Sears to close 100 to 120 Kmart, Sears stores

[namvet]

Free standing store or mall store?

When I was a kid, a trip to Sears on Alabama Avenue in DC was comprehensive. That's where our clothes, Dad's tools, everything for Mom, and most of our Christmas stuff came from. Tires came from Sears. Batteries came from Sears.

But you know what I think is really killing Sears? No hot nuts. Remember the distinctive smell of Sears? A blind man would know he was in Sears, because of the cashew nuts and candy in the middle of the store.

Oh, and when they started charging for the Sears catalogue.

The free standing Sears store was a destination. And the real estate they owned was the "hidden asset" which saved Sears from disappearing 15 years ago.

But those old Sears stores ran on a much higher profit margin I should think. A Sears suit or appliance salesman appeared to make pretty good money when they were paid on commission. Now everyone is hourly, and it shows.

the one I shop at is in a mall. small size. and this mall is a ghost town except for sears. everyone else moved or closed up. but Sears is still there. the other big chains moved to higher traffic area's and new business districts. there's also a full sized mall north of me. the only one still open there is Macy's.

we stay away from these new business area's. mob size crowds and driving and parking is a night mare

I remember the catalogs. as a kid I like looking thru the women's underwear section. wow. so that's what they look like with no clothe's on :D

hot nuts??? ahem.........no

[RobJohnson]

the one near me has half a floor for electronics. the othe half tools and mowers. both are usually always busy.

Same with my town.
Always busy and a local owner.

[jendf]

I went into a Kmart a couple months ago on a Monday night and it was a ghost town. Needed something last minute and it was on the way to where I was going. Just the employees, me, and maybe a handful of other customers in that HUGE store. I wouldn't be surprised if that one gets closed.

[Tecate]

They're saying even Best Buy is in serious trouble. With the closure of Circuit City you'd think they would be thriving. I don't go there often, but the Best Buy in Southwest Austin usually seems quite busy.

[Arroyo_Doble]

They're saying even Best Buy is in serious trouble. With the closure of Circuit City you'd think they would be thriving. I don't go there often, but the Best Buy in Southwest Austin usually seems quite busy.

That is surprising. The Best Buy I shop at is usually busy. Near Christmas, it is a madhouse.

Perhaps they need margin.

[Rockntractor]

That is surprising. The Best Buy I shop at is usually busy. Near Christmas, it is a madhouse.

Perhaps they need margin.

They are probably down by 3% and life is just too hard for them to cope.

[namvet]

there's 2 best buys in my area and both are ghost towns. I always buy there caue its close to home. no waiting. or ordering. circuit city closing took me by surprise. later a CO based business set up shop. but they didn't last long. no PC equip sold. that's probably why. there's also an Office Max even closer to me. I mainly buy suppies there.
Lowe's and Home depot are always full. here's something strange. down the street a ways they built a brand new Bank about 2 years ago. it never opened.

[Novaheart]

Best Buy, CompUSA, and some other brick and mortar stores play a pricing game that infuriates any consumer who does his homework.

They price a lot of the merchandise at the "gotta have it now, money is burning a hole in my pocket" price. Well, if there are enough people with money to burn, I guess that works, but it doesn't work for me.

There is no reason why a USB cable should cost $25 at Best Buy or Staples when you can buy one online for five bucks. Seriously guys, wake up. And if a person needs it right now, what is to stop him from buying your cable and then returning it when the one priced right arrives?

These store need to wake up on a couple of levels. Your "sale price" doesn't mean shit if it's the regular price on the internet. Do you not think that the customer who bought that item from you at "full" price and then saw it on the internet or on sale for the right price is going to forgive you? Not in my world.

I recently bough an electric throw at Sears. I love it. I bought it because the on sale price was the regular price at Walmart online and because I don't want to spend every dollar at Walmart on principle. But why did I have to race over to Sears to buy it on the "last day of the sale" (it was on sale the next day and week actually, but the website said last day).

Publix is the same way. When I complain about the prices there, people tell me that I need to shop the sales. Really? Is that fun for you? Because I don't actually shop recreationally, and I don't buy a lot of impulse items. I want the goods at the best price, and I don't want to jump through hoops to get it.

If I thought these other stores were using their money to pay employees better and provide real health insurance, as opposed to Walmart's "mini plan" , then I could understand slightly higher prices. It has been calculated by qualified people that Walmart could provide comprehensive benefits to their employees with an increase of prices amounting to 1% overall.

Publix actually does pay better than Walmart, and has a real health insurance program according to a staff member there. But does that justify the price difference? It's as much as 50% higher on some items and routinely 20% higher. On little things, like canned pineapple Walmart's house brand is $1 and Publix is $1.39 and you can tell from the packaging that it's from the same company.

I figure that the premium you pay to shop at Publix without the obnoxious Walmart customers, staff, tv sets, and other noise is about $20 to $50 on a week's stuff.

[Odysseus]

A lot of brick and mortar stores are no longer competitive with internet sales. We're seeing this in electronics, especially, where the consumers are much more likely to buy online than in a store, especially if they are buying something that requires customization, like a computer system (you can't always get the Windows version, peripherals or upgrades in the store without paying a premium, but online, it's just part of the assembly and the costs reflect it). The last time that I shopped at Sears was a few months ago, for a TV, but they didn't have a great selection and I ended up buying a refurbished one from Micro Center for about half of what Sears wanted for a new one in the same size. I suspect that my experience isn't unique, which is why they are in trouble.

[Novaheart]

A lot of brick and mortar stores are no longer competitive with internet sales. We're seeing this in electronics, especially, where the consumers are much more likely to buy online than in a store, especially if they are buying something that requires customization, like a computer system (you can't always get the Windows version, peripherals or upgrades in the store without paying a premium, but online, it's just part of the assembly and the costs reflect it). The last time that I shopped at Sears was a few months ago, for a TV, but they didn't have a great selection and I ended up buying a refurbished one from Micro Center for about half of what Sears wanted for a new one in the same size. I suspect that my experience isn't unique, which is why they are in trouble.

But see, there is my warm nuts argument. Had you gone to Sears and not bought the TV set, but bought a $2 bag of cashews, they still would have made some money off you.