Ive never understood how Sears got into its present condition...

[Danny83]

Sears in Mexico is still going strong

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by gmh1013

When i was a kid every kid in the USA looked forward to the Sears Christmas Catalog which had 400 plus pages... which was the Amazon of it day in the 50's and 60's plus had the stores in every large and midsize town in the US....plus the very popular Kenmore line which we had in our house as a kid....plus the tools.
Fast forward 50 years.....its all gone.....replaced by Amazon for mail order...Sears remained strong up into the 80's with discover card etc....then feel from grace quickly. How somebody was not able to turn it around 25 years ago is beyond me. The rise of Wal-Mart didn't help but they Ive always been low end stuff. I know its not one thing but a chain of events that cause a company to go under but it seems somebody could have pulled it out.
I was playing my old Silvertone guitar with case amp i got as present in 1969...it play pretty good for a 50 year old cheap Sears guitar....feeling nostalgic.

IMO there are several reasons

A. They are in malls which are also dying
B. Because they are in malls it attracts different customers than walmart or home depot where they are larger stores with more stuff
C. People dont care about quality. That said Sears stuff wasn't head and shoulders above in quality anyway.

[mailman]

Originally Posted by Danny83

Sears in Mexico is still going strong

Lowe's is carrying their tool boxed and hand tools now.

[superstarmar]

Originally Posted by dddrees

There are many oh so many reasons why I like shopping online. Not the same as in person but then again I can do so many more things online that I could never do in person and access things I could never access locally on the internet.

Don’t get me wrong , almost all stores/shoppes have
online shopping now . I have and still do purchase certain
things online once in a blue moon ...

But I’m not the one to do all of my shopping online,
I like to get out and get some exercise. For the most part
I like to touch and feel what I purchase before hand.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by superstarmar

Don’t get me wrong , almost all stores/shoppes have
online shopping now . I have and still do purchase certain
things online once in a blue moon ...

But I’m not the one to do all of my shopping online,
I like to get out and get some exercise. For the most part
I like to touch and feel what I purchase before hand.

online shopping retailers like amazon for instance do depend on other companies b&m stores to some extent because their customers often time showroom and then buy online. These stores get no benefit from that and many close.

Online sounds great until you carry this method to the only logical end. Then its not so great. I think places that sell items like TV's, appliances like washers and dryers and dishwashers have the hardest time... like sears. Most people want to see a washer before they buy it. Doesn't mean they buy it from where they looked at it.

[beshannon]

Originally Posted by Nick9

Here's what happened in Canada. It was bought by a hedge fund, picked clean (hundreds of millions of dollars vacuumed out). The carcass was dumped. The employee pension fund was looted in the process.

It's possible that department stores are in fact a thing of the past, and these guys just saw the writing on the wall, decided to line their pockets and get out. Fair. But stealing the pensions and screwing the employees? Just plain greed...

Partially true, yes.

https://www.investopedia.com/news/downfall-of-sears/

[SMD]

Edit- staying out of this one.

[Cryten]

Originally Posted by superstarmar

I don’t like shopping online.. Amazon can wither away as far as I’m concerned.

Originally Posted by Art 1

I agree

I try and support bricks and mortar stores as much as I can because they're a vital part of any community but sometimes you just can't beat Amazon.

I was after a Webber smoker one day and I know that Lowes and home Depot carry them, so 30 minute drive to Lowes. They don't have it, just empty space where they should be. Ok, over the road to Home Depot. Nope, not there either. They have chimney starters, but not the size I need. So I drive back and order both on Amazon, they're on the door step in 2 days.

Eventually Amazon draws you in because they have stock levels that no brick and mortar store can compete with (even the big box stores).

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by superstarmar

Don’t get me wrong , almost all stores/shoppes have
online shopping now . I have and still do purchase certain
things online once in a blue moon ...

But I’m not the one to do all of my shopping online,
I like to get out and get some exercise. For the most part
I like to touch and feel what I purchase before hand.

I get it. In fact I miss the time I used to get out. In fact I didn't have to actually buy anything it was just kind of enjoyable to get out. Thing is however I have so much better access to things I would never be available to access locally via the internet. Not only that comparison shopping and research is so much easier online and practically impossible or much more difficult when shopping in person.

I have been purchasing practically everything besides groceries online for awhile now and I even tried groceries but that was more inconvenient so I still purchase groceries in person.

Yes, I miss getting out but even when I've done it rarely it's no longer what it used to be even just a few years ago. Malls are dying and the options I used to have which used to be limited are even more so.

The touch and feel you speak of I wouldn't be able to touch and feel most things I purchase anyway because it simply cannot be purchased locally for the most part. So my research and being convinced I am purchasing the right thing for me and from someone who is reputable replaces all of that touch and feel before you buy experience. Besides I am getting the product I want not just a substitute. I've yet to be unsatisfied and whenever I've needed to conduct a return I've yet to have an issue.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

online shopping retailers like amazon for instance do depend on other companies b&m stores to some extent because their customers often time showroom and then buy online. These stores get no benefit from that and many close.

Online sounds great until you carry this method to the only logical end. Then its not so great. I think places that sell items like TV's, appliances like washers and dryers and dishwashers have the hardest time... like sears. Most people want to see a washer before they buy it. Doesn't mean they buy it from where they looked at it.

Shopping online without seeing things in person just takes a little different mentality and approach but it's not that difficult once you get used to it.

[SMD]

Originally Posted by dddrees

I have been purchasing practically everything besides groceries online for awhile now and I even tried groceries but that was more inconvenient so I still purchase groceries in person.

Give it some time. In NYC (and I am sure elsewhere) you can order same day (often with delivery within a few hours) from Whole Foods on Amazon. Spend more than $35 and get free delivery. Once you have ordered a few times ordering from prior orders is a snap. Just recently we were getting home from a trip and realized we did not have food for the kids. In the car on the way home from the airport I created an order and had everything at the house within 2 hours. This frees up so much time that is better spent with my kids or doing other things instead of going and combing the aisles of a grocery store.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by dddrees

I have been purchasing practically everything besides groceries online for awhile now and I even tried groceries but that was more inconvenient so I still purchase groceries in person.

groceries are the only thing i buy exclusively online.

read an article recently though on how its harder in the US because its more spread out... but urban areas its more possible. Groceries are notoriously low margin though so its not easy to make it work.

Its way better than going to a grocery store though. Plus, lets be honest we buy almost the same stuff every time so then its just pushing the reorder button.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by SMD

Give it some time. In NYC (and I am sure elsewhere) you can order same day (often with delivery within a few hours) from Whole Foods on Amazon. Spend more than $35 and get free delivery. Once you have ordered a few times ordering from prior orders is a snap. Just recently we were getting home from a trip and realized we did not have food for the kids. In the car on the way home from the airport I created an order and had everything at the house within 2 hours. This frees up so much time that is better spent with my kids or doing other things instead of going and combing the aisles of a grocery store.

My location may take a good long time before we get there. It's just not there yet.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

groceries are the only thing i buy exclusively online.

read an article recently though on how its harder in the US because its more spread out... but urban areas its more possible. Groceries are notoriously low margin though so its not easy to make it work.

Its way better than going to a grocery store though. Plus, lets be honest we buy almost the same stuff every time so then its just pushing the reorder button.

Understand, it's just my location hasn't reached that point yet.

[77T]

So many reasons for the failure of any retailer - and Sears is no exception.

Ideas: or the lack thereof - that keep pace with the changing tastes of customers.

Individuals: who are aligned with solid growth at acceptable risk - not self-dealing “barbarians at the gate”.

Interests: that are aligned with desirable organic outcomes - not chasing rainbows that yield long-term losses.

Mr. Roebuck got out early - and he never lost a dime on Sears.
Ironic history tidbit follows:

“Just two years after the Sears and Roebuck catalog debuted in 1895, Mr. Roebuck asked Mr. Sears to buy him out for $20,000. Roebuck just wasn't interested in the workaday world of making a business grow.

Sears bought out Roebuck and proceeded to turn the company into a retail behemoth.

Roebuck took his windfall and moved to Florida where many industrialists went in those days.

Sears died in 1914 at the age of 50.

Many years later, Roebuck was asked if he regretted not having made as much money as his former partner. He replied, "He's dead. Me? I never felt better."

Roebuck died in 1948 at the age of 84.”




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[037]

Originally Posted by mailman

Lowe's is carrying their tool boxed and hand tools now.

That's because Craftsman Tools were bought by Stanley / Black & Decker a while back. They're no longer a Sears brand, although Sears still carries them. That puts them in more stores than just Sears.

[locutus49]

Good read. Society is changing, Amazon broke the new ground, soon we will be living in cocoons, not socially interacting person to person, but rather via the internet. What a future we will have bequeathed? This was predicted in Sci-Fi stories of the 50's.

Originally Posted by 77T

So many reasons for the failure of any retailer - and Sears is no exception.

Ideas: or the lack thereof - that keep pace with the changing tastes of customers.

Individuals: who are aligned with solid growth at acceptable risk - not self-dealing “barbarians at the gate”.

Interests: that are aligned with desirable organic outcomes - not chasing rainbows that yield long-term losses.

Mr. Roebuck got out early - and he never lost a dime on Sears.
Ironic history tidbit follows:

“Just two years after the Sears and Roebuck catalog debuted in 1895, Mr. Roebuck asked Mr. Sears to buy him out for $20,000. Roebuck just wasn't interested in the workaday world of making a business grow.

Sears bought out Roebuck and proceeded to turn the company into a retail behemoth.

Roebuck took his windfall and moved to Florida where many industrialists went in those days.

Sears died in 1914 at the age of 50.

Many years later, Roebuck was asked if he regretted not having made as much money as his former partner. He replied, "He's dead. Me? I never felt better."

Roebuck died in 1948 at the age of 84.”




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Ferdelious]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

groceries are the only thing i buy exclusively online.

read an article recently though on how its harder in the US because its more spread out... but urban areas its more possible. Groceries are notoriously low margin though so its not easy to make it work.

Its way better than going to a grocery store though. Plus, lets be honest we buy almost the same stuff every time so then its just pushing the reorder button.

I would say that groceries are the one thing I will never buy online. I enjoy the experience of grocery shopping, maybe it's because I like to cook.

[77T]

Originally Posted by 037

That's because Craftsman Tools were bought by Stanley / Black & Decker a while back. They're no longer a Sears brand, although Sears still carries them. That puts them in more stores than just Sears.

This may have been a good move for those of us who still have 50 year old hand tools made by Craftsman. They still have the lifetime warranty despite being made offshore.

From their website...

Full Lifetime Warranty
If the product fails to perform for any reason, we will replace it. Return damaged product to a stocking Retail Partner or call 1-888-331-4569 for details. No proof of purchase required.

Note: Same Warranty for all New Craftsman Models (Model # starting with “CMHT”) and older models (Model # starting with “9”)

Warranty does not cover expendable parts which can wear from normal use (i.e. blade in a knife)


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[037]

Originally Posted by 77T

This may have been a good move for those of us who still have 50 year old hand tools made by Craftsman. They still have the lifetime warranty despite being made offshore.

Agreed. I have some Craftsman stuff from my grandfather easily that old. It's just sad that a warranty replacement handled today might result in a US-made item being replaced with something offshore. At least their Professional line is still made in the US, so warranty might not be so bad.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by Ferdelious

I would say that groceries are the one thing I will never buy online. I enjoy the experience of grocery shopping, maybe it's because I like to cook.

in london without a car... its brutal

i go to the produce market or the cheese store in my neighborhood. The rest of it its way too heavy to lug around

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by 037

Agreed. I have some Craftsman stuff from my grandfather easily that old. It's just sad that a warranty replacement handled today might result in a US-made item being replaced with something offshore. At least their Professional line is still made in the US, so warranty might not be so bad.

There is just so much that is no longer being manufactured in the US anymore. In fact I just recently purchased a few reproductions of banned items originally manufactured in the mid to late 1800's in the US. The (Banned) That Won The West. They are under the original brand name by the way but made in Japan and not the US. By all accounts they are actually being made better by the way.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by dddrees

There is just so much that is no longer being manufactured in the US anymore. In fact I just recently purchased a few reproductions of banned items originally manufactured in the mid to late 1800's in the US. The (Banned) That Won The West. They are under the original brand name by the way but made in Japan and not the US. By all accounts they are actually being made better by the way.

just an observation and ill leave it at that.

People say they want domestically made products, yet the expansion and success of Walmart shows otherwise. People dont put their money where their mouth is and talk doesn't cost a thing.

I dont care either way, i buy what i prefer. I just dont like the hypocrisy.

[Brew]

Is there really any magic to a hammer made in the US?

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by Brew

Is there really any magic to a hammer made in the US?

its magically more expensive

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by Brew

Is there really any magic to a hammer made in the US?

Only if it says Estwing on it.

[Brew]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

Only if it says Estwing on it.

I had to google your response. Those are nice looking tools. But just like Rolex's Professional line, I'm not sure I'd notice any difference, given how I'd use them.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

just an observation and ill leave it at that.

People say they want domestically made products, yet the expansion and success of Walmart shows otherwise. People dont put their money where their mouth is and talk doesn't cost a thing.

I dont care either way, i buy what i prefer. I just dont like the hypocrisy.

I think Walmart proved that the vast majority want the least costly product possible. Unfortunately along with that comes the reality that for the most part your not only talking a cheaper product your also talking about the cheapest labor as possible. Funny how the capitalism we are known for is also destroying us. Walmart played a large role in this.


Personally I try to find the best that I can afford. Things that are made to last. If it's made in the US so much the better but unfortunately that's just not the case in a lot of instances.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by dddrees

I think Walmart proved that the vast majority want the least costly product possible. Unfortunately along with that comes the reality that for the most part your not only talking a cheaper product your also talking about the cheapest labor as possible. Funny how the capitalism we are known for is also destroying us. Walmart played a large role in this.


Personally I try to find the best that I can afford. Things that are made to last. If it's made in the US so much the better but unfortunately that's just not the case in a lot of instances.

its funny because my Tumi luggage is way more expensive than my moms walmart luggage. Technically i think she gets it at target. She has been through at least 3 different rolling luggage pieces in 7 years as they keep breaking. She doesn't travel hardly at all, just to visit me. I paid more the first time, travel all the time and mine are still in perfect condition.

I dont think you save money in the long run by sacrificing quality. The upfront cost does turn people off though. But they pay that much or more anyway sooner or later with almost anything.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

its funny because my Tumi luggage is way more expensive than my moms walmart luggage. Technically i think she gets it at target. She has been through at least 3 different rolling luggage pieces in 7 years as they keep breaking. She doesn't travel hardly at all, just to visit me. I paid more the first time, travel all the time and mine are still in perfect condition.

I dont think you save money in the long run by sacrificing quality.

Exactly!!!