damn... i remember when going to Sears was an occasion and the first place i ever rode an escalator as a treat we'd hit HoJo's on the way home
Posted on 06/25/2017 8:56:12 AM PDT by ARGLOCKGUY
I haven't been inside a Sears store for more than 10 years, until Thursday, June 22. And, wow, did I learn a lot.
Mainly, I came away with a better understanding of why Sears Holdings Corp. is closing an additional 20 stores on top of the 245 it already planned to shutter. And why it has failed to turn a profit in 29 out of the last 37 quarters and seen same-store sales decline in 11 of the past 12 quarters.
I observed alienating treatment of a loyal customer at the store in Jersey City, N.J., which was also messy and uninviting inside.
When I came upon customer Stephanie Rosso, a resident of Jersey City, she was struggling with four employees to get a simple return transaction completed for a dryer she'd bought and sent back to the warehouse that day with the delivery man. Normally, getting a refund takes about two minutes tops.
Most stores have made paying for stuff really difficult. Except amazon and ebay. You gotta make paying for stuff easy.
Yeah, if the store has any money.
yup- i was in Sears in White Plains, NY a week ago...i always go and buy the stuff they are giving away...the store was empty..the issues??
1) every cash register had a line of three or four customers waiting to pay for the stuff they wanted to buy...it takes 3x as long waiting on line to pay for the items as it did to pick the item outs...
2) there are employees standing around yapping to each other rather than helping out the customers...
3) the cashiers struggle to speak english- again, spanish...
Thanks for posting...you can find the same scene at KMart...does this mean the same management style is reflected in all their stores? I suspect so. What a tragic ending for an iconic American retailer.
i knew they wer dying 25 years ago when their tool manager (female) knew nothing about tools, power tools, or even basic shop safety
I went there to return a Christmas Present that was too small.
I had the correct sized item in my hand- after a half hour of arguing that it was too late to exchange Christmas Item (Feb 1) I walked out with the correct size item, and left the other one (still brand new and unopened) on the counter and told them to call the police.
Three employees tried to chase me out the door. I demanded to see the manager who SURPRISINGLY said “thanks for shopping here sir, have a good day” and gave the employees a stare I though would knock them over. I often wondered if little miss bubble-gum-and-cell-phone girl was employed the next day.
The last thing I bought at Sears was a $300 stereo system. It stopped working so I took it back and they said they’d repair it. They called me to say it was done and I went to pick it up, but they said I’d already picked it up. I never saw the stereo again and they didn’t reimburse me.
Millions of middle and lower class American families used to depend on Sears for clothing, tools, car parts and service, home furniture, just about everything.
Now? Not so much.
Lat time I was in a Sears store, I was looking to buy a few hand tools...I walked all over the hardware area looking for a sales rep...
Finally, I stood in the middle of the isle and loudly asked, “Is there anyone who works here?”
Someone came over and said, “I’ll see if I can find someone who works this section..” They then walked off...
About 10 minutes later, I left...without seeing anyone...
Pretty much dead in Canada as of a few days ago when they announced closing 59 of their stores. There will be still some around but it will be a shell of what it once was.
http://www.torontosun.com/2017/06/22/sears-canada-seeking-court-protection-from-creditors
damn... i remember when going to Sears was an occasion and the first place i ever rode an escalator as a treat we'd hit HoJo's on the way home
That's pretty much everywhere. I like to count how many employees at Lowe's or Homo Depot I walk by who don't even acknowledge my presence. It's usually over 20.
It's not uncommon for me to help customers get stuff down from shelves or put heavy stuff on their lumber carts or tell them where stuff is.
I look forward to the robots.
Yeh Sears is a microcosm example of what has happened to a previously great America.
The disease resides in the office of the CEO.
The CEO and his team failed to stay abreast of the changing marketplace.
As King Solomon said almost 3,000 years ago, "without vision, my people perish."
Same for companies.
2 side stories:
My ex got a job at sears circa 1970s. They told her in orientation they would never open on Sunday so that employees could spend the day with their families. Three months later they opened on the sunday after Thanksgiving and never closed on Sunday again.
I was addicted to chocolate covered peanuts and not f Sears stores had a candy counter. My ex got assigned to candy. There was an investigation of $2700 missing in one week from the candy department. I couldn’t eat THAT much. The manager was fired for stealing money daily.
I thought that too silly poster
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