Well, for me, whether it's "acceptable in the new business model" or whether its "price gouging" (not in times of disaster) or even if you just call it "smart markup" or some other name, buying items from HF and reselling them to unsuspecting customers for up o 2000% more than HF sells the item is MORALLY wrong.
We certainly don't need "big brother Washington" getting its greedy hands into regulating Sears (or any more of our lives) They have regulated us too much already.
When Sears or any other business starts overpricing (I think that's gouging) customers who if they knew of the reselling tactic would rethink their purchase, then, in my mind, that business is being deceptive in their pricing. That kind of business practice is not ethical, not moral or above board and certainly not the kind of store I want to trade with.
In the past, Sears was a leader in tool quality, good, relliable tools at a fair price, a lifetime warranty and the comfort of knowing that if something happened, Sears would "make it right." The last time I took a ratchet into the store because it wouldn't work, I was met with a product change from the all metal ratchet I bought and my ratchet was exchanged with one that does not have the quality of my old one. I was told to take the inferior one with plastic parts as a replacement or keep my broken tool.
Years ago, I bought a Craftsman pocket knife. It was in the display cabinet alongside a Sears pocket knife. Craftsman was $20, Sears was $10. Craftsman had a lifetime warranty. When the brass pin came out of the hinge, I took it back. They gave me a Sears knife in replacement. It had a 90 day warranty against "failure" (whatever that means). So much for what I bought, a knife with a lifetime warranty. They changed the item and removed the warranty with that change. That's deception, at least in my mind.
The practice of reselling HF tools at ridiculous markup may not meet a "legal definition" of price gouging, but in my belief, it's unethical to treat customers that way. Imagine if a plumber came to your home to fix a leaking hot water heater, told you he had a "special" on water heaters, you told him to go ahead and replace the bad one and once done, he gave you a bill for $7500.
When you ask him about the bill, he tells you he bought clearance water heaters at Lowe's for $75, and brought it to your house to install with a charge of $7450 for the water heater. The he tells you that he's cutting you a deal by only charging $50 (for labor) to remove the old one and install the new one. Would you be thanking him for "helping" you with his billing practices or would you feel you'd been screwed by what he did? If you're OK with thinking Sears is "just doing business" then get ready for more businesses to follow suit. I, for one, don't think it's fair, ethical, morally right, or good business to "gouge" customers the way Sears is doing. They may be "legal" in doing it, but that doesn't make it right. So, I'll spend my money at HF for the same product (if I need it and it meets my standards) or I'll go to a Sears competetor if I need better quality. I won't be shopping at Sears because, in my opinion, they gouge customers with their sales tactics.
My purpose for bringing up the things I have is to identify what Sears is doing to us as customers. If you don't think they are wrong, then keep shopping there. If you agree with them and the practice, spend your money with them. but, if you think it's wrong of them to gouge the public that way, do what you think is right.
