Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2017

[cathandler]

Thought this one would last until the end: Sears in Colonie Center Albany, NY closing by the end of September. It was an original anchor when the mall opened in the '60's. I believe Sears developed that mall if memory serves. I'm surprised BillyGr didn't scoop me on this one.

Yes, Homart Development Company established Colonie Center in 1966; it was the Capital Region's first enclosed mall. The Colonie Sears was downsized to make room for a 32,000 square foot Whole Foods, which opened in 2014. The Auto Center was shuttered (recaptured) last July.

[storewanderer]

I bought some items from the local Kmart Liquidation sale. They have had to add a few temporary employees as the store did not have enough staffing to adequately execute the liquidation sale. I notice the receipt is not printing "all sales final" and still has "refunds within 30 days" language.

However the cashier has a red rubber stamp/ink and it says "ALL SALES FINAL" and that is stamped on the receipt. I am guessing whoever was in charge of the point of sale system was laid off so they can't get this fixed.

Also the customer ahead of me paid with a Sears credit card and they had to sign the screen and then a paper slip printed out for them to sign as well. This card was swiped, not Chip.

[BillyGr]

Thought this one would last until the end: Sears in Colonie Center Albany, NY closing by the end of September. It was an original anchor when the mall opened in the '60's. I believe Sears developed that mall if memory serves. I'm surprised BillyGr didn't scoop me on this one.

Yes, Homart Development Company established Colonie Center in 1966; it was the Capital Region's first enclosed mall. The Colonie Sears was downsized to make room for a 32,000 square foot Whole Foods, which opened in 2014. The Auto Center was shuttered (recaptured) last July.

Sorry about that - read it somewhere but didn't get here to post the info - oh well...

It might have stuck around longer but that store was one of the ones they sold off to Seritage, which meant they now had to pay a lease fee. That may have made it too costly to operate with whatever sales they were(n't) doing.

[TW-Upstate NY]

Recent photo I found on Google of the Colonie Center Store:

[bm10k]

here the official list of the Canadian Sears Locations that are closing

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/full-list- ... -1.3471426

[rwsandiego]

The Sears in La Jolla that's closing is one of the few that has the current signage on it.

This also happens to be a store I'd call "one of these things is not like the others." The mall has undergone a transformation into a more upscale center than in years past. Its two other anchors are Macy's and Nordstrom plus a swanky Arclight cinema and a nice 24 hour fitness. Westfield has ben talking about new anchors for years. Wouldn't surprise me if they bought the building and intend to turn it into another, more upscale, anchor.

[wnetmacman]

Interestingly enough, most of the discussions we've had here don't match the public perception of Sears. My local talk radio had a very long discussion, asking for input.

Among the complaints:

• Can't find anything.
  Craftsman in short supply.
  Rude staff.

(Oh wait; those are the symptoms of the bigger problems!)

I was fortunate to be the last caller, and I brought them up to speed on Fast Eddie's antics. They were quite enlightened. They were 'aware' of Seritage and its purpose, but not the details, though the host did say that Seritage is refusing comment on the situation, as all 20 of this week's announced stores are Seritage properties.

The collapse will hurt many, but Fast Eddie will only run to the bank. I can't believe nobody wants to step in and stop him.

[Alpha8472]

I went to my local Sears today and it was nicely kept and had many employees in the appliance department.

However, the Electronics Department was almost empty. Most of the products were gone except for a small selection of televisions and a small area of other small items. The stereos and other large products were gone. It looked like there was a major shortage. In fact, 80 percent of the salesfloor was filled with random sofas and chairs.

Have the suppliers given up on Sears? It gave a bad impression like the store was about to go close down. However, this is one of the busiest malls in the San Francisco Bay Area.

[marshd1000]

Another Kmart bites the dust! Goodbye Tacoma!

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/busi ... 32904.html

[mbz321]

I went to my local Sears today and it was nicely kept and had many employees in the appliance department.

However, the Electronics Department was almost empty. Most of the products were gone except for a small selection of televisions and a small area of other small items. The stereos and other large products were gone. It looked like there was a major shortage. In fact, 80 percent of the salesfloor was filled with random sofas and chairs.

I'm pretty sure Sears/Kmart has been cutting back on electronics in the last couple years. The last time I was at a Sears store, all they had was a couple aisles of accessories like headphones and such, and a few dated clearance TV's. The local Kmart stores have virtually nothing left and have shoved mattresses and appliances and other crap into the Electronics department.