Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: Just heard on the Radio and not to be ignored .............................

  1. #1
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    in Naples FL for the Winter months
    Occupation
    Other Optical Manufacturer or Vendor
    Posts
    23,240

    Redhot Jumper Just heard on the Radio and not to be ignored .............................



    What's killing Sears and Kmart?


    Charisse Jones , USA TODAY Published 10:06 a.m. ET March 22, 2017

    Here are four things that are killing Sears and Kmart.

    Dwindling sales
    — Traditional retailers are losing shoppers who can buy goods ranging from shoes to soap by tapping their smart phones. But Sears is doing worse than many others. The sales dip at Sears stores was the worst among the top 250 retailers tracked by eMarketer as of November.

    Undone by the Internet — The ability to go to Sears and buy everything from a blouse to a blow torch under one roof once had great appeal. But no brick-and-mortar shop can offer more variety than the internet, making traditional department stores increasingly obsolete. And if you want to browse for an endless array of particular products, like electronics or garden tools, specialized retailers like Best Buy and Home Depot have multiplied in recent decades.

    Out of Step, Out of Style — The 131-year-old company is seen as outdated, failing to keep up with the changing tastes and habits of shoppers.

    Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right — In November 2004, Sears merged with Kmart, bringing together two struggling chains. And that move followed Sears' decision the previous year to sell its lucrative credit portfolio which was worth more than $30 billion.

    See all of it: ===========>
    http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...kmart/99486558

  2. #2
    OptiBoard Apprentice
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Colorado
    Occupation
    Optical Retail
    Posts
    44
    Part of Sears' decline is, sadly, their own fault. Their business practices have declined horribly. I bought an upright freezer from them a couple of years ago. Two days later, I discovered that they had double charged my card. It took two weeks, several phone calls, and a dozen or more emails to even get them to admit that they'd made a mistake. Even then, they didn't refund the money; I had to file a fraudulent charge complaint with my bank to recover it.

    If you pull stunts like that, people are going to stop shopping with you.

  3. #3
    Compulsive Truthteller OptiBoard Gold Supporter Uncle Fester's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    At a position without dimension...
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    5,300
    Am I the only one who see's the irony of Sears being consumed by its original business model?

    I wonder how many optical jobs will be affected.

  4. #4
    Master OptiBoarder RIMLESS's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Florida
    Occupation
    Optometrist
    Posts
    424
    Quote Originally Posted by Uncle Fester View Post
    Am I the only one who see's the irony of Sears being consumed by its original business model?

    I wonder how many optical jobs will be affected.
    Don't laugh at Sears. Check the App Store on your phone and see how many PD measuring Apps there are. Optical is going through a transition as we speak, but a leopard never sees it's own spots.
    90% of everything is crap...except for crap, because crap is 100% crap

  5. #5
    What's up? drk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Ohio
    Occupation
    Optometrist
    Posts
    9,387
    Quote Originally Posted by Uncle Fester View Post
    Am I the only one who see's the irony of Sears being consumed by its original business model?

    I wonder how many optical jobs will be affected.
    Wow, that's pretty good insight, Fester. Live by the mail order, die by the mail order.

    Shopping habits have changed so much.

    We have a nice mall in our area...very nice. State of the art. But it's mainly fun for browsing, eating, and shopping in specialty stores with a focus.

    Sears, Penney's, Macy's all have these mega-anchor square footage stores which are so expensive.

    Plus, the whole "department" store thing is gone downscale...you have to go to a Costco or Walmart for "everything" shopping. Otherwise you expect a specialty experience.

    Sears never figured out who they were, past the mid-90's when they were overtaken by Wally. They tried to hold on by offering ridiculous "customer service" (and it was indeed a selling point) and by founding, I believe, the Discover Card which was used in their stores like crazy, along with the Sears Card. They really financed things big-time.

    They used to have these "appliance" departments, too, where you could get quality products, but they had commissioned sales and it was tough to compete with the big boxes like Lowes or Home Depot.

  6. #6
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    in Naples FL for the Winter months
    Occupation
    Other Optical Manufacturer or Vendor
    Posts
    23,240

    Blue Jumper I wonder how many optical jobs will be affected........................

    Quote Originally Posted by Uncle Fester View Post

    Am I the only one who see's the irony of Sears being consumed by its original business model?

    I wonder how many optical jobs will be affected.


    That is a very interesting point, probably at least 2 or 3 jobs per store.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Radio Shack
    By rbaker in forum Just Conversation
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 02-07-2015, 10:39 AM
  2. Radio Shack
    By rbaker in forum General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 02-06-2015, 11:30 AM
  3. Ham Radio
    By Joann Raytar in forum Just Conversation
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 05-11-2009, 10:33 AM
  4. XM Radio is amazing!
    By Pete Hanlin in forum Just Conversation
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 02-21-2009, 09:08 AM
  5. Liberal Radio
    By mrba in forum Just Conversation
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 07-21-2004, 03:54 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •