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More Kmart stores closing

Started by LM117, September 19, 2016, 06:00:32 PM

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GCrites

#950
Quote from: hbelkins on September 11, 2019, 01:31:35 PM
Quote from: SP Cook on September 11, 2019, 09:32:47 AM
Sears and JC Penney got sued back in the 80s over their automotive services.  Sears had Die Hard batteries, Muzzler mufflers and in house branded tires that were really made by Kelly Springfield.   Penney's had the same deal.  The batteries and mufflers came with an "unconditional lifetime warranty", similar to Craftsman tools, and the tires came with lifetime alignment.  Of course, the deal was that every car that came in for replacement needed some additional, uncovered, services.  Both paid a big price and Penney's left the automotive business.  They had to make a deal with some outfit, I think it was Goodyear's,  and if you have an old enough car you can still get free batteries and mufflers thre.


I don't remember Penney's automotive services, but I do remember Sears. They had a garage on an outparcel at Fayette Mall in Lexington. Sears also owned NTW at one time as well, and road hazard/alignment/rotation warranties from one place could be honored at the other. I bought a set of tires from NTW in Richmond years ago. They were an expensive retailer but I caught a decent sale.


I walk through what's left of the old JCPenney auto center's waiting room once a week to access the rear entrance of my store at the Dayton Mall. It's finished with horrible '60s seafoam green laminated block. The service area however has been turned into an Avis.

There's video out there of an elderly lady that has gotten something like 16 free batteries installed in her car over the years from the time she got the JCPenney auto center lifetime warranty battery in the old days. The majority of them have been installed by another company as per the agreement described above.


edit: here we go. It was 17 batteries as of 2009:




She's even driven the car around Daytona. To keep a race car from sliding down the banking you have to drive around that track at minimum 90 mph... with those crummy narrow street tires it's probably even higher.


ErmineNotyours

Quote from: Flint1979 on September 05, 2019, 10:07:54 PM

Meijer pioneered the supercenter concept long before Walmart did.

I think Walmart copied the concept from another Meijer: Fred Meyer.  A walking tour book of Portland, Oregon mentions the first one-stop-shopping Fred Meyer store outside of Downtown, and how Sam Walton copied the concept. The two men had a gentlemen's agreement not to expand into each other's territory until some time after one or both of them died.  I haven't found much supporting evidence for that except for this.

LM117

#952
Quote from: thenetwork on August 31, 2019, 12:57:47 PM
And we have the next round of closures...Looks like at least Northern Ohio will be Kmart-less in 2020 with Brunswick and Barberton going bye-bye:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/08/31/kmart-sears-store-closings-more-locations-shutter-end-2019/2168435001/

Apparently, once those two Virginia stores close, Kmart will be completely gone from the state.

https://www.pilotonline.com/business/vp-bz-kmart-closing-virginia-20190920-j537ex6qmvc2zibffu7sykheoq-story.html

However, this stood out to me:

QuoteThe Kotarides development company, which owns the Village Square Shopping Center in Chesapeake as KG1 Military LLC, has no immediate plans for the space.

"After surviving so many rounds of store closings, we assumed that this location would be open forever, so we haven't really thought about any alternative uses,"  said Pete Kotarides in an email reply.

Has he been living under a rock?! All the publicity about Sears circling the drain and he thought it wouldn't ever close? You can't make this shit up. :pan:
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

GCrites

In his defense, there were a lot of people who thought Sears and K-Mart would be totally over by the end of 2009. People cry wolf enough and then their credibility suffers. By now I have noticed that Internet Uber Alles and futurist folk fall into this category currently. A lot of people underestimate the ability of publicly-traded entities to hold on to the slightest scraps like a rabid dog while trying to make the most of their hard assets. Meanwhile a .com with little to nothing in the way of hard assets can disappear at the drop of a hat.

sparker

Quote from: DaBigE on September 10, 2019, 10:41:56 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on September 10, 2019, 10:04:42 PM
Craftsmen tools is now sold in Lowes Stores.  I guess that is old news, but have not been to Lowes too much.   The whole front of the Orlando store on Sand Lake is full of tools, cabinets, and other such stuff that Sears has in their hardware departments.

I think it might be now easier to say what stores aren't selling Craftsman tools. As a kid, I never thought I'd live to see the day that a store other than Sears sold them.

Lowe's got Craftsman tools due to their 2008 acquisition of Orchard Supply Hardware, which had contracted with Sears Roebuck to carry the line of tools (SR apparently got a "piece of the action" in the form of a small percentage -- which they needed).  Orchard ceased operations in 2018, so parent Lowe's simply continued the contract and brought the line into their outlets.  They're good tools, so it was a "win-win" situation (except for Orchard employees; only some were offered positions at nearby Lowe's).

Quote from: roadman65 on September 10, 2019, 11:35:11 PM
Do they sell Die Hard batteries outside Sears?
Quote from: Big John on September 10, 2019, 11:46:55 PM
^^They are also available on Amazon. https://www.diehard.com/where-to-buy

Die Hard batteries are manufactured for Sears (and online sales) by East Penn Electric; most of the other batteries on the market are produced by Johnson Controls.  The QA of East Penn products seems to be considerably better than that of the Johnson products; less failure in the field.  I haven't used any batteries except Die Hards for about 20 years, when I replaced the factory battery in my old Dodge Ram 50 (aka Mitsubishi) truck.  When I bought my Kia new back in 2001, one condition of purchase was that the dealer go out and get a Die Hard and put it in the vehicle.  That was done, and I bought the car (which will be the last of that brand I buy:  three various recalls in the first 6 years plus a slew of other issues [my business partner has a '14 Sportage and has experienced similar problems]).  Now we're an all-Toyota household and happier for it -- with Die Hards in both vehicles! 

jeffandnicole

Quote from: sparker on September 23, 2019, 01:34:10 AM
When I bought my Kia new back in 2001, one condition of purchase was that the dealer go out and get a Die Hard and put it in the vehicle.  That was done, and I bought the car (which will be the last of that brand I buy:  three various recalls in the first 6 years plus a slew of other issues [my business partner has a '14 Sportage and has experienced similar problems]).  Now we're an all-Toyota household and happier for it -- with Die Hards in both vehicles!

I think I see a problem. You're worried about something there's no reason to worry about. I have no doubt the dealer is probably charging you a lot more for that battery than you realize.

sparker

Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 23, 2019, 01:52:51 AM
Quote from: sparker on September 23, 2019, 01:34:10 AM
When I bought my Kia new back in 2001, one condition of purchase was that the dealer go out and get a Die Hard and put it in the vehicle.  That was done, and I bought the car (which will be the last of that brand I buy:  three various recalls in the first 6 years plus a slew of other issues [my business partner has a '14 Sportage and has experienced similar problems]).  Now we're an all-Toyota household and happier for it -- with Die Hards in both vehicles!

I think I see a problem. You're worried about something there's no reason to worry about. I have no doubt the dealer is probably charging you a lot more for that battery than you realize.

That didn't happen; back in '01 I actually suggested to the dealer that I purchase the Die Hard myself and install it once I got the vehicle home; they actually accommodated me by schlepping down to the Sears in Ontario Mills (about a half-mile from the dealer in Ontario, CA) and purchasing the battery and adding the cost of such to my invoice (they really wanted to make the sale).  And yeah, I might be a bit anal about these batteries -- but I have yet to experience a failure with an East Penn product, where the track record of batteries supplied with new cars has been less favorable.   And when I bought my current Camry from a friend (who if anything is more meticulous than myself!) it was pre-equipped with a Die Hard.   So sorry, folks -- at least to me car batteries aren't a fungible product. 

US71

Just close them all and be done with it.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Flint1979

 Kmart and Sears are both dead to me I have no use for either store.

Verlanka


renegade

Quote from: US71 on October 07, 2019, 04:15:58 PM
Just close them all and be done with it.
... and throw more people out of work.
Don’t ask me how I know.  Just understand that I do.

Max Rockatansky

I ended up buying a replacement Kenmore dryer a couple months back from a Sears for $399.99.  They gave me matching rewards points which usually come in $15 weekly intervals.  For what it's worth I've replaced most of my running and hiking clothes while my wife stocked up on Christmas gifts.  I kind of dig the quiet shopping experience, usually we go see a movie right after so it's working out...even though it feels like I'm picking the last good meat off a corpse. 

US71

#962
Quote from: renegade on October 08, 2019, 08:38:26 PM
Quote from: US71 on October 07, 2019, 04:15:58 PM
Just close them all and be done with it.
... and throw more people out of work.

Maybe they should have thought of that before they started killing the company?  :hmmm: :hmmm: :hmmm:
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

catch22

Yet another announcement of more Sears/Kmart closings (51 and 45 respectively).  The long drawn-out liquidation continues forthwith.

https://www.freep.com/story/money/2019/11/07/kmart-sears-store-closings-96-stores-set-shutter-february-2020/2521653001/


LM117

Quote from: catch22 on November 07, 2019, 05:03:15 PM
Yet another announcement of more Sears/Kmart closings (51 and 45 respectively).  The long drawn-out liquidation continues forthwith.

https://www.freep.com/story/money/2019/11/07/kmart-sears-store-closings-96-stores-set-shutter-february-2020/2521653001/

I see Greenville, NC's store is finally getting put out of it's misery.
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

Brandon

Quote from: catch22 on November 07, 2019, 05:03:15 PM
Yet another announcement of more Sears/Kmart closings (51 and 45 respectively).  The long drawn-out liquidation continues forthwith.

https://www.freep.com/story/money/2019/11/07/kmart-sears-store-closings-96-stores-set-shutter-february-2020/2521653001/

Of note to me:

Spring Hill Mall is going.  That leaves that mall with a Macy's (former Marshall Field's) and a Kohl's.  Carson's (former Bergner's) went out of business last year, and JCPenney left for Randall Road.

Northwoods Mall, Peoria.  The mall is in good shape, with an entertainment venue and a furniture store taking over the former Carson's/Famous Barr/Macy's.  The Penney's seems to hold its own there, outliving Carson's, Famous Barr/Macy's, Montgomery Ward, and now Sears.

Frandor, Lansing. That's one I thought would be around forever, across from MSU.  I guess, with the university across the street, it won't last long empty.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

vdeane

Looks like Sidney, NY is losing its store.  Now they'll have to drive to Vestal (which also has Target), Oneonta, or Norwich for WalMart.  That store was the only store of that type in the Sidney/Bainbridge/Unadilla area.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

thenetwork

I was in Farmington, NM last week.  Surprised to see a Kmart still open in the wild.  And for the few cars I saw there midday, I'm surprised they are still a step ahead of the Grim Reaper.

SectorZ

NH will be down to each a single Sears and Kmart, and both in (west) Lebanon.

The closest K-Mart to me, in Billerica, looked like it had been dying for 30 years. The mall around it closed 20 years ago. It finally got its execution date this time around.

Also RIP to the Acton MA Kmart, famous for its sign, https://goo.gl/maps/gmAmg96j6bKm6nz78

Flint1979

The Waterford Kmart is closing I thought that ugly store would be the very last Kmart to close. Also RIP to Sears in Lansing, with two malls in the Lansing area I thought Sears at least did it right by locating about halfway in between the two malls.

gonealookin

The Kmart in Bishop CA is on the latest closing list.  As lousy as Kmart may be, that was the only general-merchandise store of that type on US 395 between the Walmarts in Gardnerville NV and Ridgecrest CA, a distance of 290 miles.  I believe the largest remaining stores along that stretch of highway are the Vons supermarkets and the Rite Aids in Bishop and Mammoth Lakes and whatever Ace Hardware-type stores those towns may have.

catch22

Quote from: Flint1979 on November 08, 2019, 10:41:03 AM
The Waterford Kmart is closing I thought that ugly store would be the very last Kmart to close. Also RIP to Sears in Lansing, with two malls in the Lansing area I thought Sears at least did it right by locating about halfway in between the two malls.

The Warren store is closing too (announced earlier) which leaves Marshall as the only Michigan Kmart.


Brandon

Quote from: Flint1979 on November 08, 2019, 10:41:03 AM
The Waterford Kmart is closing I thought that ugly store would be the very last Kmart to close. Also RIP to Sears in Lansing, with two malls in the Lansing area I thought Sears at least did it right by locating about halfway in between the two malls.

Sears actually chose the Frandor location before either mall was built (one with Woolco - Meridian Mall, one with Montgomery Ward - Lansing Mall).
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

ftballfan

Quote from: gonealookin on November 08, 2019, 11:45:29 AM
The Kmart in Bishop CA is on the latest closing list.  As lousy as Kmart may be, that was the only general-merchandise store of that type on US 395 between the Walmarts in Gardnerville NV and Ridgecrest CA, a distance of 290 miles.  I believe the largest remaining stores along that stretch of highway are the Vons supermarkets and the Rite Aids in Bishop and Mammoth Lakes and whatever Ace Hardware-type stores those towns may have.

Going on US-6 out of Bishop, you won't hit a Walmart or a Target until you get to Payson, Utah!

DandyDan

Quote from: catch22 on November 07, 2019, 05:03:15 PM
Yet another announcement of more Sears/Kmart closings (51 and 45 respectively).  The long drawn-out liquidation continues forthwith.

https://www.freep.com/story/money/2019/11/07/kmart-sears-store-closings-96-stores-set-shutter-february-2020/2521653001/
This officially closes all the KMarts in Iowa, as Algona and Charles City had the last two.
MORE FUN THAN HUMANLY THOUGHT POSSIBLE



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