Sears Goes Back to Selling Consumer Electronics Again (1 Viewer)

[TonyD]

My mom worked at Sears when i was a kid and one of the benefits was profit sharing.
She made out like a bandit with that.

I loved Sears when I was a kid.
There was a huge one in Philly and it was a big deal to go there.

The old commercials for toys sold at Sears had me hooked with their "The big toy box at Sears" tag line.

I actually thought there was a giant toy box there.
Never saw one though.

 

[John Dirk]

CEO types usually have their ears to the ground and therefore know more than "plain folk" such as myself but this seems like an inane move to me. The battle Sears wants to fight has already been won. Even the established leaders in this arena such as Best Buy are rethinking their strategies. Aside from big box items [where the shipping and setup are often intimidating factors] the future belongs to online. Exceptions might be truly high end items or items aimed at value conscience high end consumers.

 

[John Dirk]

I have to say this. The Kenmore microwave oven I bought at Sears for my newly renovated kitchen in 1982 still works perfectly and has never been repaired. I keep waiting for it to bite the dust so I can get a more modern one that's faster and has more features, but I've sworn I will use this one until it conks out (or I do)!

"Kenmore" has never been an actual manufacturer. Nowadays all sorts of manufacturers build products for them but even in the 80's there was never a Kenmore factory. You got a good unit but it came from a brand that [statistically] sold plenty of bad ones too. Luck of the draw I would say but "good on you."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenmore_(brand)

 

[skylark68]

I grew up a "Sears" kid. It's definitely sad to see the company going downhill so quickly. After the Kmart/Sears merger all of the Kmart stores in the Houston area shut down. The Sears stores have slowly been shutting down around town. Strange thing was one of the best performing stores in the area (from what some "insiders" told me) was shut down due to rising rent costs from the mall owner. I've only bought Kenmore appliances for my home and they've been great outside of one fridge that had a faulty ice maker. It was eventually replaced at no cost to me after Sears sent out a repairman 3 times. Kenmore products have always been built by outside manufacturers (like Whirlpool especially). You can decode the Sears part number to tell who the manufacturer was. My newest Kenmore fridge was made by LG and it's been flawless. The prices are still typically lower than a comparable "LG" brand fridge that you would buy at Sears or Lowe's, etc. Interestingly, before Sears quit selling most consumer electronics I actually saw a Kenmore brand television. Not sure who made those.

I used to buy nothing but Craftsman tools as well because most of them were made in USA. That's no longer the case unfortunately. Even socket sets are made in China now but I read that Stanley tools acquired the Craftsman name from Sears so I wonder if some of the tools will be US manufacture again.

I remember when I was a kid perusing the catalog and picking out toys or especially Atari 2600 video games that I really wanted. Invariably I'd end up with one of those Atari games at Christmas time. I guess Santa knew how to shop the Sears catalog too. haha.

It's interesting to read that Sears is getting back into the consumer electronics business. I really believe if Sears backed off their clothing selection and went back to a store that sold just about everything like they did up until the 1980's they would have something different from most big box competitors. Especially if they stopped trying to compete with Walmart on costs. It'd be like a Walmart with better quality items. At one time I remember Sears selling automotive supplies to housewares to computers to toys to rifles and ammo and camping gear as well as everything in between. They even had an awesome snack bar with a ton of candy to choose from (the cherry sours were my favorite).

Guess you can tell I get a little emotional when it comes to Sears. It was a big part of my childhood going there.

 

[John Dirk]

Guess you can tell I get a little emotional when it comes to Sears. It was a big part of my childhood going there.

That's true for me as well and I suspect its true for many of us. What's happening today is an all out abandonment of quality [and National pride but let's not go there ] in favor of rock-bottom prices in most segments. That said, Ace Hardware has managed to survive amongst the faceless big box competition in their markets so there must be a way.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Speaking as someone who was alive during Sears heydays (and who worked at Sears while attending college), I don't think that today's younger shoppers will become dedicated Sears customers. The loyalty to the Sears brand that previous generations had is gone. Perhaps I'm wrong and Sears can transform itself into a leaner, profitable company, but more than likely, Sears is now in the retail version of assisted living.

 

[atfree]

Guess you can tell I get a little emotional when it comes to Sears. It was a big part of my childhood going there.

Same here. But my hometown was so small, we didn't have an actual Sears store (the closest one was about an hour away). We had a Sears catalog store, which was basically a small store (about the size of a cellphone store in a strip mall today) where you went to pick up your catalog orders. They had a few display items, mainly appliances and lawnmowers, but a big warehouse attached to store items that came in for catalog orders. I still remember my parents getting the call that whatever they had ordered had arrived and they could pick it up at the catalog store, which meant a trip into town and most likely lunch out (which was a big deal). Of course, at Christmas, I wasn't allowed on the pick-up trip (wonder why?).

Now they have the "Hometown" stores in smaller communities which do actually have inventory (again, mainly appliances, tools, and lawn and garden items) but also serve as pick-up locations for online orders.

 

[RolandL]

I have a Sears washer, dryer and lawn mower that must be at least 30 years old and all still work fine. I only use the lawn mower when my Honda has a problem. Funny that the Sears lawn mower sits in the garage having not used it for over a year and it starts right up every time.

 

[John Dirk]

I have a Sears washer, dryer and lawn mower that must be at least 30 years old and all still work fine. I only use the lawn mower when my Honda has a problem. Funny that the Sears lawn mower sits in the garage having not used it for over a year and it starts right up every time.

Glad they're still going strong but don't you mean a "Craftsman" lawnmower and "Kenmore" washer/dryer set? Sears never actually manufactured anything as far as I know.

 

[RolandL]

Glad they're still going strong but don't you mean a "Craftsman" lawnmower and "Kenmore" washer/dryer set? Sears never actually manufactured anything as far as I know.

Yes.

 

[Richard V]

I only go to Sears to look for appliances and tools. As many have stated here, their Kenmore products seem to last forever, and I love their tool selection as well.

 

[Jasper70]

Bottom line is they have to do something. What they have been doing is not working. JC Penney is now selling appliances. Brick and mortar stores have to do something to bring in business or they will all just shutter and Amazon will sell everything to everyone on the planet.
I’ll be in the market for a TV later this year. If Sears around here have them and are competitively priced they may get my business.
A side note, I was in a mall in my town recently. This mall is dying, 80% of the stores are shut. JC Penney is the only anchor store they have left. I needed some T shirts and underwear so even though I knew it’d be cheaper at Wally World I bought them from Penney’s. I’m sure my little purchase doesn’t do anything for their bottom line but I liked shopping there. So I spent a few bucks. I like options. Going to a B & M store vs buying online. Options are good.