This is true for everything except their appliances, which, in my personal experience, have been outstanding.
We thought so too. So we bought a microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, washer and dryer from them. Every one of them has been cheapened down to junk status. Plastic parts are constantly breaking with mild use (we're very easy on appliances) and replacement parts don't fit. Something is *always* breaking and Sears' service is very expensive. They put as much effort into selling service contracts as the appliances themselves. That tells me they don't trust their own products and expect to have to repair them. I urge others to do some careful comparison shopping.