WXEL: Insight: Memo to Eddie Lampert: Dump Kmart to save Sears (2012-01-02)

Save core Sears brands like Craftsman and the original business, or "close a few Sears and hope for the best"?

 

I don't see much hope for Sears. They shot themselves in the foot when they let the quality of their merchandise go down the toilet...

 

I give it 2 years max before Sears/Kmart file for bankrupcy. They missed the boat to keep up with trends, and will continue to lose customers. I personally will not shop at either company due to poor quality and extreemly poor customer service.

 

I bet a ton of the privately owned Sears stores will be gone- Like the one here. They aren't making a whole lot of money, and only carry appliances, some lawn and garden, some tools, and TVs. They can't even order in other stuff, and order parts through the searspartsdirect.com site. It's kinda pathetic actually.

 

Where I am at the Kmart is the dumpy alternative to Walmart. I think there are only 2 or 3 that I know of. They should dump Kmart and focus on the core of Sears.

It looks like Sears and a lot of other companies are trying the Amazon way with their websites and listing stuff from third parties.

Sears could turn themselves around if they dump the Kmart and focus on what they do best. Who goes to Sears to buy electronics or movies? When people think Sears they think tools, lawn/garden equipment and clothing. Focus on what they are good at and dump the rest.

 

I bought some clothes from sears a few years ago and after the first washing they took up so bad that I couldn't wear them. They refused to help me with my issue so I refuse to trade my heard earned money with them.

Sears also has a foot hold in Ace hardware, all the of the military PX stores just to name a couple. K-mart is nothing more than an old time dime store and that's all it will be ever be. Let it go.

 

How I wish there were still the old 5 and dime stores. All of them were locally owned too I believe.

 

sell both to walmart while the name is still worth something

 

Sears started going downhill when they stopped peddling Ted Williams fishing gear.......

 

The fact that you can go to their Web site and look up information and have parts dropped on your doorstep for something you bought from them 25 years ago (say, a garage door opener) to me is good customer service.

 

The main thing I hear about Kmart, and I wholeheartedly agree with, is their stores are awful. The ones I've been in, except for very minor things, look exactly as they did when I shopped there as a kid...30 years ago.

The local Sears isn't much better. Besides adding an electronics department that is walled off like a fortress with EAS gear, it looks exactly like it did 30 years ago.

 

Ed Lampert, and his crazy ideas about profit in retail is the real problem.
Kmart bought Sears, not the other way around.
His background at Goldman Sachs should tell you something about values.

The Billionaire hedge fund manager is seriously out of touch with 'Kmart shoppers' and his slinging the one thing Sears really had left (brand loyalty and recognition) Craftsman, Die Hard, Kenmore ...
will do nothing but hurt the once respected chain.

 

If I were calling the shots, I would combine store foot prints into one store. For instance, in my area there is a Sears store, a Super Kmart and a Big Kmart.

The Big Kmart HAD an automotive service center that has been closed for 15-20 years now. There is room in that area to move the lawn tractors appliances and heavy tools while still operating the separate automotive center where it's currently located.

Kmart alone is a brand that I associate with cheap merchandise and cramped, dirty and cluttered stores.

 

In this day and economy, I truly hate to see anyone lose their job(s), but, K-Mart stores should be shut down/closed and the buildings razed.

The last time I was in a K-Mart store, I purchased two (2) Ruger 10/22 rifles, for less than $100 each.
Rat/mouse feces was all over the store.

That's been almost 20 years ago.

Unfortunately, mergers/acquisitions normally are $$$ driven, without real thought as to what is going to happen to both/all entities after the merger/acquistion.
Failure is never considered, but, is mostly the result.

 

Hmmm....

I was a Business major in college, what I learned:

Yes, these things are always $$$ driven, they're in business to make money.

Failure is ALWAYS considered the #1 "what-if" scenario, it can't be avoided.

All organizational changes involve some risk and how things will play out is unknown, you do what you can to minimize the risk and decide if the risk is worth it.

In larger, publicly-held companies, such decisions are are political and require approval from many entities - Board of Directors, shareholders, etc.