and dishwasher there over the past 10 years but the writing's on the wall. I like Target but they don't sell tools of major appliances. Sad, sad, sad.

 

[wayupnorth]

My next door neighbor was the store manager of the local corporate owned Sears store. She HAD to take early retirement or risk loosing all her profit sharing retirement. She said all that is gone now. Employees are on their own with nothing from corporate.

 

[jeffg]

That's what happens when capitalism is forced to compete with Communist socialism.

 

[whirlcool]

Oakbrook was our local Sears as well. I remembered when they opened that store in 1964. It was really something else, you could even buy farm equipment there. Horse saddles and horse grooming equipment. Hell, Oakbrook Center was really something else when it first opened. It was totally different than other shopping malls at the time.

From what I hear there is only one or two floors left open in that Sears. Too sad.
In the meantime, I worked at Marshall Field's on the other side of the mall about the same time you worked at Sears. Small world. Remember Crate & Barrel from Oakbrook back then?

 

[firedome]

even Craftsman tools

are no longer the quality they once were. I recently replaced a ratchet wrench I bought in 1971 and the quality difference is apparent. Many are no longer US made either. Only their top professional line is of really good quality anymore... sadly Sears probably deserves their fate at this point. A shame, I miss Monkey Wards still.

 

[ptcruiser51]

Crash & Burn

We had a brand-new Kmart open in Parsippany-Troy Hills (my former home) around 2000.  My hairdresser was located across a BIG parking lot, and watched the progress of it being built.  One day I was getting my hair done and she told me to go over as the store was open.  ???? Sign not lit, very few cars in lot ????  I went and sure enough, xeroxed sign on door sez "open".  Young gals greeted me at the door with small plant (I still have it!) and coupons.  Wonderful inside.  Eyeglass dept.  Snack Bar.  Photo studio.  Pharmacy.  Well-stocked.  Lots of floor-walkers.

 

Diagonally across the lot was Bradlee's, a northeast discounter which had pretty good stuff.  Also, some of their stores were unionized (at least in NJ).  Not long after, Bradlee's went "belly up" and shut all their stores.  I've never known why.  This particular one became a "Home Depot Lite".  No garden dept, small appliance dept., no tool rental; until the store I worked in 2 mi. away was opened in 2004.  The other one is still there, but has expanded somewhat.

 

Meanwhile, enter "Sears Essentials".  Kmart closed for about a month, then reopened as such.  Pretty much the same, except now there was an appliance department, also electronics.  Rarely staffed in either case.  I used to run in for Xmas wrapping paper or summer stuff; always near-empty save for the >one< cashier with 8-10 people on line.  "Go to Courtesy Desk, Go to Courtesy Desk" the Indo-Pak cashier would chant.  Always, courtesy desk is handling someone returning a television or similar >warning buzzer<.  More than once I plopped my purchase on the floor and left.  Eventually, photo studio shut, eyeglass studio shut, snack bar was reduced to sodas, coffee, pretzels and popcorn, garden only sold hanging baskets and grass seed.  Maybe mums at Easter and trees as Xmas.

 

It was 2011 when it changed BACK to Kmart.  The only thing that changed was the sign out front.  Kenmore, et. al. were still sold, if you could find an employee to sell you something.  Still the lonely English-challenged cashier up front.  But the store was still rather clean and well-stocked.  I moved from NJ in 2013 and the store was status quo.  My sister still stops in when she's in the area (other Kmarts in northern NJ are absolutely dismal).  She says it's like someone set off a neutron bomb - no customers, no employees, the lights are the only things working.

 

S.S. Kresge, where are you when we need you?

 

[e2l-arry]

Oakbrook opened in 1962

and the mall today is still going strong thanks to it evolving with the times, unlike Sears. I was there last October. Sears is pretty much the same size. Maybe about 1/4 of the mall level is gone but the first and third floors are the same square footage. Marshall Fields is now Macy's. I remember Create and Barrel. It's kind of ironic but I also remember S.S. Kresge's right next door and a Jewel food store too.

 

[whirlcool]

I was last at Oakbrook in 2007. I knew that Marshall Field's became Macy's. And Crate & Barrel became way more upscale with an enlarged store. The new section with Nordstroms was under construction then.

Back to the topic:

Kmart was never a large player in the Houston market, well neither was Sears.
The last death throw for Kmart in Houston was the opening of the then new SuperK.
The one near where we used to live was built from scratch brand new and a year later it was torn down when Kmart left the Houston market completely. That had to cost them some money. The nearest Kmart to Houston was over 100 miles away in Lufkin, but I see they closed that store too. Now the nearest store is in Kileen, and it is scheduled to close soon.

 

[mark_wpduet]

The Fayette Mall

Sears in Lexington closed a while back!!

 

[tomturbomatic]

1. The slow, painful death of sears (no capitals, remember?) is not a result of incompetent management. It is a shrewd plan to wring every last cent out of an operation and then close it, making sure to take every allowance and write-off so as to keep as much as possible and have nothing to show at the end when the pension guarantee boards come looking for assets.

2. THIS IS NOT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CAPITALISM HAS TO COMPETE WITH COMMUNIST SOCIALISM. First of all, businesses flourish under socialism. They have next to no worries about employee benefits. Taxes are high, but everyone is taken care of. Communism is not the same as socialism and totalitarianism is what is usually branded as communism. Capitalism is NOT having to compete with any of these forms of national governance. Capitalism is reaching its inevitable peak in that capital amasses more and more money over time and eventually controls government to the point where labor has no voice or power or wealth. Then revolutions happen. American capitalists are working hand in glove with communist governments to get dirt cheap labor and resources of dubious quality in an effort to save wealth. They don't care what happens to this nation because the corporations are MULTINATIONALS so the Uberwealthy can jump this ship before it founders completely and enjoy their ill-gotten gains in some other land. The markets this week showed that even China Mart is suffering because of poor sales. Even their cheap shit is too expensive for people who do not have decent paying jobs. People in this country further down the economic scale are still not doing well. I know that is not a news flash. When the economy is increasingly based on consumer spending, what is going to happen when consumers further restrict their spending?

On a related category of ripoff, most of our oil is now produced domestically, yet our gasoline prices are going up because the world price of crude increases over tension in the Mideast. If our crude is pumped out of our ground, why should our gasoline prices increase because of events in east bumblefuck? It's because our oil, which is pumped out of American soil with lots of government subsidies is sold back to us at world prices because Big Oil is Multinational so they don't owe the citizens of the United States a damn thing. Unlike a couple of decades ago, we are no longer a net importer of oil; we are, in fact, an oil exporter, but there is, at least here, unlike in the lands that finance terrorism, no cheap oil for our citizens. Furthermore, instead of the oil wealth being shared like in Alaska and the terrorist nations, we not only pay high prices, but part of the tax money we pay is going to help the multinational oil companies which are nominally headquartered here, but hold much of their wealth offshore so that it is not taxable. The only place a petroleum lubricant is not being used financially is in our screwing by the oil companies and other corporations and banks, another case where capital has so much power that it tells the government how it wants things done. Why do you think the Koch Brothers' lobbying operation has written legislation to force people with photovoltaic panels on their roofs to be penalized by power companies in the form of a monthly tax? It's because solar-generated electricity chips away at the amount of coal, oil and gas that is used for power generation. They have the money to get governments to do what they want. It has already been signed into law in one state where the government is totally in the hands of Republicans.