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Yup. Was about a time.
I wrote about it before...
For years Sears was a family store for middle-class, home-owning America. Not a fashion store, not a discounter, nor an avant-garde department store…
Unfortunately, it’s been all downhill for middle-class, home-owning America since then, and it’s been all downhill for Sears, too.
Sears was never really cheap, has some funky customer service and policies, damaged image problems - and nowadays customers hunt for bargains on the Internet and in specialty stores. Sears is just too expensive and too bland for modern shoppers.
Sears started to decline in 1974 and really never stopped since. They expanded in a wrong direction, they lost their focus and made many executive and marketing mistakes. The last misery was acquiring K-Mart. Combining two losers doesn't make a winner - just doubles the problems. Sears used to mean quality and assurance for appliances, but now they don't own powerful brands.
A focus on successful, hard goods brands would go a long way towards re-establishing their value, and moving away from the perception that everything at Sears is at least 50% overpriced. But they, sadly failed at that.
And here's one in real life - the Suzie. B. Law Home, in Mississippi. https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/20...use-foote.html Miss Suzie supposedly walked down out of the hills, barefoot, into the then-booming Delta region, where she got rich. Locally, her home was known as "The House of Romance", because Miss Suzie kept a fancy man, after she became widowed (In nearby Greenville, the Greenlee heiress kept a titled Spaniard, in the tea house behind her '20s-Chic Spanish-style villa. And over in Clarksdale, a cotton heiress actually married her European catch, thereby becoming a Countess.). The home was also known as 'The Drawnback House', because because Miss Suzie had a child who had a prominent forehead and a 'Drawnback' hairdo.
Anyway, once her fortune was secured, Miss Suzie ordered the biggest and finest house in the Sears Catalogue: 'The Mansion', and it was delivered to the Foote, Mississippi railroad depot (Long gone, along with the railroad), practically in the back yard. There was also a MATCHING PLAYHOUSE, in the yard, which was a Mini-me of the Mansion. Presumably, that came from the catalogue, too.
A few years back, 'The Drawnback House' was the setting for 'Dark House', a horror movie. https://goo.gl/images/NddTVe
Next up Target, than Walmart and everything in between. I can't believe these companies don't do more to adopt to E-commerce. It's like they don't even care.
When I lived I Memphis there was a Sears in a sketchy area and people would carry out anything without paying for it. They were always advertising for security and stop-loss people.
I’m surprised that it lasted as long as it did, and I’m surprised it outlasted Kmart. Did anyone ever really go there? I’m not sure I’ve ever bought anything there.
I went to one a couple of years ago when my dad bought a dehumidifier. No one was in there. All of the appliances could have been bought at a discount elsewhere. I guess the customer service was better than at Home Depot.
Sears and JC Penney are very similar. Huge department stores full of overpriced, dated merchandise that few people are interested in buying. When customers want something, they are told it's not in stock; they must buy it online. JC Penney will probably follow. I doubt many people will miss either of them.
I’m surprised that it lasted as long as it did, and I’m surprised it outlasted Kmart. Did anyone ever really go there? I’m not sure I’ve ever bought anything there.
I went to one a couple of years ago when my dad bought a dehumidifier. No one was in there. All of the appliances could have been bought at a discount elsewhere. I guess the customer service was better than at Home Depot.
Kmart will go down with Sears. Which will be the very last store to close is anybody's guess, but they all will be gone, very soon.
Next up Target, than Walmart and everything in between. I can't believe these companies don't do more to adopt to E-commerce. It's like they don't even care.
I disagree at least as far as Walmart. With Walmart, you can go into a store and get a great, discounted price. If you order something online, you can return it in-store for free. They're the perfect blend of a brick and mortar for when you want to go see something in person and not have to pay for shipping, and the option of getting something online, and have no-hassle returns.
This is what Amazon lacks, in my opinion.
Amazon doesn't always have transparent shipping policies. Sometimes you're buying from someone from China, but they don't make that clear. And maybe your "prime shipping" won't actually ship for several days, so your free 2 day shipping doesn't start for 5 days. And, maybe the item you're buying is shipping from China and won't actually arrive for a month.
Unless you are really paying attention during the shipping process and happen to notice that your expected shipping arrival time is 30 days from now - you're in for a big, really annoying surprise - even if you've paid for Amazon Prime.
Walmart's shipping and outside vendor info is really transparent and up-front. They do things way better and more fairly than Amazon, in my opinion, which will nickel and dime you to death with fees for this and that - if you want to rent videos, etc., and they never trick you as far as who is selling you what and when it might actually arrive and what a different return policy might actually be.
Amazon doesn't always have transparent shipping policies. Sometimes you're buying from someone from China, but they don't make that clear. And maybe your "prime shipping" won't actually ship for several days, so your free 2 day shipping doesn't start for 5 days. And, maybe the item you're buying is shipping from China and won't actually arrive for a month.
Unless you are really paying attention during the shipping process and happen to notice that your expected shipping arrival time is 30 days from now - you're in for a big, really annoying surprise - even if you've paid for Amazon Prime.
You not paying attention does NOT mean they aren't being transparent...it means YOU are not doing your due diligence! It tells you right there how long for shiopping...if you don't care to read it then it's on you.
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