WHAR MAH HUSKYTUFFSKINS????
WHAR!!!???

mr_a: Sears actually went out of business a few years ago, just their accounting systems are so screwed up they haven't noticed yet.

They got bought by K-Mart.

Combining two bad retailers turned out to be not sucha great move in the age of Walmart.

mcreadyblue: mr_a: Sears actually went out of business a few years ago, just their accounting systems are so screwed up they haven't noticed yet.

They got bought by K-Mart.

Combining two bad retailers turned out to be not sucha great move in the age of Walmart.

The best part is that they merged to leverage the value of their commercial real estate properties right before the bubble burst.

Well they outlasted Montgomery Wards

Kids today will never know the marvelous wonders of browsing thru the underwear section of a Sears catalog.

My mother-in-law recently bought a dryer at Sears. She is old, remembers what it was like decades ago, and would hear no argument. The didn't delivery the dryer until days after it was promised. On the day it was supposed to come, She called when it was a few hours late, and someone insisted that it had been delivered. Did the delivery company Sears contracts with steal her dryer? Did Sears never even put it on the truck? Sears told her a bunch of tales and lies. My wife and brother-in-law will not let her buy an appliance from Sears again no matter how much she insists. That bridge is burned.

I, for one, am grateful to Sears. On a business trip to the OC area, AA misplaced my luggage and I was left without a change of clothes after a 14 hour trip. The nearest shopping mall had a bunch of jewelery and luxury designer stores, i.e. 40+ bucks for a single pair of underpants. Then, between all the luxury shiat... Sears! Thank $deity, and a few bucks later I was set with new undies and socks. Too much of them, actually (socks didn't come in antyhing less than 8-pair pack!). Still, less than what 1 single designer sock would have cost.

/luggage eventually turned up - thankfully
//because AA's check reimbursing for the clothes did NOT
///fark AA

Last time I bought anything at Sears (bought a TV), the store clerk was giving me a hard time for turning down the extended warranty. I don't blame the salesperson so much, I know that management is pressuring them to sell these things, which is exactly why I won't be back.

And to think Illinois and Ohio are fighting each other by throwing hundreds of million dollars in tax incentives to lure this company.

Sears also usually has good, decently priced auto service that is open late. Saved my family once on a trip home for the holidays. The ball-bearings went out on our old Ford Country Squire, and Sears was the only place that didn't turn us away that night.

CitizenTed: It's kinda sad. Sears stores are shabby and uninviting, but Sears is still the best place to buy big TV's and large appliances that may require in-home service. (Sears still rolls repair techs.) And when they are gone, are you going to call Amazon to dispatch a tech to fix your 50" LCD? Will Lowes come out and fix your washer?

I don't buy 50 inch tvs, and as a general rule, try not to buy consumer electronics that cost so much that I wouldn't just replace them if they broke (sadly).

as for appliances, we have a handyman.

CitizenTed: It's kinda sad. Sears stores are shabby and uninviting, but Sears is still the best place to buy big TV's and large appliances that may require in-home service. (Sears still rolls repair techs.) And when they are gone, are you going to call Amazon to dispatch a tech to fix your 50" LCD? Will Lowes come out and fix your washer?

I learned my lesson over the course of a washer and dishwasher that you do not buy appliances from Lowes/Home Depot. They are junk. Sears has its problems, but they are pretty much the only place I'd buy appliances from right now. Not sure what I'll do when they're finished.

If Eddie Lampert had any retail savvy at all, this wouldn't be such an issue.


/Offered my services...he declined.

///Tough noogies, Ed.

lexslamman: Sears also usually has good, decently priced auto service that is open late. Saved my family once on a trip home for the holidays. The ball-bearings went out on our old Ford Country Squire, and Sears was the only place that didn't turn us away that night.

What the hell you need ball bearings for?

/obscure... perhaps?

Sears does pretty well around here but Kmart has been dying a slow death for the last 20 years. Their stores are outdated, understaffed and the selection sucks. They do have some newer "super centers" but those are few and far between.

CitizenTed: It's kinda sad. Sears stores are shabby and uninviting, but Sears is still the best place to buy big TV's and large appliances that may require in-home service. (Sears still rolls repair techs.) And when they are gone, are you going to call Amazon to dispatch a tech to fix your 50" LCD? Will Lowes come out and fix your washer?

Meh, I got my 73 inch TV so cheap that if it dies I'll just buy another one off of Amazon.

I sold electronics at Sears for a couple of years until they drastically cut the commission on everything but their highest end TVs and extended warranties. I used to encourage my friends and family to buy from them after I left, since for the most part, they were more straight-forward on pricing and on occasion, the service plans were priced well enough to make sense. (Actually used the service plan on a Samsung LCD a couple of times, saved quite a bit of money, since the in-home service techs were actually pretty knowledgeable).

My opinion of them changed drastically recently when I got a letter re: my Sears Card account. They mailed me a new Mastercard, not the standard Sears only charge card that I had used for years. (Incedently, it was a good investment for me, while working there to use the Sears Charge account, with my volume of purchases. They gave my credit score a nice bump because they were more than willing to boost the credit limit on a regular basis.) I noticed that my prior Sears account had not expired, and called their customer service to ask why I was being issued a new card. They told me that I had not opted out of the card upgrade. Apparently, they sent a letter a few months earlier that appeared to just be junk mail, stating that all of the terms on the account would be changed and it would be migrated to a Mastercard account unless I specifically and physically sent them a notice that I wanted to remain just a Sears Account holder. Of course, the new card had a 5% higher interest rate and new payment terms. I was absolutely infuriated.

That was my last straw with them. Now I won't set foot into the store, or recommend them to anyone, even if they run a better sale. Terrible business practices and betrayed trust go a long way in running a company into the ground.

jankyboy: lexslamman: Sears also usually has good, decently priced auto service that is open late. Saved my family once on a trip home for the holidays. The ball-bearings went out on our old Ford Country Squire, and Sears was the only place that didn't turn us away that night.

What the hell you need ball bearings for?

/obscure... perhaps?

It's all ball bearings these days.

Kmart simply refuses to hire enough help. Ironically, by saving money in staff, they lose millions in horrible service and a dirty, empty sales floor. When bean counters are the only say in a company, the place always sucks. Just look at CVS and Circuit City..Oh wait. Circuit City died.

Impasse: Kids today will never know the marvelous wonders of browsing thru the underwear section of a Sears catalog.

So hot:

I can't remember the last time I was in a K-Mart, and none of the ones that still exist are convenient. I know it's been since the merger, because they had Craftsman tools.

Sears was THE place when I was a kid. We would go to an older Sears store that also had a distribution center and order stuff almost just so we could watch it come down the spiral slides or out on the conveyor belts.

The only thing Sears has going for it now is Land's End, but even their stuff has come from China and the Pacific rim for years. At least the have a good return policy ("Guaranteed. Period." and they mean it). Hopefully they will spin it off and keep it alive. Land's End sales are the only reason I go TO a Sears rather than through it.

/Voting?

I guess I need to buy parts for my fridge now before Sears takes Kenmore with it...

I won't be sad to see them go. I've tried purchasing an appliance with them for family members in the past and it ended up being a nightmare that resulted in me having to call their corporate office to sort out.
Since then, every person that I know who tried to get an appliance delivered from sears has had an awful experience.
It used to be a great place for mail order and delivery, but now it's a horrid retailer.

Roebuck's revenge!

Sears hosed me on a $65 rebate for appliance delivery several years ago (their rebate process is much different than what you would expect).

Ever since then, I've never set foot into the place, it's not about the $65, it's about their whole flaky rebate process.

/I'm buying a $1300 fridge, and you're making me jump through hoops to get free delivery, and charging me $50 to haul away the old (still functioning) fridge?

/In sharp contrast, I bought a new stove recently, and didn't even consider sears. Bought it from Lowes. Free shipping and free hauling of the old stove, no rebate antics necessary. Needless to say, when I eventually replace my washer/dryer (in ~1-2 years), I'm going back to Lowes.

We have both a Sears and Sears Hardware in our area. Both are well run, have a decent selection of products in most departments and have pretty low prices against the competition. They are attached to the mall, so they have a lot of foot traffic but I have no idea how many actual customers. I've been told by people moving into the area that this location is the exception to the rule but I never seek a Sears out when I travel so I really have no idea how well it stacks to other locations.

Myria : I guess I need to buy parts for my fridge now before Sears takes Kenmore with it...

You know, Kenmore is just Sears in store brand. Find out who actually made your fridge and get the parts that way.

WIKI: Kenmore Appliances is a line of household appliances produced by a variety of manufacturers such as Whirlpool Corp, GE, Panasonic, LG, Bosch, Electrolux, and Mabe Mexico, and controlled by Sears Holdings Corporation

Having just experience Sears yesterday, I can't say I'm surprised. I will note that I was specifically dealing with Sears Automotive (which is separate from Sears as I found out in a previous misadventure).

1. Set up an appointment Sunday night for an alignment on Monday evening. This was odd given the short turn around, but here I was thinking that they were advanced enough to have the mechanic's schedules online.

2. Had the receipt and all, but as of noon I hadn't heard from them (they were supposed to call to confirm which would have been fine if they had needed to punt). Called them, they had NO RECORD of my order, but set up an appointment at 4 pm. They mentioned they were somewhat busy but that it shouldn't be an issue.

3. Arrive a few minutes early and offer them my receipt. They are able to credit me for it and take the car.

4. Sears Automotive has a huge advantage in that they are attached to Sears and to a mall - so rather than taking your car to a garage that might be miles from anything interesting, you can go browse. So I take my time, get a bite to eat, get back around 5:30 to check.

5. Not done. In fact, it hasn't even been looked at. Apparently they "had a lot of walk-ins", but why wouldn't an appointment get preference? I also later find out that most of the mechanics took the day off. All of this would have been fine if they had just been up front about it (I could have stopped in another day). In the end I didn't leave until 7:30 (they close at 7).

GoodyearPimp: Having just experience Sears yesterday, I can't say I'm surprised. I will note that I was specifically dealing with Sears Automotive (which is separate from Sears as I found out in a previous misadventure).

1. Set up an appointment Sunday night for an alignment on Monday evening. This was odd given the short turn around, but here I was thinking that they were advanced enough to have the mechanic's schedules online.

2. Had the receipt and all, but as of noon I hadn't heard from them (they were supposed to call to confirm which would have been fine if they had needed to punt). Called them, they had NO RECORD of my order, but set up an appointment at 4 pm. They mentioned they were somewhat busy but that it shouldn't be an issue.

3. Arrive a few minutes early and offer them my receipt. They are able to credit me for it and take the car.

4. Sears Automotive has a huge advantage in that they are attached to Sears and to a mall - so rather than taking your car to a garage that might be miles from anything interesting, you can go browse. So I take my time, get a bite to eat, get back around 5:30 to check.

5. Not done. In fact, it hasn't even been looked at. Apparently they "had a lot of walk-ins", but why wouldn't an appointment get preference? I also later find out that most of the mechanics took the day off. All of this would have been fine if they had just been up front about it (I could have stopped in another day). In the end I didn't leave until 7:30 (they close at 7).

The fact they stayed after closing to still look at your car puts them miles ahead of any other dealership or mechanic shop I have ever encountered. All the other things you described are pretty much protocol. Other places would have either just handed you back your car or told you they were in the middle of something and would complete it tomorrow, leaving you looking for friends/relatives to pick your stranded ass up (yes had Ford do that to me once).

Oh and walk ins to tend to get preference because you already paid, sucker. :)

The one by my house has a Mac Donald's right in the store.

Badly run company. This is what happens.

Just hope that Obama doesn't try to turn it into Government Sears.

lordargent: Sears hosed me on a $65 rebate for appliance delivery several years ago (their rebate process is much different than what you would expect).

Ever since then, I've never set foot into the place, it's not about the $65, it's about their whole flaky rebate process.

/I'm buying a $1300 fridge, and you're making me jump through hoops to get free delivery, and charging me $50 to haul away the old (still functioning) fridge?

/In sharp contrast, I bought a new stove recently, and didn't even consider sears. Bought it from Lowes. Free shipping and free hauling of the old stove, no rebate antics necessary. Needless to say, when I eventually replace my washer/dryer (in ~1-2 years), I'm going back to Lowes.

Wait. You live in CA and you paid $50 to have Sears haul your old fridge away? Edison will pay you $50 to take your old working fridge away.

I still like Sears for things where I might get parts for it - a Washing Machine, for instance. I also go to them for hand tools. But a TV? Anything disposible? Big things i wouldn't work on like an oven or refrigerator? No way.

I've gotten stuff at Sears recently. If you research on line, make sure they have stock before you go, compare prices, you can get a perfectly good deal. They are so desperate for sales that they will often have the lowest price, and actually have the stuff in stock. In addition, at our local Sears it is no waiting; the sales people will be all over you because you will be the only one in there. It's not bad at all if you do your homework on line first and don't buy the add-ons, just realize that the sales guys are just doing their job. I actually prefer it to the hard sell Best Buy retard attack experience.

Sears can't figure out what the hell they are nowadays.
The nearest one to me:
--Is it a car repair shop? Halfassed. They can replace a battery, replace an alternator, but anything more complex than that and they're out. Although, I have been saved by them many times when they're open weekends and all I want is a new battery or an emergency tire patch after hitting a nail.
--Is it a hardware store? Halfassed. I can get hammers, but not nails. I can get skilsaws, table saws, chainsaws, and jigsaws, but not lumber. Although, if I walk all the way round the store, I CAN buy fresh clothes...jeans, toolbelt, steeltoed boots, and jackets. Beat THAT, Lowes!
--Is it a clothing store? OK, sure. I can get PJs, backyard BBQ shorts and shirt, oxford shirt, plumber's overalls or a tux, all in one place. Maybe we should concentrate on that, guys, and let Kmart go?

This.

I'm blaming Sears' problems on its marketing department. They can't seem to make up their mind on what logo they want to keep. The newest one really makes the store seem "lightweight."

saintstryfe: I still like Sears for things where I might get parts for it - a Washing Machine, for instance. I also go to them for hand tools. But a TV? Anything disposible? Big things i wouldn't work on like an oven or refrigerator? No way.

Wait, you can work on a washing machine, but not an oven or fridge? Ovens and fridges are easier to work on in my experience.

Back in the day, they kept bumping up the credit limit on my Sears card until it cracked $10k. I couldn't see myself buying a used car or other big-big-ticket item from them, and at the time it affected me getting a card I actually needed for work. Nuked 'em from orbit, haven't been back.

I wonder if Louis J D'Ambrosio (CEO) will return any of his $2,000,000 bonus.

Since then, every person that I know who tried to get an appliance delivered from sears has had an awful experience.

Delivery is subcontracted out - at least in our case. When we got out dishwasher from Sears, the guy who put it in was the same guy that installed our furnace through a local private company. So blaming Sears for delivery issues may not be fair. Their management does need to know that the subcontractor is not doing their job though.

Most of our major appliances are from Sears and I would not hesitate to buy another there.

I bought a new stove from Sears online the Sunday night before Thanksgiving, and they had it delivered and installed by Tuesday morning. Delivery and haul away was free, and I bought it on sale. I really don't want to buy my appliances from an out of work electrician, rightfully bitter that they have to work at Home Depot. I hope they can stay afloat, because I've bought a ton of big ticket items from them in the past ten years and have no complaints.

/not old, but I sound like it

Mrtraveler01: And to think Illinois and Ohio are fighting each other by throwing hundreds of million dollars in tax incentives to lure this company.

Tales of Flyoverland.