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[lenovox1]

is this because millennials are too 'hipster' to shop at these places? kind of like what's happening with chili's and applebee's

pretty sad to see places close up like that just because people are trying to look cool

No. The Sears and Kmart brands have been dying since the 90s due to mistakes made at the executive level.

 

[slit]

There is a crisis no doubt but Sears/Kmart caused their own problems and they started way before the current crisis.

 

[Armaros]

Sears has been dying of self inflicted wounds because of their corrupt and crazy CEO and board that support him.

The retail apocalypse is just an outside thing speeding up their slow death.

 

[fluffydelusions]

In 10 years the only retail stores are gonna be Walmart and Amazon, right?

Target, Home Depot, Costco, and if you ever watched dead mall series on youtube...bath and body works lol

 

[jwk94]

In the '80s Walmart was Sad K-Mart.

What was 80s Walmart like?

Washer / dryer / full size freezer / dishwashers / stoves / ranges

They code TVs under "electronics" now (source: used to work for Walmart), really haven't heard anyone call a TV an appliance in ages

Oh! Yeah, I guess you're right about that. I actually don't remember Walmart selling any of those appliances though. When was this?

Went into a Kmart today for the first time in probably 5 years and it was really sad.

The store layout is trash, and seems like they want to do everything, so is like a jack of all, master of none store. Small selection of all sorts of random things all strewn about. Not really sure who is buying toys and sees washers and decodes that should get added to the list.

Store was also a mess. Looks worse than most thrift stores with stuff everywhere and still having a ton of empty space. Walked past three or four aisles where there was maybe a couple handfuls of small box items in the aisle.

Clothing looks like the one thing they could try to get right to make money, they had some brand name stuff in there cheap, but once again couldn't really tell what was going on. Signs said it was women's clothes but had tons of men's racks in there.

If they really want to survive, they need to take some time and come up with two or three really well thought out layouts and try to get a couple "flagship" store models to start. They need to really think about what they want to be and focus on it. Existing like it is 1989 still isn't going to help them make it to 2019.

Now I'm imagining someone shopping at K-Mart, getting to the end of the toy aisle, seeing a washer and going "damn, might as well get a washer!"

 

[facetheslayer92]

Let them sit and rot. We had an old Ames store here for years that sat abandoned, was only torn down and replaced with a Hobby Lobby in the last few years.

Damn Ames. That and Caldor were my childhood.

 

[fluffydelusions]

What was 80s Walmart like?

I don't even remember Walmarts back then where I lived just Kmart, caldoors, Bradley's, Ames.

 

[Subitai]

Sears should have probably pivoted around appliances and tools. Those are the two areas where they still have name recognition. Nobody is going to Sears for clothing or home decor shit in a world where Target and Amazon exist.

Yup, 2 of my mowers are Sears as they were the best rated values in Consumer reports at the time.

 

[Ozigizo]

I think Sears made the right choice: buy Kmart so it wouldn't have to die alone.

 

[firehawk12]

Sears Canada just announced closing the same number of stores. RIP.

 

[Rival]

Sad what happened to Sears. I have fond memories of going there as a kid. My Dad bought me a Sega Genesis and a Sega CD from them when I was Maybe 11-12 years old. I also got a Compaq Presario there before shipping out for my Freshman year of college. Sears used to be the shit.

 

[lenovox1]

I think Sears made the right choice: buy Kmart so it wouldn't have to die alone.

Other way around.

 

[fluffydelusions]

Was sears the one that had a massive Christmas catalog back in the 80s or was that jcpenneys?

 

[slit]

I don't even remember Walmarts back then where I lived just Kmart, caldoors, Bradley's, Ames.

Are you from the South? If not, that is probably why. Walmart didn't start their major expansions until the early 90's. Before that they were mostly in the Southeast.

 

[Rival]

Was sears the one that had a massive Christmas catalog back in the 80s or was that jcpenneys?

Both.

 

[fluffydelusions]

Are you from the South? If not, that is probably why. Walmart didn't start their major expansions until the early 90's. Before that they were mostly in the Southeast.

Nope. Grew up in New England

 

[DarthWoo]

From what I hear, the CEO, Eddie Lampert, basically went in intending to destroy the company. He set up his own little company on the side, Seritage, to which he has been gradually siphoning off all of SHC's unencumbered properties. Where possible, he's closed the Sears/Kmarts on such properties so he could lease them to more upscale tenants. He's also been making a lot of secured loans to SHC. Many are expecting that when the properties pass the clawback period (which would happen this month) or perhaps a little bit later so he doesn't make it look completely obvious, he'll declare BK on the thing. He'll be first in line as a creditor, and Seritage will end up with a lot of possibly valuable retail real estate, and all the employees and most of the outside creditors will get shafted. Basically a long game of vulture capitalism. One can only hope that he did not anticipate the rapid death of retail in general, and all that real estate will be basically worthless due to the glut of it opening up everywhere.

 

[ahoyhoy]

From what I hear, the CEO, Eddie Lampert, basically went in intending to destroy the company. He set up his own little company on the side, Seritage, to which he has been gradually siphoning off all of SHC's unencumbered properties. Where possible, he's closed the Sears/Kmarts on such properties so he could lease them to more upscale tenants. He's also been making a lot of secured loans to SHC. Many are expecting that when the properties pass the clawback period (which would happen this month) or perhaps a little bit later so he doesn't make it look completely obvious, he'll declare BK on the thing. He'll be first in line as a creditor, and Seritage will end up with a lot of possibly valuable retail real estate, and all the employees and most of the outside creditors will get shafted. Basically a long game of vulture capitalism. One can only hope that he did not anticipate the rapid death of retail in general, and all that real estate will be basically worthless due to the glut of it opening up everywhere.

How do the investors not stage a revolt at this point unless they're in on it?

 

[Nydius]

Man, I remember going to K-Mart as a kid and always getting a slice of pizza on the way out. I think that's where I got my N64 too. Well at least have their in store music to rememner them by. https://archive.org/details/attentionkmartshoppers

Damnit man, I've spent the last hour listening to this stuff and remembering my childhood and early teens. Even made me think of the crappy K-Mart branded baseball card "sets" they used to come out with every year. Ahh, memories.

I don't even remember Walmarts back then where I lived just Kmart, caldoors, Bradley's, Ames.

Here in SE Virginia, it was K-Mart, Murphy Mart, and Montgomery-Ward. Ames bought out Murphy Mart and Bradley's eventually showed up here but both never made it anywhere as Wal-Mart expanded to this area shortly after Ames and Bradley's opened their doors.

I also remember the explosion of big Pharmacy chains of the 1990's: Drug Emporium, PharMor, the expansion of Walgreens into the area, and a bunch of smaller chains buying each of them up to build the big chains of today (Eckard and Rite Aid, Cardinal and CVS, as examples).

 

[Angelus Errare]

is this because millennials are too 'hipster' to shop at these places? kind of like what's happening with chili's and applebee's

pretty sad to see places close up like that just because people are trying to look cool

More like the companies haven't kept up with the times. The next generation is under no obligation to keep dinosaurs alive. It's up to these stores to adapt to the needs and patterns of the next generation.

 

[TAJ]

What was 80s Walmart like?

I only went there a few times on vacations, but...
Very low-quality goods, cheap interiors. More like a glorified dollar store than a K-Mart of the day.

 

[Astral Dog]

Poor Kmart i won't miss SERS

 

[fluffydelusions]

I only went there a few times on vacations, but...
Very low-quality goods, cheap interiors. More like a glorified dollar store than a K-Mart of the day.

You went to Walmart for vacations?

 

[TAJ]

You went to Walmart for vacations?

When you're making long drives... any port in a storm.

 

[DarthWoo]

How do the investors not stage a revolt at this point unless they're in on it?

Lampert is the top shareholder at this point. There actually have been a few lawsuits from those poor sods who are still heavily invested in SHC.

 

[Octavia]

I'm amazed Kmart, Shopko, and Target even exist still. There is literally no reason to go to any of those over Walmart. It's the same junk, just a different name on the label, and more expensive.

Sears at least has a purpose, since finding appliances isn't as common.

 

[Dishwalla]

I didn't see a Walmart until like 1995. Incredibly late to the party.

 

[fluffydelusions]

I didn't see a Walmart until like 1995. Incredibly late to the party.

Same. Didn't see one until like 1997

 

[Sunster]

I'm amazed Kmart, Shopko, and Target even exist still. There is literally no reason to go to any of those over Walmart. It's the same junk, just a different name on the label, and more expensive.

Sears at least has a purpose, since finding appliances isn't as common.

Target markets itself much better than Walmart. Target looks much better than Walmart. Target has much better merchandise than Walmart. That's why it can compete even though it has higher prices. I get clothes at Target. I'd never get clothes at Walmart because they are not 1:1

 

[Suikoguy]

Anyone know how many Kmart and Sears are left at this point?

 

[Nydius]

Target markets itself much better than Walmart. Target looks much better than Walmart. Target has much better merchandise than Walmart. That's why it can compete even though it has higher prices. I get clothes at Target. I'd never get clothes at Walmart because they are not 1:1

Precisely this. Target markets themselves as a shopping experience. One can see it in their ad campaigns and their promotional material. Walmart promotes themselves as cheapest available. That's a big reason why K-Mart was put in a bind. K-Mart couldn't compete with Walmart on margins and they couldn't compete with Target as the "upscale anti-Walmart experience". They tried both - first by going cheap, then by trying to get their own "designer" brands - and neither was sustainable.

 

[Mikey Jr.]

I live in Canada.

The only time I feel like going to Sears is if I want to get ripped off.

 

[FyreWulff]

Oh! Yeah, I guess you're right about that. I actually don't remember Walmart selling any of those appliances though. When was this?

Early 90s. It was back when there were more Walmarts that didn't also have a grocery section. I believe they call the non-grocery ones still remaining "Division 1 Stores" or something like that.

This was also the era where Walmart had their own food court (Radio Grill) 'n shit

that was also right before Walmart super-exploded, but technically Walmart started as a Dollar Tree type of place. Their current size is actually due to them buying out a lot of other chains that have been forgotten to time. They have a monthly book or something that shows you long term employee anniversary dates and almost all the 30-40 year employees were employees of bought out chains.

 

[timetokill]

There's gonna be some incredible ghost malls all over the country soon

 

[Master Of Illusion]

I was unfortunate enough to work at Sears for three years.

Please die, Sears. Please.

 

[fluffydelusions]

There's gonna be some incredible ghost malls all over the country soon

There is a series on YouTube called dead malls...check it out

 

[timetokill]

There is a series on YouTube called dead malls...check it out

Nice, thanks for the tip!

 

[Syphon Filter]

I was unfortunate enough to work at Sears for three years.

Please die, Sears. Please.

what's wrong?

 

[fluffydelusions]

what's wrong?

Have you ever worked retail? Lol

 

[Onaco]

Yeah. Not even Walmart carries appliances anymore. The only nationwide ones that do that aren't hardware stores are Sears and... Best Buy, for some reason

Best Buy does it because it's easy for them to push their credit card out when you can break it into 12 months of financing.

 

[Hidden One]

I actually like Macy's I think their clothes are good quality for their price. Hope they don't go out of business

I liked Macy's too. One recently closed down in my cities mall :l. Sucks that Sears is going the route of Block Buster, Radio Shack, and Circuit city. I hope Best Buy doesn't fall.

 

[Nordic4tKnight]

Best Buy does it because it's easy for them to push their credit card out when you can break it into 12 months of financing.

Also because certain Best Buy stores have very very high end appliances sold through one of their subsidiaries: Pacific Kitchen.

 

[perfectchaos007]

Sears and KMart just need to sell avocado toast and millennials will come running back to save them.

 

[Northeastmonk]

It's sad cause I remember walking into K-Mart in 2006 as an employee. Now the whole store is a ghost town and they're building a Buffalo Wild Wings right down the street.

My mom has 20+ K-Mart Christmas bears too. K-Mart was the store where I learned about layaway. Everything down the music was memorable.

I always thought Sears was doing well. Even their tire and automotive seemed to be busy. Lowe's and Walmart took over.

 

[noquarter]

I'm amazed Kmart, Shopko, and Target even exist still. There is literally no reason to go to any of those over Walmart. It's the same junk, just a different name on the label, and more expensive.

Sears at least has a purpose, since finding appliances isn't as common.

Can't agree with this. Wal-Mart is not the same as the others.

Target markets itself much better than Walmart. Target looks much better than Walmart. Target has much better merchandise than Walmart. That's why it can compete even though it has higher prices. I get clothes at Target. I'd never get clothes at Walmart because they are not 1:1

This.

Target isn't nearly as trashy as Wal-Mart in my area. I really don't like going to Wal-Mart because it is always just a disaster. Employees don't care at all, merchandise all over the place, product that hasn't moved in forever.

Target aggressively pursues making sure stock turns over. They clearance regularly to make sure they don't have old stuff all over and have space (and capital) to continue keeping the store stocked and current. I honestly probably do have my shopping from the endcaps while there. Especially video games.

 

[GodParticle]

Went in one(sears) the other day and it was completely dead. Like one car in the parking lot. The employees were all standing around bored out of their minds. What's really dumb is the local mall cut if off from the rest so that it gets no foot traffic and build a giant sporting goods store in between

 

[Wads]

Yeah. Not even Walmart carries appliances anymore. The only nationwide ones that do that aren't hardware stores are Sears and... Best Buy, for some reason

I'm not sure why it's weird. They sell all kinds of household electronics.

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

how come?

Walmart redoes shelving and layouts seasonally at the average store to both clean and to look refreshing.

My local K-Mart didn't change a single thing outside the seasonal section since I moved there in 2000 and they shutdown in 2017.
even the snackbar which was closed probably in 08 didn't get changed, they moved the tables and just put clearance clothing racks in there
(still with a turned off soda machine and trashcans and all the food equipment and signss still behind the counter gathering dust.)

 

[FinKL]

I'm amazed Kmart, Shopko, and Target even exist still. There is literally no reason to go to any of those over Walmart. It's the same junk, just a different name on the label, and more expensive.

Sears at least has a purpose, since finding appliances isn't as common.

I like the red plastic grocery cart at Target, and it's smaller with a Starbucks

Went in one(sears) the other day and it was completely dead. Like one car in the parking lot. The employees were all standing around bored out of their minds. What's really dumb is the local mall cut if off from the rest so that it gets no foot traffic and build a giant sporting goods store in between

I have a Sears GreatLand by my house which is their mecca like store and it's also got a huge parking lot but only 2-10 cars in it every time I drive by. They literally must be bleeding money

 

[slit]

I'm amazed Kmart, Shopko, and Target even exist still. There is literally no reason to go to any of those over Walmart. It's the same junk, just a different name on the label, and more expensive.

Sears at least has a purpose, since finding appliances isn't as common.

Target prices are close enough and the store is cleaner and less crowded. Less of a hassle overall.