Walmart observations

Predicting the demise of Sears & Kmart since 2017!
Romr123
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by Romr123 »

yes, you're right about that...there was a newer store in Sandy Springs, GA where the MS merchandise was very welcome (down the street from a former Richway/Target)...store closed in about 2003...also it did well throughout Michigan and in the Super Kmart stores. Small/low income stores...not so much.
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by storewanderer »

Romr123 wrote: February 9th, 2023, 11:16 am yes, you're right about that...there was a newer store in Sandy Springs, GA where the MS merchandise was very welcome (down the street from a former Richway/Target)...store closed in about 2003...also it did well throughout Michigan and in the Super Kmart stores. Small/low income stores...not so much.
This is exactly what happened. And after Bankruptcy 1 where Kmart closed so many "newer" (as in opened after 1990) stores, those "newer" stores were the prime locations to sell the Martha items. When Eddie came in and it was made clear to the small management team running Super Kmart that Super Kmart was not going to be a future focus for the company, that was another nail in the coffin for the Martha line at Kmart.

I do wonder how the Martha line could have done at Sears... but if you're going into the mall Macy's was probably a much better place to get the product line into.
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by buckguy »

storewanderer wrote: February 11th, 2023, 2:21 am
I do wonder how the Martha line could have done at Sears... but if you're going into the mall Macy's was probably a much better place to get the product line into.
Sears didn't seem successful with Lands End--that part of the store always seemed empty. Granted, the brand was past its peak but still would have had some appeal to the same demo as Martha Stewart. They also failed miserably with Carhartt--they usually had a good selection of the brand at a time when it was becoming popular beyond its usual blue collar clientele. It was a rare opportunity to broaden their customer base while also having something that might appeal to traditional Sears shoppers. If they couldn't do anything with a potential opportunity like that or Lands End, it's doubtful that could do anything with Martha Steward. Pre-Eddie, they actually had been successful with celebrity clothing tie-ins.
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by storewanderer »

buckguy wrote: February 11th, 2023, 12:09 pm
storewanderer wrote: February 11th, 2023, 2:21 am
I do wonder how the Martha line could have done at Sears... but if you're going into the mall Macy's was probably a much better place to get the product line into.
Sears didn't seem successful with Lands End--that part of the store always seemed empty. Granted, the brand was past its peak but still would have had some appeal to the same demo as Martha Stewart. They also failed miserably with Carhartt--they usually had a good selection of the brand at a time when it was becoming popular beyond its usual blue collar clientele. It was a rare opportunity to broaden their customer base while also having something that might appeal to traditional Sears shoppers. If they couldn't do anything with a potential opportunity like that or Lands End, it's doubtful that could do anything with Martha Steward. Pre-Eddie, they actually had been successful with celebrity clothing tie-ins.
The Land's End inside Sears in Reno always looked to be like it had customers buying the stuff. Yet, the department was pulled out years before it was pulled out of other Sears. It was in a rather small space in the middle of the first floor and the mix seemed underwhelming and not very well presented. I was surprised it appeared to have the sales it had as I found the offer completely limited and unappealing.

The Carhartt stuff moved in the Reno Sears when they had it. That store did quite well with men's clothing in general. Sears was well positioned in Reno with a 1995 building attached to the 1978 mall. Bottom floor with women's clothing was horribly unproductive for the space allocated to it then the 1/3 of bottom floor that had tools was very productive; top floor with appliances, men's, home, and kid's was very productive.
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by cjd »

I’ve noticed Walmart is sort of stagnating now. The clothing does not seem to be moving. They have some nicer items but I have not noticed any new offerings in some time, and pricing on these knock-off brands is pretty high. It’s about as expensive as the name brands that they are attempting to copy.

The grocery section isn’t looking so good. I like to buy chocolate milk there as they offer the best prices I can find and the Great Value milk is surprisingly good.

I have noticed lately a constant sour smell in the cooler, the jugs have milk residue on the outside and the cooler just looks pretty dirty inside, especially the floor.

There are also some refrigerator cases with missing front trim panels and one or two with wiring exposed at the bottom because of the missing panels. Right where anyone waking by can access it. This has been the case for a few months now.
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by buckguy »

storewanderer wrote: February 11th, 2023, 8:24 pm
buckguy wrote: February 11th, 2023, 12:09 pm
storewanderer wrote: February 11th, 2023, 2:21 am
I do wonder how the Martha line could have done at Sears... but if you're going into the mall Macy's was probably a much better place to get the product line into.
Sears didn't seem successful with Lands End--that part of the store always seemed empty. Granted, the brand was past its peak but still would have had some appeal to the same demo as Martha Stewart. They also failed miserably with Carhartt--they usually had a good selection of the brand at a time when it was becoming popular beyond its usual blue collar clientele. It was a rare opportunity to broaden their customer base while also having something that might appeal to traditional Sears shoppers. If they couldn't do anything with a potential opportunity like that or Lands End, it's doubtful that could do anything with Martha Steward. Pre-Eddie, they actually had been successful with celebrity clothing tie-ins.
The Land's End inside Sears in Reno always looked to be like it had customers buying the stuff. Yet, the department was pulled out years before it was pulled out of other Sears. It was in a rather small space in the middle of the first floor and the mix seemed underwhelming and not very well presented. I was surprised it appeared to have the sales it had as I found the offer completely limited and unappealing.

The Carhartt stuff moved in the Reno Sears when they had it. That store did quite well with men's clothing in general. Sears was well positioned in Reno with a 1995 building attached to the 1978 mall. Bottom floor with women's clothing was horribly unproductive for the space allocated to it then the 1/3 of bottom floor that had tools was very productive; top floor with appliances, men's, home, and kid's was very productive.
Reno must have been an outlier. During the Carhartt era, I went to their stores in Cleveland, Atlanta, and DC and no one was buying the Lands End or Carhartt or much anything from the clothing departments. These were stores in areas that ranged from upscale (Montgomery Mall outside DC) to blue collar (Great Lakes Mall outside Cleveland) and places in between, and the malls were still going concerns (Great Lakes now is in a death spiral). Sears still had customers for tools and appliances, but that was about it and the auto centers already were pretty dead.
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by storewanderer »

buckguy wrote: February 12th, 2023, 5:59 am

Reno must have been an outlier. During the Carhartt era, I went to their stores in Cleveland, Atlanta, and DC and no one was buying the Lands End or Carhartt or much anything from the clothing departments. These were stores in areas that ranged from upscale (Montgomery Mall outside DC) to blue collar (Great Lakes Mall outside Cleveland) and places in between, and the malls were still going concerns (Great Lakes now is in a death spiral). Sears still had customers for tools and appliances, but that was about it and the auto centers already were pretty dead.
Compared to what was going on in the year or two before Sears closed in Reno, they had a lot more going on in clothing in the past era when they had Land's End and Carhartt. Women's clothing was the area that always struck me as severely underperforming. Men's and kid's was at least moving some product. They weren't moving as much as JCP or Macy's but they were still moving some stuff.
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by Alpha8472 »

I was in a Walmart store in a rough neighborhood today in Northern California. Suddenly I saw customers running like crazy through the store. Some scary maniacs started setting propane tanks on fire and customers were running for their lives.

In a matter of minutes the entire store had fled. It was leave everything and run for your lives.

The armed security guards in body armor immediately launched a counter attack and the arsonists fled. These military vets don't take any crap. They battled insurgents in Iraq and they know how to deal with people like them.

The fire was put under control and the store reopened a short time later.
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by babs »

Walmart is closing two stores in Portland, OR. The Hayden Meadows and Eastport Plaza stores. Both stores have always appeared pretty busy and with the lack of Walmarts in the area, they should have done well. My guess is that theft was a huge factor in closing these locations.
https://www.oregonlive.com/business/202 ... plaza.html
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Re: Walmart observations

Post by BillyGr »

Alpha8472 wrote: February 22nd, 2023, 12:40 am I was in a Walmart store in a rough neighborhood today in Northern California. Suddenly I saw customers running like crazy through the store. Some scary maniacs started setting propane tanks on fire and customers were running for their lives.

In a matter of minutes the entire store had fled. It was leave everything and run for your lives.

The armed security guards in body armor immediately launched a counter attack and the arsonists fled. These military vets don't take any crap. They battled insurgents in Iraq and they know how to deal with people like them.

The fire was put under control and the store reopened a short time later.
Sounds like we need a few thousand more of these Vets - put a couple in any store that has problems and the problems will start to disappear pretty quickly :)
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