Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
we've come to the conclusion that the only thing worth buying any more at Sears is car batteries, which they somehow haven't managed to screw up yet.
Their batteries are good, but they are made in the same Johnson Controls Corp factory, and have the same specifications, as the Interstate battery. (Translation: It is the same battery, albeit with a different name on it) And, if you buy your Interstate battery at Costco, you will save something on the order of $40.
The only disadvantage of buying it at Costco is that they don't install the battery for you, so if you don't want to get your hands dirty, you should probably continue buying the identical battery at Sears and paying much more for it.
The only disadvantage of buying it at Costco is that they don't install the battery for you, so if you don't want to get your hands dirty, you should probably continue buying the identical battery at Sears and paying much more for it.
The nearest Costco is 120+ miles away from me. (In contrast to the Sears in Ft. Walton Beach, which is about a half hour away) And therefore not really worth the membership for us at this time, even in a cheap gas era. Believe me, if Costco ever makes it to even Pensacola, we are so there.
In the internet age stores are becoming obsolete. Because I'm the caregiver for my elderly, disabled mother I have very little time to spend driving to stores or touring the malls. Other than going to the supermarket and twice-monthly trips to Costco, I rarely go in retail establishments. And I don't need to since I have an alternative unavailable to previous generations of caregivers.
I buy drugstore items online, everything from my toiletries to vitamins to my mother's incontinence products, and they are delivered directly to the house — cheaper than CVS or Walgreens and shipping included most of the time. I buy shoes when needed from shoeoutlet.com — free shipping and free returns. I generally find suitable things in the clearance section. I get most of my mother's and my clothing from QVC or HSN. I know what brands fit and I can get a good look at the clothes on TV and then read the details online. I have ordered everything from car parts to perfume on Amazon. I wait until I have several thing I need and I order them together to qualify for no shipping fees there, too. I like to give unique gifts, so I buy most of them on Etsy.com. That way I'm buying direct from artisans and supporting home-based businesses.
If you shop regularly from the same outlets, there are always days you will be offered discounts and/or free shipping. I got a Target credit card (which I pay off monthly) and anything I buy from Target.com that's charged on it gets me a 5% discount AND no shipping fees. I needed a new patio set last spring (my old one was falling apart!) and I got one on Target.com. I waited until there was a furniture sale on a holiday weekend, I picked something out from the website and by charging it to my Target card I got an extra 5% off and the only shipping I paid was a straight surcharge for over-sized items. The stuff was delivered to my front porch in huge boxes (yes, I recycled) and I didn't have to assembly anything other than screwing on the table legs. It's more attractive than my previous set and cost less than I paid for the old one 10 years ago. Why would I want to struggle with making multiple trips to a store to drive those things home in my compact car?
I find I save a lot of money shopping this way. I don't impulse-buy since I don't even see things unless I'm doing search for a product I need. I don't waste time or gasoline driving distances to stores. Yet I can and do comparison shop for best prices. Online shopping works well for my needs so I won't be missing those out-of-business stores large or small. And I don't cry about lost jobs, even though I used to work retail myself. Retail workers are very poorly paid and few retail jobs are full-time employment. We need jobs in America, but those aren't the kind.
And no way do I believe a President Donald Trump would keep your local Sears or Penney's open if they don't have enough customers to make a profit. Seriously, what kind of "successful businessman" would make a promise like that?
Last edited by Jukesgrrl; 03-07-2016 at 12:13 AM..
Reason: grammar
In the internet age stores are becoming obsolete. Because I'm the caregiver for my elderly, disabled mother I have very little time to spend driving to stores or touring the malls. Other than going to the supermarket and twice-monthly trips to Costco, I rarely go in retail establishments. And I don't need to since I have an alternative unavailable to previous generations of caregivers.
I buy drugstore items online, everything from my toiletries to vitamins to my mother's incontinence products, and they are delivered directly to the house — cheaper than CVS or Walgreens and shipping included most of the time. I buy shoes when needed from shoeoutlet.com — free shipping and free returns. I generally find suitable things in the clearance section. I get most of my mother's and my clothing from QVC or HSN. I know what brands fit and I can get a good look at the clothes on TV and then read the details online. I have ordered everything from car parts to perfume on Amazon. I wait until I have several thing I need and I order them together to qualify for no shipping fees there, too. I like to give unique gifts, so I buy most of them on Etsy.com. That way I'm buying direct from artisans and supporting home-based businesses.
If you shop regularly from the same outlets, there are always days you will be offered discounts and/or free shipping. I got a Target credit card (which I pay off monthly) and anything I buy from Target.com that's charged on it gets me a 5% discount AND no shipping fees. I needed a new patio set last spring (my old one was falling apart!) and I got one on Target.com. I waited until there was a furniture sale on a holiday weekend, I picked something out from the website and by charging it to my Target card I got an extra 5% off and the only shipping I paid was a straight surcharge for over-sized items. The stuff was delivered to my front porch in huge boxes (yes, I recycled) and I didn't have to assembly anything other than screwing on the table legs. It's more attractive than my previous set and cost less than I paid for the old one 10 years ago. Why would I want to struggle with making multiple trips to a store to drive those things home in my compact car?
I find I save a lot of money shopping this way. I don't impulse-buy since I don't even see things unless I'm doing search for a product I need. I don't waste time or gasoline driving distances to stores. Yet I can and do comparison shop for best prices. Online shopping works well for my needs so I won't be missing those out-of-business stores large or small. And I don't cry about lost jobs, even though I used to work retail myself. Retail workers are very poorly paid and few retail jobs are full-time employment. We need jobs in America, but those aren't the kind.
And no way do I believe a President Donald Trump would keep your local Sears or Penney's open if they don't have enough customers to make a profit. Seriously, what kind of "successful businessman" would make a promise like that?
I could have written the above post, except instead of the patio set we've bought leather chairs and lamps and I pay the annual $99 Prime fee for free shipping. Prime also allows us to stream shows -- Alpha House, Bosch...
The biggest saving is probably that I no longer impulse buy at stores. When I used to shop at Target, I rarely came out with less than a hundred dollars worth of stuff. I'd go in for shaving cream and come out with a hundred and fifty dollars worth of kitchen gadgets, Easter candy, baskets...
Every few weeks we make a Costco run for dog food, toilet paper, cheese... Once a week to the Farmer's Market or Aldis for vegetables and so forth.
If I want a nice outfit, I head to Nordstroms. They've got customer service down.
Save time, money, and aggravation by shopping online.
The shopping areas that are still successful are those that offer a unique experience. Think courtyards, Starbucks, and Apple stores.
Or those that offer quality products at decent prices. Costco, for example.
A mall in our area with a Penneys, Belks, Dillards, Macy's, and Sears anchor stores always has room in their parking lot.
Inside are older people power walking, teens wandering around in clumps, and mothers dividing an order of French fries among several kids. Rarely see anyone with more than one shopping bag.
Macy's is having a going-out-business sale and Sears closed some time ago. So many smaller stores have closed that they'e turned a sizable area into a playground. It won't be long until the remainder bookstores, business schools, and churches.
Many boomers are being forced into retirement whether they like it or not. Unfortunately, most of them never got around to saving enough. The average retirement savings for a couple at 65 is only $148K.
So with limited income, they must make do with what they have.
Also, as we get older having new stuff is less and less important. That 30 year old drill still works. And the old shirt fits; who cares about style. When your an old guy, nobody pays attention to you anyway.
In the NYT's bestseller "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" cleaning consultant Marie Kondo shows how to simplify and organize your life. More and more are following her advice to simplify their lives.
Anyone with a stack of magazines and more than three boxes in the garage is a candidate for an episode of Hoarders.
2) Downsizing is all the rage with retirees while younger folks are often reluctant to sell their souls for the next 30 years for big mortgage payments. Tiny Houses are all the rage on HGTV.
Last edited by GotHereQuickAsICould; 03-07-2016 at 07:11 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
