Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Dang. Sears is suffering

I'd hate to see it go just because it always had great tools, but it looks like pretty big problems with it's co-owned K-Mart:

http://www.aol.com/article/finance/...21620815/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000058&

They killed their tool department when they went overseas with the Craftsman line. I may as well go to Harbor Freight now if I want some cheapass crap.

Writing is on the wall for all brick and mortar stores

I sure hope they keep open their online parts store.

Sears screwed themselves. They stopped selling firearms. Their warranty and customer service went down over the years. Not surprised really.

The business model that Sears is based on has been defunct since about the end of WWII. They should have gone out of business when the similarly-based Montgomery Ward did.

The Kmart deal was bad, it will eventually kill them.

Actually Montgomery Ward is still in business online website.

IMO, when Sears went the 'mall' route was the start of their decline, add the Kmart purchase fiasco and that spelled the end.

Sears signed their own death certificate when they got rid of the catalog. They could have easily converted that to online sales YEARS ago, before Amazon and other vendors got a foothold.

Other than hammers and pliers, virtually their entire tool line is offshore stuff (no worse, but certainly no better, than what Harbor Freight, Home Depot, or Lowes carries). At least I can count on those other three to be in business in 5 years to honor their tool warranty.

Sears, RIP

Screwed me on a super duper 7 year car battery for my Vette. It went bad in a couple years, and the free replacement included a testing fee and installation. It would have cost the same to get a replacement from Sams club. Never stepped in there since.

Sears online prices are stupidly high. I can find lower prices at a doz other sites no matter what I'm buying.

This, plus what others have said. I worked for Kmart during its heyday and I bailed when it was obvious things were about to go south.They had the right idea to make it go, but they discarded it, and basically ignored the new technology that was available to help out. Regardless, brick and mortar anything that doesn't offer a service as well as goods ( like a repair shop...) is in for trouble. On-line sales were up 29% on Black friday...

Walmart is really pushing online sales now. With the money behind them, they just might give Amazon a run for it. Their prices are much lower than what Sears is offering.

I worked for a couple of years with guy who started with Sears in high school, continued working there after graduating and over the years worked his way up to general manager of a large full service Sears store.

He said he had always loved working for Sears but it got so mentally unbearable dealing with ever increasing corporate pressure and demands after the K-mart deal that he felt he had to take early retirement or else go nuts.

The last I heard Sears offered him too good of a deal to turn down, on his terms, back in his former position, if he would come back with them again and he accepted.

Ironically, the guy who took his job at Sears after he retired wound up quiting Sears for the same reasons and came to work for our company too.

they just tore down the Sears near us. i remember that store from the 60's.

very sad, because they were truly of America's greatest stores

Sears and Kmart - kinda like tying 2 rocks together and hoping they will float.

and it's not just Sears. JC Penney is in trouble too. Fact it, brick and mortar stores are going to be pretty much a thing of the past before too long.

The K-mart here in Sierra Vista is either closed, or just about finished it's "Everything must go" sale.
Our Sears is a DUMP,....with rude, half azzed staffing, and has been for years.
....honoring warranties ?
sorry,....failed that, too.

Good riddance.

GTC