Dissappointing Sears thread, with a twist

[T56 Impala]

So I've been looking for a cheap Craftsman intermediate 3 drawer chest for a project. (Details as it gets underway!) After looking around town, CL, classified and such, I decided to break down and buy one new. Low and behold, Sears had them on sale for $89. Great!

So, I go to the big Sears store and ask for one. Sales guy says he needs to look in the back to make sure they have one. While he is looking, I notice they have one on display. He comes back and says they are out of stock but he could order it. I asked if I could have the one on display. I didn't even ask for a reduced price. I was willing to pay the full $89. He promptly says no. To which I say..... okay, see ya later.

So, on the way home I drive by a MUCH closer K-Sears. (Re badged K-mart) I figure hey, maybe they have them. So I stopped in. Sure enough, they had one on display. I asked the sales guy if they had them in stock. He says.... same old story.....he would have to go in the back to check.

By this time I'm figuring this is some kind of gimmick or something. When he comes back he says they are out of stock. Go figure. I say thanks and start to walk out and he stops me. He points to the one on display and says "you can have that one." I slowly walked over to it. Open it up, look it over and say okay IF he sells it to me cheap.

He looks at me and goes to his computer. Fiddles for a minute. Picks up the phone and quickly hangs up. He looks at me and says, "how about $39.99 plus tax?" I smiled and helped him take the top box off it and put it on the counter!

Now, why couldn't the first guy have done this? Heck, I was willing to pay full price at that point. Anyway, that's my latest score. I'll fill you in on the project as I move along.

 

[Titus]

Now, why couldn't the first guy have done this? Heck, I was willing to pay full price at that point. Anyway, that's my latest score. I'll fill you in on the project as I move along.

The guy at K-Sears was new.

 

[chevy4lyf]

If someone sells the display model, how do other customers know that item is priced at $89? Hell, how do others know that thing is available at Sears at all? And then you have to trust that the sales associates will correctly unpackage that item and put it back on display again when it is back in stock again (doubtful).

Everyone has a bad Sears story but this one is a reach at best.

 

[goodfellow]

Sears never fails to "disappoint" on customer service. I like their tools, their website is getting better and they ship very fast, but their retail outlets (to put it plainly) -- still "****".

 

[chevy4lyf]

Sears never fails to "disappoint" on customer service. I like their tools, their website is getting better and they ship very fast, but their retail outlets (to put it plainly) -- still "****".

I always just check sears.com to see the items I want and whether or not they are in-stock at any store I'm looking at. This usually works pretty well. If it's a bigger item I'll even reserve it an just do the store pickup option.

 

[T56 Impala]

Never thought about the buy on line and pick up option for this. I have used it in the past for tools. I don't know why I never thought about it.

The guy at the K-Sears wasn't new. I've seen him there several times over the last year I have lived here. It just seems to me that he is one of the few that knows what Customer Service actually is. Either way I have my new mid box/project box and I'm happy.

 

[davestonner]

fill us in on the "project"...

 

[T56 Impala]

Its a project combining two of my hobbies. It will be interesting. I'm still sourcing a few items. I'll post it up, don't worry!

 

[Kevin54]

If someone sells the display model, how do other customers know that item is priced at $89? Hell, how do others know that thing is available at Sears at all? And then you have to trust that the sales associates will correctly unpackage that item and put it back on display again when it is back in stock again (doubtful).

Everyone has a bad Sears story but this one is a reach at best.

That used to be their job. Re-order and restock the shelf. Hell...what ever happened to the picture with a "temporarily out of stock" sign.

As far as Sears tactics, they have done that for quite a while now. "Let me check in the back", then the "It's out of stock, so we have to order it for you" I'm the same way with Sears anymore. If it is on the shelf, then either you have a few in stock, sell the display, or I walk. Sears puts a lot of their boxes and roll-a-rounds on display with no inventory in back.

 

[EDEX]

Well he couldn't sell you the floor model as "new". It's been touch and abused by everyone so it is not new. He checked and saw that he can get rid of it as used and did so. I had a problem with a small 1 HP compressor. Box was a little beat up and the sales person said it was new and not damaged. Well when I got home I saw it was not new and someone purchased and put pieces together. I returned it and got a new one. The manager looked at me as if I was crazy when I explained to him if this was returned by someone else, it is considered used. They can not sale it as "new". When all said and done he said yes I was right.

 

[Stuey]

Great deal!

 

[mkdive]

Sears never fails to "disappoint" on customer service. I like their tools, their website is getting better and they ship very fast, but their retail outlets (to put it plainly) -- still "****".

That's completely opposite where I live! On the website Sears.com I have had NOTHING but problems, but my retail store has overall been good to me?!

 

[Joe B.]

I was about to post this in the Craftsman Club thread but I'll put it up here. When you are in the store, you can order mailable items at their internet kiosk and get free shipping to your house. The guy at my local Sears was telling me that they still get a commission on the web items if they help you log on. I think this will only work with stuff they can send UPS... I don't think the free shipping applies to heavy truck freight.

 

[kythri]

Since when do they get commissions in the tool department?

 

[Snappy]

I was just at a retail store today and told the lady I'd stop back tomorrow. She says come see me cause I get a commission on tools. Don't know how long it's been going on.I guess
they pay them min wage and that's their bonus. .

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

That used to be their job. Re-order and restock the shelf. Hell...what ever happened to the picture with a "temporarily out of stock" sign.

As far as Sears tactics, they have done that for quite a while now. "Let me check in the back", then the "It's out of stock, so we have to order it for you" I'm the same way with Sears anymore. If it is on the shelf, then either you have a few in stock, sell the display, or I walk. Sears puts a lot of their boxes and roll-a-rounds on display with no inventory in back.

What's the endgame here, other than ******* off the customer?

I usually only get over to Sears once a year...on black Friday to take advantage of the deals.

 

[billymade]

Typically, you cannot sell the floor model; unless it is on clearance.... looks like the associate found out it was on clearance and was able to sell it. If it is a normal priced item and not discontinued; you are not supposed to sell it; because, you won't have a model for the customers to look at. If you can order the item; you cannot sell the floor model either; I had many pissed off customers tell me "why can't you just sell the floor model?"; we weren't allowed to! Does it piss customers off and is it a problem? Yes! Unfortunately, that is the Sears policy; if there isn't stock to sell, you typically cannot sell it; some customers were willing to wait but many were not; they walked off.... you wouldn't believe how many sales get killed by "not having it in stock". The sales people are stuck in the middle; they want to sell you something but the Sears policy limits the sales to normal stock on the floor, in the warehouse or ordering, another option is a "transfer sale", where you pay for it in your store and pick up at another store locally, that has it in stock.
"let me check in the back"; is not a sales tactic, the fact of the matter is, the register has the "on hand count" (the stock database) but 9/10 the count is off and even if it says they are in stock, many times they aren't. This is particularly common with bigger items; such as rollaway toolboxes. To confirm that the item is actually in stock and if they sell it to you; you are able to actually get the item, when you get it, in the pick area.
Does Sears customer service **** and is every store a **** shoot? Yes, I think so... you might just get a guy who really knows his stuff but typically, you won't; sears is like a revolving door, with people quitting and getting hired all the time. The odds of getting a clueless wonder is high but you just might get the guy who has been around for a long time, you just might be pleasantly surprised! Customer service (or the lack thereof) was one of the primary issues/problems at Sears; so much so... that during corporate training they noted this was the #1 customer complaint in their national customer surveys. I won't make any excuses for Sears but I will say, that any retail store I go into; customer service is typically, a mixed bag!
If you can do "store pickup" through the web; I would do it, I've had that get screwed up for customers, too... if there is a situation, where I can avoid dealing with a human, I would!
Yes, "associates" do work on commission; always have, afaik.

 

[voetsek]

I actually like the little Sears in our town, more likely than not they won't have the item in stock but are happy to order it if they don't. It's a catalog store that is privately owned rather than a corporate store though. That shows in the service you receive there usually. They have a lot more interest in keeping people coming back than do the bigger stores.

 

[TexasT]

If someone sells the display model, how do other customers know that item is priced at $89?

Because it is on sale in the circular? If they don't have any, what is the point of having it on sale? This is the same tactic used in furniture stores.

Hell, how do others know that thing is available at Sears at all? And then you have to trust that the sales associates will correctly unpackage that item and put it back on display again when it is back in stock again (doubtful).

Again the point of having the things there is to sell them, isn't it? If it is just a catalog showroom, sad for them as I think that drives a bunch of people off. When I go shopping I want to take the things I buy home, not wait several business days. If I wanted to order things, I'd do it over the internet and reap the savings.

As far as getting the replacement unit out and back on the showroom floor, this is their job. If they can't do that maybe they aren't qualified to work in the Sears tool department.

Everyone has a bad Sears story but this one is a reach at best.

Not a reach at all. I understand that the 'associate' isn't at fault. Just another way to run Sears into the ground. Sad that the local Sears near me is starting to take on the K Mart inventory disarray and lack of cleanliness.

 

[jumpyg]

Looks like the bottom line is that you got the chest for less than half off retail. Can't beat that!

 

[Abodyracer]