Sears Closing More Stores

[Rich Riddle]

The news just indicated Sears is closing more stores along with the K-Mart brand stores this summer. The announcement along with the stores closing is here:

http://searsholdings.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=16310&item=137430

[Bruce Page]

I'm surprised they're keeping the one in Albuquerque open. It's like a ghost town every time I go in there.

[Gary Yoder]

I'm surprised they're keeping the one in Albuquerque open. It's like a ghost town every time I go in there.

That's what I was thinking about our local Kmart. Our Sears closed 3 years ago....

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'm surprised the Lorain Ohio Super-K is closing.
They seem to be the exception to the trend and they always have a decent number of customers.

What's odd is that a number of years ago when I worked at Builder's Square (Kmart owned them), one of the store managers praised the Amherst Ohio K-Mart for being an outstanding store. That was back around 1986/87. K-Mart closed that store in Amherst and reopened it about a quarter mile away & on a larger lot as the Lorain Ohio Super-K. They continued to do well for years.

[roger wiegand]

Can't pretend to be surprised. If you choose to deliver neither quality nor price with lousy customer service the outcome is pretty well preordained.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

It's amazing how much Sears changed over the last 50 years. While I was in the Navy in the late 60's, we always bought tires, furniture and clothing there. It didn't matter where I was stationed, there was always a Sears store nearby to honor the Sears (actually Michelan steel belted radials in those days) Road Handler warrantee if needed. When I got out of the Navy, my job required I dress in suits or jacket, slacks and ties. I don't know how many times I got sent out of town and needed to add to my wardrobe or replace a piece I had damaged on the job. A quick trip to the local Sears got me a new matching jacket or slacks. You knew you were getting good quality with that guaranteed customer satisfaction. In the late 70's and early 80's, Sears management experienced a change and it changed it's mission from retail to real estate and beyond. The quality of the products and customer service went down hill from there.

It's just a result of bad management.

[Rich Riddle]

Ken, the Sears in Florence, Kentucky still sales all those tires and has a mechanical shop in it. The K-Mart near there should be closed. It's not a high performing store and has terrible customer service, but didn't K-Mart buy Sears?

[Dave Anderson NH]

It's a shame to watch what was one of the premier retailers self-destruct. I remember in the mid 1970s going into the Burlington MA Sears men's department and ordering 2 custom made suits. I picked out the style, the fabric, and the in store tailor measured me. Six weeks later my suits came from Hong Kong, the tailor marked for the alterations, and 2 weeks later I had 2 very high quality bespoke suits at a very attractive price. Fast forward to today. I'm afraid to even go in and buy a pair of socks the quality is so bad. As for service, the only people you see are at the register.

[Randy Red Bemont]

Back in the day (60's and 70's) it was the only place to go get anything. Today I can't even tell you where the closest sears store is. I just avoid the store all together. Too many bad experiences.

Red

[Dave Cullen]

There was a Sears Hardware store in my town that I used all the time. It closed about a year ago and I miss it. If I wanted a socket or wrench they were my first choice.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ken, the Sears in Florence, Kentucky still sales all those tires and has a mechanical shop in it. The K-Mart near there should be closed. It's not a high performing store and has terrible customer service, but didn't K-Mart buy Sears?

Rich...it depends on who you ask...the employees at Sears claim they bought K-Mart.....??????

[william watts]

The employs at Sears were told it was to be a "merger" and not to buy any stock. When the dust settled Kmart had 1 more seat on the board of directors than Sears.

Bill

[Peter Stahl]

I went to Sears today to get a torque wrench and ask one of the salesman if the store was closing because there were so many empty pegs. He said no but didn't have a excuse for the low stock.

[Chuck Hart]

I have a Sears service contract and had a problem covered by the service contract. On the first call I made, no problem, they would come right out. When the guy was supposed to show up and didn't I called and was told they didn't have a service person in the area. The second time I called a service person called me and said he would not show up because he had a night college class and couldn't get back home in time. Frustrated beyond belief I started making calls to service centers until I got a hold of a customer service rep that took this problem on like a pit bull. She made sure that I had phone numbers and supervisors names and made sure that the service people would show up. They didn't.

Once I finally called one of the numbers she gave me to talk to a supervisor I got a call from service. They told me they didn't service my area. A long story shortened a bit I finally got a third party service person to my house at Sears expense. This took SIX weeks to get resolved. I now know how to get my products serviced.

[Frank Drew]

It seems that they're dead but just don't know it yet.

[Dave Lehnert]

I shop Kmart and Sears.
Their shoppers card is great. They know they need to attract customers. They will add bonus points all the time. Just check and I now have $10 off $15 purchase on my card. About a month ago I was at the register checking out and had $28 on my shoppers card to use.
We use to have a Sears Hardware store in town that I liked a lot but it closed down. I believe they were franchise stores and not company owned.
The local Sears mall store inventory has gone way down to what it once was.

[Stan Calow]

I like my local Sears. I found they can order most major tool brands and parts at a competitive price, and often have good sales. They just can't deliver dependably. That they survived the consumer shift to online shopping, fast delivery and specialty marketing at all, is surprising. The old concept of department stores just doesn't work anymore. Now Kmart just got plain outmuscled by Wal-mart and their more aggressive marketing. I remember their predecessor, Kresge's, and then when the first Kmarts opened. They blew everyone away and people went there just for the entertainment. Times have changed.

[Duane Meadows]

Rich...it depends on who you ask...the employees at Sears claim they bought K-Mart.....??????

Neither really, The holding company was created by the group that bought Kmart out of bankruptcy and it(the holding company) then bought Sears. Sad deal anyway you figure it, though.

Disclaimer: I am a retired Sears employee.

[Chris Padilla]

I just went to my local Sears at the mall. It was pretty packed but I was only there to pick up a few parts for our vacuum cleaner. Had them ship it to the store so I could save the shipping cost. It sure didn't look like a place on the down-low....

[Mike Null]

I have a long and close history with Sears and am saddened by the demise. I remember when Sears controlled several businesses in the US almost without serious competition. Tires and batteries; major appliances, especially laundry equipment; lawn and garden equipment; and hardware. Sears held dominant market share in all those categories. Then they hired the ready to wear geniuses who downplayed their hardlines strengths in favor of womens clothes and ran them right into the ground.

I worked for a billion dollar supplier to Sears and called on Sears headquarters.