Sears, Are You Buying Anything from them?

[runco]

First, I would not recommend buying any extra warranties on anything that you might purchase from Sears.  2nd, if you do buy something, and need to return it, return it as quick as possible.  3rd, best to return and replace all of those broken craftsman tools now! 

Be warned, Sears may be on the brink of the worse kind of bankruptcy, the dreaded liquidation.   The executives are quietly leaving.   Bankruptcy is imminent, just trying to stay afloat through the 2016 holiday season. 

http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/12/13/sears-holdings-posts-another-ugly-loss-bankruptcy.aspx

http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2016/12/17/bah-humbug-investors-in-retail-as-goes-sears-so-will-go-most-traditional-retailers/#11a29b6f4db5

https://www.thestreet.com/story/13754825/1/sears-could-be-bankrupt-soon-as-debt-deadlines-loom-fitch-says.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/sears-executives-quietly-leave-as-earnings-loom-2016-12

 

Me personally, I think when they did away with the iconic Sears catalogue was the downfall of the company!  I can remember when they were the cats meow.   A trip to Sears back in the early 70s was like one of the big events in my life as a kid!   So back to the OP question, are you buying anything from them?  I have not gone to Sears in a number of years, but I do have several thousands of dollars of Craftsman tools.

 

[Raoul]

Once upon a time Craftsman tools were good. Been quite a while since that was so.

[i1afli]

Like the OP i grew up going to Sears... made my Christmas list to Santa from the catalog and loved the candy counter.  Haven't set foot in one in about 5 years now.  Used to buy Craftsman hand tools for the lifetime warranty but virtually all brand name hand tools have lifetime warranty now.

[Omega]

2 minutes ago, Raoul said:

Once upon a time Craftsman tools were good. Been quite a while since that was so.

Still think they are good, the problem is that everyone caught up.  Their number one selling point, at least to me was the lifetime warranty and that there was a Sears just about everywhere.  Now most tools come with the same warranty  and since they are all made in China, made in the USA isn't a selling point either.  

[nightrunner]

It's sad but to get true old school Craftsman made in the USA quality you have to pay Snap On prices to get it now.

[Jeb48]

It had been years for me too, till about a month ago. My favorite ratchet (45+ years old) was not staying engaged. I had heard that the rebuild kit was no longer made and Sears would replace with Chinese replacement so I tore it apart to see if I could fix it. Turned out to just need cleaning but one of the snap rings went flying across the room, lost forever. In the off chance Sears might have the ring I took it in parts into the local store in a ziplock bag. They said no problem and took it off somewhere and cleaned it some more, added their magic grease and put it back together with a new snap ring, no charge. Should out live me now.

Then I went back about a week ago to look at a miter saw that was suppose to be on sale that I saw while waiting for my ratchet. It wasn't and I left. Maybe I will wait for the liquidation sale.

[Garufa]

Sears has been bordering on bankruptcy and irrelevance for years.  The Craftsman line of tools went to hell years ago.

The last saving grace they have (or had?) is appliances.  Most of mine are Kenmore and they are excellent.  In the past, usually slightly better stuff from the same name brand manufacturers than what Lowe's & Home Depot sells.

But in reality, all appliances are for #### these days.  It is now your responsibility to rebuy everything every few years to keep the garbage manufactures in business.

[runco]

I'm no Wall Street Guru, but this data is interesting especially the number of shares that have been selling.  I am not so sure that Sears can pull out of this, but then again Colt did.

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SHLD?p=SHLD

[Ronald_55]

8 minutes ago, runco said:

I'm no Wall Street Guru, but this data is interesting especially the number of shares that have been selling.  I am not so sure that Sears can pull out of this, but then again Colt did.

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SHLD?p=SHLD

Didn't KMART buy them a few years ago?

[Raoul]

7 minutes ago, Ronald_55 said:

Didn't KMART buy them a few years ago?

Other way around. Shrewd business move, eh?

[Ronald_55]

9 minutes ago, Raoul said:

Other way around. Shrewd business move, eh?

If I had been them KMART would have been my last choice. It was already dying. I know that made it cheap, but cheap is not always good.

[macville]

24 minutes ago, Ronald_55 said:

If I had been them KMART would have been my last choice. It was already dying. I know that made it cheap, but cheap is not always good.

But it wasn't that cheap! It was $11 BILLON! I understand buying a name like Sears because of it's history, but it's like Toyota buying Yugo. KMart's name wasn't worth crap honestly. I told my mom today that I don't think I've been in a kmart in 15 years. However, I did buy a few items at sears this black friday for a good price. And BTW, not all hand tools are lifetime warranty any more. They replaced my staple gun with one that doesn't have a lifetime warranty. So how do that work if it fails? I had a lifetime one to start with...

[Guest]

2 hours ago, nightrunner said:

It's sad but to get true old school Craftsman made in the USA quality you have to pay Snap On prices to get it now.

Have you looked at USA manufacturers like SK Tool, Wright, Wilde, Trusty Cook, Channel Lock, etc.?   There are good options still out there.

[Danger Rane]

I used to buy Craftsman tools exclusively (under the advisement of several mentors who used to buy them back when they were good). I quickly learned that anything other than their non-powered hand tools were made just as crappily as everyone else's. Recently I am seeing even their ratchets and such that won't hold up to average use without binding or locking up. Took one in to switch out a couple weeks ago and the replacement looked like it was forged out of #### and painted silver, the mesh gear sounding as smooth as 40grit sand paper. Craftsman was the only reason I ever did business with Sears to begin with, I'm certainly not going to bother with them now. They've been digging their grave for years as they've let their quality slide, good riddance. I'll probably backfill bad tools with Kobalt as my local Lowe's stocks them and has an excellent return policy. I don't think the Kobalts are necessarily anything that great.....if anything they appear to be stepping up their game a bit in recent years....but at least they know their place and aren't charging Craftsman prices for their Chinese made junk. Snap-on is great, but they are way too proud of their stuff to get along with my wallet. 

[Jeb48]

I'm actually still buying some select Craftsman tools but not from Sears. Seems like as the older generation dies off more and more good quality old school Craftsman hand tools show up at auto flea markets. Before I rebuilt my 45 year old ratchett I had already found a replacement Craftsman ratchet of a slightly different style but still USA made for $10. I have also bought a few SnapOn tools at flea markets at good prices.

[A.J. Holst]

 I remember when Sears announced earning were greater from finance charges earned from their credit card and Discover than from the sale of actual stuff.

Thinking on it, Ihaven't made a Sears purchase in 10+ years

[greenego]

Sears is where America shops!  I mean use to shop.  Wife and I went to Sears at East Town Mall, I mean Knoxville Center,   and spend more than we had at a Sears in 10 years. Everything was on sale, or at least they said so. Picked up a package I had ordered online. If it hadn't been for this, we never would have gone. Purchases were clothing. Wasn't crowded or very busy.  When I was growing up Sears was the store. Mother would call in our Christmas order from the catalog and we would go downtown and pick it up when it came in. We just had a catalog store in our town. Sad to see it go, but if things didn't pickup from the day I was there, don't see Sears around much longer. 

 

 

[peejman]

I worked in shipping and receiving, the stock room, and package pick-up at Sears all through high school and the first couple years of college. It was great experience (lots of good stories) and we sure worked hard for $5/hr. 

I've also got a kitchen full of Kenmore appliances, after having worked at maytag through the rest of college. 

[runco]

Ebay is actually where I have bought a lot of craftsman tools.  Before I re-discovered my gun love, I went through a 3-5 year period of scouring Ebay for craftsman tools, the good ones.   I know have a triplicates if not more of each of the hand tools, sockets, and discontinued tools. 

My dad put me on to two things, guns and tools.  I have stayed true! 

[macville]

I will say this, Sears is the ONLY company getting it right on internet orders picked up in person. With their app, at locations that support it, you can pull into a special space and hit in the app that you are here. They will bring your order out in 5 mins or less. Both times I recently used it, it took 2 mins and 1 min for the item to be brought out. It was crazy easy and fast. Other companies need to take major note of this.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, macville said:

I will say this, Sears is the ONLY company getting it right on internet orders picked up in person. With their app, at locations that support it, you can pull into a special space and hit in the app that you are here. They will bring your order out in 5 mins or less. Both times I recently used it, it took 2 mins and 1 min for the item to be brought out. It was crazy easy and fast. Other companies need to take major note of this.

I can't even get their browser-based webpage to load on my smart phone.  I gave up.  

Sad, because I grew up going to sears as a kid.  I guess everything eventually changes.

[Sam1]

22 hours ago, Raoul said:

Once upon a time Craftsman tools were good. Been quite a while since that was so.

It's hard to compete with cheap chinese tools when they come with a lifetime warranty now too from harbor freight.

[10-Ring]

I worked at Sears for 5 years and don't have much good to say about them.  I highly doubt they will be going out of business.  For one they are making money hand over fist on their credit card.  Management pushes store associates really hard to sell credit.  Also Sears is a part of a large conglomerate of other stores and their losses are a write off for the conglomerate.  It's also notable that the profits that are made off of credit is not counted as part of Sear's profits.

 

As far as the tools go, back around 2010 they started producing hand tools in China.  Customers were to be told that the reason was for"better value."  I left the company shortly thereafter and never looked back.

 

I could honestly care less if they go under, but I doubt they will.

[macville]

2 hours ago, BlessTheUSA said:

I can't even get their browser-based webpage to load on my smart phone.  I gave up.  

Sad, because I grew up going to sears as a kid.  I guess everything eventually changes.

Try the app. It's actually pretty good.

[tacops]

My folks said I cut my teeth on a Craftsman 9/16 box end.  I grew up being told the only tool was Craftsman.  I realized through the 70s and early 80s that there were other quality tools out there but I had acquired quite a collection of Craftsman.  I typically made at least two trips a week through the local Sears store and knew all the hardware/tool Staff by name.  All of them were full time employees with long careers with Sears.  They were all very knowledgeable and customer service oriented.  I went in one day and Chuck the tool guy seemed kind of bummed and I asked him what was up.  He said Sears was "phasing out" their full time employees and using assorted tactics to get them to leave and he was about to give in.  I had noticed that I had not seen two of the regulars for a while.  Before long all the full time personnel were gone and had been replaced with no knowledge part time kids that had no work ethic or any concept of customer service.  Forget asking if they had any particular tool because they didn't know what you were talking about unless you opened the catalog and pointed to it.  They would then enter the "Number" and tell you if it was in stock.  I would have to then go find it because they couldn't tell you where it might be.  It was sad.

I think it has been nearly 12 years since I last entered a Sears.  I miss the Sears I knew.  I have a couple of ratchets that need new guts but I don't want what they have to offer.  I have more ratchets and they will probably last longer than I will.  I hope whoever gets my tools when I am gone will have some idea what they have.

Edited December 23, 2016 by tacops