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The Sears store nearest me closed their Auto Service Center last year. Yeah, they still have a couple of them left in the city, but they are across town. I wonder if the Die Hard name is going to follow Craftsman? And who, if anyone, will honor the warranties?
Another "great American retailer" goes away. Although I wouldn't buy anything from Sears for quite a while. I do have some Craftsman tools, but they don't really stand up to heavy usage like Snap-on or Mac. I was a mechanic and other mechanics would say Craftsman tools have the same guarantee but when you're in the field repairing a bulldozer what are you supposed to do, stop and run to Sears for a replacement?
Another thing, and maybe it's trivial, but I declared bankruptcy in the 90's. It couldn't really be helped, (hey Trump did it 4 times, and still has a gold plated toilet). I didn't owe Sears any money, most creditors for appliances, etc. write the loss off. Sears has someone sitting at the bankruptcy court who makes arrangements to repossess that refrigerator or washer/dryer you bought on installments. There also used to be a "Sears Outlet Store" near me. That's where they sell those refrigerators the repossessed etc. another thing they did there was sell stuff at a discount that didn't sell in the stores. Eventually they through things out, well they would cut the tongue out of the shoes before they put them in the trash! Instead of giving them to Goodwill or something, that right there removes any pity I have for Sears. I only feel sorry for the employees.
Sears outlet stores are NOT owned by Sears and the company that does own them, well, their customer service and operations leave much to be desired in my experience after buying several different items from them.
As for Craftsman tool warranty, I don't know when it happened but they stopped giving you a new tool (ratchets) off the shelf and instead hand you a replacement from a box of refurbished tools that in many cases look like they were refurb'd by a 5 year old and don't work as well or last as long as a new one. I've got a couple ratchets that look like someone took an angle grinder to the body of them and work like crap.
I've found that unless I want to spend big $$ on tools (like specialty tools) I just go to Harbor Freight. Warranty replacement and when that runs out it's disposable as the original cost is low enough to warrant that action.
I'll bet Harbor Freight put a big hurt to Sears for tools. For the non-professional user, hand tools from HF will most likely be fine. The differences in price are big between HF and Sears hand tools. Since they started making Craftsman in China but kept selling at US prices, I'm sure people don't find the value anymore. If both tools are made in China, the price needs to represent that.
When I worked at Sears before the Army, management was more concerned about selling extended warranties on appliances and electronics than anything else. It was very high pressure on customers to buy the extended warranties. I bet they were huge profit makers.
I worked in the stock room and we would get an online order request on our palm pilot. The request would come in and we would have to answer within an hour if the item was in stock or not. We were told by management to always answer yes, that the item was in stock even if it wasn't. Why? They reasoned that it would get the customer in the door, they would sell them an excuse and then upgrade the customer to the next higher item. One time a customer ordered a $140 iron, there was no upgrade at that store. That was one unhappy customer when they got to the store to find out.
The ratchets are rebuilt in the back by an associate. Corporate sent out a spring, gear, ball and clip for guys to rebuild them in the back. The body was the same.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Ace Hardware has been selling Craftsman tools, hand and power for several years. I have a lot of old Craftsman tools, back when they were top quality, now they don't seem worth the price when you can buy and replace tools from Harbor Freight twice for the same price. My craftsman automotive tools are lasting forever, but if I need something new that will not be used very often, Harbor Freight, Husky or Kobalt are fine.
After controlling the Craftsman name for 90 years, troubled department store operator Sears said it will sell the famous tool brand to Stanley Black & Decker Inc.
Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, the Craftsman name will live on. Even with the tools being made in China, many people buy them on name recognition alone. Of course that comes from the decades when they were quality tools with a great warranty. Today's ratchets are a far cry from those old tools, and not in a good way. \
OTOH, Stanley's hand tools are hit and miss. They're fine for household use, but serious use leave them broken. Black and Decker isn't much better. However, Stanley does make Dewalt tools, so they can make quality. Hopefully they go the Dewalt path. I assume Craftsman will fall somewhere in the middle. They're also known for having poor customer service
It says they want to build factories here in the US to make the tools, so they will be made in America again and that's nice not just for the brand, but for American workers too.
Sears has been dead for a long time, they just haven't buried the corpse yet. I grew up on Craftsman tools and shopping at Sears. It was the go to place for everything, and their tools were terrific. Then, in the late 70's, I saw Sears start to change, and not for the better.
Today, I never go there, even to exchange a broken tool. The one they want to give me is a refurbished cheaper model, and I would rather go to a swap meet and find an old Craftsman tool that was well made. I have a $300 Craftsman floor jack that started leaking after a few months and they refused to stand behind it because "It is not a hand tool and does not have their lifetime warranty."
The tools they sell today have cheap chrome that chips easily, and the feel and fit is no different from any other Chinese brand. Sears failed to keep pace with a changing market and forgot that quality still sells. Glad to see them go, they earned it.
I remember when Sears (and other dept stores) had actual career salespersons that were knowledgeable and helpful. They were long replaced with part time minimum wage workers who couldn't give a hoot.
I remember when Sears (and other dept stores) had actual career salespersons that were knowledgeable and helpful. They were long replaced with part time minimum wage workers who couldn't give a hoot.
^^^Yep, that was my first indication things were not the same. I used to go into Sears and they would have a knowledgeable salesperson in each department. If I was doing a plumbing job, they had a guy there who knew plumbing.
One day I walked in and needed plumbing advice, and the associate said "I really don't know the answer, I was working in the shoe department up until yesterday !" That was the beginning of the end of Sears for me.
About a year ago, I went to Sears to exchange some clothes I had bought. There were 3 cars in the entire parking lot, and all the sales people were leaning on appliances. It looked like a desert inside the store.......no excitement, no enthusiasm.
^^^Yep, that was my first indication things were not the same. I used to go into Sears and they would have a knowledgeable salesperson in each department. If I was doing a plumbing job, they had a guy there who knew plumbing.
One day I walked in and needed plumbing advice, and the associate said "I really don't know the answer, I was working in the shoe department up until yesterday !" That was the beginning of the end of Sears for me.
About a year ago, I went to Sears to exchange some clothes I had bought. There were 3 cars in the entire parking lot, and all the sales people were leaning on appliances. It looked like a desert inside the store.......no excitement, no enthusiasm.
When I hear comments like this I get sad because I remember as a kid going into Sears and my dad would talk with the 'experts' in the tools area about a specific project he was working on and always getting advice. For now, I recommend Ace Hardware. Generally, the people there are very knowledgeable about their respectable departments. Heck, even Home Depot or Lowes will get you better advice than Sears.
A few years ago, I needed to go to Sears to get a new water filter for my Kenmore Fridge which came with our house and I think there were 4 sales people for the entire store and the only customers I actually saw in the store were a few old ladies looking at shoes. Well, I found my filter and luckily I had done all my own research (model number, part number, brand, etc) because there was no one around to help me. Needless to say, when I needed a new filter recently, I just bought it off Amazon. Sears has been doomed for many years.
Well if it's retail it better be. Last time I stepped foot in a Sears was when I needed a pair of work boots because mine were bring resoled. Expensive, cheaply made Chinese junk. Help was nonexistent. I finally grabbed someone whose immediate response was "I'll get someone for you, that's not my department"
I walked out went to Boot Barn and grabbed a pair of boots.
8 years ago I did get a great deal on a $1400 stove that was 50% off because it was a showroom model with a dent on the side. Got it home, called the company and ordered a sidepanel for $50 shipped.
Sears of today is nothing like the Sears of yesterday.
Unfortunately their model is outdated. Even Walmart is feeling the pressure from online giants.
Well to be fair you didn't wait for a response. Not all companies have floor people who are knowledgeable in areas outside of their department. Maybe you caught someone who was returning an item. Instead you decided to go elsewhere which is your prerogative, however for all you knew maybe that clerk was getting someone for you who would best be able to serve you.
I honestly like Sears, minimalist approach to customer service. If I can't find what I was looking for in most stores, I realize it is likely out. That and I wouldn't want a lady from the fragrance area putting back a screwdriver to help me find a flashlight set.
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That was the beginning of the end of Sears for me.
