Sears and Kmart closings - Page 3

So, am I to understand that we have the only Kmart/Sears combination
store around?

I am in my fifties, and when I was a girl, my Grandmother was a modern woman.  This was in the '60's.  She was twice divorced, and worked at Kresge's.  I thought she was the coolest thing ever.  Her job was that she was the one that made sure that store managers and employees were trained before the new store ever opened.  Then, on opening day, she was the one that cut the ribbon to officially open the new store.  She passed away when she was about my age, and she never go to see it change to Kmart.   Glad she didn't live to see what it has become now.

I will miss K-marts macaroni and cheese.

Hence the need to speak s-l-o-w-l-y and c-l-e-a-r-l-y when in Wally World. I LOVE KMART!

I haven't shopped at a KMart in years!  (Used to work at one when I was in my early 20's in another state.)  The last few years when I'd shop there, it just felt slummy and the store just has an "abandoned" feel to it.  They've rarely had more than one check out running at a time and one person to man the customer service desk.  Ours even closed down for several months for remodeling a year or so ago - some lady was shoplifting and in order to distract from her crime, she caused a fire in the paints dept.    That same gal then went over to the Dollar Tree right down the road from KMart, shoplifted there, and started a fire in that store too!     

I shop Sears a few times a year.  They have a kids clothes guarantee - meaning that if the clothes wear about before your child outgrows them, you can have them replaced for free!  You can only exchange the clothes for the same size, not a size up.  But, still, this can mean a significant savings to some families!  (especially if you have younger children to pass the clothes down to)  And if you shop there on Monday's and buy Energy Saver appliances, you can get another 10%-15% off of the sales price.  They'll also price match with local appliance stores or places like Lowes or Home Depot (and if you shop there on a Monday you can add the additional monies off to that price)!  I've NEVER had an issue with their employees and have always received timely deliveries if I've bought from them.  They'll ask me (in each dept) if they can be of assistance and if I say "yes" they are very helpful.  If I let them know I'm only browsing, they leave me alone until such time that I need their help. 

I very rarely shop Walmart's or Target's.  I've found that I really don't save any more $$ there than I do by shopping at small local stores.  Same "made in China" junk anyway....  When I need help in either of these two places, I can never find it.  When I don't want to be bothered, they all seem to come out of the woodwork and stalk me.   

One of my favorite stories ever told by a college professor, was one that my advertising teacher told.  Back in the 70's he came up with a soda slogan I sure most of us that age remember.....Uncola


He had gone to the local Sears needing to pay for something in one of the home departments.  After several minutes spent walking around the various departments and finding no employees and waiting at the cash register he got frustrated.  FYI in the local store, all of these departments are located in a U shape around the offices.

He stood out in the middle of aisle by the abandoned cash register and in a LOUD voice yelled  "Everything must be free here today because there are no employees in the building"  Imagine how fast he was suddenly helped. 

LilRed, you are lucky that you got good service in your sears appliance dept.  I spend well over $10K a year in appliances (some years way more-property management) I could not get the local store to admit what size refrigerator they had on sale in Cubic Feet, they only wanted to sell by inches.  We used to have nothing but kenmore refrigerators, but between the deception on size and that parts had to be special ordered through Sears and took 4x as long to get in, we could not keep buying.  To me it seems they make you wait for parts so you have to just buy a new one.  I do not think we have a single Kenmore product on any property anymore.  Due to Sears not the products themselves

there is hardly ever any people in our Kmart.i only go in our Kmart because i can get in and out  and not have to deal with ALL the people at walmart.pretty soon it will only be walmart.groceries,clothing,tires etc.have you noticed walmart is taking out other brands and putting only their brand out and  thats all we will have to choose from.lowes and walmart have destroyed all other stores in our town.

I agree also. Idk about everywhere else and I'm sorry but I really hate when they do the store announcements in spanish. It makes me mad. Sorry I might make people mad... whatever

Our Kmart is a joke.  I mean people in town make jokes about it.  It is so crowded a cart cannot get through.  I say GOODBYE!!!

Retailers are fighting high labor costs, high rents, utilities and insurance coverage.  As a result, they operate with minimal staff and scrimp on maintenance. 

The stores are dirty and the merchandise is shoddy and over priced.   

However, they can only take advantage of their customers for a limited time.  People catch on.  Remember the W. T. Grant stores?  They were in business from 1906 to 1976.  They did the exact thing that K Mart and Sears are doing now.  They are on their last legs. 

Government mandated expenses like health insurance, dental insurance, unemployment insurance, workmens compensation and social security and other employee related expenditures often are the better part of a payroll.  It is all part of the overhead.

I suspect when the new Health Care law is in full effect that a good many retailers will go by the wayside.  If a company cannot make a profit, they go out of business.

The future of retailing and business in general is doubtful.   Let's see what time brings.

Rufus