Farewell to Sears, (not 'A' related.....)

[henry's 31]

Stanley purchased the craftman brand, but the deal has not gone thru because sear holding being close to bankruptcy. This is very sad.

[31 Model A]

Have just read on internet news, Sears plans to sell both the Kenmore Appliance brand and the Die Hard battery brand to try to slow down the fall.

[Goldhardt]

My Craftsman compressor broke this week. I looked on-line and found the parts I needed at "Sears Parts Direct". I called and confirmed that they were in stock. I go to the store, get the parts and hand them two $25 Sears gift cards. They tell me that they don't take Sears gift cards! They are "Sears Parts Direct", not "Sears"?????

All I know is that I'm standing at the mall in Sears, buying Sears replacement parts for my Sears compressor and they won't accept my Sears gift cards. Is it any wonder that they are going out of business? In my opinion, the sooner, the better!

[Tom Wesenberg]

I checked Sears for replacement parts for my Sear compressor, and was shocked at how expensive they were. I just bought another compressor at a swap meet, and kept the old one for parts.

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by Goldhardt

My Craftsman compressor broke this week. I looked on-line and found the parts I needed at "Sears Parts Direct". I called and confirmed that they were in stock. I go to the store, get the parts and hand them two $25 Sears gift cards. They tell me that they don't take Sears gift cards! They are "Sears Parts Direct", not "Sears"?????

All I know is that I'm standing at the mall in Sears, buying Sears replacement parts for my Sears compressor and they won't accept my Sears gift cards. Is it any wonder that they are going out of business? In my opinion, the sooner, the better!

ahh yes sears parts direct - where every lawnmower piece is min $10 and every lawnmower wheel is $35+ pushmower wheel...and takes a week + to get it to you.

[Mike V. Florida]

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And to think I've been saving up to got my next house,

[31Abone]

In 69 I went to Monkey Wards Headquarter store Portland Ore. Huge place 10 or 12 floors concrete building with basement maybe more floors than that as I was in a hurry for no reason,huge cafeteria ,I do remember the tractors and discs and farm stuff they had on display on one floor,I was astounded even then,wish I had spent more time there and looked at every floor..I miss the old days I was 24 then.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by henry's 31

Stanley purchased the craftsman brand, but the deal has not gone thru because sear holding being close to bankruptcy. This is very sad.

Looks like as of January it's a done deal? https://searsholdings.com/press-releases/pr/2023

[Mike V. Florida]

They need to go back to their roots, mail order. As for the home kits;

Carlinville, Illinois has a large collection of Sears kit homes. The kits were purchased by Standard Oil who had opened two new coal mines in the town in 1917. Faced with a housing shortage for their miners, they placed a $1 million order with Sears and Roebuck for 156 homes to be built in a nine-block neighbourhood in the north-east side of the town. Today, 152 of the original Sears homes are still standing.

[raceron1120]

I'm pretty-much done with Sears too. Nearly everything they sell is Chinese anymore, and it's way overpriced. Example was a set of 3 mower blades I needed for my Craftsman deck mower. $18 each! Went to the local small engine store, blades were 3 for $27 and actually better heavier than the originals. I think Sears is in its final years, they now offer tools that are nearly same as one can get at Harbor Freight for much less money and are likely made in the same factory - in China.

[Nabco]

Originally Posted by 31 Model A

Have just read on internet news, Sears plans to sell both the Kenmore Appliance brand and the Die Hard battery brand to try to slow down the fall.

Not sure exactly what they would sell with Kenmore, they don't make anything...it's just a name

https://www.reference.com/home-garde...6271:confused:

[31 Model A]

Originally Posted by Nabco

Not sure exactly what they would sell with Kenmore, they don't make anything...it's just a name

https://www.reference.com/home-garde...6271:confused:

It's just the Rights to the name brand.

[31 Model A]

Originally Posted by Mike V. Florida

They need to go back to their roots, mail order. As for the home kits;

Carlinville, Illinois has a large collection of Sears kit homes. The kits were purchased by Standard Oil who had opened two new coal mines in the town in 1917. Faced with a housing shortage for their miners, they placed a $1 million order with Sears and Roebuck for 156 homes to be built in a nine-block neighbourhood in the north-east side of the town. Today, 152 of the original Sears homes are still standing.

Mike, my daughter lives in one of those houses in Carlinville and....this county where I live has a fully functional, 1924 Sears kit barn. I sponsored that barn for a family Barn Quilt to be attached a few years back. I'll get another photo of it later. Also, my county has the only free standing 1914 wood slat silo, still standing too. Of course, we also have the longest single span lift bridge in the world and we are the home of the famous Billy Bob Teeth and of course the county has ................me!!!!!

[pgerhardt]

Craftsman tools have gone downhill in quality big time the last 10 years and prices have gone up. Harbor freight has very similar quality now on some things and same no questions asked lifetime warranty BUT at 1/4 the cost.

Oldest power tool in my shop Sears table saw bought by my father in 1957. Still going strong.

The HR sliding miter saw is working fine, but will it last 60 years? Who cares? At the price I'll just get a new one when it dies.

[Ray in La Mesa]

The Dunlap drill press in my shop is a Sears brand from 1942. Still works great but am on my third motor.

[Robert/Texas]

Back in the mid 50s when I was a crazy teenager I was trying to find out how fast my '28 roadster would go and blew the engine (threw a rod through the block). I went to the Sears store on South Main in Houston (it's still there) and rebuilt Model A short blocks had been selling for $35 but they were closing them out and had 3 left for $5 each (lucky me). I bought one and the manager gave me a free rebuilt distributor and carb which I really didn't need. My friends and I pulled the engine with a 2x4 and chain and got it all back together in an afternoon.
I still have some Craftsman hand tools from that era. For decades I bought most of my clothes from the Sears catalog as I never liked to sort through the sizes in the stores.
About a year ago I bought an assortment of Craftsman screwdrivers. What junk, I'm 82 years old and can easily bend the tips on them.
I still have and use a Wizard (Western Auto) garden tractor which I bought used in 1993. My neighbors have gone through several John Deere's which probably cost twice as much as mine did.
Robert

[Terry, NJ]

Back in the day, A warranty was an Ins policy against crappy material and workmanship! Then they figured out how to use "weasel Words" to use the warranty to sell the product, but not asa liability that is eventually going to cost them anything. I use to love the warranty on tools, till I found out about the "Precision Tool" exclusion. "Precision Tools" are only covered for 90 days. So my two years old Craftsman Torque wrench couldn't have been returned when the spring broke!
Terry

[Tom Wesenberg]

The local Sears store still had a very good bulk candy counter in the early 70's, but then prices were also rapidly rising, and when they price of cashews shot up to 68 cents a pound I quit buying them. The bulk candy counter was removed about a year later. Sure would be nice if we could turn the clocks back to the mid 50's to mid 60's.

[amodel25]

In '68 and '69 I got through the first two years of College working at the Sears Auto Center installing tires and batteries. $1.95 an hour, 30 hours a week and I wasn't getting any money from home. Things were tight but I made it. Back then Sears products were the real thing. Going to miss the "old' Sears Roebuck.

[CarlG]

Stanley / Black & Decker seems to be buying up all the name brand tool makers. I have quite a few DeWalt power tools (and compressor), and a Porter Cable sander. All are now Stanley/B&D.

Now that they have Craftsman in their shed, that just about covers everything I own. (How soon before they take on Snap-On???