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I think the Sears brand was cheapened considerably when they were acquired by K-Mart a few years ago. Call me a snob but I just think that most of the goods sold at the K-Marts, Targets and Wal-Marts of the world are shoddy and cheap. And now Sears has joined their ranks. I would rather pay a little more and get better quality goods at specialty stores or online. For example, I used to get most of my clothes at Sears but now I get them from the LL Bean website.

I still use a lot of Craftsman tools but haven't had to buy any in a while. I wonder if the quality is the same or if they are now cutting corners on quality now that they are controlled by K-Mart.

Their power tools have been crap for 25 years. Their mechanic hand tools are still good for the hobbiest/hownowner like me. However, they are not nearly the quality of Snapon, MAC, or Challenger.

Sears is still a great place to shop. They need to just dump the whole K-Mart mentality. I have bought my last two flatscreens from Sears. It is a much better place to shop than Walmart.

Online shopping is killing a lot of retail stores. It is suspect whether Sears or many other names will survive.
Atleast, Obama will not try to give them a bailout.

I still use a lot of Craftsman tools but haven't had to buy any in a while. I wonder if the quality is the same or if they are now cutting corners on quality now that they are controlled by K-Mart.

I got a set of Craftsman basic mechanics tools when I was 13. I'm now 44.

I have broken more tools in the last 10 years than the first 30 - and I break the same ones over and over again. Screwdrivers, especially seem to be cheapened.

What I do now is look for older Craftsman tools at fleamarkets and garage sales. Unfortunately, there are now "collectors" for the things, but the older tools are cheaper, and don't break as easily and, for now, are covered by the replacement warranty if they break.

You can't go wrong with LL Bean clothing. I'm not sure where its made, but to me at least, it always seems to be top quality. They keep a whole lot of people employed in Maine.

I have a bunch of Craftsman lawn tools. They're nice, rugged, last well. I use them pretty hard.

As for their power tools, I don't see a dime's bit of difference between Craftsman and B&D or Stanley. The name looks pretty, that's it.

“I think the Sears brand was cheapened considerably...”

I agree. I had a washer and dryer set from Sears. For some strange reason, the washing machine started to rust out. The paint literally started fading and rust replaced it. No more Sears appliances for me.

I would rather pay a little more and get better quality goods at specialty stores or online.

Oh, believe me - if one goes out in public wearing Sears or K-Mart clothes, people will take notice. :)

Sears is suffering the worst effects of a problem that all department stores and even many shopping malls have currently: they were designed in a time when women had half a day or more to shop. Today's shopper is pressed for time, and older. A trip to a department store or mall is often an exhausting and frustrating experience. The specialty store is closer to home, has easier parking, and likely can supply the exact item wanted and at higher quality - even if the cost is higher. Wealthier people, who value their time more than a few extra dollars and can spend enough to keep your store in business, will usually pass on the mall experience. The kind of people who wait in lines at Best Buy for two days before Black Friday...well, a store really can't ever cut its costs and lower its prices enough to satisfy that demographic. But Sears and the others seem to be trying.

One of the things department store chains must attempt to survive is to reorganize as miniature malls full of specialty stores with in-demand branded merchandise. Saks Fifth Avenue already looks like this - others will follow.