Sears Spins Off Land's End

[circlew]

JCPenney

stores around here seem to do very well. The ones I go in are usually quite busy.

As for Sears, they must make money in some other way than selling things in their stores.

 

[tolivac]

Wonder if Lands End should have stuck with boating equipment and suplies.Last time I was at Pennys-it was a joke-little "shops" in the store trying to sell various things-esp amusing was a "Kitchen" supply shop selling a British brand of small appliances-all colorful plastic with colorful prices-for the plastic colorful mixer--you could buy a BETTER Kitchen Aid machine at Wal Mart -and at a LOWER price.Think Penneys should have stuck with the brans we all know.The only times I go to Penneys was to get clothes.Now I may have to go somewhere else.Sears,Penneys,only invite their own deaths because of their inept,sloppy,incompetent management.Places are sure hiring BOZO managers these days-and they wonder why the stores go out of business.

 

[davey7]

I haven't been in a Penney's for years, but they now have Conran and interesting designer stuff, so if I'm near one I will peek in.

Macy's really did a number on their former Marshall Field's properties, which had really gone down under Dayton-Hudson Target Corporation. Part of it is the stores, I mean generally, not just Macy's, are the same everywhere even regionally as well as lacking in actual variety. The brits do retail better from all I hear.

 

[iheartmaytag]

I have defended Sear's in the past

And have had a very good experience when buying appliances.

With that said, and as I stated to Sear's on Tuesday. After being stranded by a one-year-old Sear's Die-Easy battery, Having to wait Three hours while they inspect my car to make sure it wasn't the reason the battery failed and charging me $21.42 for the privileged of sitting in their dilapidated, cold dirty waiting room . Then having the guts to tell me "I should have warranted that battery in the first place, we have had a lot of trouble out of the 65 series batteries:. The next time I set foot in a Sear's store is for the Liquidation sale ordered by the Federal Bankruptcy Court.

Extremely piss poor customer service. The CEO has no idea of retail, he's a hedge fund manager, not a retailer. Sear's is too far gone to save now. It's time for them to receive a decent burial. Sign the DNR, Remove life support, let it go.

So spinning off their savable entities may be their only hope. Maybe they can learn from the Sear's mistakes.
1. Increase not decrease customer service in times of crisis and poor economy.
2. Put money into the stores instead of the stocks.
3. Make your prices competitive, instead of looking at profit margin on every item. Wal-Mart has lots of Loss leaders. How much do you spend on Thursdays when you go in for 18 cent bananas?
4. Give your customers a reason to come back instead of a reason not to. Make easy returns, honor the warranty without question or hassle. See #1, don't make your customers run all over the store looking for someone to help them. Remember the customer is always right, and even when they aren't they are the reason you have a job.

So long Sear's, you had a good run.
[this post was last edited: 12/13/2013-18:17]

 

[petek]

Things don't look too bright for the Canadian side of Sears either. They've already sold off their downtown Vancouver store and iirc the large Marlborough store in Calgary.. Both are going to be Nordstroms I think. Now they're closing the flagship of flagship stores in downtown Toronto as well as their Sherway Gardens in Toronto and the Masonville Mall store in London Ontario.. I may have missed a few others. There was also something about closing some more of their repair/warehouse centers.

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www.cbc.ca

 

[whirlcool]

There may be something going on with Nordstrom's/Sears. The Sears at The Woodlands mall has been replaced by a Nordstroms too. They not only took over the Sears space, but also tore the old Sears building(mid 90's)down and built their own store. Maybe Sears has agreed to sell some of their prime locations to Nordstrom's?

As far as car batteries go, there are only about three manufacturers of batteries here in the U.S. And these three make all the brands available. The Sears Die Hard is also sold as different names at places like Auto Zone, PEP boys, etc.

 

[jamiel]

Sears (in their liquidation mode) is gradually selling off their AA-class properties to the mall developers which have a hole in their lineup in the individual malls. The hole in the lineup is generally Nordstrom, although some are creating more in-line space for small stores. The mall developers see the benefit in ushering Sears off their property in order to provide higher-level shopping experiences with Nordstrom or more in-line stores. The jewel in the crown was Ala Moana Center in Honolulu---Sears got something like $120million essentially to go away.

 

[alr2903]

Lots of things have changed and the internet is probably the real driver in the loss of brick & mortar stores. I have noticed this year TV news spots that promoted safety while shopping have vanished. Things like NOT taking bags to your car and then returning to the store, common sense. I really think retail shopping is over. Why bother when you can order online get the correct sizes and colors? Everything arrives on your steps, via free shipping and you can do something enjoyable with your weekend.
alr

 

[twintubdexter]

love to shake things up...

Poor Sears, everytime they're mentioned on here they get raked over the coals, barbaqued and shish kabobed. They get crucified if they recall an appliance that they've sold 500,000 of or if some ditzy customer gets his or her flipflop caught in one of their 22,000 escalators.

Dumping Land's End is about as important as Kellogg's discontinuing these...

 

[whirlcool]

I also think that there is a switch over to Internet shopping going on. We did all of our Christmas shopping online this year.

A lot of stores have become nothing more than Internet showrooms. People who want to buy something go to the store to look at it in person; then go home and order it online usually at a better price than they found in the stores. I know Best Buy has this problem really bad.

 

[travis]

All of the old major stores are bad compared to what they were in their heyday. It's not just Sears. It's completely unfair to expect any store to operate how they did in the 1950's-1970's.

I spent most of a day shopping for sheets and a comforter. I went to a couple Macy's, one JCPenneys, one Dillard's and a Bed, Bath and Beyond. I couldn't find a matching set I liked in the major department stores. It seemed I was picking through the leftovers of the black Friday sales. If they're not going to be well-stocked, why be open? I purposely avoided Wal-Mart and K-Mart. Their stores, some of their staff, and many of their customers are depressing and rude. I guess with all of the on-line sales, there's not customers to fill the old majors.

Honestly, when Wal-Mart completely takes over, I am staying home and ordering on-line. Our closest Wal-Mart resembles a huge trailer park.

 

[iheartmaytag]

A store should not be as they were in their hayday

They should be better. They should evolve, That is if they want to survive.

Whirlcool, you are correct, there are a limited number of car battery manufactures, Sear's, however, is on the hook because they sold it, they warrant it, so serve the customer and forget that shop fee BS.

Sear's started swirling to bowl when they merged with K-Mart. Now they are just waiting for that final flush.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

K Mart... Another archaic bargain basement joint! Don't forget it originated the Dollar Depot w/ Jupiter & Kresge (w/ the Muszak version of "Jesus Christ, Superstar" playing in the background over the PA, to boot!)...

-- Dave

 

[jerrod6]

Dress shirts

danemodsandy

I like shirts from Paul Fredrick and also Charles Tyrwhitt. They have online stores so you might look at their web sites and see if there's something you like.

 

[ovrphil]

I can't say more than you all of you, but I am laughing and (figuratively speaking) crying over what has happened to Sears and many other retailers who were bought out or disappeared for different reasons.
(Hudsons and Parisian, for example, which we really liked..Hudson's was THE best at Christmas..windows, inside displays, and merchandise). Not to drift ...

Sears offered so much at one time, some of you know...they once sold houses. I think aw.org may have a thread discussion on this, sometime ago. My neighbor across the street lived in a Sears kit home. You wouldn't believe the quality. To look through an old Sears catalog, most think 50's, 60's, and 70's. Look at the really old catalogs if you want to see what Sears offered.

It's not just the web...it's a way of doing business today and by the bleeping way,

Who of you wants cheap, throwaway goods and doesn't care about quality in design, form and function?

Even with the internet, the above question is still ringing....

...I've missed the old Sears, overall, for years....

 

[whirlcool]

Whirlcool, you are correct, there are a limited number of car battery manufactures, Sear's, however, is on the hook because they sold it, they warrant it, so serve the customer and forget that shop fee BS.

Yup, whoever sells it is left holding the bag.

Did anyone see the CBS Morning News today? They had a segment on sales at stores. It seems the consumer is no longer interested in the 10-25% discount. They want 50% off or more!

 

[firedome]

Agree retail is going to the internet...

but I, for one, still like the experience of shopping in a store personally examining and evaluating items, and asking a question, IF you can find someone to answer, which goes to the heart of why people are abandoning the in-store experience. If you can't get decent personal service, why even go? Macy's et al aren't much better than Wally World or Dollar General, the wife says Macy's is just a dressed up WalMart now... it was OK 50 years ago. But even then we had schlock-meisters, anyone remember E.J. Korvettes? If one could avoid those, growing up in the 50s/60s with Lord & Taylor, I. Magnin, and the quality local chains like Hutzler's, Hochschild Kohn, Filene's and Hudson's and their like spoils one for the mass dreck merchandisers of today.

 

[washman]

You left one out firedome

Ayr-way. Run by Ron Mayer after he defected from Walmart in 1976. And Danners Discount, also known as 3D.

 

[arbilab]

Though owned by Sears (last I looked), the K in Kmart stands for the remnant of Kresge.

 

[ovrphil]

Kresge

Sears and "Monkey Wards" were often the choice for appliances and some clothes, but my mom loved shopping for alot of her household and some clothing needs at Kresge. I still remember the store layout,as early as 3 years old. They had the grill where you'd smell french fries as the lunch crowd came for burgers, hot dogs, and whatever else. From K-Mart to Korvettes, the experience was never like Kresge's.