Retail Watchers

Things are going very bush league at Kmart.

Looks like something out of East Germany

storewanderer wrote: ↑March 10th, 2018, 10:09 pm Things are going very bush league at Kmart.

Yowza!

... & even Lands End is starting to fall into the game (in the Sears that sell it). Previously the purchases from their department / store within store have always been in blue paper handled bags, more like high-end mall/department stores. This weekend? A plastic bag - given, a nicer, heavier plastic bag than a normal Sears one, but still a step down. Also, there are items on clearance in the local Lands End area for around $15. That's got to be a hit.

SamSpade wrote: ↑March 11th, 2018, 8:16 am

storewanderer wrote: ↑March 10th, 2018, 10:09 pm Things are going very bush league at Kmart.

Yowza!

... & even Lands End is starting to fall into the game (in the Sears that sell it). Previously the purchases from their department / store within store have always been in blue paper handled bags, more like high-end mall/department stores. This weekend? A plastic bag - given, a nicer, heavier plastic bag than a normal Sears one, but still a step down. Also, there are items on clearance in the local Lands End area for around $15. That's got to be a hit.

I have been to a few Sears locations where they weren't even using normal Sears bags. Instead they were using some generic "Thank You" white plastic bags. (Oddly I have yet to see this at Kmart) Makes me wonder if even bag manufacturers are becoming leery of dealing with Sears....

Super S wrote: ↑March 11th, 2018, 8:53 am

SamSpade wrote: ↑March 11th, 2018, 8:16 am

storewanderer wrote: ↑March 10th, 2018, 10:09 pm Things are going very bush league at Kmart.

Yowza!

... & even Lands End is starting to fall into the game (in the Sears that sell it). Previously the purchases from their department / store within store have always been in blue paper handled bags, more like high-end mall/department stores. This weekend? A plastic bag - given, a nicer, heavier plastic bag than a normal Sears one, but still a step down. Also, there are items on clearance in the local Lands End area for around $15. That's got to be a hit.

I have been to a few Sears locations where they weren't even using normal Sears bags. Instead they were using some generic "Thank You" white plastic bags. (Oddly I have yet to see this at Kmart) Makes me wonder if even bag manufacturers are becoming leery of dealing with Sears....

Might also just be a cost cutting idea (since it would, or at least it makes sense it would, cost more for custom printed bags rather than those more generic ones)?

Additionally, given the ever smaller number of locations it would likely get progressively more costly to have them printed in the smaller amounts needed.

BillyGr wrote: ↑March 12th, 2018, 1:42 pm

Super S wrote: ↑March 11th, 2018, 8:53 am

SamSpade wrote: ↑March 11th, 2018, 8:16 am
Yowza!

... & even Lands End is starting to fall into the game (in the Sears that sell it). Previously the purchases from their department / store within store have always been in blue paper handled bags, more like high-end mall/department stores. This weekend? A plastic bag - given, a nicer, heavier plastic bag than a normal Sears one, but still a step down. Also, there are items on clearance in the local Lands End area for around $15. That's got to be a hit.

I have been to a few Sears locations where they weren't even using normal Sears bags. Instead they were using some generic "Thank You" white plastic bags. (Oddly I have yet to see this at Kmart) Makes me wonder if even bag manufacturers are becoming leery of dealing with Sears....

Might also just be a cost cutting idea (since it would, or at least it makes sense it would, cost more for custom printed bags rather than those more generic ones)?

Additionally, given the ever smaller number of locations it would likely get progressively more costly to have them printed in the smaller amounts needed.

Obviously, I'm doubtful that this is the case considering the state that Sears is in, but I have even seen healthy retailers using the generic "Thank You" bags if some type of distribution issue prevented them from receiving their normal bags. Kroger stores across DFW used them for almost a month or so following Hurricane Harvey (presumably their warehouse stock of bags were being sent to Houston and couldn't be replenished in time). I have also seen JCPenney use them on one occasion.

On the owned properties front, SHC is jettisoning 4 more properties:

https://www.chainstoreage.com/real-esta ... rs-stores/

These malls are owned by Washington Prime Group. At least one of these was a former Simon property. I know one of the stores fairly well, as I watched its construction in the last years of the 70's. Longview Mall was finished in 1978, except for one major tenant: Sears. Sears elected to construct its store later, as the space was initially promised to Montgomery Ward, who pulled out just before mall construction commenced. Sears was initially going to stay downtown, which would have been fatal for them had they done so. So the mall opened with two main anchors, JCPenney and Dillard's; three junior anchors, Bealls, Wilson's and Selber Bros.; and a host of other smaller stores, including So Fro Fabrics, Circus World, Hallmark, Gordon's Jewlers, and others. Sears would open a year later in a very state-of-the art store for them. It remains the only true 2 story store in this mall. The store has operated for 39 years with only minor remodeling. Like all other SHC assets, it needs work. Longview has had Sears continuously since the 30's. This is the third Sears location in town; the second still stands near downtown as a college campus now.

My understanding of what Washington Prime intends to do is to continue leasing to Sears, but evaluate the assets, and replace as necessary. This would be a sad day for these 4 malls. Longview is the largest Sears outside a metro area in Texas.

Sears is applauding Kmart Pharmacy for a recent customer satisfaction rating. Sad part is, I didn’t know Kmart still had Pharmacy.

https://searsholdings.com/about/recogni ... tisfaction

I think the number of pharmacies left is well under 100...

I know of one in Grass Valley, CA.

Sears Holdings has placed six locations in Washington up for sale:

http://www.theolympian.com/latest-news/ ... 43504.html

I find it interesting that Southcenter is on the list due to the size of the mall.

At this rate, we are very close to Kmart disappearing entirely from several states. Sears isn't going to be far behind. If either name is still around in a few years, it will likely be as a regional chain.