PSA: Sears and KMart are dying. Be careful what you buy there.

[Lanny]

I commented on this a couple of days ago, in a thread where someone wanted to buy several major appliances for her Kitchen.  Sears and KMart are in deep trouble.  If you buy anything in those stores, be sure that it has a manufacturers warranty, or is something that you can inspect (clothes, etc.) that doesn't need a warranty. This article is online today (09DEC2016):

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/12/09/is-sears-dying-slow-death.html

[G5052]

Yes, we used to buy most of our appliances there, and actually bought a new yard tractor there 18 months ago.

 

DH said no more. We're not buying anything significant there. He's predicting that they will go down in flames sometime in 2017.

 

Our freezer suddenly went out right before Thanksgiving, and we looked at both Home Depot and Lowe's and ended up at Lowe's. Not worth taking a chance on Sears.

[Lanny]

Yes, we used to buy most of our appliances there, and actually bought a new yard tractor there 18 months ago.

 

DH said no more. We're not buying anything significant there. He's predicting that they will go down in flames sometime in 2017.

 

Our freezer suddenly went out right before Thanksgiving, and we looked at both Home Depot and Lowe's and ended up at Lowe's. Not worth taking a chance on Sears.

 

In the article I linked to in the OP, I was surprised to read that Lowes and Home Depot are the leaders in sales of those things.  I'd purchased a Montgomery Ward refrigerator in TX years ago and I believe they eventually went out of business and now Sears and KMart.  

[Anne in CA]

Another point is that if you order something from a store and it goes out of business before you receive your item you are considered an unsecured creditor. When Smith's went out of business many years ago people had real troubles. You may end up with a huge headache purchasing something with cash that is then never delivered. Of course, I had a terrible issue with Sears many years ago, and have not purchased ANYTHING from them since that time. That is probably part of the problem. I tried to resolve my problem and was hung up on twelve times when I made reasonable requests. They were NASTY. They are probably reaping what they have sowed.

[SparklyUnicorn]

They have terrible customer service for appliances.  We bought a range there years ago.  I wouldn't buy anything from them again.  It's a shame because they weren't always that bad. 

[Guest]

I'm good taking advantage of the sales but it's definitely a caveat emptor situation.

[mommyoffive]

I just bought a washer from Sears. 

 

But this scares me from buying anything else from there.

[Guest]

TFS

 

All of my appliances came from Sears because my kid worked there. It wasn't just the fantastic employee discounts, but the working conditions were fabulous. He had a positively meteoric rise from informing me that he was "going to apply for a job I know I'm going to hate" when I informed him that I had to sell the guitar I've had since I was 16 to pay the bills until he was head of the regional Sales department before he got called up for deployment.

 

They were much better about his need to take time off of work for training than Target, who essentially found an excuse to fire him that was within the letter but not the spirit of the law.

 

My younger son has been marvelling at stories from the 20th century that involve orphans and other disadvantaged people looking through the "wish book", i.e., Sears Roebuck catalogue, and having their dreams come true at Christmas.

 

I've always had wonderful customer service. They even folded up my clothesline for me when they installed my dryer.

 

I thought I was done with my Christmas shopping but I guess I'm not after all. Gonna go toss my dime in their guitar case if they need me to that badly. If it doesn't do any good, I'll be glad to have the box of next sized up clothing for my minor child anyway since we're rural and will be pretty much left with mallwart and target unless we luck out in the thrift stores or buy online.

Edited December 9, 2016 by Guest

[amsunshine]

They have terrible customer service for appliances.  We bought a range there years ago.  I wouldn't buy anything from them again.  It's a shame because they weren't always that bad. 

 

We did not have good luck with them as far as service for appliances, so after the first time, I never purchased any additional warranties from them.  However, I've gotten a few good deals from them since, most notably a floor display dishwasher this summer that I have been really happy with.  I actually prefer other stores for appliances in general, though, and I always shop around.  It makes me a little sad to see that if they go under, Kenmore will no longer be around -- I love my Kenmore canister vacuum.

[SparklyUnicorn]

We did not have good luck with them as far as service for appliances, so after the first time, I never purchased any additional warranties from them.  However, I've gotten a few good deals from them since, most notably a floor display dishwasher this summer that I have been really happy with.  I actually prefer other stores for appliances in general, though, and I always shop around.  It makes me a little sad to see that if they go under, Kenmore will no longer be around -- I love my Kenmore canister vacuum.

 

Yeah overall I'm not unhappy exactly.  I needed to replace a part in a burner.  My dad knew how to do it but he needed to know which part to get.  So he called them and after a lot of runaround they told him which part.  He ordered the part and it was the wrong part.  They didn't even know which dang part!  Finally we figured that out, but I dunno.  Lot of aggravation for one small part.

 

Growing up my mother swore by them.  She bought all her appliances there.  She was always so happy with them.  Now?  They can't entirely wonder what their problem is with staying in business.

[creekland]

Sears lost me as a customer this past fall.  I rarely buy new clothes, but needed some for school.  I went there, found some I liked, and went to pay for them.  They rejected my Sears card!  Why?  They couldn't say.  I knew there was no balance on it.  I ended up putting it on another credit card, but let's face it... there's a bit of embarrassment when you go to pay and a card gets rejected.  

 

I vowed then and there to never shop there again.  I don't even go in their store now.  About a week after the rejection I got a notice in the mail that my Sears card had been cancelled (dated before I shopped, but mailed a bit afterward).  Why?  We hadn't used it in too long.  I'll admit I never knew that was a thing.  I hadn't used my Penney's card in equally as long, but they accepted it without an issue.

 

No tears here if Sears goes out.  We shopped from their catalog a ton in my youth.  Most of the appliances in our house are Sears - or at least were - some have died in the past 20 years that we've been here.  We've gotten many tools from there.  But one embarrassment... Let's just say there are plenty of other stores!  No tears.

[kewb]

We haven't purchased appliances from them in years.  They used to be our go to.  I can't recall when it changed but we just started going elsewhere.  I do still buy clothes there on occassion.  I have gotten some really good deals on basics.

 

The Kmarts by me closed a few years ago.  I was not a kmart fan and rarely shopped there.

[Guest]

Sears lost me as a customer this past fall. I rarely buy new clothes, but needed some for school. I went there, found some I liked, and went to pay for them. They rejected my Sears card! Why? They couldn't say. I knew there was no balance on it. I ended up putting it on another credit card, but let's face it... there's a bit of embarrassment when you go to pay and a card gets rejected.

 

I vowed then and there to never shop there again. I don't even go in their store now. About a week after the rejection I got a notice in the mail that my Sears card had been cancelled (dated before I shopped, but mailed a bit afterward). Why? We hadn't used it in too long. I'll admit I never knew that was a thing. I hadn't used my Penney's card in equally as long, but they accepted it without an issue.

 

No tears here if Sears goes out. We shopped from their catalog a ton in my youth. Most of the appliances in our house are Sears - or at least were - some have died in the past 20 years that we've been here. We've gotten many tools from there. But one embarrassment... Let's just say there are plenty of other stores! No tears.

This happened to me there, too. The most irritating part was that they could not tell me why it was declined. I used to buy a lot of kid's clothing there because of the KidVantage program. But that ended it for me.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Kmart is the worst. Their stuff is so overpriced.  Most of the Kmarts are gone around here anyway though.

 

 

[creekland]

This happened to me there, too. The most irritating part was that they could not tell me why it was declined. I used to buy a lot of kid's clothing there because of the KidVantage program. But that ended it for me.

 

Gotta admit here too - misery loves company!  It makes me think it's not just me.   :cheers2:

 

Evidently if you don't spend enough with them (or often enough), they don't really want you shopping there.  Great business practice, no?

[mellifera33]

I kind of like Kmart. It's where I go if I need batteries or dish soap, but I don't want to change out of my pajamas so I can go to Target.

[bethben]

When we moved to a new home, I got all of our appliances from Sears (13 years ago now).  Nine years later the oven went out so I called the repair guy.  He was standing at my stove with a multimeter touching the stove and the refrigerator (which was next to it) at the same time.  Turns out, they wired the stove wrong when they installed it and if I had touched the stove and the fridge at the same time, I would have gotten a pretty decent electric shock.  

 

 

[Guest]

Sears had a very aggressive policy for reporting you to the credit agencies. In days of yore, we went to get a car loan and they told us we had a black mark on our credit. We were astounded. Turns out that my dh had been a week late in making a payment, so they turned us in. We still got the car loan though as the credit union manager said not to worry about it. "Sears dings everyone so we don't even pay attention to them anymore. "

 

We didn't go back for 25 years. Ticked off my dh as he liked their tools.

 

I went in to our local store to get skinny-boy jeans and I'm telling you, I couldn't get out of there fast enough--it smelled AWFUL. The salespeople were great but it was a sensory nightmare.

[vonfirmath]

Gotta admit here too - misery loves company!  It makes me think it's not just me.   :cheers2:

 

Evidently if you don't spend enough with them (or often enough), they don't really want you shopping there.  Great business practice, no?

 

Gander Mountain cancels credit cards for the same reason.

[Farrar]

Sears is evil. I have refused to use them for years.

 

An example of a company brought down by poor customer service. You're not too big to fail if you tick off enough customers, dummies.

[fraidycat]

They have terrible customer service for appliances. We bought a range there years ago. I wouldn't buy anything from them again. It's a shame because they weren't always that bad.

I've heard so many bad stories regarding their customer service, especially for appliances. This is probably a large part of their problem.

[creekland]

Gander Mountain cancels credit cards for the same reason.

 

Good to know.  I don't have one of those as we hardly ever shop at one.  I'll know not to get one - or maybe get one for the instant perks if we happen to be there, then assume I'll cut it up and dispose of it later.   :lol:

[bethben]

On the other hand, they did have a great replacement policy for kids wearing through clothes before they outgrew them.  When ds was 6-8, he went through knees in his pants at alarming rates.  His record on one pair was one day.  The toughskin brand even.   They would replace for free if the child had not grown out of them yet.  It saved our clothing budget those years.  

[alisoncooks]

Hmm. We have a *very* large Sears gift card that we were planning on spending on a major appliance (probably fridge). I'll have to forward this on to DH...

[FaithManor]

Many Sears stores here in Michigan have closed although not at the speed that Kmart has gone down.

 

We usually get appliances at Menards and Home Depot and none of the closest Sears ever carried clothes that I liked or very slim clothes for my kids. I have always had to go to Penny's and places like American Eagle/Old Navy for their clothes. Since I never frequent Sears, I had no idea just how far the company had fallen until recently when the news media began regularly highlighting their losses.

Edited December 9, 2016 by FaithManor

[Sk8ermaiden]

Yes, they coasted on the Kenmore name and reputation for excellent warranties for quite a while, but eventually it became well known enough that the quality had fallen and CS was nonexistent. Even my in laws won't buy there, and they are the poster children for blind loyalty to reputations of yore. 

Edited December 10, 2016 by Sk8ermaiden

[alisoncooks]

So....slightly OT but is Kenmore still a decent brand (for fridges)?

[Liz CA]

 

 

I vowed then and there to never shop there again.  I don't even go in their store now.  About a week after the rejection I got a notice in the mail that my Sears card had been cancelled (dated before I shopped, but mailed a bit afterward).  Why?  We hadn't used it in too long.  I'll admit I never knew that was a thing.  I hadn't used my Penney's card in equally as long, but they accepted it without an issue.

 

 

Happened to me as well. I was not buying anything but got a letter that the card was cancelled since I had not made any purchases in ? years.

 

I haven't missed it.

[Rachel]

So....slightly OT but is Kenmore still a decent brand (for fridges)?

Kenmore just puts their name on other brands. You should be able to look up the fridge you are interested in and find out if it's made by LG or GE or whoever.

[Guest]

So....slightly OT but is Kenmore still a decent brand (for fridges)?

Remember Kenmore is a sticker brand - they're usually rebranded whirlpools these days. Some models are better than others :)

[BarbecueMom]

My mom worked for K-Mart for twenty years, and a couple years ago she received a cash-out of her portion of the pension fund, while there was at least a little bit of money still in it. I figured they would be done within 9-12 months after that, no clue how they are still limping along.

[Rebel Yell]

Hmmmmm I never liked Sears, but for me, it was a stand alone store when I would go to three dept stores including JCPenney at a mall that was closer.

 

Slightly convenient a few years back when I could return mail ordered lands end stuff to sears, but when LE quality sunk like a rock I ever ordered again anyway.

 

BabyBaby likes their Everlast brand sneakers, sweats, and sport bras, might try to stock up if I see a sale. That's all I really go there for,

 

My Gram LOVED that place. So I do have a few fond memories. Like the diner with the blue plate specials.

[Arcadia]

We did benefit from their kidadvantage when my boys were younger. They tore many pairs of jeans at the park. We also bought the Dockers polo shirts from size 4 to 16 when they were on clearance at $4 and under. We bought lots of Dockers pants on clearance from Sears Outlet for $4-$8 per pair for size 16 and 18, for DS12.

 

My kids liked the Lands End sofa and would sit there while we look through the clearance racks throughout the store.

 

We heard horror stories about their appliances and customer service though so we bought our appliances from Lowe's, Home Depot and Best Buy.

[mamaraby]

It's not really a surprise. Sears/KMart have been in trouble for several years owing to its Randite CEO.

 

Both the KMart and JCPenney in town closed last year. Sears is one of the few big anchor stores left in the local mall.

[Selkie]

Gotta admit here too - misery loves company!  It makes me think it's not just me.   :cheers2:

 

Evidently if you don't spend enough with them (or often enough), they don't really want you shopping there.  Great business practice, no?

 

My Target card just got canceled because I apparently wasn't using it frequently enough.  Never heard of that happening before!  I'd used it maybe once in the past year.  No big deal because I don't like Target much anyway, but I thought it was weird.

[El...]

It's not really a surprise. Sears/KMart have been in trouble for several years owing to its Randite CEO.

 

Both the KMart and JCPenney in town closed last year. Sears is one of the few big anchor stores left in the local mall.

I had to google "Randite" (it means what I guessed).  The first google response was from Urban Dictionary.  It reads, "Someone who thinks Ayn Rand is not only a philosopher, but has logical consistency. See also: asshat."  :lol:  I hadn't heard about their CEO, though.  That's interesting. 

 

Why do you think that philosophy has hurt the company? 

[Liz CA]

My mom worked for K-Mart for twenty years, and a couple years ago she received a cash-out of her portion of the pension fund, while there was at least a little bit of money still in it. I figured they would be done within 9-12 months after that, no clue how they are still limping along.

 

KMart in our town closed two years ago right before Christmas. They evidently put everything on sale and 2 weeks later shut the doors.

 

Here is some info on what may happen to "Kenmore" and "Craftsman."

 

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/08/25/sears-puts-kenmore-craftsman-up-for-grabs.html

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/05/26/sears-first-quarter-earnings/84962084/

Edited December 10, 2016 by Liz CA

[mamaraby]

I had to google "Randite" (it means what I guessed). The first google response was from Urban Dictionary. It reads, "Someone who thinks Ayn Rand is not only a philosopher, but has logical consistency. See also: asshat." :lol: I hadn't heard about their CEO, though. That's interesting.

 

Why do you think that philosophy has hurt the company?

http://www.alternet.org/economy/ayn-rand-sears-and-eddie-lampert

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-07-11/at-sears-eddie-lamperts-warring-divisions-model-adds-to-the-troubles

[Farrar]

I feel actual glee that Sears is falling apart. I have never been so mistreated and maligned as a customer as I was by them. I'm pretty convinced it was official company policy to lie. I was called names and hung up on by customer service. I hope they go down as hard as possible. And that all the underpaid employees get jobs that pay well at companies that treat their workers better. So... let's say, Costco or something.

[abacus2]

Our local Kmart is closing. I knew Sears would eventually die when they responded to Kmart's crash and burn by merging with them. Kmart never developed past the early 1990s.

[LisaKinVA]

Sears lost me as a customer this past fall.  I rarely buy new clothes, but needed some for school.  I went there, found some I liked, and went to pay for them.  They rejected my Sears card!  Why?  They couldn't say.  I knew there was no balance on it.  I ended up putting it on another credit card, but let's face it... there's a bit of embarrassment when you go to pay and a card gets rejected.  

 

I vowed then and there to never shop there again.  I don't even go in their store now.  About a week after the rejection I got a notice in the mail that my Sears card had been cancelled (dated before I shopped, but mailed a bit afterward).  Why?  We hadn't used it in too long.  I'll admit I never knew that was a thing.  I hadn't used my Penney's card in equally as long, but they accepted it without an issue.

 

No tears here if Sears goes out.  We shopped from their catalog a ton in my youth.  Most of the appliances in our house are Sears - or at least were - some have died in the past 20 years that we've been here.  We've gotten many tools from there.  But one embarrassment... Let's just say there are plenty of other stores!  No tears.

In the not so distant past, Sears Credit Services were bought out/taken over by another company (I don't recall which one), They actually canceled our credit cards (which we had used to buy a house full of major appliances, and have since paid off). However, they still keep sending me Use your Sears Credit! emails...

 

Makes me wonder if Chase(? or whichever company it was) screwed up with lots of people along the way

[LisaKinVA]

Sears was one of the few companies that was good for us to work with during our financial meltdown in early 2000s.  We had never had any issues there (with our car work, or appliances, or other purchases).  Things can vary from store to store.  Not too long after our bankruptcy, Sears Credit -changed, and it wasn't as good, they've changed twice (it seems) in the last 13 years.

 

I have not had good experiences trying to get appliances from Lowe's, Home Depot or Best Buy.  The one fridge we had that wasn't a Kenmore label (it was a GE) died after 7 years.  It was a very expensive fridge.  It appears my Kenmore HE3, purchased in 2001, will outlast the Sears that sold it to me (

[SarahW]

http://www.alternet.org/economy/ayn-rand-sears-and-eddie-lampert

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-07-11/at-sears-eddie-lamperts-warring-divisions-model-adds-to-the-troubles

 

It surprises me that the CEO thinks their online shopping platform is the awesome-sauce.

 

My aunt, who worked in retail all her life, was the first to point out to me years ago that KMart had stopped reinvesting in their stores. But she was willing to overlook the increasingly dumpy stores because she liked the clothes there and she had good memories of the brand. But she tried the online ship-to-store last year and it was an absolute disaster. None the paperwork they sent to her and the paperwork on the package matched at all. The computer system the employee was using to try to fix the problem was apparently super lousy. And all the packages and other merchandise were just strewn around randomly in the poorly lit corner where this poor employee apparently had to work 8 hrs every day. Ugh.

 

My aunt decided to just stick to Target in the future.

[Lanny]

Sears was one of the few companies that was good for us to work with during our financial meltdown in early 2000s.  We had never had any issues there (with our car work, or appliances, or other purchases).  Things can vary from store to store.  Not too long after our bankruptcy, Sears Credit -changed, and it wasn't as good, they've changed twice (it seems) in the last 13 years.

 

I have not had good experiences trying to get appliances from Lowe's, Home Depot or Best Buy.  The one fridge we had that wasn't a Kenmore label (it was a GE) died after 7 years.  It was a very expensive fridge.  It appears my Kenmore HE3, purchased in 2001, will outlast the Sears that sold it to me (

 

Refrigerators: We have two (2) Whirlpool refrigerators.  One, I bought here in Colombia, early in 1995, after the Montgomery-Ward refrigerator that was shipped from TX was damaged in shipment (the moving company, which otherwise was HORRIBLE, built a wooden box to protect it, but I think the box was a little too small and it was damaged).  The 1995 Whirlpool is now our backup refrigerator in the kitchen and my wife stores things (food) in it but it is not turned on.  I need to get her to plug it in for a day or so, to keep things lubricated.  The other refrigerator is a little smaller. I won it in a raffle in the superstore where we shopped for years, when we lived near there.  Both are low-end Whirlpools, both have been trouble free.   I think the raffle was during 2004, so it has been running for 12 years.  

[Alessandra]

A few years ago, I was looking for a stove. Went to Sears, asked an employee for info about a model. He tried to read the tag in the appliance to me. He had zero knowledge of what he was selling, not impressive.

 

I am wondering what will happen to our Lands End retail stores. They are in Sears stores.

[creekland]

In the not so distant past, Sears Credit Services were bought out/taken over by another company (I don't recall which one), They actually canceled our credit cards (which we had used to buy a house full of major appliances, and have since paid off). However, they still keep sending me Use your Sears Credit! emails...

 

Makes me wonder if Chase(? or whichever company it was) screwed up with lots of people along the way

 

Citibank.  I saw it on the paper cancelling our card.  We had already ditched our other Citibank cards years ago due to their service (both hubby and I had one).  They wanted to raise our interest rates for an unknown reason.  I'm not a high interest person (and we don't ever pay late).  Calling them didn't change their policy, so we cancelled their cards.  When I saw their name associated with Sears, it sure didn't help my impression of Sears, but it added to my understanding of why it happened - dumb companies flock together.

 

We're now Capital One, Discover, AmEx and Credit Union fans - not necessarily in that order, but gives us one of each major type (MC/Visa and the other two).  We use whatever gives us the best deals or points or similar.  We get offers in for all sorts of cards, but I ditch them.  If any of those companies acts dumb, then I'll ditch them and find another if we want it.

 

I only use Store Cards when they have good deals too - like Kohls.

[FaithManor]

Years and years ago, dh did buy a craftsman table saw. They convinced him to open a sears card. So he did, and I do remember that it was canceled about five months later when he hadn't used it again.

 

I had forgotten all about that. LOL

[Amy in NH]

Care Credit also closes credit cards if you don't use them frequently, without warning you. Big unpleasant surprise when you suddenly need to use it! They are owned by Synchrony Bank.

Edited December 10, 2016 by Amy in NH

[Guest]

A few years ago, I was looking for a stove. Went to Sears, asked an employee for info about a model. He tried to read the tag in the appliance to me. He had zero knowledge of what he was selling, not impressive.

 

I am wondering what will happen to our Lands End retail stores. They are in Sears stores.

We went there to get some exercise equipment. We asked the sales guy a question and he literally stood there and read the signs to us. Umm, we can read, thanks. So annoying.

[creekland]

I literally just deleted an email from Sears telling hubby he could Save an Extra 10% Today if he signed up for a Sears card!!!   :lol:

 

I don't recall if the one they cancelled on us was mine or his.  We share store specific cards since we don't use them often.