Sears - yikes!
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I sure hope they spin Lands' End and Craftsman off. I'll be really sad if they vanish.
For us baby boomers, the demise of Sears is very sad.
Craftsman and Kenmore used to be very respectable brands with good quality and value.
Craftsman and Kenmore used to be very respectable brands with good quality and value.
wemay
Site Donor 2023
One of my fondest memories as a kid in the 70's was going thru their Catalog during the Holidays to look at all the new toys. My Pop loved Sears.
Sad day indeed...
Sad day indeed...
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wemay
Site Donor 2023
Originally Posted By: dparm
I sure hope they spin Lands' End and Craftsman off. I'll be really sad if they vanish.
+1
I sure hope they spin Lands' End and Craftsman off. I'll be really sad if they vanish.
+1
Sad when a company like Sears goes under, but they did it to themselves. When corporate America pays more attention to profits and to bonuses for management, and on living up to artificial "Wall Street" expectations instead of concentrating on serving their customers, it's inevitable.
When I was a kid they were an anchor store I actually gawked at new stuff in.
Now they are close parking for the rest of the mall.
A few years ago I wanted my first HDTV. Circuit Circus, BB, and Sears all had the best price. I went with sears since I knew a girl who worked there. "I want to buy this TV", I declared. "I can't sell it to you", replied the salesman. Why? Because their mall real estate was so prime they had a second warehouse a few blocks away, and cost-cutting meant they shortened the hours over there.
Similarly, when I wanted to buy a floor model Maytag Neptune washer, my commission-hungry salesperson took off to find me "very important info" about the circuit boards frying on them. She took off and never returned! I was more determined than ever though and came back that evening when I assumed her shift ended and used my wife's name to buy the thing and made sure she got shorted on her cut.
Their management is so astonishingly clueless I figured Dec 26th two weeks ago would be the start of a new bankruptcy for them... retailers like that day because they can pay themselves bonuses from gift card sales then cheat customers before they can cash them in.
Now they are close parking for the rest of the mall.
A few years ago I wanted my first HDTV. Circuit Circus, BB, and Sears all had the best price. I went with sears since I knew a girl who worked there. "I want to buy this TV", I declared. "I can't sell it to you", replied the salesman. Why? Because their mall real estate was so prime they had a second warehouse a few blocks away, and cost-cutting meant they shortened the hours over there.
Similarly, when I wanted to buy a floor model Maytag Neptune washer, my commission-hungry salesperson took off to find me "very important info" about the circuit boards frying on them. She took off and never returned! I was more determined than ever though and came back that evening when I assumed her shift ended and used my wife's name to buy the thing and made sure she got shorted on her cut.
Their management is so astonishingly clueless I figured Dec 26th two weeks ago would be the start of a new bankruptcy for them... retailers like that day because they can pay themselves bonuses from gift card sales then cheat customers before they can cash them in.
Cutting quality and sales drop? Stevie Wonder could see that coming.
I bought a Craftsman socket set a few years ago. The 3/8" ratchet died the first time I used it. It was replaced with a refurb.
As a kid, I remember how popular WeatherBeater paint was. Now? I can't remember the last time I even heard the name mentioned.
I bought a Craftsman socket set a few years ago. The 3/8" ratchet died the first time I used it. It was replaced with a refurb.
As a kid, I remember how popular WeatherBeater paint was. Now? I can't remember the last time I even heard the name mentioned.
Dont let their past comments fool you.....their catalog order business was always profitable (they claimed it wasnt),what they did was take the income from that side to prop up their stores and make it look like the catalog biz was a loser.When they closed that side of the business they lost that income to play with.Stupid mistakes for decades now....There is less for your life..at Sears.
Originally Posted By: Turk
Anyone remember "Montgomery Wards"??
I do! Where I am they tore it down and built a Lowes.
Anyone remember "Montgomery Wards"??
I do! Where I am they tore it down and built a Lowes.
Originally Posted By: dparm
I sure hope they spin Lands' End and Craftsman off. I'll be really sad if they vanish.
The Craftsman name is probably the most valuable thing Sears owns. They've already expanded the reach, so you can buy Craftsman tools at ACE, on Amazon and probably some other places I'm forgetting.
If Sears dies, Craftsman will live on, most likely. Someone will want that name.
I sure hope they spin Lands' End and Craftsman off. I'll be really sad if they vanish.
The Craftsman name is probably the most valuable thing Sears owns. They've already expanded the reach, so you can buy Craftsman tools at ACE, on Amazon and probably some other places I'm forgetting.
If Sears dies, Craftsman will live on, most likely. Someone will want that name.
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
If Sears dies, Craftsman will live on, most likely. Someone will want that name.
Yes, but my fear is that someone will just buy the name and it will become a generic or low-end tool company. My thinking is that they just split that part off into a separate company so it's business-as-usual. Same thing for Lands' End (which was actually an acquisition and could probably be shed pretty easily).
If Sears dies, Craftsman will live on, most likely. Someone will want that name.
Yes, but my fear is that someone will just buy the name and it will become a generic or low-end tool company. My thinking is that they just split that part off into a separate company so it's business-as-usual. Same thing for Lands' End (which was actually an acquisition and could probably be shed pretty easily).
Eh. When I have in Florida a Lowes, Tractor Supply, Two TrueValues and other tool stores less than halfway away versus a sears, it's pick your poison.
My stepdad worked for Sears many years, well 10 years, ago.. Laying him off because he wasn't a [censored] salesman in the appliance dept. he wouldn't try to sell something they couldn't afford. He'd ask them for how much they were willing to spend on a fridge,range,washer,dryer etc. he'd give him their options in that price range, and tell them the specs of each.
Laying off the employee of the month x6 out of the 2 years he worked there, the top salesman in sales 19 of those 24 months as well...
You can be a top salesman at Sears all you want, and sell millions of things, but the guy selling less, but pushing higher margin stuff on people is going to keep his job...
In the end, my stepdad wouldn't step foot in a sears unless it was for something with the rider lawn mower which the craftsman has had numerous issues...
I then figgered out tinkering around that the oil filter for my truck matches the Briggs and Stratton/craftsman one. Once this was figured out, he had no need to go to sears.
L20195 Purolator, 3x the size, 3.27$ US made. Briggs/craftsman oil filter? 1/3 size of the Purolator, 17$, made in China.
Tractor blades are good for 3 mowings our 5 acres, between the grass, sand etc.
tractor supply blades? Or better yet, an independent ranch supply in my town who makes their own blades? Good for the summer.
Sears has just become overpriced junk that is made in another country.
You're paying for the name craftsman, diehard, kenmore.
Gradually when an old craftsman power tool breaks, or an appliance breaks, my parents have drifted away from Sears brands
Most of the kitchen appliances are frigidaires now...
Washer and dryer have been replaced by maytag
Lawn equipment has been replaced with husqvarna, with the only thing being craftsman is the riding lawnmower. Eventually, when pops gets tired of repairing it, will become a husqvarna. Yes husqvarna does supply some Sears power equipment, but going through husqvarna for repairs and warranty isn't as bad as dealing with the Sears guys just trying to sell you a new product...
Last time I went into Sears, Black Friday 2011, shoot last Black Friday I participated in (spent my last two with the army), looking at the hammer rack, 30 different claw hammers, 0 us made ones.
Hand tools? S-K has become our choices. Pick them up at the local ranch supply.
Both ranch stores in my hometown, owned by the same old man. Both do auto repair as well (mainly diesel/pickups) , the old man who owns the stores refuses to carry anything not made in USA.
Sorry for drifting off subject. Sears in the end did this to themselves.
My stepdad worked for Sears many years, well 10 years, ago.. Laying him off because he wasn't a [censored] salesman in the appliance dept. he wouldn't try to sell something they couldn't afford. He'd ask them for how much they were willing to spend on a fridge,range,washer,dryer etc. he'd give him their options in that price range, and tell them the specs of each.
Laying off the employee of the month x6 out of the 2 years he worked there, the top salesman in sales 19 of those 24 months as well...
You can be a top salesman at Sears all you want, and sell millions of things, but the guy selling less, but pushing higher margin stuff on people is going to keep his job...
In the end, my stepdad wouldn't step foot in a sears unless it was for something with the rider lawn mower which the craftsman has had numerous issues...
I then figgered out tinkering around that the oil filter for my truck matches the Briggs and Stratton/craftsman one. Once this was figured out, he had no need to go to sears.
L20195 Purolator, 3x the size, 3.27$ US made. Briggs/craftsman oil filter? 1/3 size of the Purolator, 17$, made in China.
Tractor blades are good for 3 mowings our 5 acres, between the grass, sand etc.
tractor supply blades? Or better yet, an independent ranch supply in my town who makes their own blades? Good for the summer.
Sears has just become overpriced junk that is made in another country.
You're paying for the name craftsman, diehard, kenmore.
Gradually when an old craftsman power tool breaks, or an appliance breaks, my parents have drifted away from Sears brands
Most of the kitchen appliances are frigidaires now...
Washer and dryer have been replaced by maytag
Lawn equipment has been replaced with husqvarna, with the only thing being craftsman is the riding lawnmower. Eventually, when pops gets tired of repairing it, will become a husqvarna. Yes husqvarna does supply some Sears power equipment, but going through husqvarna for repairs and warranty isn't as bad as dealing with the Sears guys just trying to sell you a new product...
Last time I went into Sears, Black Friday 2011, shoot last Black Friday I participated in (spent my last two with the army), looking at the hammer rack, 30 different claw hammers, 0 us made ones.
Hand tools? S-K has become our choices. Pick them up at the local ranch supply.
Both ranch stores in my hometown, owned by the same old man. Both do auto repair as well (mainly diesel/pickups) , the old man who owns the stores refuses to carry anything not made in USA.
Sorry for drifting off subject. Sears in the end did this to themselves.
Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
If Sears dies, Craftsman will live on, most likely. Someone will want that name.
Yes, but my fear is that someone will just buy the name and it will become a generic or low-end tool company. My thinking is that they just split that part off into a separate company so it's business-as-usual. Same thing for Lands' End (which was actually an acquisition and could probably be shed pretty easily).
A lot of the tool nerds have been complaining for years that it's been declining in quality already. Now, many of the tools are Chinese and a lot of the people on Garage Journal don't believe they're worth the price. I was still a big supporter of them before they went Chinese. The USA made wrenches, sockets and tool sets were by far the best bargain in tools. They weren't the fanciest tools, but the wrenches and sockets could not be beat for the price.
I wonder if Apex Tools or StanleyBlack&Decker would be interested in buying the Craftsman name? Apex makes many of the current Craftsman hand tools. SBD doesn't make any that I'm aware of, but they sure own a lot of tool brands and probably have the production capacity to supply many of the tools they would sell under the Craftsman banner.
Who knows what will happen. All we can do is watch and speculate...
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
If Sears dies, Craftsman will live on, most likely. Someone will want that name.
Yes, but my fear is that someone will just buy the name and it will become a generic or low-end tool company. My thinking is that they just split that part off into a separate company so it's business-as-usual. Same thing for Lands' End (which was actually an acquisition and could probably be shed pretty easily).
A lot of the tool nerds have been complaining for years that it's been declining in quality already. Now, many of the tools are Chinese and a lot of the people on Garage Journal don't believe they're worth the price. I was still a big supporter of them before they went Chinese. The USA made wrenches, sockets and tool sets were by far the best bargain in tools. They weren't the fanciest tools, but the wrenches and sockets could not be beat for the price.
I wonder if Apex Tools or StanleyBlack&Decker would be interested in buying the Craftsman name? Apex makes many of the current Craftsman hand tools. SBD doesn't make any that I'm aware of, but they sure own a lot of tool brands and probably have the production capacity to supply many of the tools they would sell under the Craftsman banner.
Who knows what will happen. All we can do is watch and speculate...
Sears was as American as Chevy and apple pie. They invented their own brands for paint, appliances, tires and batteries, tools, the list goes on and on. They had free standing stores and despised malls.
People more often than not worked for Sears all their lives. Their profit sharing incentives meant only crazy people left.
Then they started to replace these full-time people with part -time help. You didn't have salespeople anymore - you had clerks and cashiers. I asked someone for help 20 years ago to make a custom gallon of paint. She looked at me like I had two heads. Then they went to malls. Then national brands.
Sears stopped being Sears a long time ago.
People more often than not worked for Sears all their lives. Their profit sharing incentives meant only crazy people left.
Then they started to replace these full-time people with part -time help. You didn't have salespeople anymore - you had clerks and cashiers. I asked someone for help 20 years ago to make a custom gallon of paint. She looked at me like I had two heads. Then they went to malls. Then national brands.
Sears stopped being Sears a long time ago.
Too bad, it looks like their headed down the same path as JCP.
Originally Posted By: dparm
I sure hope they spin Lands' End and Craftsman off.....
Lands End spin off was announced last month. Auto Center spin off also expected to raise capital. Based on his record with Sears Holdings, including KMart never thought much of Hedge Fund Ed Lamperts management of Sears. Now based investors pulling funds from his hedge fund, it appears to be finally catching up to him. Honestly surprised it's lasted as long as it has with him at the helm.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101252594
I sure hope they spin Lands' End and Craftsman off.....
Lands End spin off was announced last month. Auto Center spin off also expected to raise capital. Based on his record with Sears Holdings, including KMart never thought much of Hedge Fund Ed Lamperts management of Sears. Now based investors pulling funds from his hedge fund, it appears to be finally catching up to him. Honestly surprised it's lasted as long as it has with him at the helm.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101252594
OVERKILL
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When I was a kid it was Eatons and the Eatons catalogue. They went down the road Sears is now headed
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