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Sears-Kmart Death Watch

Started by Brandon, January 12, 2018, 03:55:18 PM

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How much longer do you think Sears and Kmart Have?

6 Months
20 (19%)
9 Months
11 (10.5%)
One Year
28 (26.7%)
Two Years
23 (21.9%)
Five Years
13 (12.4%)
Ten Years
1 (1%)
They'll be around forever!
9 (8.6%)

Total Members Voted: 105

Brandon

A quick poll based on the events we've been watching regarding Sears Holdings with both Sears and Kmart.

(Mods, if you see fit, you can merge this with the Kmart closings thread.)
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg


kphoger

Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

Max Rockatansky

Voted for two; ole Slick Eddie will keep finding a way to bleed the company for every last penny.

US71

Fort Smith will be closing later this month (the auto center closed in December).

IF they survive 2018, they may be around for a more couple years albeit in a greatly reduced state.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

abefroman329

They were predicted to disappear in 2016 and 2017, so I'm predicting they'll stay around forever.

cjk374

They will be like cockroaches...nothing will kill them.
Runnin' roads and polishin' rails.

Max Rockatansky

Here's a legitimate question what happens to the Dealer stores just operating on their own dime and paying to use the Sears franchise name?   Do those stores get to linger on kind of how Blockbuster Video has? 

Thing 342

#7
Sears never had a huge presence in Hampton Roads, the only ones I can remember are one in Greenbrier Mall (may have already closed), a Sears Auto in Newport News that closed years ago, and a 2-story location still inexplicably living out of the husk of the former Newmarket Fair Mall in Hampton.
As for KMart, he Big Kmart in Denbigh finally gave up the ghost in '13 or '14, as did the one in Hampton in 2016. The Super Kmart in Tabb was shrunken down to a "standard" size in ~2015 to make room for an expanded Kroger, leaving just three locations in the Tidewater (One in Williamsburg, the aforementioned Tabb location, and one in Greenbrier).

I can't imagine them lasting as an independent company much longer than 5 years or so, though I could see a few hangers-on locations survive longer than that as subsidies.

US71

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 12, 2018, 09:54:07 PM
Here's a legitimate question what happens to the Dealer stores just operating on their own dime and paying to use the Sears franchise name?   Do those stores get to linger on kind of how Blockbuster Video has? 

One of the local Radio Shack stores changed their name when RS went down the first time. They actually expanded their inventory since they were then free to buy from other suppliers. Having established themselves over 30 years ago, they promoted themselves as "same family/different name".

Same has happened with some former HWI stores.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Hurricane Rex

5 years maybe slightly longer. They've been on a long decline for a while.
ODOT, raise the speed limit and fix our traffic problems.

Road and weather geek for life.

Running till I die.

Takumi

My guess is the last Kmart will be the one in Kill Devil Hills, NC. Supposedly it's the busiest one in the entire chain.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.

roadman65

I think Kmart will close the rest of their stores by 2020 and Sears Auto Center by 2021 and then Sears itself by 2023.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Revive 755

I'll guess a little over a year, with both closing after a bad 2018 Christmas season.

kkt

I said one year, because at the rate they've been closing, they won't make two years.  And they'll try to make it through the Christmas season.


ftballfan

I saw that Sears same store sales (eliminating closing stores) was down 15% over this Christmas compared to last Christmas

RobbieL2415

Disclaimer: I've worked almost three years at Kmart in customer service, since July 2015.  So, my post will be somewhat biased.

With that aside, I think Kmart's business model is more sustainable than Sears.  Discount chains are still king.  They've been able to diversify their in-store selections.  Both Target and Walmart have added modest grocery sections.  Most of what you can buy at a traditional "department store" as we know it, can be bought at other stores, whether specialized or not.  Anything I can buy at Sears I can buy at Target, Walmart, Lowes or Home Depot or Best Buy.  Hell, I'd even say a majority of merchandise on the salesfloor at Sears is on the salesfloor at Kmart.  That right there is the company's biggest problem; Sears is dragging Kmart's business down.  Sears is a dinosaur of the retail industry and it's business models is failing in the "I want it now and cheap" era of consumerism.  That's not to say they haven't tried.  They've implemented in-store pickup (which at my store is heavily utilized) and a rewards program with actually saves customers' money.  Plus, a lot of customers I talk to say they prefer our store's smaller footprint compared to Walmart and Target.  But here's the other problem, everything Sears Holdings does, they do it after everyone else has already done it.  They've fallen behind the times and failed to keep up with consumer trends.  But I reiterate: this is NOT without trying.  Sears Holdings is still a company.  It exists to make money.  Corporate is doing everything it can to make money.  They're closing underperforming stores so they can better focus their business, not because they've given up.  Wait for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing before saying that.

Hurricane Rex

Just went into a sears today at Washington Square mall: Maybe 10 customers. 20+ staff members. Macy's in comparison: Hundreds if not thousands of customers.
ODOT, raise the speed limit and fix our traffic problems.

Road and weather geek for life.

Running till I die.

ghYHZ

Although they are different companies......the very last Sears Canada store closed today.

cl94

Quote from: ghYHZ on January 14, 2018, 05:56:30 PM
Although they are different companies......the very last Sears Canada store closed today.

Yeah, Fast Eddie did off with them first. They've been closing locations for a while.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

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epzik8

Sears remains at Harford Mall in Bel Air, Maryland. Kmart was demolished at the turn of the millennium for a sort of food court currently consisting of TGI Fridays, some frozen yogurt place, Firehouse Subs and Noodles & Company. There's also Mattress Firm and Pier 1 Imports among that row of Tollgate Marketplace. Anyway, yeah, Bel Air lost Kmart and got all that in exchange. I don't really want Sears to go.
From the land of red, white, yellow and black.
____________________________

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JJBers

I give one more year. Both stores have been rapidly shrinking in Connecticut. Kmart is nearly non-existent in the state right now.
*for Connecticut
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(2di:I-24, I-76, I-80, I-84, I-95 [ME-GA], I-91)

roadman65

Is the voting closed?  I tried to vote and it said either the poll was locked, or I voted twice.  Considering I only today voted for the first time, it must be locked already.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Brandon

Quote from: roadman65 on January 14, 2018, 08:33:44 PM
Is the voting closed?  I tried to vote and it said either the poll was locked, or I voted twice.  Considering I only today voted for the first time, it must be locked already.

The poll was left open indefinitely, intentionally.  You can edit your response, IIRC.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

hotdogPi

Quote from: Brandon on January 14, 2018, 09:39:59 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on January 14, 2018, 08:33:44 PM
Is the voting closed?  I tried to vote and it said either the poll was locked, or I voted twice.  Considering I only today voted for the first time, it must be locked already.

The poll was left open indefinitely, intentionally.  You can edit your response, IIRC.

I can't edit mine.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

US71

Quote from: 1 on January 14, 2018, 09:40:26 PM
Quote from: Brandon on January 14, 2018, 09:39:59 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on January 14, 2018, 08:33:44 PM
Is the voting closed?  I tried to vote and it said either the poll was locked, or I voted twice.  Considering I only today voted for the first time, it must be locked already.

The poll was left open indefinitely, intentionally.  You can edit your response, IIRC.

I can't edit mine.

Neither can I. I can delete the poll or reset the vote counts, but I can't revote
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast



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