Sears might be going belly up

[Bruce Wayne]

According to this article. They have been around for over a century & they are starting to hurt.

http://247wallst.com/2011/06/22/247-wall-st-ten-brands-that-will-disappear-in-2012/3/

 

[MisterCairo]

Sears, Nokia, Saab, and other big names. I hope A&W survives, it's popular in Canada.

 

[Tango Yankee]

I remember going with my father to the local A&W to buy a gallon of root beer. It came in returnable glass bottles. Getting it was a special treat! These days when I see an A&W it's usually sharing space with another brand. In Portsmouth, OH it's with Long John Silvers.

I have a number of thier glass mugs.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[AtomicEraTom]

The only one I'm overly concerned about is A&W and Sears for what may happen to K-Mart. We have an old-fashioned A&W drive-in here and I love going there in the summertime.

 

[sheeplady]

This is really sad. I haven't shopped much at Sears, until this year. We needed a new stove, dishwasher, and television. We got all three for the price of what Lowes wanted for a much "cheaper" looking and feeling stove (the knobs were falling off on the display model).

 

[David Conwill]

On the bright side, I just found out that apparently the Montgomery Ward name is still around, and it has returned to its roots as a mail-order retailer (online-only retailers like Amazon being the modern equivalent, IMO).

-Dave

 

[Undertow]

Forgive me if I sound callous, but Sears has had this coming for a long time. After the Kmart purchase, quality and customer service took a sharp nose dive. They also began phasing out lifetime guarentees on hand tools and in place, began selling cheaper off brands to avoid the cycle. They started higher cheaper help that had no sense of work ethic or product knowledge. Their operations (such as home delivery, etc) created havoc for anyone crazy enough to buy from them. And on and on. When I used to work for Sears.com, I would see this stuff going on and I could only shake my head. It was terrible.

I would hate to see A&W go, but it wouldn't surprise me simply because they've been hurting for so long. I love A&W!

 

[LizzieMaine]

I agree with Undertow's comments on Sears -- they lost their way, tried to go cheap/trendy, and found out that a hundred and twenty years of goodwill will only take you so far. They built their reputation on quality and service, and it only took them twenty years of incompetence and bad decisions to fritter that all away.

I think the real problem is that the society that supported Sears for so long no longer exists -- people don't *care* about quality and service any more, all they want is cheap disposable flash. And there are plenty of newer companies who do a better job of dishing that up.

A&W serves the best poutine in Quebec.

 

[MisterCairo]

Oddly, K-Mart disappeared in Canada when it was sold off to Zellers, a Canadian discount chain part of the Hudson's Bay Company. Zellers in turn is being bought out by Target which is entering Canada in much the same way Walmart did (which was by buying out Woolworth's).

Going, going, gone.....

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I worked at K-Mart as a department manager for 3 years, my brother worked there, and my sister works there. I always received a TON of complaints from people that the customer service was lousy. Most people that came in there regular would ask for me personally. I didn't know everything about everything in the store but I was always polite and courteous and gave people all the time in the world that they needed. If I didn't know something, I would go back to the office and do some quick online research.

I recently got asked to come back. I was electronics department lead when I left and they said the sales have never recovered. In retail, you get what you pay for. You won't find a lot of people willing to make a career out of an 8 dollar an hour job.

 

[bil_maxx]

Forgive me if I sound callous, but Sears has had this coming for a long time. After the Kmart purchase, quality and customer service took a sharp nose dive. They also began phasing out lifetime guarentees on hand tools and in place, began selling cheaper off brands to avoid the cycle. They started higher cheaper help that had no sense of work ethic or product knowledge. Their operations (such as home delivery, etc) created havoc for anyone crazy enough to buy from them. And on and on. When I used to work for Sears.com, I would see this stuff going on and I could only shake my head. It was terrible.

I would hate to see A&W go, but it wouldn't surprise me simply because they've been hurting for so long. I love A&W!

So true. Here in Canada, Eatons and Simpsons, department stores that were exactly like Sears, went broke. They were historic stores with many decades of service but their service and product levels plummeted and they are gone. They only have themselves to blame, as they were around well before Walmart was even a thought. I hate to see it happen, but you either adapt or disappear.

 

[TCMfan25]

It happens to all of the Golden Era giants, JCpenny <crap, Macy's <on the verge, Strawbridges <dead, Lord and Taylor <ugh, Boscovs <don't get me started...

The only ones going strong are Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdales... ^ those used to be the bee's knees, and now Sears is going too.

Kind of sad...

 

[Jaguar66]

Sears, Roebuck & Co., like the 2 other catalogue companies Pennys, and Montgomery Ward (monkey ward) was necessary part of our family's life and existence, eg, Sears Kenmore Appliances, Craftsman tools, and The Sears Christmas Toy catalogue was a trip down fantasy lane, each and every year it came.

 

[Tatum]

Gracie Lee told me about this article a few days ago. Pardon me while I walk outside and hug our Saabs....

 

[JimWagner]

I agree with Undertow's comments on Sears -- they lost their way, tried to go cheap/trendy, and found out that a hundred and twenty years of goodwill will only take you so far. They built their reputation on quality and service, and it only took them twenty years of incompetence and bad decisions to fritter that all away.

I think the real problem is that the society that supported Sears for so long no longer exists -- people don't *care* about quality and service any more, all they want is cheap disposable flash. And there are plenty of newer companies who do a better job of dishing that up.

You're probably right.

That said, 30-40 years ago Craftsman tools were among the best available and cost less than some of the brands aimed at professionals. They were also readily available. Over time they have gained some stiff competition in that area from other manufacturers. DeWalt comes to mind for power tools and Master Mechanic (True Value's house brand) for hand tools. Once Sears combined with K_Mart and they began aiming for the K-Mart demographic the handwriting was on the wall.

Sears used to sell a lot of work clothing, especially to rural areas. Brands like Carhartt have pretty much knocked Sears out of that market. The Sears catalog has been replaced by the internet.

When Sears started trying to become just another mall department store they really lost their way. How they thought their everyday clothing could possibly compete with designer brands is beyond me. Maybe if they had stuck more to American made, but they didn't.

Anyway, I gave up on Sears about 10 years ago and it's really only a small matter of interest to me that they're probably going away since I haven't shopped there in quite a while and won't miss them.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I hear Craftsman tools don't even have a lifetime warranty anymore.

 

[juup]

its sad to see them go. I remember when we would get christmas toy catalogue in the early '80s. It had everything a boy of 10 could dream of, toys tools, and scantily clad ladies. Then they bought K-Mart and started showing up in malls. I went to the old state Street sears in salt lake when i was visiting my dad last week, and tbh, there was nothing worth buying. I'll look for my craftsman tools at estate sales from now on. Its a sad loss but heck they sold the Sears Tower. Maybe i'm wierd, but I HATE HATE HATE living in this walmart world

 

[Tomasso]

No more Sears Tower...........

 

[Jaguar66]

Remember when we used to listen to Dick Biondi on WLS 890 AM? And WLS stood for Worlds Largest Store? (Sears) Sad.

 

[Oldsarge]

I refuse to walk in the door of Wal-Mart. I did just once and never saw so much sub-standard crap in my life. However, I must admit that I only go into Sears when I need new underwear. I buy tools from tool specialists, clothing either off the internet or from more upscale sources and since Sears discontinued their Farm and Garden catalog decades ago, and stopped selling firearms and sporting goods there hasn't been any reason for me to buy from them. They should have gone internet about twenty years ago as an adjunct to their catalog. Bad business decisions=no business.