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Thread: How does Sears keep holding on?

  1. #1
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    Default How does Sears keep holding on?

    So how does Sears keep holding on? In the news - five straight quarters of losses, looks like their Craftsman brand/line will be sold to Stanley/Black and Decker, etc, etc, etc..

    Who actually shops there any more - I popped into the Marlborough location before Christmas and I have to say I've seen more lively funeral homes, the place was absolutely dead in what should be their busiest time of the season. Craftsman - are their products even relevant any more? Sure, in the 80's and before that they were the go to brand for most people but now I really have to wonder about that. When I popped in a Christmas, it was for the off chance that they might have something I was having so difficulty locating in the city and if anything, their selection was laughable plus nary a sales person around or one that was even remotely interested in helping me.

    I think they're dead, just don't know how they've held on so long.

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    Once in a blue moon I'll pop into sears. But everytime I do, I buy a tool or some kitchen gadget. Only time I go is when I have to go to north hill. Other then that, I pay sears no mind. I used to go to sears with my dad when I was young to look at things. But they seemed to be a way better store when I was young.

    I believe thier catalogue business is still somewhat popular. With that said, much like all large department stores, the internet is killing them for convenience.

    Most things I buy are 1 day or 2 day delivery. Many of my friends are in the same boat. We don't have to go touch things in a store to buy them anymore.

    Other than food, I rarely go to malls or stores with the intention of buying anything. Amazon is way faster and usually the most cost effective. Same thing with clothes. If they don't fit I just ship it back. But I've had good luck recently.
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    Old people

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    Old people.

    I get the odd thing there, but not much. The sears in lethbridge barely has any tools at all. They use to be really good tools, I inherited a ton from grandpa who was a retired mechanic. I haven't heard anyone buy any in the last decade though.

    I've been wondering for years how sears stays open. Same with some the Hudson Bay stores and even some walmarts are extremely dead.

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    Sears became massively wealthy as they outright bought a large amount of their prime location retail space decades ago. Thats the only thing thats kept them in business.

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    I ask this same question all the time. I used to work at north hill about 8 years ago. Since I left that location has not changed at all and according to my parents that store hasn't changed much since as far back as they can remember.

    Going into their stores I feel like they have no direction for their product lineup, they can't seem to decide who exactly they're catering to.

    I remember we lost our discount on electronics about a year after I started. I asked the electronics manager why and he said it was because their markup was something moronic like 2%.

    It's such a failing business model I think they'll be under in the next 10 years.

    If I remember correctly they don't even own the north hill building anymore which I thought was the only reason that location was able to operate.

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    Sears is just sad. I popped into to the Northhill store a few times in the last few months wanting to give them money. A lot of empty shelves, the vibe is just bad, funeral home is the best description. It's like no one cares, there is no management at all. I don't buy a lot of stuff in store from Bay neither, at least I don't have to check my pulse when I walk into Bay.

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    How fitting, just found this while doing my morning news read:

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ut-900-million

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    Maybe they're owned by Wilson Phillips.
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    I've never visited the physical location stores except to return items but they're online website, I've scored some killer cheap deals.

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    Originally posted by lilmira
    Sears is just sad. I popped into to the Northhill store a few times in the last few months wanting to give them money. A lot of empty shelves, the vibe is just bad, funeral home is the best description. It's like no one cares, there is no management at all. I don't buy a lot of stuff in store from Bay neither, at least I don't have to check my pulse when I walk into Bay.
    Yea the way they treated their staff was horrible when I was at north hill. They work them like dogs, and only gave negative feedback to people. They pay them shit and on top of that restrict their hours. All the department managers were burnt out.

    They would also refuse to pay for equipment repairs so working on the dock we often only had 2 good pallet jacks

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    I used to always think of The Bay and Sears and similar stores, carrying similar products and offering similar prices, etc. that was like 15 years ago. I recently went into a Sears for the first time in a long time thinking this was still the case and was very disappointed. Sears sucks, and The Bay is still pretty good, if not better than it used to be.

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    Hard to watch.
    I worked for Sears for over 10 years and saw things spiral downwards from the inside.
    Took my shares and cashed them out as soon as possible, and pulled both of my DB and DC pensions out shortly after I left.
    I really think the Craftsman name is all they have left aside from the Kenmore name and any remaining property they still own.
    Now I see they are looking at entering the food business to help drive traffic into their stores.
    http://retailanalysis.igd.com/Hub.as...id=3&nid=16074
    Sad really to see two major retailers decline like this-Eatons first now Sears.
    Sears bought Eatons strictly for the catalogue business now they screwed that up by outsourcing the cataloge call center to the Philippines.

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    What a coincidence, I was killing time at North hill mall yesterday and walked into Sears and wondered the same thing...

    The first floor was clothes straight out of the 90s... And the second floor was home stuff that I can get anywhere else...I noticed the parts desk though and thought the parts store in the NE was the greatest thing ever, but I tink that one is gone now too?! Last time I needed a fridge part I ended up at the trail appliances parts store...
    Last edited by JohnnyHockey; 01-05-2017 at 09:33 AM.

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    It's amazing what stores will hold on with zero customers - just look at everything in the Eau Claire mall.

    Sears is equally terrible aside from tools & appliances, which I suspect is about all they have left.

    I feel like the only place they could succeed is a small town where there is nowhere else to go.
    Last edited by Mitsu3000gt; 01-05-2017 at 09:55 AM.

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    I can only remember going to Sears as a kid and even back then it was never busy.

    The Bay is never that busy seeming either.

    The whole online purchasing taking over was actually a discussion that came up at Christmas dinner. I think there will always be stores where people need to feel and check things out in person - clothing and shoes being a big one. Moreover, those specialty soap/bath stores will still do well as people what to know what they actually smell like.
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    I have been wondering the same. When they were preparing to close a bunch of stores in the US i decided to short their stock but it never really dipped as much as I had hoped. I always find it sad to see the big stores die off. I remember when Eatons closed and just watching the once proud company liquidate everything. The Bay is the only one in Canada that seems to have realized that people dont shop out of catalogs anymore... theyve been pumping billions into their stores.
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    I still remember when they were called Simpsons-Sears, barely. Online shopping keeps increasing in popularity, the main reason I started moving to online shopping was I was so tired of department stores being so packed full of shoppers, that's not much of an issue anymore. I ended up in a Walmart last week and forgot how dangerous it can be to my wallet. I walked by 2 things I didn't really need, but they were great prices so I picked them up

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    I wondered the same thing about the Sears Northhill location when I first moved to Calgary 10+ years ago. It seemed stuck in the 1980's back then. Those old lino floors, tinny music, absent staff, and poorly stocked shelves certainly didn't add to the experience. Old people must sustain them. Lot's of mall walkers at that location at least.

    I don't agree with comparing The Bay to Sears. The Bay is one of my go to's for sure. They seem to keep their store in good order and well stocked. Gotta love bay days too
    Last edited by Hallowed_point; 01-05-2017 at 10:22 AM.

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