Did Disney ruin Sears stores?

[Hikergirl]

I'm not getting why any of this even matters. So what she asks questions and never replies? So what she repeats questions? No one is making anyone reply or even read her posts. If you aren't interested in why Sears closed then why even open this thread? We don't know what's going on in peoples lives. She isn't breaking any rules. I see a lot of people single people out for no reason. Usually, it's a bunch of veterans to someone with few posts and I just don't get it to be honest. If she posts something and breaks the rules sure go ahead and report it and an admin will deal with.

It really doesn't matter, but when a poster has a history of posting some odd questions, people notice.
And since this a discussion board, the oddness of the OP may end up being part of a discussion.

 

[Oliviaxxx]

It really doesn't matter, but when a poster has a history of posting some odd questions, people notice.
And since this a discussion board, the oddness of the OP may end up being part of a discussion.

An adult feeling the need to call someone out because they think they are "odd" just reminds me of my middle school days. Nothing positive about it. The idea is to make OP look bad and feel bad and for other people to join in. Not the first time I've seen this sort of thing on here. If you think someone is "odd" and are bothered by them just keep scrolling. Nothing positive? Keep scrolling!

 

[Hikergirl]

An adult feeling the need to call someone out because they think they are "odd" just reminds me of my middle school days. Nothing positive about it. The idea is to make OP look bad and feel bad and for other people to join in. Not the first time I've seen this sort of thing on here. If you think someone is "odd" and are bothered by them just keep scrolling. Nothing positive? Keep scrolling!

I said they post odd questions. I have no problem with odd questions, or odd answers, or people discussing the oddness of it all.
You clearly have issues with this thread, maybe it is you that should move along.

 

[goofyernmost]

Who would fine them and why?

There are, or at least were, laws against Bait and Switch after Sears and others were reported enough. It was called fraud in it's simplest form. They were consumer protection laws, you know, back when people were more concerned about the welfare of the consumer and less about the rich corporations.

 

[Kitty 34]

I'm really not getting how posting a question and then not commenting back makes you a troll. She can read the replies and then just never write back. I've done that on some posts. I ask a question, people answer, I get the answer I want and I stop replying. It's not against any rules.

"An Internet troll is a member of an online social community who deliberately tries to disrupt, attack, offend or generally cause trouble within the community."

How does asking if there any adult only Disney resorts a troll? How is asking if there are restaurants in Disney that offer crayons and paper a troll? She isn't making offensive posts. She isn't attacking people.

Whatever I have asked on the CB , I have usually always said thanks for the replies, like it or not. But it's really nice that you Olivia3x , are really concerned with the OP.

 

[goofyernmost]

Sears was ruined because it appealed to old people. They tried to attract a younger more hip customer base but they were too late.

Actually in the 1960's Sears was geared to young people starting out. They gave store credit cards to very young people, I was 16 when I got my first one from them. No one else did that. If you were young and newly married it was the place to get furniture and appliances at reasonable rates charged to a Sears Credit card. I suspect that as people got older they remained loyal to Sears, but, by then most older people already had their residences stocked and only replaced appliances occasionally because the Kenmore quality was so good the they hardly every broke down.

Now that might have applied to clothing because by then specialty clothing stores were attracting younger folks, but, they sold every age from baby to nearly dead. Just not in step with the runways of the world, just basic clothing. By the 1980's they had pretty much left the Bait and Switch reputation behind.

What really started the death of Sears was when they discontinued the Catalog. Many people relied on that catalog for a lot of things and ordered and then went to the store to pick up what they had ordered. They fell through the cracks when they failed to pickup on the computer thing and the advent of the internet. Sort of a case of bad timing and bad decisions. They are still in business, but, have considerably fewer stores then they once had and lost that loyal following that they relied on in earlier years. When you got the Sears Catalog in the mail there was no need to go anywhere else, they carried everything and got the message directly to your home. Sort of the Amazon of its day. You could actually buy all the materials to build a house, shipped to you as a kit. Whole houses sold for $872.00 in 1913 plus a few extras and services that they didn't provide, however, you had to put it together. There are many Sears Craftsman homes in the USA that are still standing and occupied. They probably sell in California for over a Million a piece. Talk about equity.

Then the stopped mailing out the catalog and had you go to the store to pick one up. The problem with that was that you had to go buy many other stores to get to Sears. That was in the early days of the Malls. So people had to go out anyway so they found what they needed at other stores.

 

[tvguy]

There are, or at least were, laws against Bait and Switch after Sears and others were reported enough. It was called fraud in it's simplest form. They were consumer protection laws, you know, back when people were more concerned about the welfare of the consumer and less about the rich corporations.

Okay, you didn't mention bait and switch in your reply. A quick Google search does reveal a few local cases going back 40+ years.

 

[Hikergirl]

What really started the death of Sears was when they discontinued the Catalog.

I don't disagree with that.
I spent my teens working for Sears, the stores catered to the older generations. Younger people were shopping elsewhere, when Sears tried to capture that market it was just too late, they were already an "outdated" store if you were looking for anything other than appliances or tools.
Their failure really can't be blamed on one specific thing, especially Disney LOL.

As a child we didn't really order through the Sears catalog, we were a Montgomery Wards family.

 

[bcla]

Actually in the 1960's Sears was geared to young people starting out. They gave store credit cards to very young people, I was 16 when I got my first one from them. No one else did that. If you were young and newly married it was the place to get furniture and appliances at reasonable rates charged to a Sears Credit card. I suspect that as people got older they remained loyal to Sears, but, by then most older people already had their residences stocked and only replaced appliances occasionally because the Kenmore quality was so good the they hardly every broke down.

Sears never made a single appliance though. They had manufacturers like Whirlpool, GE, Maytag, etc slap the Kenmore name and logo on their designs. My first refrigerator was Kenmore branded, but the label promoted an efficiency award that I knew belonged to Whirlpool.

Craftsman tools were somewhat different. Sears had some unique designs for some tools, which contractors like Stanley and Danaher made to their specs. Others were outside designs wwith the name printed.

Sears had a huge supplier network way back when. My mom worked for their West Coast detergent and paint supplier, and Sears was their only customer.

 

[luvsJack]

Sears never made a single appliance though. They had manufacturers like Whirlpool, GE, Maytag, etc slap the Kenmore name and logo on their designs. My first refrigerator was Kenmore branded, but the label promoted an efficiency award that I knew belonged to Whirlpool.

Craftsman tools were somewhat different. Sears had some unique designs for some tools, which contractors like Stanley and Danaher made to their specs. Others were outside designs wwith the name printed.

Sears had a huge supplier network way back when. My mom worked for their West Coast detergent and paint supplier, and Sears was their only customer.

Sears did own Kenmore and Craftsman. Selling them made a huge dent in Sears’ ability to make a profit.

Kenmore was, at one time, manufactured by Whirlpool. They carried both in the stores and would tell you they were the same.

They sold both brands. Black and Decker has craftsman.

I remember years ago, on Black Friday, the tool department in Sears would look much like you see Walmart today. It would be crazy.




The one here and a few that are still open in surrounding areas have cut employees so much that you can hardly find anyone and don’t even consider calling the store. My son worked there for awhile in asset protection. They had a big problem with stealing because the low number of employees left entire sections with no one around. Then they laid off all of asset protection except for the manager. Ds talked to him the other day. He said shoplifters are just walking out with the store. He can’t possibly catch them all and has no help. If he does see someone stealing, new policies say that all he can do is follow to the parking lot and question. If they deny they stole anything, there is nothing he can do. So he just does nothing.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

An adult feeling the need to call someone out because they think they are "odd" just reminds me of my middle school days. Nothing positive about it. The idea is to make OP look bad and feel bad and for other people to join in. Not the first time I've seen this sort of thing on here. If you think someone is "odd" and are bothered by them just keep scrolling. Nothing positive? Keep scrolling!

Maybe heed your own advice?

 

[monica9]

Maybe heed your own advice?

I just think it’s odd when someone takes the time to start a thread with a question but never responds after that. That’s why I said they start conversations but never respond. That’s not making fun of them by any means. I do feel it odd though because if I’m responding to one of their questions I’d like to get feedback from them or at least a “like” so I know they read my response to them. A two way conversation, that’s all.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I just think it’s odd when someone takes the time to start a thread with a question but never responds after that. That’s why I said they start conversations but never respond. That’s not making fun of them by any means. I do feel it odd though because if I’m responding to one of their questions I’d like to get feedback from them or at least a “like” so I know they read my response to them. A two way conversation, that’s all.

I agree with you... My response was meant for the poster I quoted.

 

[monica9]

I agree with you... My response was meant for the poster I quoted.

Yea sorry! I quoted wrong person

 

[bcla]

Sears did own Kenmore and Craftsman. Selling them made a huge dent in Sears’ ability to make a profit.

Kenmore was, at one time, manufactured by Whirlpool. They carried both in the stores and would tell you they were the same.

They sold both brands. Black and Decker has craftsman.

Kenmore was at one time manufactured by dozens of companies. Here's a list:

http://www.applianceaid.com/sears-manufacturing-codes.php

Even though Sears no longer sells Whirlpool branded appliances, Whirlpool is still their biggest supplier for Kenmore appliances. I don't think Sears sold the Kenmore brand yet, although it's kind of placed in a special division. I found a reference to this division here, where someone tried registering web domains that were close to Craftsman and Kenmore.

http://www.adrforum.com/domaindecisions/1488265.htm

 

[luvsJack]

Kenmore was at one time manufactured by dozens of companies. Here's a list:

http://www.applianceaid.com/sears-manufacturing-codes.php

Even though Sears no longer sells Whirlpool branded appliances, Whirlpool is still their biggest supplier for Kenmore appliances. I don't think Sears sold the Kenmore brand yet, although it's kind of placed in a special division. I found a reference to this division here, where someone tried registering web domains that were close to Craftsman and Kenmore.

http://www.adrforum.com/domaindecisions/1488265.htm

They have been in discussions about selling it for a long time. They also made deals with other companies, allowing them to sell Kenmore. Again, Kenmore, Craftsman and ToughSkins were why a LOT of people shopped at Sears. Not having those brands or not being the only place to get those brands has hurt them.

 

[Klayfish]

Actually in the 1960's Sears was geared to young people starting out. They gave store credSort of the Amazon of its day. You could actually buy all the materials to build a house, shipped to you as a kit. Whole houses sold for $872.00 in 1913 less a few extras and services that they didn't provide, however, you had to put it together. There are many Sears Craftsman homes in the USA that are still standing and occupied. They probably sell in California for over a Million a piece. Talk about equity.

Then the stopped mailing out the catalog and had you go to the store to pick one up. The problem with that was that you had to go buy many other stores to get to Sears. That was in the early days of the Malls. So people had to go out anyway so they found what they needed at other stores.

I used to have a catalog from Sears that dated back to the 1910's (pretty sure it was Sears), where you would buy cars. It was really cool. Wish I still had it (it perished in a fire).

As for current Sears, I just went through a disaster with them in buying garage door openers online. Horrible, awful, terrible, service department and customer service departments. I have no plans to buy from Sears again...if they are even around.

 

[Pooh2]

Ha! I know a local family who is restoring their Craftsmen Home!

Definitely sad to see Sears on their way out.
I saved the catalog for each of my kids when they were born to look back at some day.
Their 30th birthday is approaching, maybe time to dig it out!

 

[bcla]

They have been in discussions about selling it for a long time. They also made deals with other companies, allowing them to sell Kenmore. Again, Kenmore, Craftsman and ToughSkins were why a LOT of people shopped at Sears. Not having those brands or not being the only place to get those brands has hurt them.

They were doing that for a while. At least in my area, Sears owned the regional hardware chain Orchard Supply Hardware. They added Craftsman, DieHard, and some Kenmore appliances almost immediately. I remember getting some special purchases (like a $5 screwdriver set) a few times that were similar to what you might find at Sears. Even after they sold off OSH, Craftsman tools and Kenmore appliances were still available at OSH. The deal with Ace came before the sale.

I still have a bunch of my Craftsman tools. Honestly I don't think the quality necessarily went down after they started shifting manufacturing to Asia. It's really a matter of good design (which hasn't changed), materials, and quality control. There's obviously a lot of cheap junk coming out of China, but there's some stuff that's as good or even better than you'd find in American made goods.

 

[luvsJack]

They were doing that for a while. At least in my area, Sears owned the regional hardware chain Orchard Supply Hardware. They added Craftsman, DieHard, and some Kenmore appliances almost immediately. I remember getting some special purchases (like a $5 screwdriver set) a few times that were similar to what you might find at Sears. Even after they sold off OSH, Craftsman tools and Kenmore appliances were still available at OSH. The deal with Ace came before the sale.

I still have a bunch of my Craftsman tools. Honestly I don't think the quality necessarily went down after they started shifting manufacturing to Asia. It's really a matter of good design (which hasn't changed), materials, and quality control. There's obviously a lot of cheap junk coming out of China, but there's some stuff that's as good or even better than you'd find in American made goods.

Hmmmm. Can't say I agree about the tools. We have some of my Dad's Craftsman tools (he died 20 years ago and had them for years before that) and they have outlasted everything. Dh bought some Craftsman tools for one of our sons. They didn't last 2 years. There is a difference in the quality and the guarantee.