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

[Chuck Dempsey]

This pic and article are on the CNN Money website today if anyone cares to read it. Caption to pic says 1940 but we know it is closer to 1930...

Sears did more than change the way America shopped. It changed America.

In its heyday, it was more than just the largest U.S. employer or the country's retailer. It actually reshaped the nation, transforming the average citizen's lifestyle.

Of course, the company is struggling now. Sears Holdings (SHLD), the company that owns both Sears and Kmart, warned investors late Tuesday that it can no longer promise it will remain in business. It is not in bankruptcy, but it has posted losses of $10.4 billion since 2010, and debt has soared while the value of its stock has tumbled.......

[ronn]

a poorly run business- which one of us could take losses for 7 years?

[Jim M]

Will be a sad day when they finally go under. I have sooooo many of their tools and they still are the best for average mechanic. Guess I better round up my screw drivers and get them replaced.....lol

[31 Model A]

Originally Posted by Jim M

Will be a sad day when they finally go under. I have sooooo many of their tools and they still are the best for average mechanic. Guess I better round up my screw drivers and get them replaced.....lol

Stanley Black & Decker I believe bought the Craftsman brand from Sears

[frank mcdaniels]

They were also a source for toilet paper for many people for many years. Frank

[leo]

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Bad management. How many other companies were trailblazers in their field and then went bust because they could not change with the times or competition? Howard Johnson and A&P food stores come to mind. Now with internet shopping it appears that all store front retailers are in trouble. Who knows how many will go under. The marketplace has changed big time......

[Tom Wesenberg]

Montgomery Wards was the first mail order catalog, and it sure was too bad when they went out of business. Mobil oil bought them and closed it down. MW used to sell quality tools also, and when they dropped the tools, I feel that was the beginning of the end. K-Mart used to have a good automotive section, as well as a lumber section, and when they dropped the lumber section, that was the beginning of the end for them also. After they dropped lumber, they cut back on the automotive, and I quit going into the store. Target also has almost no auto section, so I don't shop there either.

M/W and Sears both used to have a lot of parts and tires for Model A's and other antique cars, even into the late 70's, but things started going downhill after they dropped the auto parts.

[Terry, NJ]

Craftsman tools weren't what sank them, It was the mafia like, service agreements, plus the proprietary spare parts arrangement. I hated using their service Dept for appliances. Because of this, I would not buy from them, anything! So whenever we wanted something new, whatever, Sears was the last place we went.
Terry

Originally Posted by ronn

a poorly run business- which one of us could take losses for 7 years?

[31 Model A]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

Montgomery Wards was the first mail order catalog, and it sure was too bad when they went out of business. Mobil oil bought them and closed it down. MW used to sell quality tools also, and when they dropped the tools, I feel that was the beginning of the end. K-Mart used to have a good automotive section, as well as a lumber section, and when they dropped the lumber section, that was the beginning of the end for them also. After they dropped lumber, they cut back on the automotive, and I quit going into the store. Target also has almost no auto section, so I don't shop there either.

M/W and Sears both used to have a lot of parts and tires for Model A's and other antique cars, even into the late 70's, but things started going downhill after they dropped the auto parts.

I think K-Mart was owned by Sears.....Mom and Pop stores might be on there way back....good....IMO.

[ronn]

I think K-Mart was owned by Sears.....

K mart bought Sears a ways back........................ after K Mart went through bankruptcy.

[31 Model A]

Originally Posted by ronn

I think K-Mart was owned by Sears.....

K mart bought Sears a ways back........................ after K Mart went through bankruptcy.

There's an injustice to the public....a company that goes bankrupted, all their debts wiped clean is allowed to buy out another business that it also is going under now. It pays to be a crappy business CEO!!!

[Keith True]

I never felt it is the economy,management,quality or anything like that that is killing them.I think it is just modern times.When you can sit at home and push a few buttons and have what you want delivered,why would you want to drive to Sears?I never liked their parts supply structure,so I found ways around it.Most appliances I dealt with were Whirlpool,and the old garden tractors were Roper.When the internet came along it became real easy to cross those parts over.In my shop my primary hand tools are Sears and Snap-On.Wrenches,hand sockets are all Sears.Impact sockets and screwdrivers are Snap-On.

[holdover]

when I was young it was a place to go, tools, firearms, car parts. I have tool boxes full of their tools and with few exceptions they have worked well for me over the last 55+ years. Also have their radial arm saw, two drill presses a table saw and many other electric tools, a 6" sander that I bought in 1963 is used almost daily doing body work. Seems like starting in the mid 80's they changed, the local store in Roanoke VA stopped stocking a lot of their wood working tools and when you would ask about something the clerk would say management didn't want them to stock so many items. When competition came seems like they rolled over and died. I haven't been in a sears for at least 10 yrs.

[ronn]

There's an injustice to the public....a company that goes bankrupted, all their debts wiped clean is allowed to buy out another business that it also is going under now. It pays to be a crappy business CEO!!! _____________

chapter 11 doesnt wipe you clean- just reorganizes your debt so you can afford the payments.

[H. L. Chauvin]

We are really blessed to still have well managed individual Model A parts suppliers who have the the wisdom to try to manage their businesses for maintaining Model A customer satisfaction.

As far as some of the larger chain stores, many younger generation folks are buying almost "everything" from organizations like Amazon "Prime" because of several convenient reasons they report such as:

1. Products are tax free with door step delivery.
2. No travel time lost and no fuel cost to go to and return from the store.
3. No inexperienced clerks encountered, (if you can find one), who do not know where to find items.
4. No inexperienced clerks who know nothing about products on shelves as opposed to Amazon's printed specifications, customer product ratings, and questions answered on line.
5. Many products at Amazon can be purchased in bulk which makes Home Depot, Lowe's, Walgreen's, and grocery stores look like rip off joints.
6. Many local stores in town have lazy careless clerks who go on break when cash register lines get long; hence, it takes forever to exit the store.
7. Local wrong price or no price marked on an item takes forever for the store employees and managers to resolve.
8. Drive all the way to a local store for a few simple items only to find they are sold out with nothing similar on their shelves.

Not long ago it was reported that Sears made far more money with the high interest charged on their Sears Credit Cards than they made with actual merchandise sales.

Some CEO's and managing boards can recognize that there is a very simple reason why the buggy whip, and harness manufacturers are so few today ....... some CEO's & managing boards concentrate on trying to make people use more horses.

[HoarseWhisperer]

Oh, no! Where will I buy my next Motor Buggy?

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by H. L. Chauvin

We are really blessed to still have well managed individual Model A parts suppliers who have the the wisdom to try to manage their businesses for maintaining Model A customer satisfaction.

As far as some of the larger chain stores, many younger generation folks are buying almost "everything" from organizations like Amazon "Prime" because of several convenient reasons they report such as:

1. Products are tax free with door step delivery.
2. No travel time lost and no fuel cost to go to and return from the store.
3. No inexperienced clerks encountered, (if you can find one), who do not know where to find items.
4. No inexperienced clerks who know nothing about products on shelves as opposed to Amazon's printed specifications, customer product ratings, and questions answered on line.
5. Many products at Amazon can be purchased in bulk which makes Home Depot, Lowe's, Walgreen's, and grocery stores look like rip off joints.
6. Many local stores in town have lazy careless clerks who go on break when cash register lines get long; hence, it takes forever to exit the store.
7. Local wrong price or no price marked on an item takes forever for the store employees and managers to resolve.
8. Drive all the way to a local store for a few simple items only to find they are sold out with nothing similar on their shelves.

Not long ago it was reported that Sears made far more money with the high interest charged on their Sears Credit Cards than they made with actual merchandise sales.

Some CEO's and managing boards can recognize that there is a very simple reason why the buggy whip, and harness manufacturers are so few today ....... some CEO's & managing boards concentrate on trying to make people use more horses.

as one from the young generation - I have to agree...

I can buy 100 bolts online for $4 VS $1 a bolt from local stores.

Dont have to deal with idiot store employees or guess where they put things on the shelves.

I can price shop in a few minutes VS driving all over. Usually I plan repairs ahead of time - like last thing I bought was a front wheel hub/bearing with abs sensor for my blazer - $54 shipped from rock auto VS $119+tax from orileys... got it in 4 days so order on Monday install on Saturday.

Now the sears thing - yes sad to see it probably go but honestly? What things does the store carry that young people would buy? Go to a Sears and look at the average age of the shoppers. Half the store is old lady flowered bedding and window treatments! JC Penny I think is next on the chopping block. Radio Shack bit the dust because of the same reasons - stocked a whole lotta stuff that everyone can order online for 1/4 the cost or sometimes 1/8 of the cost when it came to HDMI cables and AC wall adapters.... Once they stopped stocking electronic components and such they went downhill....

Target I dont even know who goes to Target except for the random pickup after work 1-2 items. For as big as the store is its got a whole lot of nothing. Some of these stores are like the 3 in one sheetmetal tools - not really good at any one task.

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.

Some of these stores even the new mom and pop places I would love to be the fly on the wall when they make business decisions or location decisions. We've had a few really interesting mom and pop places open up but they are in THE worst possible locations either due to no foot traffic (new coffee shop opened in the middle of nowhere...), horrible driving ways to get there, or in awful parts of town....I do like to support local businesses but if I need alot of something I'm sorry its online for me.

Oh and it doesnt help manufactures make identical products for different stores then slap a different sticker on it and charge more. MTD and cub cadet ring a bell, alot of harbor freights air compressors also share the tractor supply name of huskee which is also shared by i think 2 other stickers all made by one company. SO why would I go to sears and buy the same MTD mower for $1500 that lowes is selling for $999? Of course the model number is one digit different so no price matching. (same with best buy, amazon, walmart, target, sears, etc TV's - all identical but model numbers slightly different)

[H. L. Chauvin]

I have my Dad's complete undamaged 1932 Sears catalog that I did not look at it in about 30 years.

Appears they may have had as many Model A parts and vintage parts any of as today's Model A parts suppliers; plus they entirely rebuilt and exchanged Model A engines.

On a more serious note, maybe if they would resort to selling Model A , T, and vintage car parts and plus sell rebuilt engines, they could at least stay in business. LOL

[Keith True]

Sears was a big factor in anything done locally when I was a kid.I still have an Allstate scooter that either my uncle or grandfather bought new.There had to be a dozen of those in town back then.Sears had a special on them,$129.99 ??? maybe? I still have an Allstate 250 motorcycle,We had a lot of Allstate cars around too.(Henry J)I'm still running a set of Sears tires on one A.My toolboxes are loaded with Sears stuff,my houses have Sears water pumps and tanks,a lot of Sears guns,one Sears furnace,(Homart)Still have some Sears tractors and chain saws.(David Bradley)You can look in any of my buildings and find a half dozen things Sears sold.After the storm last week I shoveled the roof of a house that was sold by Sears as a kit.The owner told me he had framed it and roofed it in two weeks by himself in the late 50's.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

My Dear Wife, Pat, (RIP) taught a class @ I.R.S, on accepting CHANGE. Workers didn't want to accept NEW processing changes.
CHANGE is inevitable & we MUST accept them, or be left in the DUST while COMPLAINING & BITCHING---Spare me!
Bill Happy