Bye bye Sears?

[Rick336]

Man. I knew the recession was getting bad but I had no idea that Sears was on the brink of going under. When Circuit City, and Linens and Things went belly up I knew that things were getting bad.

But Sears?

Man, Sears has been around forever. I've never known a world without Sears. In a Yahoo News article, Britt Beemer, who runs retail market-research firm America's Research Group says, "I'd be surprised if Sears-Kmart makes it through the year."

Also in big trouble are:

Starbucks
Dillards
Lane Bryant
Gap
Pacific Sunwear
Sprint Nextel
Mrs. Fields' Cookies
Applebee's
Cheesecake Factory
Zales

And Macy's is closing a bunch of their stores. And Best Buy is really hurting.

The only one I'll miss is Starbucks. But the mere fact that so many stores are in trouble is kind of scary.

But, it's not the end of the world. Not yet anyway. Besides, we've got Obama in the White House now. He'll get us through this. Imagine how much worse we'd feel if McCain/Palin would have won.

Rick

[BruceChris]

And Obama is not going to save us. He's tried to make that very clear. He will lead us, and he will inspire us, bur we're going to have to do most of the work.

Still, one of the newscasters on NPR mentioned that Europe was much happier now that our government has "adult supervision."

Courage, Bruce Chris

[keltic63]

about 2 years ago, I heard a business analyst comment on the Sears acquisition of Kmart. His opinion of the situation was that it would buy Sears some time, approximately 2 years. That's been in the back of my mind the past month or 2. I'm not surprised to hear that Sears is in trouble.

[christa08]

Cheesecake Factory?! Nooooooo

I'm not really surprised to hear that Sears is in trouble. I never shop there but it is kind of sad because I know it's been around for a very long time. We even learned about Sears in history class in high school...

But....cheesecake factory?!?!

[Matt Algren]

Honestly, the only company listed that surprises me is Starbucks, and they just need to pull back from having a shop on every corner. Sears has been a horrible sub-Wal-Mart store for a long time. I don't think I've been in a Circuit City in a decade, and Best Buy is known for their insanely bad customer service for at least as long. I know women who stopped going to Lane Bryant years ago because they advertised that they were for plus-size women but sold clothes that were bad for that body type.

Message to companies: You have to work for customers again. Especially with iTunes, amazon.com, and all the other online stores, you have your work cut out for you.

[Rick336]

Originally Posted by Matt Algren

Honestly, the only company listed that surprises me is Starbucks, and they just need to pull back from having a shop on every corner. Sears has been a horrible sub-Wal-Mart store for a long time. I don't think I've been in a Circuit City in a decade, and Best Buy is known for their insanely bad customer service for at least as long. I know women who stopped going to Lane Bryant years ago because they advertised that they were for plus-size women but sold clothes that were bad for that body type.

Message to companies: You have to work for customers again. Especially with iTunes, amazon.com, and all the other online stores, you have your work cut out for you.

YES!! I agree with you on customer service at Best Buy.

In 2004 I went there to buy a new washer. I had already picked it out earlier and all I wanted to do was pay for it and have it delivered to my house. I stood in the appliance department for 15 minutes but couldn't get anyone to help me. I went to the customer service desk and requested help. They said they would send someone over to help me. Ten minutes passed and still no one came. I went back to the customer service desk and told them that all I wanted to do was pay for the washer and have it delivered to my house. Again they said that they would send someone over to help me. I went back to the appliance department and waited. Still no one came. After 30 minutes of waiting I finally walked out of the store and went to Lowes Hardware and bought another washer. Best Buy lost 300 bucks that day.

The customer service there really sucks.

Rick

[Gennee]

I've heard about Starbucks, Best Buy, and Circuit City. Applebee? Wow. There's a restaurant two blocks from my home. It opened two or three years ago.

Bruce Chris echoes my sentiments exactly. I posted a thread on the Activism site. It will explain what I have been telling my acquaintances and friends.

Gennee

[Gennee]

Originally Posted by Rick336

YES!! I agree with you on customer service at Best Buy.

In 2004 I went there to buy a new washer. I had already picked it out earlier and all I wanted to do was pay for it and have it delivered to my house. I stood in the appliance department for 15 minutes but couldn't get anyone to help me. I went to the customer service desk and requested help. They said they would send someone over to help me. Ten minutes passed and still no one came. I went back to the customer service desk and told them that all I wanted to do was pay for the washer and have it delivered to my house. Again they said that they would send someone over to help me. I went back to the appliance department and waited. Still no one came. After 30 minutes of waiting I finally walked out of the store and went to Lowes Hardware and bought another washer. Best Buy lost 300 bucks that day.

The customer service there really sucks.

Rick

Customer service is one of the conplaints I've heard not only from Best Buy but a number of places. There's not enough people working or they just don't care. Some have no clue as to what customer service is.

Gennee

[Unmasked]

I have never had trouble with Best Buy. Everytime I have ever been in there or called the customer service line, the staff has been friendly, helpful, and prompt. I call customer service a lot. I've ruined sooo many chargers.

Anyhow, I won't be sad to see Starbucks go. I hate the atmosphere there, and who honestly goes to a coffee shop for the coffee? Zales also won't sadden me. The whole diamond industry sickens me nearly as much as the bridal industry, and the unholy union of the two...this may also be due to the fact that I despise both gold and diamonds.

[Gennee]

Originally Posted by keltic63

about 2 years ago, I heard a business analyst comment on the Sears acquisition of Kmart. His opinion of the situation was that it would buy Sears some time, approximately 2 years. That's been in the back of my mind the past month or 2. I'm not surprised to hear that Sears is in trouble.

Sears has improved on their apparel items but tools and appliances is their trademark. Wonder what Sears saw in Kmart? THe same thing happened when many investment firms and banks became involved with mortagae lending. It wasn't their area of expertise and now they are paying for it.

Gennee

[Gennee]

Originally Posted by Unmasked

I have never had trouble with Best Buy. Everytime I have ever been in there or called the customer service line, the staff has been friendly, helpful, and prompt. I call customer service a lot. I've ruined sooo many chargers.

Anyhow, I won't be sad to see Starbucks go. I hate the atmosphere there, and who honestly goes to a coffee shop for the coffee? Zales also won't sadden me. The whole diamond industry sickens me nearly as much as the bridal industry, and the unholy union of the two...this may also be due to the fact that I despise both gold and diamonds.

Starbucks oversaturated the market. There's a place here where there are six Starbucks in a seven block vicinity. They are all along the same Avenue. A waste of strategy and acoustics.

Gennee

[christa08]

Originally Posted by Gennee

Starbucks oversaturated the market. There's a place here where there are six Starbucks in a seven block vicinity. They are all along the same Avenue. A waste of strategy and acoustics.

Gennee

The town I grew up in in Texas built a Starbucks in 2005 and it's still the only one. That goes to show how tiny a town I grew up in

[Zerbie]

Where is it announced that Best Buy is going under? I haven't heard that yet, and it's not on the OP's list. That Circuit City is gone is old news to me - heard about that 5 months ago, and our nearby store is long since shut down.


But Best Buy? Hadn't heard of that. Actually, that has to be DH's favorite store. He shops there more than anyplace else and has never mentioned a problem with customer service. The few times I've gone with him, we had no problems. That must depend upon the management at each local store - who does the hiring and what they demand of their employees.

RE customer service, however, DH commented to me when I was frustrated with service recently that this problem will only get worse as stores and restaurants cut back on hiring. There will be fewer and fewer sellers to help customers.

But I won't miss Applebee's. There's almost nothing at all I can eat at an Applebee's, and the few times I've tried, my system crumbled later.

[Matt Algren]

Originally Posted by Gennee

Sears has improved on their apparel items but tools and appliances is their trademark. Wonder what Sears saw in Kmart? THe same thing happened when many investment firms and banks became involved with mortagae lending. It wasn't their area of expertise and now they are paying for it.

Gennee

All they really need to do is sell the rights to the Kenmore and Craftsman brands and they'll be able to close down in the black. Other than those, I can't think of a good reason to pick Sears over any other store in the world.



Zerbie, Best Buy isn't going under yet, but they're recognized as being in trouble. Even forgetting the customer service issues, it doesn't come as a huge surprise. They're basically a big physical amazon.com and I can go there without fighting the traffic.

[Rick336]

Originally Posted by Zerbie

Where is it announced that Best Buy is going under? I haven't heard that yet, and it's not on the OP's list. That Circuit City is gone is old news to me - heard about that 5 months ago, and our nearby store is long since shut down.


But Best Buy? Hadn't heard of that. Actually, that has to be DH's favorite store. He shops there more than anyplace else and has never mentioned a problem with customer service. The few times I've gone with him, we had no problems. That must depend upon the management at each local store - who does the hiring and what they demand of their employees.

Best Buy isn't necessarily going under, but their sales are way down. In fact, the only ones I know of that are going under right now up are Circuit City, Linen and Things and DHL.

The list I included are the stores that are in big financial trouble, (according to Britt Beemer of America's Research Group) but whether they stay in business or not depends on how soon the economy turns around.

Rick

[Eugene]

Besides, we've got Obama in the White House now. He'll get us through this.

Though I wish them well, I think Obama and his economic advisors -- including his tax-dodging nominee for Treasury Secretary -- haven't any idea of how to handle things. If the President really wants to make a positive statement, he should force Timothy Geithner to withdraw his name from consideration. The job is too big by far for someone prone to making the kind of "careless" mistakes that Geithner claims to have made.

[Rick336]

Originally Posted by Eugene

Though I wish them well, I think Obama and his economic advisors -- including his tax-dodging nominee for Treasury Secretary -- haven't any idea of how to handle things. If the President really wants to make a positive statement, he should force Timothy Geithner to withdraw his name from consideration. The job is too big by far for someone prone to making the kind of "careless" mistakes that Geithner claims to have made.

I think Obama is a very intelligent man. But he's fallible just like the rest of us are. The Warren thing was a mistake. And I agree that not forcing Geithner to withdraw is another mistake.

Also, I was disappointed to see that only 18% of his stimulus package includes infrastructure ( building roads and bridges..etc.) and 30% is tax cuts. Not many new jobs can come from cutting taxes unless people spend that money. And nobody is going to spend money as long as the six o'clock news keeps reminding everybody how bad everything is.

Rick

[Eugene]

And nobody is going to spend money as long as the six o'clock news keeps reminding everybody how bad everything is.

I couldn't agree with you more. I sometimes think Brian Williams of NBC News is on a crusade to frighten the American people to death. I know the problems are real, but the fact that people aren't buying things has more to do with the mood being broadcast over the TV.

The tax cuts are a bad idea, but since we already can't pay the government debt with the existing tax structure, I guess it makes just as much sense to balloon the debt and make no attempt at paying it. People in their teens and 20's will have to worry about it when we're all retired. And I doubt they will have much incentive to treat their elders charitably.

[philip3gw]

I lost my regular job almost a year ago and really don't have the money to go to places like Sears. Food and house payments are more important to me now than buying clothes and tools.

[BrianB]

Our local mall better be looking for new tenants. The stores on the list have been in the Dayton mall for a long time. The mall has struggled to stay open the last few years anyway. This just might kill it altogether. Sears is an anchor store. That will really hurt.