Sears/Kmart quickly disappearing

[Jstpssng]

And in the mid-sixties, our Kmart in Ft Wayne had stacks of used military rifles for about $10/each.

You could buy them pretty cheaply right up into the '70s or later. I've never been big on bolt action, but now kick myself now for not picking one up.

 

[fried1765]

If I recall correctly-Sears was just about presentation...meaning merchants and manufacturers come to Sears to sell their products. Sears was the Amazon of old....but they lost the competition! Sears was all about the old catalogue-anyone remember getting the big thick 3 inch catalogue in the mail
That being said, they did sell many brands that are good like Kenmore, Craftsmen etc...They should not die with the Sears and Kmart stores-that would be tragic.

I still love Craftsmen and of course Kenmore. Some good news maybe-Lowes picked up Craftsmen.

Well not quite.
Stanley "picked up Craftsman", and so far, both ACE and Lowe's are selling Craftsman.

 

[TractorGuy]

Kind of ironic that the business that revolutionized, and survived on catalog sales (internet of yesteryear) wasn't able to figure out and capitalize on internet sales. Their website, like so many others, lists and sells items not sold or shipped by them. Their online parts system that used to be great will say they have stuff in stock that has been discontinued and if you order it they will charge your card and keep your money for weeks until they finally cancel and refund.

I really hate to see them go. Bought a fair amount of Craftsman tools over the years. Some came and went and other tools were the norm there. I have a stainless 1/2" ratchet and I kick myself for never buying the 1/4" and 3/8" to match it. I have a full set of C3 cordless that are ancient and still work perfectly. It's a shame they didn't continue to expand that line. At least they did move it forward to lithium batteries before they started phasing out some of the add on tools. My corded 4-1/2" Craftsman grinder ran for 30+ years before it died. They had nothing that compared when I tried to go to them for a replacement so I ended up with a Dewalt. I get the move to Chinese made products in our greedy, price driven economy. Their failing there was they didn't shift to Chinese made pricing.

Since 1979 I have never owned a lawn mower that wasn't Craftsman branded. The first was a 11HP Briggs with 38" cut built by American Yard Products. Ran for 21 years and still worked other than the deck was shot and I couldn't find a replacement. Practically cleared two acres with it cutting gall berry bushes and everything that got in front of it. Wife and I made every effort to kill that machine and it just wouldn't lay down and stay dead. My second was a LT1000 I still have and still runs as new. It was great they came with a full parts manual and we thought we could depend on Sears to have and supply parts forever. In between I had a Craftsman branded zero turn. (sold last year and replaced with a finish mower) I ordered a mulch kit for that through Sears Parts. It didn't come and didn't come. I contacted them 4 or 5 times and they kept saying it was on the way. Several weeks later I finally got an email saying it was no longer available and my credit card would be refunded. I can't remember any other business charging my credit card for something they didn't have and couldn't ship and keeping my money tied up as long as they did. I was on the verge of filing a credit card dispute but may have waited too long for that.

Sears never MADE anything but they contracted manufacturers to build to their specs and supply full parts details for the continued repair on stuff they sold. THAT was something no other merchant did or did as well IMO. They had and maintained control of the products they sold with some sense of pride.

R.I.P. Sears!

 

[rekees4300]

Kind of ironic that the business that revolutionized, and survived on catalog sales (internet of yesteryear) wasn't able to figure out and capitalize on internet sales. Their website, like so many others, lists and sells items not sold or shipped by them. Their online parts system that used to be great will say they have stuff in stock that has been discontinued and if you order it they will charge your card and keep your money for weeks until they finally cancel and refund.

Ironic indeed! They could have been Amazon before Amazon was even a twinkle in Jeff Bezo's eyes but the Sears execs lacked foresight to act. The world keeps evolving and those who fail to adapt are left behind.

 

[Oldoak]

The world keeps evolving and those who fail to adapt are left behind.

:thumbsup:

 

[EddieWalker]

As a teenager, I would drool over the big Sears catalog tool section. I day dreamed until I save up enough money to buy one of their socket sets, and then saved up for their pliers and wrenches, and so on. I truly thought they where the best tools for the money. Same thing when I bought my first table saw and router table. But then Home Depot and Lowes showed up, and they had some great tools, more brand names, and better prices. The last straw for me was when I broke a half inch ratchet and they wouldn't give me a new one without the original receipt. I never bought another Craftsman tool.

When I got divorced in 2010, I needed to by a new Washer and Dryer. Sears had a thing going where they checked the price of all their competition, and guaranteed to be cheaper!!! If my memory is correct, I think it was by ten percent. So I bought a brand new set of LG appliances from them and then waited two weeks to go pick them up at their store. Nothing is in stock, and they where super slow at getting it there. A few years later I wanted a flat screen TV. Samsung had a nice 55 inch that I wanted, so I went back to Sears to see what they had, and they refused to match the price of Sams Club, who had them in stock and ready to take home that day. Which is what I did. Turns out that Samsung is junk, so when it died after 4 years, I was looking for a new TV for Christmas last year. Sams Club had the LG OLED's in stock for a good price. Sears had them for $400 more, and you had to wait to get it!!!!

I'm surprised that Sears is still open. Who shops there and why?

 

[Jstpssng]

As a teenager, I would drool over the big Sears catalog tool section. I day dreamed until I save up enough money to buy one of their socket sets, and then saved up for their pliers and wrenches, and so on. I truly thought they where the best tools for the money. Same thing when I bought my first table saw and router table. But then Home Depot and Lowes showed up, and they had some great tools, more brand names, and better prices. The last straw for me was when I broke a half inch ratchet and they wouldn't give me a new one without the original receipt. I never bought another Craftsman tool.

When I got divorced in 2010, I needed to by a new Washer and Dryer. Sears had a thing going where they checked the price of all their competition, and guaranteed to be cheaper!!! If my memory is correct, I think it was by ten percent. So I bought a brand new set of LG appliances from them and then waited two weeks to go pick them up at their store. Nothing is in stock, and they where super slow at getting it there. A few years later I wanted a flat screen TV. Samsung had a nice 55 inch that I wanted, so I went back to Sears to see what they had, and they refused to match the price of Sams Club, who had them in stock and ready to take home that day. Which is what I did. Turns out that Samsung is junk, so when it died after 4 years, I was looking for a new TV for Christmas last year. Sams Club had the LG OLED's in stock for a good price. Sears had them for $400 more, and you had to wait to get it!!!!

I'm surprised that Sears is still open. Who shops there and why?

I bought my freezer at the Sears associate store in Houlton because the price was comparable, but mostly because the owner and staff are good guys. I had to order it, prepay and wait for a few days, but still had it before my pig came back from the butcher. I do believe that my Kenmore is the same as my mother's brand name, except that mine doesn't have a light.
I will check prices at the same place when I upgrade the rest of my appliances this summer; all other things being equal I would rather put my money into the pockets of a local business.

 

[/pine]

For a while the best place to buy appliances was the Sears "scratch and dent" outlets if you did not mind minor blemishes...

The last I bought was a refrigerator that retailed for $2700...paid $600...it had a small crease/scratch on the side (below cabinet level)...came with the full warranty...

 

[goeduck]

Two things I thought were amazing in our 1918 Sears catalog. They sold morphine! That's right, you could order it with syringe.
Other was an adapter for your bicycle, two poles clamped onto the frame with a wheel so you could ride it on train tracks!

You have been around a LONG time. Congratulations!

 

[Dftodd]

J C Penny will be gone soon also. Stupid CEO put a openly gay woman as the spoke person and that didn't set well with the publc. CEO was fired but the damage was done.

mark

I've only set foot in a JC Penny's once in the past 10 years. Nothing against the store personally. It's just that the location of the store in town sucks. The only time I'm in that strip mall is for the movie theater, harbour freight, or the little Mexican restaurant.

The rest of the time, it's much easier and more convenient to hit the shopping strip in the middle of town. It's one stop shopping for pet supplies, sporting goods, electronics, lumber and hardware, to clothes and furniture, with a great selection of anchor stores.