List of Sears and Kmart stores closing soon

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

http://searsholdings.com/about/122711_close.pdf

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

While I'm sorry to see any retailer in trouble, they need to learn from past mistakes. With Sears, it's been a total lack of customer service for us. The last straw was maybe 4 or 5 years ago over an extended warrenty they refused to honor and an interest free purchase that they attempted to charge us interest on every month and, they added credit insurance to the card that we had not authorized. I had to call them every month to reverse the unauthorized charge and get them to reverse the interest charges.

The lack of customer service had probably cost Sears $20,000 to $40,000 over the years. I use to go to Sears for one stop shopping. I bought nearly everything from their stores from lawn and garden, fitness, home appliances, automotive, tools, electronics and even clothing from time to time. Now we avoid Sears like the plague.

Whiz on your customers enough and they'll leave you. That's what's happened to Sears/Kmart. The biggest probem seems to me that they still haven't figured that out.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Have to agree, including the Kmart side. Everything I once bought there exclusively is gone despite requests to resume carrying them. I now stop at our 2 area K-mart stores about 6 times a year and spend less than $ 100 there annually.
It would be nice to see a list of closings by state. It appears that most of the closings are not in the northeast.

[1950bing Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 1950bing]

maybe now they know what it feels like when they first came to town and put a lot of small mom & pop stores on the "going out of business" list. I'm glad to see them fail. Stores like that caused a lot of Main St. store fronts to become plywood windows. Many 2nd & 3rd generation small business stores are just dust and memories. Sad

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

Well, I've worked at Circuit City & Sears. I know how to pick em, don't I? CC really hurt as they were really good to me. Sears, not so much. I tried to take care of all of the customers. shaggy

[Pstreet1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pstreet1]

We had the extended warranty problem; they said the part isn't made anymore, so you'll just have to do without. I realize it isn't their fault the part isn't made any more, but the extended warranty was of absolutely no use.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

maybe now they know what it feels like when they first came to town and put a lot of small mom & pop stores on the "going out of business" list. I'm glad to see them fail. Stores like that caused a lot of Main St. store fronts to become plywood windows. Many 2nd & 3rd generation small business stores are just dust and memories. Sad

I never knew that K-Mart put a gun to people's head and ordered them to shop at K-Mart?

Facetiousness aside, those Mom and Pop stores went out of business not because K-Mart (and similar stores) came to town. They went out of business because people, of their own free choice, decided to take their business elsewhere because they got better value for their money.

People voted with their pokcetbooks, and they voted against Mom and Pop. Seems ludicrous to me to blame retailers like K-Mart for giving customers what they want.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

I never knew that K-Mart put a gun to people's head and ordered them to shop at K-Mart?

Facetiousness aside, those Mom and Pop stores went out of business not because K-Mart (and similar stores) came to town. They went out of business because people, of their own free choice, decided to take their business elsewhere because they got better value for their money.

People voted with their pokcetbooks, and they voted against Mom and Pop. Seems ludicrous to me to blame retailers like K-Mart for giving customers what they want.

True. I still use local stores and businesses before the major chains if I feel the customer experience (value, service, etc) is better even if it cost a few $ more. As an example: I had wanted to do some annuals for the steps and deck this past spring. Went to HD and was very unimpressed with selection and health of the plants. I did buy the potting soil there. Went to our local and very spectacular nursery for the plants. Spent about the same $, maybe a pinch more, and had astounding planters.

We still have downtown areas here. Healthy ones. Many areas don't.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

I never knew that K-Mart put a gun to people's head and ordered them to shop at K-Mart?

Facetiousness aside, those Mom and Pop stores went out of business not because K-Mart (and similar stores) came to town. They went out of business because people, of their own free choice, decided to take their business elsewhere because they got better value for their money.

People voted with their pokcetbooks, and they voted against Mom and Pop. Seems ludicrous to me to blame retailers like K-Mart for giving customers what they want.

I agree with you 100%. The success of any business depends on giving the customer what they want. Obviously the majority of customers prefer lower prices. The small businesses have to adapt by providing additional service not available at the WalMarts, etc.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

Good riddance to Kmart and Sears IMO.
Won't see them close fast enough for me.

Then maybe we'll get a Walmart or Target in their place.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

A quick look indicated 2 Grand Essentials closing in NH and a single Sears full line in PA to be the only closures in the northeast. I still remember buying 3 microwaves at Sears that didn't work and my neighbor has a relatively new Sears washing machine that has been worked on for several months and still isn't working right. On the other hand, we buy our eyeglasses at Sears. Other than that my last purchase there was a rototiller in the late 80's and it still works, though I doubt I can get parts for it.

[1950bing Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 1950bing]

Just to add. Some of the purchasing public is not aware that the buying field is way not level. When I was on Main St. in a mom & pop people thought we made more on items when the big box came to town. No, they made more. Vendors just charged M&P more.
Walmart would destroy an entire shopping center when they as an anchor would pull out, leave a huge hole on their way to a stand alone store. I know wally hires lots of people but the top people are getting rich on the backs of their under paid employees. There is a wmart the next town over from but I have never been in it. There is nothing in their stores that I can not get somewhere
else or do without. Big does not mean better.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Big does not mean better.

Words are cheap, but what counts is where people put their money. And when it really counts, more people vote in favor of the big boxes.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I shop at my local hardware store to buy paints' lumber to buy lumber. Nitty to give to the little guy just to be able to get in and out in half the time is worth the little extra I might pay. I rarely shopped in Kmart' I always shop at Sears and PC Richards for my appliances but with the birth of the internet I admit I do more buying online.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

I buy almost everything on-line. I spent a lot of money this year at Amazon.com. It is much more convenient and their prices are consistently lower.