Bankruptcy Judge Gives Sears Another Chance, OKs $5.2B Plan

[Steeleballz 7,550]

11 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

Still appreciated by many, as is the desire to inspect, touch, feel, and test products and appliances.

 

  I like to do that too, but online stores have reviews and often make it easy to return something if you don't like it. I'm in the middle on a lot of it.  I would still rather go get something at a retail, but when you get to the point that going to the store makes you start wishing you had stayed home and ordered online, there is a problem there too. Lately I've gotten to the point where unless I need something today, I would rather not waste gas. If I do, well Walmart is right around the corner, and I can buy my groceries there too if I need to.

 

 Ten years ago, Sears was in a great position to move forward. They had a large retail presence, big name products, they were moving forward with online retail and they were even among the early adopters of the ubiquitous online market place. As the saying goes, they had it all.  They just didn't do anything well enough in the end, and they didn't change enough to keep up. I had a Sears gift card that I kept for several months a few years ago. I didn't want to go to the store. The online shopping site had turned into a disaster, and everything I looked at was significantly more expensive than buying somewhere else. At this point (and for a while now) all they really had going for them was the name. In this day and age, that's probably not going to be enough.

[Randyandyuni 2,682]

2 hours ago, Steeleballz said:

 

  I like to do that too, but online stores have reviews and often make it easy to return something if you don't like it. I'm in the middle on a lot of it.  I would still rather go get something at a retail, but when you get to the point that going to the store makes you start wishing you had stayed home and ordered online, there is a problem there too. Lately I've gotten to the point where unless I need something today, I would rather not waste gas. If I do, well Walmart is right around the corner, and I can buy my groceries there too if I need to.

 

 Ten years ago, Sears was in a great position to move forward. They had a large retail presence, big name products, they were moving forward with online retail and they were even among the early adopters of the ubiquitous online market place. As the saying goes, they had it all.  They just didn't do anything well enough in the end, and they didn't change enough to keep up. I had a Sears gift card that I kept for several months a few years ago. I didn't want to go to the store. The online shopping site had turned into a disaster, and everything I looked at was significantly more expensive than buying somewhere else. At this point (and for a while now) all they really had going for them was the name. In this day and age, that's probably not going to be enough.

I will not stop in a Walmart unless I have 0 other choices, I dislike the stores, the layout, the rows of unmanned cashier stands, the mess the disorganization and the "people of Walmart" characters that shop there enmasse

[Steeleballz 7,550]

59 minutes ago, Randyandyuni said:

I will not stop in a Walmart unless I have 0 other choices, I dislike the stores, the layout, the rows of unmanned cashier stands, the mess the disorganization and the "people of Walmart" characters that shop there enmasse

 

   The Walmart near us is a really nice setup. It's a new build so I'm not sure if that's the difference or if they just allow some regional variability. The grocery section is a nice as any of the grocery stores nearby. They are pretty good with new products. I buy 2 different kinds of protein bars and Walmart had them before the vitamin store did. There are always several cashiers open except late at night.

 

    I will say, I've noticed a lot of variability between Walmart stores. There's one on my way to work which I won't even stop in. It's just a dump. I do tend to avoid Walmart as a general rule. Mostly for the reasons you just listed.

Edited February 11, 2019 by Steeleballz

[Randyandyuni 2,682]

3 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

   The Walmart near us is a really nice setup. It's a new build so I'm not sure if that's the difference or if they just allow some regional variability. The grocery section is a nice as any of the grocery stores nearby. They are pretty good with new products. I buy 2 different kinds of protein bars and Walmart had them before the vitamin store did. There are always several cashiers open except late at night.

 

    I will say, I've noticed a lot of variability between Walmart stores. There's one on my way to work which I won't even stop in. It's just a dump. I do tend to avoid Walmart as a general rule. Mostly for the reasons you just listed.

the ones around here are 80's vintage stores nothing to write home about and poorly maintained for cleanliness or organization 

[yuna628 9,686]

Our local walmarts are scary places that one has the likelihood to be shot while shopping.. so that's a big discourager. I try to avoid it like the plague, but the unfortunate fact is it pretty much ran everywhere else out of town, so sometimes it's the only option for miles. One thing I've found that walmart does pretty good though is competing with Amazon with shipping. Their prices are lower and they can get me any item I want very fast by the time Amazon even bothers to fulfill anything.... or I can do online to store for pickup.

 

I hear Penneys is going to stop sales of appliances and furnishings. I'm going to have to get down there soon and see if I can get some items for cheap.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

1 hour ago, Randyandyuni said:

the ones around here are 80's vintage stores nothing to write home about and poorly maintained for cleanliness or organization 

 

   Yeah, the one close to where I work looks like that.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

54 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

Our local walmarts are scary places that one has the likelihood to be shot while shopping.. so that's a big discourager. I try to avoid it like the plague, but the unfortunate fact is it pretty much ran everywhere else out of town, so sometimes it's the only option for miles. One thing I've found that walmart does pretty good though is competing with Amazon with shipping. Their prices are lower and they can get me any item I want very fast by the time Amazon even bothers to fulfill anything.... or I can do online to store for pickup.

 

I hear Penneys is going to stop sales of appliances and furnishings. I'm going to have to get down there soon and see if I can get some items for cheap.

 

   Walmart's online ordering was painful to use at one time. You ordered and you wouldn't get a status update until the item arrived at the store. I think they have been driven to get better at that part. I think Walmart changed where the competition forced them to do so. One thing Sears couldn't do.

[Nature Boy 2.0 8,376]

7 hours ago, Steeleballz said:

 

   Yeah the first mostly, I think. Even the online shopping part, Sears and Walmart were both bad when they initiated that aspect of there business. The problem is Walmart got better, and Sears online shopping still is horrible. As big as Walmart is, and as much flak as they get sometimes, I think they actually do a pretty good job at identifying where they need to get better. Sears didn't do that. To be fair neither did Radio Shack, Blockbuster, Toys r Us, Circuit City. A lot of stores my wife used to like that I can't even name. Sears/KMart was huge though. For them to end up where they now, it's not just one mistake.

Circuit city rocked. . They just had bad management to let it go under 

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

Amazon, FTW.  Sadly, I use them a lot.  Unless I need something t-now, of course.

[TBoneTX 45,570]

11 hours ago, Steeleballz said:

I do tend to avoid Walmart as a general rule.

One closest here has employees who are openly hostile, and the cashiers will skip over customers who don't match their own race.  It's blatant.

[TBoneTX 45,570]

14 hours ago, Steeleballz said:

Ten years ago, Sears was in a great position to move forward. They had a large retail presence, big name products, they were moving forward with online retail and they were even among the early adopters of the ubiquitous online market place. As the saying goes, they had it all.  They just didn't do anything well enough in the end, and they didn't change enough to keep up. I had a Sears gift card that I kept for several months a few years ago. I didn't want to go to the store. The online shopping site had turned into a disaster

I always had far better luck in the stores than on-line.  It was impossible to find anything on their website -- the search results always included 50 zillion offerings from unrelated vendors.  This is still why I'll first think of going to a Sears in person to look.

[Nature Boy 2.0 8,376]

2 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

One closest here has employees who are openly hostile, and the cashiers will skip over customers who don't match their own race.  It's blatant.

Cant be. Only white people racists 

[TBoneTX 45,570]

6 hours ago, Nature Boy 2.0 said:

Cant be. Only white people racists 

Didn't say their race, now, did I?  

[Nature Boy 2.0 8,376]

6 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

Didn't say their race, now, did I?  

Didnt have to. I experience overt racism frequently 

[Steeleballz 7,550]

On 2/11/2019 at 5:12 PM, Nature Boy 2.0 said:

Circuit city rocked. . They just had bad management to let it go under 

 

   I used to like their clearance sales. I still have stuff to this day I don't know what it's for or I why I bought it, but it sure was cheap.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Steeleballz