Roadside chains with at least one foot in the grave

[Pete from Boston]

Just saw that in the "Decline of shopping malls" thread.  I stand corrected.

Sears could have made a go of it, but instead decided to try to be Kmart.  Bad move.

[vdeane]

Macy's and JCPenney are also dying, though they've been dying for decades....now we just play the waiting game.

JCPenney, sure, but Macy's?  When they've shut stores down it's seemed to be mostly to eliminate duplication where they bought a competitor.  Not that I'm endorsing the viability of large department stores in 2016, but this is not Sears we're talking about.

JCPenney had better not go.  I can't find anywhere else that I can consistently find clothes I like that fit properly (and are machine washable and don't cost too much).

[cl94]

Macy's and JCPenney are also dying, though they've been dying for decades....now we just play the waiting game.

JCPenney, sure, but Macy's?  When they've shut stores down it's seemed to be mostly to eliminate duplication where they bought a competitor.  Not that I'm endorsing the viability of large department stores in 2016, but this is not Sears we're talking about.

JCPenney had better not go.  I can't find anywhere else that I can consistently find clothes I like that fit properly (and are machine washable and don't cost too much).

When JCPenney had simple prices, it was the only place I shopped for clothes. Shame that most consumers are stupid and think that a coupon or sale always means a better price. Even now, it's still one of the few places that consistently has men's sizes for thin people.

[Brandon]

Macy's and JCPenney are also dying, though they've been dying for decades....now we just play the waiting game.

JCPenney, sure, but Macy's?  When they've shut stores down it's seemed to be mostly to eliminate duplication where they bought a competitor.  Not that I'm endorsing the viability of large department stores in 2016, but this is not Sears we're talking about.

JCPenney had better not go.  I can't find anywhere else that I can consistently find clothes I like that fit properly (and are machine washable and don't cost too much).

Penney's, like any other healthy retailer, cuts stores that aren't doing well (see Macy's above - they recently cut about the same number of stores each).

[thenetwork]

My wife and I parked by, and passed through the Sears store to go into the mall this weekend -- a rarity for me on all parts.   There was a reason why the least amount of cars around the mall parked by Sears:  The place looked like the Going Out of Business signs were going up next week.  Clothing racks were half full, there was no bright displays to liven up the "artificially-flavored" vanilla sales floor, and it sure didn't look inviting.

I remembered when I was a kid how Sears had something for everyone, from a little snack stand to a toy department.   The Home Depots and Lowes chains killed off their paint & hardware departments, and their parent company Kmart is starving the rest of the store to death.

[cl94]

My wife and I parked by, and passed through the Sears store to go into the mall this weekend -- a rarity for me on all parts.   There was a reason why the least amount of cars around the mall parked by Sears:  The place looked like the Going Out of Business signs were going up next week.  Clothing racks were half full, there was no bright displays to liven up the "artificially-flavored" vanilla sales floor, and it sure didn't look inviting.

I remembered when I was a kid how Sears had something for everyone, from a little snack stand to a toy department.   The Home Depots and Lowes chains killed off their paint & hardware departments, and their parent company Kmart is starving the rest of the store to death.

Sears is still probably the best place to get tools. Whenever I can, I buy Craftsman products and Land's End is what keeps me going there. It's sad what has become of the company.

[kkt]

Sears is still probably the best place to get tools. Whenever I can, I buy Craftsman products and Land's End is what keeps me going there. It's sad what has become of the company.

I used to buy Craftsman tools because of the lifetime no questions asked warranty.  Now that the lifetime is only for the lifetime of Sears that doesn't necessarily seem like a selling point.

[Rothman]

Sears is still probably the best place to get tools. Whenever I can, I buy Craftsman products and Land's End is what keeps me going there. It's sad what has become of the company.

I used to buy Craftsman tools because of the lifetime no questions asked warranty.  Now that the lifetime is only for the lifetime of Sears that doesn't necessarily seem like a selling point.

Heh.  Had a friend who had a wrench go through a wood chipper or something like that.  Brought the pieces to Sears and they replaced it no questions asked...just like their policy.

[Pete from Boston]

Sears is still probably the best place to get tools. Whenever I can, I buy Craftsman products and Land's End is what keeps me going there. It's sad what has become of the company.

I used to buy Craftsman tools because of the lifetime no questions asked warranty.  Now that the lifetime is only for the lifetime of Sears that doesn't necessarily seem like a selling point.

I wouldn't count on that. Craftsman is a more valuable brand at this point than Sears. It is sold nationwide in Ace Hardware stores, and still provides very good value for the money. Like many brands, they will slap their name on just about anything at this point, but it if you are looking for hand tools and the like, they make a very good product.  I am curious who supplies them at this point.

A big part of what makes shopping there at all attractive these days is the roulette wheel of bonus deals that you get if you shop there with any frequency.  I've had amazing things like "surprise points" pop up and stack up all kinds of crazy discounts on top of already discounted items.

But yes, that's mostly negated by the fact that you have to go to Sears and put up with it.

[cl94]

Sears is still probably the best place to get tools. Whenever I can, I buy Craftsman products and Land's End is what keeps me going there. It's sad what has become of the company.

I used to buy Craftsman tools because of the lifetime no questions asked warranty.  Now that the lifetime is only for the lifetime of Sears that doesn't necessarily seem like a selling point.

I wouldn't count on that. Craftsman is a more valuable brand at this point than Sears. It is sold nationwide in Ace Hardware stores, and still provides very good value for the money. Like many brands, they will slap their name on just about anything at this point, but it if you are looking for hand tools and the like, they make a very good product.  I am curious who supplies them at this point.

I agree. Kenmore appliances became crap when LG started supplying them instead of Whirlpool, but the tools still seem to be good. I don't see the brand going away. They're too well-known. Someone will buy it out if Sears goes under (which would be quite a shame).

[Pete from Boston]

Lands' End will also succeed independently, as it once did.  Most of their line is much too preppy for my interest, but I've had great dress shirts from them, and gotten some good kid gifts there.

[cl94]

Lands' End will also succeed independently, as it once did.  Most of their line is much too preppy for my interest, but I've had great dress shirts from them, and gotten some good kid gifts there.

Lands' End is where I get dress shirts when Brooks Brothers doesn't have a sale. Those things last much longer than almost every other dress shirt I have bought.

[Jardine]

What happened to these ?

I remember one a couple blocks south of the old Ranch Bowl (now WalMart) on 72nd Street in Omaha.  As I recall, Carson sued them too.

[briantroutman]

As I recall, Carson sued them too.

I remember a business law textbook I had in college referenced a lawsuit between Carson Productions and Here's Johnny Portable Toilets, Inc., so I wouldn't be surprised if he aggressively went after every company trying to use that phrase.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Krispy Kreme was that oddball place that we in Minnesota only got a brief taste of before they pulled out almost as quickly as they came. I think I was early in high school, and I thought it was fun watching the donut maker. I actually enjoyed the donuts too, which is rare because I typically am not a fan of them.

[lepidopteran]

It's true of Dunkin' Donuts in many locations here.  Three per mile is not uncommon here.

In a few places, it almost seems as though they opened franchises close to each other so that people wouldn't have to turn across traffic to the other side of the road.

One reason that easy access is important for donut shops is that most of their customers are on their way to work in the morning, and crossing to the other side of the road can be a deal-breaker when you're running late. I distinctly remember a Dunkin Donuts location closing (apparently) because they were located on the "dinner side" of the road.  This was actually a divided arterial with no median break at that point, so making a U-turn to get there during the morning rush -- not to mention doubling back to continue on afterward -- would simply take too long.

Fast-food places would do better on the dinner side of the road, it would seem.  But if one is caught on the "breakfast side", the dinner customers are typically not as pressed for time in the afternoon/evening, and they likely have a decent non-commuter clientele anyway.  (And many have breakfast menus besides.)

I doubt that a donut-only shop can survive on just the evening customers, namely those who pick up a box of donuts, say, for their bridge game or for after-soccer-practice.  But it does help that many Dunkin locations are now piggybacked with Baskin-Robbins ice cream.

Speaking of donut shops, who remembers "Mister Donut"?

[Pete from Boston]

What happened to these ?

I remember one a couple blocks south of the old Ranch Bowl (now WalMart) on 72nd Street in Omaha.  As I recall, Carson sued them too.

This is fantastic.  I wish more places like this were still around.

- - - - - - -

I remember Mister Donut.  Bought out by Dunkin' Donuts in the 1990s, I believe, making the world a little more uniform and bland.

[Big John]

I remember Mister Donut.  Bought out by Dunkin' Donuts in the 1990s, I believe, making the world a little more uniform and bland.

There were a few Mister Donuts around Wisconsin, but they closed around that time.

[c172]

What's you all's experience with Red Robin? I saw one while Greyhounding back to Pittsburgh from...well, somewhere. It was at a service plaza (Midway, maybe?). It was one of those places I had heard of, but not for a really long time. Now in recent years, having moved to San Diego, where I am originally from, I hear their ads pretty frequently. But that old RR in that service plaza in PA just looked like one of those places way past its heyday but still holding on.

[mukade]

I remember Mister Donut.  Bought out by Dunkin' Donuts in the 1990s, I believe, making the world a little more uniform and bland.

Maybe making the US more uniform and bland because there 1300 Mister Donuts in Japan.

[noelbotevera]

What's you all's experience with Red Robin? I saw one while Greyhounding back to Pittsburgh from...well, somewhere. It was at a service plaza (Midway, maybe?). It was one of those places I had heard of, but not for a really long time. Now in recent years, having moved to San Diego, where I am originally from, I hear their ads pretty frequently. But that old RR in that service plaza in PA just looked like one of those places way past its heyday but still holding on.

The RR in my town is pretty nice. It utilizes tablets to order and play games while you wait for your food, and the food is large and yummy. Service is excellent. It's so popular that it stays open up until 11 PM - I actually enjoyed my experience there.

[c172]

I guess everything looks creepier in a turnpike service plaza.

[Pete from Boston]

What's you all's experience with Red Robin? I saw one while Greyhounding back to Pittsburgh from...well, somewhere. It was at a service plaza (Midway, maybe?). It was one of those places I had heard of, but not for a really long time. Now in recent years, having moved to San Diego, where I am originally from, I hear their ads pretty frequently. But that old RR in that service plaza in PA just looked like one of those places way past its heyday but still holding on.

I went to one a couple of months ago for the first time.

The food was adequate.  No real complaints.

The service was the pits.  Incredibly slow, and the server vanished when it was apparent it had gone on way too long and we were going to be upset if he reappeared without food.  We'd been sitting there for 30-40 minutes before we ate, and the place was half empty.

Again, the food was fine once it got there, but we just had time to wolf it down, so it wasn't all that enjoyable.

[thenetwork]

Nearly all of the Mr. Donut stores in the Northern Ohio area became Donut Connection stores.  Looking at their list of stores as of now, that chain is pretty much extinct in Cleveland as well.

The Mister Donut stores are alive and well, but mostly overseas.

[kkt]

I got fed up with Red Robin.  They have unlimited fries, but they'll only give out a half a cup at a time for a table of two.  Then it's half an hour before the server comes and asks if you want more, and another 20 minutes for the server to come back with them.  By then, most people have given up and gone to McDonald's.