Sears- an observation

[mikemodeler]

Not a rant or rave, but just an observation from a visit the wife and I made last night.

I had an older Craftsman garden hose and spray nozzle that failed under their "Lifetime Warranty" that needed to be replaced. Truth be told, I rarely need the extra 50 ft of hose but I did buy because of the warranty. Upon entering the garden department, I noticed no one was around so I went to the nearby tool department for help. I was directed to the area where the hoses and nozzles are to select my own replacement as the garden dept. guy was at lunch. Got what I needed and was taken care of quite quickly and painlessly.

A couple of things I did notice though:

1. The tool department was very sparse. A lot of wrenches and other tools were marked "Clearance" and what remained was spread out. I remember the old days of it being jam packed with tools and all kinds of great eye candy for tool junkies and now it is a shell of what it once was. I admit all of my recent tool purchases have been at Lowes or Home Depot, mainly because they have a wider selection of tools.

2. The number of employees throughout the store seemed to be very few. I am sure as their business has diminished, so has their payroll, but the old days of Sears saw great customer service, something lacking last night.

3. As we walked through the store and out into the mall for an evening stroll (there were storms coming and high humidity), I noticed the appliance department did not have a single sales rep in it. As a long time customer of the Sears appliance department, I was shocked and disappointed that on a Saturday night, no one was around. I saw several people looking at appliances and waiting for someone to show up. One of the cornerstones of their existence and no one to help a potential buyer!

I read in the paper the other day that Sears/KMart lost a LOT of money in the recent quarter but will continue to restructure their business. I think what they need to do is reexamine how they do business and move forward.

I find it sad that a store that I have literally spent thousands of dollars at has gone so far downhill that I am not sure if they can turn it around!

I am sure others have similar stories and hopefully this doesn't turn into a Sears bashing rant.

On the plus side, my wife is a teachers assistant and she works with kids in a K-5 school and therefore goes from room to room and doesn't have an assigned classroom. Last night she saw some tool totes and remarked how they were "cute" and she could use one for her classes. After some roaming around the toll department, I talked her into a 5 drawer lime green Viper roll around tool box! She will use it to keep items locked up and stored in the corner of a classroom and if she doesn't like it, guess who gets another toolbox? Yep, ME!

[southpier]

frequent any of the tool/ garage forums and consensus: sears is in the gutter

[mikemodeler]

frequent any of the tool/ garage forums and consensus: sears is in the gutter

That is probably true of most tool companies Joe. Pressure to keep prices down has forced companies to cheapen their product.

I don't make a living with my tools anymore, not sure where I'd go if I had to buy long lasting ones.

[Joe Handley]

Yeah, they are dying, along with JC Penney's. The store closest to me closed in late 2010/early 2011 and while there is a Sears Hardware down the road a couple miles from work, it's nearly as far a drive as the one closer to Harry from home. Then the last time Dad needed something, I was going to get it for him after work at the Hardware division store, but they didn't have it (he checked before I made the drive), so I ended up going to the one closer to Harry and get it anyway. Luckily it was a Sunday afternoon and not a weekday, which could have sucked.

[Rob Hall]

Haven't been in a Sears in years, but they've been going down for a long time, I think..

[Harry P.]

Haven't been in a Sears in years, but they've been going down for a long time, I think..

Same here. My parents always shopped at Sears, but the only time I ever set foot in one is if I go to the mall, because there's always plenty of parking available on the "Sears side," and I walk through the Sears store to get to the rest of the mall.

They have been losing money and slowly dying for years. They've tried several ad campaigns and shakeups in corporate, but nothing seems to work. The Sears Hardware store near me closed quite some time ago, the big anchor store in downtown Chicago on State Street closed years ago... even the Sears Tower isn't the Sears Tower anymore (Sears moved corporate HQ out of there years ago).

[JunkPile]

Thangs are a changin'

[bobthehobbyguy]

My sister was looking a getting a new oven and stove in the mid price range. However they didn't have any in the floor display and would have to order. However she couldn't see them until delivered and if it wasn't what she wanted would be charged a restock fee. She ended up buying through a local store got a reasonable deal and great service

My mom used to get clothes for me all of the time from Sears. However she finally stopped because she had to return a lot of the items because they were not fitting properly and did not look right.

Sears like a lot of retailers have lost their focus. Customer service has become a thing of the past. The constant downsizing become a death spiral.

Retailers need to have good service how about cutting back on all of the obscene perks for the CEO and other company management.

Unfortunately it is only going to get worse. It may get better but I think its to late for Sears and some of the other big retailers.

[Harry P.]

Thangs are a changin'

And fast.

Top Ten US Retailers 2008:

Wal-Mart

Home Depot

CVS

Kroger

Costco

Target

Walgreen's

Sears

Lowe's

SuperValu

Top Ten US Retailers 2013:

Wal-Mart

Kroger

Costco

Target

Home Depot

Walgreen's

CVS

Lowe's

Amazon

Safeway

In only five years, Sears has fallen out of the Top Ten. And the real news... in 2013, for the first time ever, an online-only retailer (Amazon) made the Top Ten. A sure sign of things to come.

[JunkPile]

How near to Sears do any of you live? Me: 'bout 8 min. It's future isn't too bright either since the mall it is in is slated for demo. Don't even know where another Sears is.

[Petetrucker07]

With gas prices gettin high like they have been for years now. More people are shopping from home. Im guilty of it, for 1, being a truck driver the stores i usually buy at are closed when i have time or at home to shop, so online i go. Ive bought many things from online retailers not for convenience but lack of options, i do try my hardest yo support my local stores, and mainly my LHSs, i.e. Hobby People, Hobby Lobby, these are local in town and Pegasus, even though its a 45 minute to an hour drive away.

Now for sears, our sears here still has a very good selection for tools and equipment, 90% of the tools in both of my craftsman rollaways are craftsman tools. Actually our sears and OSH both have a great selection of tools, the sears and kmart both have a wide variety of appliances and electronics with reps to help. I just bought a new pressure washer and another set of hand tools.

Its just shame that sears isnt doing well in some cities, i bought my 1st real set of tools from sears.

[Quick GMC]

It's in a mall. Prime real estate that costs a fortune. They only stock what will sell right away and they run a skeleton crew to save money. Same thing here. I only go there for the work benches

Husky tools are great. I've had a set of wrenches and sockets for 13 years now and they've lasted right along side my Matco and SnapOn tools.

Hands down the best bang for your buck is Husky tools.

[Pete J.]

I worked at Sears for 15 years and watched the decline. It started when Eddy Lampert bought the majority of the stock. His changes made it very apparent that he bought the real estate and could care less about the company. The only thing that has kept the stores alive is the crash in commercial real estate. For those that don't know Sears actually owns the property that most of their stores sit on. In the last seven or eight years he has made is abundantly clear to the employees that the sale of product is being directed to the internet store and the stores are just pickup points for those orders. When I started working in appliances seven years ago you could make a good living at it with commission rates being in the 5% to 8% range. Those have dropped and are now as low a 1%. Years ago most appliance sale people were making at least $25 and hour. That has dropped to the point that most are at or near minimum wage. Any surprise that there aren't any people around to help? I retired because I got tired of taking the stuff from management for the meager money I was earning. It just wasn't worth it.

Now in all fairness I don't think Home Depot or Lowes is much better. I needed a mobile base for my drill press(yes, it is a Craftsman) as I am reorganizing my shop. I went to all three and the only store that had one was Sears but it wasn't what I was looking for. I shopped all the stores in person and Home Depot and Lowes didn't have any in the store. I went on line and was surprised to find all three had multiple choices but they were listed as "Online Only". It is clear that these stores see the profit in doing away with sales people. Really disappointing! When I was in the tool department at Sears, I took pride in being able to help customers because of my broad base of knowledge of tools of all kinds. Now you are lucky if the sales person has a clue about what you are asking for. These companies just don't see the value of long term employees to the customer. Advise at the tool department is dying with the internet. Good luck getting help of any kind!

Edited August 24, 2014 by Pete J.

[Dave Van]

Change.....the only constant.........

In high school we had to buy Sears tools set to enroll in auto mechanics. A nice set with tool box was $32. Yes...it was 1974....and we were getting a deal as the entire class was buying them. But it made me a Craftsman tool guy.

The SEARS credit card was a tough one to get....when I did it was a big deal....it meant you had made it!

Change.........

[Petetrucker07]

And the government wonders why unemployment is up. The stores seeing online services are more profitable than an employees wages, workmans comp, insurance, benefits. Big stores are gonna keep going that way, and putting people out of work.

Now with the rumors of amazon getting drones, and offering same day delivery in some major areas, why does the consumer need to go to a store for some things.

I dont like it.

I still like walking, yes walking in to a store and looking around at stuff. Asking ?s getting advice, just shootin the wind about a project or idea with somebody that has knowledge of what you have in mind. How about going to a store thats has the product your looking for, on the shelf, at a good price and has a little hottie cashier. Those days are going away. Very sad.

I do not own husky or cobalt tools, im sure they are great, but my grandpa used craftsman, my dad, now i, use craftsman, i have their tools now that they both have passed away. I have, i dont use them, my grandpas corded and keyed cast aluminum 3/8 drive drill, and a sears craftsman bench grinder. Both still work if need be. My cordless tools are craftsman, roll aways, i love my craftsman tools. What i can use on modeling, you bet ya, craftsman, bought at my local sears.

Edited August 24, 2014 by Petetrucker07

[clovis]

I have read that, in retail, analysts look at how much a company spends in maintenance and for remodeling stores. Sears has been at the bottom of that list for many years. Some say that it is the writing on the wall.

I was disappointed that Sears has allowed almost anyone to sell Craftsman tools and Die Hard batteries. While it may increase some sales, why should I walk into a Sears store today, and look at Craftsman tools...while my wife browses the other departments?

Generally speaking, malls may be dying. The popular thing in our area are 'destination centers', which is nothing more than a glorified strip mall with mostly big box stores and several smaller stores. I have been to a 'destination center' about 10 times in the past few months, and haven't stepped foot in a mall in over two years. Aside from that mall trip, which I only took because a foreign friend wanted to do some shopping at a US mall, I haven't been in a mall in almost 5 years.

I have heard many analysts say that the current CEO is on a mission to destroy the company, run it into the ground, and then sell off, piecemeal style, the brand names they own, like Craftsman, Kenmore, Die Hard, etc. The next step will be to sell off the real estate.

Sears could and should be a powerhouse in today's market. Too bad that someone is intent on destroying it.

[unclescott58]

I still miss their cataloges. Especially their Christmas Wish Books. I think one of Sears' biggest mistakes was getting out the catalog business. In this day of buying on line from home, a real paper catalog would be helpful at times. This was a strong point for Sears in the past. Even though I grew up as a kid within 5 miles of Sears store, we still ordered a lot of things through their catalog back in the day. Then either picked up what we ordered at the store or had it delivered. All the tools on my dad's work bench in the garage were Craftsman. All of the appliances in the rest of our house were Kenmore. We were loyal Sears shoppers. And, you always knew if they didn't have it in the store, you could order it through their catalog and get it fairly quickly.

15 years ago, I bought a house only a mile and a half from that same Sears store we use to shop when I was kid. I've been that store maybe once or twice since, in those 15 years. For sure once, to help a friend with something he bought at that store. The mall this Sears was attached to has been torn down in the last 5 years, and a Walmart built in its place. I rarely shop that Walmart. But, I do shop it. There are two Target stores fairly close by I like better. There is grocery near the old Sears I still use. And a ton of fast food restaurants. And my bank near by. But, I never take the turn into the Sears parking lot anymore. Kind of sad.

Scott

[Ace-Garageguy]

Their big catalogs were among my favorite entertainment when I was MUCH younger, but that's another story entirely.

Their tool catalogs were chock full of good stuff you could usually only get off of the tool truck if you were in a mechanical trade...micrometers, ring-compressors, valve-seat cutters...no more.

I did notice recently that Ace Hardware is carrying Craftsman tools. Very odd, I thought to myself. Now I have absolutely no reason to go to Sears.

There was a time when my local Sears tool department was staffed mostly with retired men who actually KNEW something about tools, and the tool quality was excellent. In-person, knowledgeable customer service is a thing of the past now, and the quality is slipping as production is moved offshore or cheapened to the max.

Frankly, and we've visited this topic before here, the percentage of people in the population who know how to use ANY tools is dwindling, and the ones who know the difference between real forged-steel wrenches that actually fit fasteners and the crapp Chinese cast mystery-metal garbage is minuscule. Sears sees no reason to continue to support a market that's simply going away due to growing public disinterest in mechanical devices and using-your-hands hobbies like woodworking.

In the same vein, Radio Shack has gone from being a source for switches, chips and semiconductors, and various other electronic components to a smart-phone and toy store. Useless to me, but I'm not their target market anymore.

Edited August 24, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[Harry P.]

When I was a kid I really looked forward to the Sears Christmas "Wish Book" catalog. A real pleasant memory...

[Ace-Garageguy]

Slightly off topic, but relevant to remarks made in several posts above...I know online shopping is the coming thing, but in my experience as a KNOWLEDGEABLE consumer, most of the information available on websites is insufficient to make a truly informed purchase. The copy is almost invariably written by people who have ZERO actual knowledge of the product. It's dumbed-down marketing-speak, and almost NEVER gets into specific performance or material details.

This sad phenomenon is just as prevalent in hard car-parts as it is in dishwashing soap, and the car-parts guys should really know better. My "employer" is an "ask somebody" or "go online" guy, but I refuse to buy anything for a project my ass will be on the line for without a hard-copy catalog in my hand. They're often not too much better, but in many cases, they are.

I like buying online for the convenience of having things dropped at my door, but I'll only buy something I ALREADY KNOW is a decent product. I don't understand how folks can make buying decisions from the useless fluff that masquerades as "information" on most shopping websites.

[Chuck Most]

For a while, I thought the Sears/Kmart merger would work out. They'd never top Walmart, of course, but the two companies best-sellers complemented each other- for the tools and appliances, Sears had the Craftsman line, and Kmart was doing fairly well with its "softline" stuff, like the Martha Stewart Living products, which were exclusive to Kmart for a time. Sears never did well with softline products... remember those "Come see the softer side of Sears" ads from the '90's? But the Craftsman stuff seemed to do pretty well when Kmart started selling it, at least at the Kmarts in my area. Same story with the Kenmore appliances.

Trouble is they've fallen into the same lockstep every other major retailer has been following- run the store on a skeleton crew of mini-wage part timers, squeak by on the bare minimum with store upkeep, and cut selection. That, and they want to hold the hands of those minimum-wage part timers constantly, making it so they can't even take a leak without permission from a supervisor, but on the other hand, they don't want to train them in any way with regards to performing their job, or about the products they sell. I guess that second point is just as well, considering the rather high turnover rate in most places like this... why spend the time enabling your employees to do things like return an unwanted purchase from a customer without manager supervision or teaching the employees about the products they sell when they likely won't stick around long enough for it to matter? Modern retailers don't want "lifers" anymore.

Quality has been suffering too- I have no idea if the modern Craftsman tools or outdoor equipment are any good. All the Craftsman tools I have are '70's vintage hand-me-downs, and they all work and look just like new (so what's that tell you about the quality of the old Craftsman stuff?), but the Kenmore appliances aren't something I can vouch for. When my mom's old (early '80's) Magic Chef washing machine finally crapped out, she replaced it with a new Kenmore, after hearing so much over the years about how well-made the Kenmore products were. My mother went through two of the Kenmore wasing machines in as many years- the second time she didn't even bother trying to get it repaired or replaced. The Rent-A-Center-sourced Whirlpool she has now has been functioning perfectly for several years now. The old Kenmore stuff was pretty good, but the stuff I've been hearing about the Kenmore products they're selling now aren't as favorable.

Take into account that the appliances are a big part of the "niche" market Sears has managed to grab onto, and the current sorry state of big-box retailers and the way they are run... and I can't say I'm shocked.

[Chuck Most]

Slightly off topic, but relevant to remarks made in several posts above...I know online shopping is the coming thing, but in my experience as a KNOWLEDGEABLE consumer, most of the information available on websites is insufficient to make a truly informed purchase. The copy is almost invariably written by people who have ZERO actual knowledge of the product. It's dumbed-down marketing-speak, and almost NEVER gets into specific performance or material details.

THANK YOU!

The other thing I've noticed, something that came to my attention when I was working in the auto parts business, it that sometimes it seems like the descriptions are not only vague and uninformative, but written in such a way to be confusing to the customer. For instance, something like a rear driveshaft U-joint for a pickup truck may be listed as being for "long wheelbase models only". Huh? Does that mean a long bed? Or an extended or crew cab? "Long wheelbase" covers a bit too much ground. Rather than listing the actual wheelbases- or if the driveshaft was single or two-piece, they'd have something idiotic like that in the description. Somtimes a part might differ depending on GVWR rating... and the description didn't say which one the part was meant for, meaning a person wanting to order that part online might have a 50/50 shot at getting the proper one. I can't tell you how many times I answered phone calls from customers who'd tried to order what they wanted off the site, only to throw up their hands in frustration and call in. Sometimes they'd read through every possible description and piece together enough to figure out what they needed, but yes, a lot of those onlne descriptions leave more than a little to be desired when it comes to clarity.

[Rob Hall]

When I was a kid I really looked forward to the Sears Christmas "Wish Book" catalog. A real pleasant memory...

Me too..seems like a world long ago and far away.

[Thatswhatshesaid]

It's a slippery slope once a company starts to slide. Profits down? Cut staff and merchandise to save money. But that leads to less customer traffic and you're in a vicious cycle that hardly any company could dig out of.

Another thing is obviously online shopping. But has anyone noticed how many stores have 'can't find what you are looking for? More selection available online' signs are posted around stores as the selection dwindles? I buy most stuff online because I know that most likely a store isn't going to carry it. It's just the way things are these days. Big brick and mortar stores will someday be a thing of the past. There's just going to be places to pick up online orders.

In 10 years these companies will most likely be gone:

Sears/Kmart

Best Buy

Barnes and Noble

JC Penney

Radio Shack

Plus a few more I'm not thinking of.

[Rob Hall]

It's a slippery slope once a company starts to slide. Profits down? Cut staff and merchandise to save money. But that leads to less customer traffic and you're in a vicious cycle that hardly any company could dig out of.

Another thing is obviously online shopping. But has anyone noticed how many stores have 'can't find what you are looking for? More selection available online' signs are posted around stores as the selection dwindles? I buy most stuff online because I know that most likely a store isn't going to carry it. It's just the way things are these days. Big brick and mortar stores will someday be a thing of the past. There's just going to be places to pick up online orders.

In 10 years these companies will most likely be gone:

Sears/Kmart

Best Buy

Barnes and Noble

JC Penney

Radio Shack

Plus a few more I'm not thinking of.

Of those, the only I'd really miss is Barnes and Noble. Though I buy most books and magazines in electronic form, I do enjoy a good bookstore. But with free shipping, Amazon is hard to avoid...selection, ease of ordering, quick shipping makes them pretty irresistible...