Sears Fears: The Final Days of Sears & Kmart, 2019

Predicting the demise of Sears & Kmart since 2017!
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Re: Sears Fears: The Final Days of Sears & Kmart, 2019

Post by veteran+ »

It's amazing to me how Lampert has gotten away with all this.

He is the epitome of a corporate raider (rape-er).

He makes Perelman (Revlon, Pantry Pride) look like an ANGEL.
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Re: Sears Fears: The Final Days of Sears & Kmart, 2019

Post by storewanderer »

Went to Kmart again today.

They have restocked the store and they actually have quite a bit of seasonal product. Toy area was stocked well. Good number of Christmas food gift sets (didn't see much candy though). Tons of "Canon" brand fleece blankets (1.99), microfiber throws (3.99), and larger throws/other items at other price points all under 9.99, this is actually a great deal. Christmas seasonal area was 50% off most items but certain items over there were 70% off (kitchen towels, plates, and stuff like that), the 70% off made for some pretty good deals. Also lots of coats and other clothing items deeply discounted and for what it was, not too badly priced.

As usual after an initial small transaction I received a $5 off $15 "today only" coupon and went back to gather additional (deeply discounted) items.

Going into basic aisles is where it gets pretty sad. The kitchen, bed, and bath department has little to no regular stock merchandise. The kitchen area is filled up with 3 aisles of paper towels, microwaves, and totes where things like plates, gadgets, pans, etc. used to be. The bed and bath area where things like towels, soap dishes, and such is down to 1/2 aisle with some towels (not many even there) and the rest of those 5 aisles are filled with more of the "Canon" items described above.

It also looked like the automotive department had been restocked, they now have some standard size motor oil containers for the first time in months but it is Mobil 1 at 8.99.

I am glad to see this store is staying open at the present moment. I am sure the deals today, were much better than they would have been, if the store was under liquidation sale pricing.

I guess all those blankets are good sellers at liquidation sales.
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Re: Sears Fears: The Final Days of Sears & Kmart, 2019

Post by HAMMER77777 »

kr.abs.swy wrote: December 8th, 2019, 11:53 am For what it's worth, the newspaper in Jackson, Wyoming, quoted the landlord of the Jackson Kmart as saying that there were still "several" years on that store's lease. https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/bus ... 0a7d5.html

This is a town with high tourist traffic and limited alternatives (the closest Walmart is about 75 miles away in Rexburg, Idaho; the nearest regional shopping is 90 miles away in Idaho Falls, Idaho). The logistics of running this store are more challenging than normal due to the need to get creative in staffing (most likely providing housing and hiring seasonal international employees during the summer) and high seasonality. However, I would be shocked if this store wasn't in the top 5 percent of Kmart stores nationwide even with the extra expenses. Walmart fought to locate in Jackson for years but was fought off. Smith's navigated permitting for years and years before being allowed to build a standard grocery store that, I was told by a manager, outsells some of the Smith's Marketplace (former Fred Meyer) stores in Utah. The town's Albertsons is one of the best performers in the chain (in the past, they have sent managers from other Albertsons stores to help staff this store over the 4th of July weekend). The bottom line is that this Kmart should have been one of the last 20 Kmart stores to close. The fact that it is closing now with years left on the lease suggests that Kmart is totally throwing in the towel. This store is in town, along the highway, has good access, is reasonably new (built in late 1980s or early 1990s), and fills a niche in a community otherwise full of art galleries and boutique stores.
In all honesty, if the second largest state in the country, Texas, with almost 30 million people, has only 1 Kmart, then it's not surprising that WY, the smallest state will have none. WY's entire population is basically a smaller TX town. I mean, even far larger (than WY) states like OH, OR, WI, etc., have zero Kmarts.
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Re: Sears Fears: The Final Days of Sears & Kmart, 2019

Post by Super S »

storewanderer wrote: December 14th, 2019, 8:20 pm
It also looked like the automotive department had been restocked, they now have some standard size motor oil containers for the first time in months but it is Mobil 1 at 8.99.
I do my own vehicle maintenance and use Mobil 1 oil exclusively in my vehicles. That is one of the HIGHEST prices per quart I have ever seen. Even the small mom-and-pop stores usually sell it for less than that.

Kmart used to have good prices and variety in their automotive section. With auto centers present in many stores, they also offered accessories and installation on many items, and this helped with volume. Kmart stopped being competitive in this area around the time Penske closed the auto centers. But, even with prices and stocking conditions the way they are, probably still offers more of an automotive selection than Target.
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Re: Sears Fears: The Final Days of Sears & Kmart, 2019

Post by kr.abs.swy »

For what it's worth, I think they are far, far past the point where they are making store decisions based on attempting to have some sort of geographical coverage of all major population centers or states. They are making decisions on a store level. If an individual store is somehow still profitable due to a low lease, lack of competition or location in a significant population center, it might get to stick around. They are far past the point where they are trying to have broad coverage of the country.
HAMMER77777 wrote: December 16th, 2019, 5:49 pm
kr.abs.swy wrote: December 8th, 2019, 11:53 am For what it's worth, the newspaper in Jackson, Wyoming, quoted the landlord of the Jackson Kmart as saying that there were still "several" years on that store's lease. https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/bus ... 0a7d5.html

This is a town with high tourist traffic and limited alternatives (the closest Walmart is about 75 miles away in Rexburg, Idaho; the nearest regional shopping is 90 miles away in Idaho Falls, Idaho). The logistics of running this store are more challenging than normal due to the need to get creative in staffing (most likely providing housing and hiring seasonal international employees during the summer) and high seasonality. However, I would be shocked if this store wasn't in the top 5 percent of Kmart stores nationwide even with the extra expenses. Walmart fought to locate in Jackson for years but was fought off. Smith's navigated permitting for years and years before being allowed to build a standard grocery store that, I was told by a manager, outsells some of the Smith's Marketplace (former Fred Meyer) stores in Utah. The town's Albertsons is one of the best performers in the chain (in the past, they have sent managers from other Albertsons stores to help staff this store over the 4th of July weekend). The bottom line is that this Kmart should have been one of the last 20 Kmart stores to close. The fact that it is closing now with years left on the lease suggests that Kmart is totally throwing in the towel. This store is in town, along the highway, has good access, is reasonably new (built in late 1980s or early 1990s), and fills a niche in a community otherwise full of art galleries and boutique stores.
In all honesty, if the second largest state in the country, Texas, with almost 30 million people, has only 1 Kmart, then it's not surprising that WY, the smallest state will have none. WY's entire population is basically a smaller TX town. I mean, even far larger (than WY) states like OH, OR, WI, etc., have zero Kmarts.
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Re: Sears Fears: The Final Days of Sears & Kmart, 2019

Post by storewanderer »

I decided to go to a couple conveniently located (2.5 hours+extra 1 hour up a road away) Sears Stores today, the nearest stores open to me.

Sacramento, CA- Arden Fair. Large two floor Sears. Condition of this store isn't bad. The first floor mall entrance had a greeter present greeting customers and probably also serving to deter people from walking out without paying. This store was quite busy with 2-3 cashiers working a couple different cash wraps on the first floor and ongoing lines of 5-10 customers. First floor is clothing and tools, seasonal and clothing is very fully stocked with clothes and tools was probably about 75-80% stocked. Noticing some Kmart brand items like Joe Boxer and Jaclyn Smith are now at Sears. Also noticed Kmart Trim a Home items for sale at Sears. Also in mens at Sears noticing a lot of weird generic items like coats in odd unknown names instead of brands previously used by Sears. The second floor has kids, mattresses, appliances, and home. Home area is very sad, not well stocked. The cashwrap up at home had a sign saying it is closed and the nearest open register is downstairs. This is directly across from the second floor mall entrance and there was no employee in sight at the second floor mall entrance like down on the first floor. Noticed many Kmart Essential Home items present.

So this is interesting because in the past they did not try to sell Kmart merchandise in Sears. Frankly this is probably an idea they should have pursued a few years ago as the store count thinned out and both formats often no longer both in close physical competition of one another.

However I am also wondering if they had no merchandise to stock the Sears with so they routed some Kmart items to it instead.

Next was the Sears in Yuba City, CA. This is known as a "B" store whatever that is. I'd call it an F store. This store is a total dive. It must date to the 60's and I don't think it has gotten much capex. First off the Sears signs on the building are peeling.

The only way into the store is through the mall or through a side door by tools. The entrances that face the main street Colusa Ave. and the front parking lot are closed and covered with window tinting.

Once inside the store I was appalled at the poor condition of the store and the neglect here looks to go back about 30 years. Floor tiles are damaged, ceiling tiles damaged, carpets are worn and stained. This was one of the biggest dumps of a retail store I've ever seen.

The layout of the store was one of the weirdest things I've ever seen. There is one large room with shoes, women's clothing, and jewelry. The shoe department was in a weird low ceiling area in a corner that was dark and felt like a dungon. The women's restroom was also over there literally about 3 feet from the shoe cash register and about 1 foot from shoe displays.

Jewelry was in the middle of the store and this also serves at the sole cashier station (there is no other checkout counter even) for the entire men's, women's, and kid's clothing departments, with a total of 3 cash registers.

There is a second larger room with men's clothing and kid's clothing. The middle of this large room was filled with assorted and mixed together clearance clothing for men's, women's, and children's at the low price of $1.97. Great deals here. Some items I bought were so old they no longer scanned and had to be entered into the register under a generic PLU code. The rest of the men's and kid's clothing area was very poorly merchandised and looked nothing like the assortment being offered in the Sacramento store.

While looking around men's clothing, noticed the men's restroom was right there against the wall where you would expect to see a stock room or fitting room. You can see into it from the clothing racks and when inside it you can see out into the clothing areas (door was open, propped open actually by an overflowing trash can).

This store was poorly stocked, poorly merchandised (did not see many of the Kmart items I had seen at the Sacramento Sears, but did see some), and just pathetic. It was pretty busy though, the 3 registers had a steady line of 5-6 customers and there were people buying things in tools as well (2-3 employees over there).

My favorite thing in this store was the picture hanging up of the store manager with two falling ceiling tiles above it. Just, sad. I am sure they are doing the best they can given the total dump this store is.

I wonder if these will be my last two visits ever to a Sears.
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Re: Sears Fears: The Final Days of Sears & Kmart, 2019

Post by BillyGr »

storewanderer wrote: December 20th, 2019, 10:47 pm
Sacramento, CA- Arden Fair. Large two floor Sears. Condition of this store isn't bad. Noticing some Kmart brand items like Joe Boxer and Jaclyn Smith are now at Sears. Also noticed Kmart Trim a Home items for sale at Sears. Also in mens at Sears noticing a lot of weird generic items like coats in odd unknown names instead of brands previously used by Sears. Noticed many Kmart Essential Home items present.

So this is interesting because in the past they did not try to sell Kmart merchandise in Sears. Frankly this is probably an idea they should have pursued a few years ago as the store count thinned out and both formats often no longer both in close physical competition of one another.

However I am also wondering if they had no merchandise to stock the Sears with so they routed some Kmart items to it instead.
Could be any of those things, or it could be that (particularly for the holiday items) they simply figured it was easier to order one brand given the small number of stores still left.
Could also be that they ordered certain items in advance (which they often have to do for seasonal or such) and ordered based on the number of Kmart stores then and since many are now closing they routed the items to stores staying open, no matter which name they are under to get a better return (hopefully) on them.

storewanderer wrote: December 20th, 2019, 10:47 pm Next was the Sears in Yuba City, CA. This is known as a "B" store whatever that is.
I remember reading the book about Sears (done around the time of the previous two Ed's - Telling who got the company into other things like stock, the Discover card etc. after turning it into a holding company and Brennan who turned the stores around in the early 1980's) and they used the letters to denote which stores were in what "category" by sales, sizes etc. A being the best ones, and B (and I believe C) for lower volume and/or smaller locations.

At that time, the stores were overseen by groups and eventually territories (5 throughout the US) and I remember one point where one of the two had suggested a group wasn't worth being if it only had one or two big A stores (it should be combined with another to cut out one extra manager).
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Re: Sears Fears: The Final Days of Sears & Kmart, 2019

Post by Super S »

I drove through Scappoose, Oregon today and noticed that the Sears store (which I think is a Hometown store but is not signed as such) was advertising a store closing sale on its reader board. I thought that the store was still open, but is no longer on the Sears website, and wasn't on any closing lists that I am aware of. (I didn't stop) Sears has been known to quietly close stores in between major waves of store closures without making any announcement, so this isn't really surprising.
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Re: Sears Fears: The Final Days of Sears & Kmart, 2019

Post by Super S »

storewanderer wrote: December 20th, 2019, 10:47 pm I decided to go to a couple conveniently located (2.5 hours+extra 1 hour up a road away) Sears Stores today, the nearest stores open to me.

Sacramento, CA- Arden Fair. Large two floor Sears. Condition of this store isn't bad. The first floor mall entrance had a greeter present greeting customers and probably also serving to deter people from walking out without paying. This store was quite busy with 2-3 cashiers working a couple different cash wraps on the first floor and ongoing lines of 5-10 customers. First floor is clothing and tools, seasonal and clothing is very fully stocked with clothes and tools was probably about 75-80% stocked. Noticing some Kmart brand items like Joe Boxer and Jaclyn Smith are now at Sears. Also noticed Kmart Trim a Home items for sale at Sears. Also in mens at Sears noticing a lot of weird generic items like coats in odd unknown names instead of brands previously used by Sears. The second floor has kids, mattresses, appliances, and home. Home area is very sad, not well stocked. The cashwrap up at home had a sign saying it is closed and the nearest open register is downstairs. This is directly across from the second floor mall entrance and there was no employee in sight at the second floor mall entrance like down on the first floor. Noticed many Kmart Essential Home items present.

I have seen this happen in stores in my area that have closed, regardless of whether or not there is a second floor store entry. Not staffing registers on that level is a common occurrence regardless of what is on that floor. The store in Tukwila at Southcenter is set up in a way that the registers aren't even in view of the second floor mall entrance. It's pretty much the only 2-story Sears left in my area.
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