Sears & Roebuck Alert

I took a malfunctioning 3/8 ratchet back and they gave me a reconditioned cheaply made model with someones initials carved in it. When I objected, I was told take it or leave it. My thought is that it time for them to go.

dewey02 wrote:
Does Sears still honor the broken hand tool guarantee where if you break a screwdriver or pliers all you have to do is take it to the Sears store (no receipt required) and exchange it for a new one?

If so, I've got a couple of broken screwdrivers I need to bring in before the store goes kaput!

I have heard Sears doesn't do this anymore. They figured out some guys going to garage sales-then exchanging the old broken one they bought at the garage sale for a new one at Sears.

The rumor floating around Wall Street is Sears Holding (the parent company of bith Sears and Kmart) is being kept on "life support" until Eddie Lampert (CEO and largest stock holder) can figure out how to get back much of his personal money that he invested in the company over the past 5-10 years as it slid to the bottom.

While Craftsman was sold to Stanley Black&Decker (sale not complete !), other iconic Sears brands (Kenmore, East Living, Diehard) have nearly no value.

I loved the Sears and JC Penny stores in the 80s, and could do all my shopping needs between those 2 places. I still have some JC penny tools myself as someone previously mentioned along with a JC penny boom box we still use. I bought drapes, furniture and appliances from Sears in 1992 when we got our house. Those appliances were still there and working like new 21 years later when I sold the house. An appliance guy told me to keep my Kenmore W&D because they just don't make em like that any more. Shame isn't it.....

ctilsie242 wrote:
I am not surprised to see this. About 10-15 years ago, major retailers decided to give US manufacturers the middle finger and source from overseas sweatshops. Well, it worked for their profit margins for the short term... but the piper has to be paid. Since all the jobs went overseas, nobody here in the US can afford their products.

This isn't just Sears, but retail across the board. Younger people either have less interest, or just don't have the money, and there is no shame in buying from thrift stores (older stuff tends to be more durable anyway), so it is no wonder why we are seeing this.

Agree, and when you put two words together like "Harbor" and "Freight" one can understand why a middleman like Sears is no longer needed.

Back in the 80's, Montgomery Wards and Sears each had one of the Brennan brothers at the helm. The problems must have begun back that far. Both were heavily into the store within a store concept and the catalog business was subsequently abandoned. . I too find it interesting that both companies did not transition well to the internet. But in all fairness MW collapsed well ahead of the internet shopping boom.

I am not surprised to see this. About 10-15 years ago, major retailers decided to give US manufacturers the middle finger and source from overseas sweatshops. Well, it worked for their profit margins for the short term... but the piper has to be paid. Since all the jobs went overseas, nobody here in the US can afford their products.

This isn't just Sears, but retail across the board. Younger people either have less interest, or just don't have the money, and there is no shame in buying from thrift stores (older stuff tends to be more durable anyway), so it is no wonder why we are seeing this.

I, too, was once a huge Sears and Kmart customer. Spent a lot of time, and money, shopping their catalog and roaming the isles of their stores. However, when other large retailers showed up, Walmart. Home Depot, Lowes, they failed to keep up with the times. Others have adapted to the new way of shopping, Sears and Kmart did not. It seems like the upper management of Sears are totally unaware of the way people now shop, and consequently lost customers. It's been a long time since I went to my local Sears hardware store, which I regularly visited for many years. They don't even come to mind when I need a tool or appliance anymore. Their marketing strategy is a complete failure as evidenced by the looming bankruptcy. It's a shame.

Here is Sears tool warranty info as of Feb, 2017. Looks like it is pretty much unchanged.

dewey02 wrote:
If so, I've got a couple of broken screwdrivers I need to bring in before the store goes kaput!

Depending on location and conditions I read some stores may limit the exchanges.
If it looks like you just purchased a bunch of abused rusted tools from the flea market you might be turned away.

Tvov wrote:
When I am looking for appliances, tools, whatever... "Sears" hasn't come to mind in 10 years.

Walmart is getting bad also. The closest Walmart to me is not worth going to - shelves seem to be chronically empty, employees are embarrassingly bad... just not worth it.

Lowes and Home Depot seem to be replacing Sears and Walmart.

I haven't been in their store in years until a few months ago I needed a certain metric socket right away. No one locally had one but Sears did. They had more tools out on the shelves that any other local stores. But then it took 20 minutes to find a clerk willing to take my money.