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Sears did not keep up with the times and slipped in providing quality merchandise. I know 10 years ago when I purchased my prior home, we went to Sears and bought all new appliances. Only the dishwasher remains functional. The range hood/microwave, washer and dryer, stove, and fridge never made it past 5 years. You can't just re-badge stuff and sell it at a premium.
Tool quality also went downhill badly with outsourcing to China. I still have some craftsman tools, and the ratchet in the harbor freight cheapie tool set I bought to keep in my car works smoother and cost far less than the craftsman ones cost.
I really don't blame amazon, it's just the changing times. In my locale traffic is bad, and I can easily spend a couple hours or more just going the couple miles across town, fight for a parking spot, and go to 2-3 stores trying to find the items I want usually to be told "we don't have that in stock but we can order that for you". My favorite, I'm at one of the auto parts chain stores wanting spark plugs for one of the most popular engines in America, and "we have 3 here, but you'll have to go to the other store for the rest". Fail.
Amazon is as simple as search, check reviews, click, buy, and its on my porch in the next day or two. No gas, no traffic, no lame excuses.
No surprise, their stores have been empty for years. I used their auto shops for battery replacements, they were quick and easy. Not sure where I'll get my die hard batteries now, oh well.
I bought my W/D from their online shop several months ago. Best deal ever! Saved hundreds over the competition.
They'll restructure and come back in a different way. They are still a huge company with name recognition. They were horribly mismanaged and late to the e-commerce party.
Sears did not keep up with the times and slipped in providing quality merchandise. I know 10 years ago when I purchased my prior home, we went to Sears and bought all new appliances. Only the dishwasher remains functional. The range hood/microwave, washer and dryer, stove, and fridge never made it past 5 years. You can't just re-badge stuff and sell it at a premium.
Tool quality also went downhill badly with outsourcing to China. I still have some craftsman tools, and the ratchet in the harbor freight cheapie tool set I bought to keep in my car works smoother and cost far less than the craftsman ones cost.
I really don't blame amazon, it's just the changing times. In my locale traffic is bad, and I can easily spend a couple hours or more just going the couple miles across town, fight for a parking spot, and go to 2-3 stores trying to find the items I want usually to be told "we don't have that in stock but we can order that for you". My favorite, I'm at one of the auto parts chain stores wanting spark plugs for one of the most popular engines in America, and "we have 3 here, but you'll have to go to the other store for the rest". Fail.
Amazon is as simple as search, check reviews, click, buy, and its on my porch in the next day or two. No gas, no traffic, no lame excuses.
They are not the only ones: We have toys are us: penny's and a handful of other chains that have or are going by the wastes ide. Times change, we no longer live in a world of huge indoor malls and the same is coming to large chain grocery stores. The buying public looks to big box stores, specialty stores, on line etc.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,349 posts, read 54,490,349 times
Reputation: 40794
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yeledaf
I remember when Kmart used to have cafeterias. You had your choice of brown meat with gray sauce or gray meat with brown sauce. Those were the days.
Yeah, but at the AutoMat you could get all kinda things displayed behind their little glass doors and with a handful of nickels it was like winning the slots every time you pulled the lever.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,349 posts, read 54,490,349 times
Reputation: 40794
Quote:
Originally Posted by rkcarguy
Sears did not keep up with the times and slipped in providing quality merchandise. I know 10 years ago when I purchased my prior home, we went to Sears and bought all new appliances. Only the dishwasher remains functional. The range hood/microwave, washer and dryer, stove, and fridge never made it past 5 years. You can't just re-badge stuff and sell it at a premium.
Tool quality also went downhill badly with outsourcing to China. I still have some craftsman tools, and the ratchet in the harbor freight cheapie tool set I bought to keep in my car works smoother and cost far less than the craftsman ones cost.
I really don't blame amazon, it's just the changing times. In my locale traffic is bad, and I can easily spend a couple hours or more just going the couple miles across town, fight for a parking spot, and go to 2-3 stores trying to find the items I want usually to be told "we don't have that in stock but we can order that for you". My favorite, I'm at one of the auto parts chain stores wanting spark plugs for one of the most popular engines in America, and "we have 3 here, but you'll have to go to the other store for the rest". Fail. Amazon is as simple as search, check reviews, click, buy, and its on my porch in the next day or two. No gas, no traffic, no lame excuses.
And love 'em or hate 'em their customer service is damn good! I had bought a digital angle finder that had only an on button, it was supposed to turn itself off after several minutes, the one I received didn't. I called and they asked if I wanted to return it or wanted it replaced. I liked the way it worked and requested a replacement. The next day I had a new tool delivered to me as well as a call tag to return the defective one with freight prepaid.
I'm glad I bought my new washer and dryer set when I did. I really like the Kenmore ones, and they're among the few front loaders I can find that fit the just-a-little-too-small space that I have for them. When these go kaput, hopefully not for another 10 years or more, I'm not sure what I'll do. Hopefully someone else will build a similarly sized unit by then.
My local Sears is still open, but the formerly two-level store was recently consolidated onto a single level, with the top level being given over to a Dave and Busters-type place, a Barnes & Noble, and a Mexican restaurant. I found myself in what's left of the Sears store recently, and it was oppressively hot. I suppose they didn't have enough money to run the air conditioning, but it made me want to get out as quickly as possible -- not a good thing to go for when you're a store desperately trying to lure in whatever customers you can get.
Yeah, Kmart has been dumpy for years now. When Target came out it was like a million times nicer and is basically the same type of operation as Kmart, just felt a little classier to me. I'll never go to a Walmart. I despise that business. I won't give them any of my money.
I always used to feel that Sears had a little bit more cachet than K-Mart did. I think it was a mistake when they were corporately joined; it felt like Sears was stepping down a level.
Target is infinitely better than K-Mart.
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