What Happened to Kmart and Sears?

[Straight Shooter]

Sears and Kmart, once America's leading retailers, are bleeding cash and shutting down stores as once-loyal shoppers abandon them in droves.

Sears' sales have dropped from $41 billion in 2000 to $15 billion in 2015.

Kmart, which merged with Sears in 2005, has seen its sales plunge from $37 billion to $10 billion in the same period.

In interviews with more than one dozen long-time customers of the two stores, people repeatedly cited the same reasons for taking their business elsewhere: lack of customer service, poor-quality products, a lengthy checkout process, and messy, "depressing" stores.

Here's what they told us.

'I have to beg them' to take my money


Several people claimed that they were unable to find any cashiers when trying to check out.

Robert Hoke, 69, of Baltimore, Maryland, said he has been a loyal Sears customer for life.

"Sears was my go-to store for just about everything," he said. "Now I do my best to avoid going into the local store."

He said he's visited the store about six times in the last two years and only once made a purchase.

"It is really bad when you have to go through a frustrating ordeal just to get them to take your money," he said. "It's like I have to beg them to take it!"

Hoke said he went to Sears a couple months ago to buy a new lawn mower, but left and went to Home Depot when he couldn't find anyone to help him.

'It was a ghost town'


Customers also complained that the stores are in total disarray.

"The Tinley Park, Illinois Kmart is sad and depressing," said Gary Hayslett, of Tinley Park, Illinois.

During a recent trip, he said he saw two cashiers in the store and only one other shopper. He said the store has been using sheets and shower curtains for years to hide empty shelves and closed departments, and that many of the registers are broken and covered with cardboard.

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-people-dont-shop-at-sears-and-kmart-2016-9

Kmart and Sears reminds me of my childhood. I would always go there with my mom as a little chap and so it's sad to see these once great companies in shambles. I always remember going to Kmart and my mom taking me to the Little Caesars they had inside the store for a slice of pizza. Now I couldn't tell you when was the last time I set foot in a Kmart or Sears. I'm surprised they're still in business. So sad

 

[ChuckFaze]

I remember wayyy back when Walmart first came into town and I thought, "Oh, how lame. They're trying to copy Kmart's name style." At that time, Kmart was Top Dog. And now? Now the parking lot of the nearest Kmart says it all. On any given day that I happen to pass by, I swear, there are only about 10 cars out there and you have to assume some are of employees. And on the 3 or so times that I have been inside that Kmart in recent times ... Kmart isn't helping its cause any with its HIGH prices. Walmart beats its prices hands down. Why would anyone want to go to Kmart for the same items?

I haven't been to a Sears in ages. Sears' Craftsman tools, power tools and other assorted equipment were always legendary. I'm gonna guess that nowadays people have figured that they can get similar quality tools, power tools, equipment, etc. at other stores for lower prices.

In reading in the article about messy depressing stores, it reminds me of how Montgomery Wards stores also allowed themselves to fall into that direction, that abyss of no return. So, just like Montgomery Wards stores before their demise ... Sears and Kmart have allowed their stores to get rundown and in general have just not kept up with the changing times, changing tastes and changing shopping habits.

 

[D-rock]

Finding out what happened isn't hard. Walmart and Amazon happened. What I do kind of find amazing in retrospect is how Walmart was able to muscle off something that had way more name recognition than it while basically also having the same method of operation and shtick of Kmart. I always wonder how much of it was indeed just dumb ass luck on Walmart's part where other companies that try to do what they did in other industries mostly fail as opposed to any skill or innovation. Sometimes I think consumers really are just fickle and impossible to figure out, or they for some reason or another latch onto a fad that then somehow sticks.

 

[RJS13]

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-people-dont-shop-at-sears-and-kmart-2016-9

Kmart and Sears reminds me of my childhood. I would always go there with my mom as a little chap and so it's sad to see these once great companies in shambles. I always remember going to Kmart and my mom taking me to the Little Caesars they had inside the store for a slice of pizza. Now I couldn't tell you when was the last time I set foot in a Kmart or Sears. I'm surprised they're still in business. So sad

Remember when Kmart had the little restaurant in the back of the store? They had some great food.

Good times

 

[sean miguel]

there's still Kmart and Sears?

Hold on, I just heard a whir overhead and my phone is sounding.

 

[babybattersplatter]

I remember the sear die hard car battery was a great battery- it would generally last longer than the warranty then the opposite started happening so I stopped buying die hards in the late 1990 s

 

[maildude]

Just read this a few minutes ago. They merged out of desperation. But it was like two ugly people getting married, hoping to have good-looking kids. :eek:
Was a time when Sears had the Kenmore line, and Sears tools were among the best. They were an anchor in every mall. K-Mart used to have celebrity endorsements. They had one of the best garden departments. Competition. Poor management. The internet. Inability to evolve. Who knows?

 

[Jack Davenport]

The Sears in my town is at a shopping mall and is still decent. I still love Craftsman brand tools. K-Mart need a major overhaul and the stores do seem old and depressing. I will go to K-Mart for some things as opposed to Walmart just because they aren't as busy. I haven't had any difficulty finding a cashier.

I was in Baltimore and Annapolis a few weeks ago and drove across the bay bridge into Stevensville and stopped at a K-Mart there to get some razors. The store was so old and run down it looked like a scene out of Dawn Of The Dead. They need some work for sure.

 

[ban-one]

The only thing wrong with the Sears here is that they seem to be using the same computer system for checkout that they first got like 30 years ago, so it takes a little longer, but the service has always been good and they've had competitive prices on many things and I've gotten some electronics and appliances there, and numerous tools. Now the K-mart, it looks like it survived a hurricane and no one bothered to make any repairs or clean it up before reopening, and the parking lot is full of craters, it has an oddly-designed entrance and the automatic doors don't work anymore, and they too have the 30-year-old check-out computers, but the last 2 microwaves came from there because they had the best price.

 

[babybattersplatter]

maybe a terrorist event will hit k mart and sears and put an end to their misery
building the trump wall might only prolong their agony

 

[Rey C.]

They merged out of desperation. But it was like two ugly people getting married, hoping to have good-looking kids. :eek:

I haven't seen a better summation anywhere else. :clap:

 

[RJS13]

maybe a terrorist event will hit k mart and sears and put an end to their misery

Meh, wouldn't be a very good target if your looking for decent kill numbers. Last time I was at Kmart I was 1 of maybe 5 other people in the entire store and that's including staff.

 

[LeyaFalcon]

I hate both k mart and sears!

 

[BCT]

Our Sears closed cause the Tamale Guy retired, he was the only reason people went there. lol

 

[Will E Worm]