Sears Clearance/Closeout Sales

[fm2176]

Are there any good deals in your area? Being currently assigned to recruiting duty has its perks, including working in a mall in the poor part of town. I browse Sears two or three times a week just to look at their clearance sections and have gotten a number of decent deals so far:

Craftsman 42" riding mower: 2008 model retailed for $1865, clearance price was $1285 two years ago. I asked for the store manager who had stopped by the office a few weeks earlier and he knocked it down to $900. A few months later a $100 bumper was marked down to $5 and a few months ago I finally got the bagger for $97 (originally $389). Including tax I paid less than $1100 for everything.

Craftsman reciprocating saw: originally over $100, marked down to $32.

Electric pressure washer: $129 original, clearance priced at $42.

Kenmore grill: marked down from $300-something to $78; there is a much nicer four-burner I have my eyes on that might be $99 right now.

Sharp Aquos 46" LCD-LED TV: two weeks ago I checked out the electronic section (I usually hang out in the tools and home and garden sections) and found the best deal yet. Originally $1499 I walked out the door at $374 plus tax.

I will be heading back in there today to see if there is anything new or reduced further. I'm currently waiting for the price on a Milwaukee 1/2" drill and Milwaukee grinder to go down (both about $70 right now). I barely missed out on a table saw a couple of months ago; the price was $50 for a couple of months and on the day they reduced the price again a younger guy claimed it just before I made it over there. Right now they have a big $699 (originally) table saw for $299. If the price drops to less than $200 it will be getting put in the back of the truck before too long.

It might not be the best, but when new Craftsman tools and equipment can be had for 50-75% off I can't complain.

 

[eborcim]

LOL our Sears usually drops prices 5-10% for broken/returned/missing piece items.

 

[diesel research]

Got some made in the USA magnetic socket rails for $1.97ea. Murphy's revenge struck when the magnets came unglued before 1st use, but nothing a bit of epoxy can't fix.

Saw a metric cman pro flare nut wrench (17x19) for $6, salesman snatched it up.

They are about to reduce the hand tool section by 5 aisles, so I will surely try and hope those USA metric pro stubbies get clearanced out. Maybe the 18 and 10pc pro sets that have sat for so long too. Don't have much desire for most of the rest of the stuff.

20v lithium stuff selling for dirt cheap, but no batteries....

Milwaukee pretty much all on discontinued clearance, including M-cordless series.

I don't see myself buying any raised panel stuff regardless of clearance price. Don't need em as spares, don't need em as gifts, don't want them taking up realestate.

 

[Incredible]

20v lithium stuff selling for dirt cheap, but no batteries....

Speak for yourself. I bought the Hammer Drill and the 1/4inIimpact and they each had a battery. Spent $80 and $60, respectively, including the $75-$100 battery.

Also picked up the LED flashlight, the Circular Saw and the Jig Saw. No batteries, but spent $7, $22 and $29, respectively.

The only bad part is that they are being discontinued. So there will be no easy in-store swaps. Also, I want the 1/2in impact, which is now a "Reman" only item.

 

[diesel research]

Uh, I believe I am speaking for all of us. It's fair to say that there will be no batteries once yours **** out. Most lithiums aren't as easily rebuilt like older ni-cad, so once they are done, they are done.

The fact the stores I went to didn't have any more kits that includes batteries is inconsequential when considering replacements won't be available and the nature/lifespan of many current lithium batteries. They seem to have a preset lifetime amount of charges before completely refusing a charge. Regardless whether fully discharged or barely topped off. As a matter of fact, some have suggested internal circuitry prevents charging once that counter is exceeded, for sole purpose of buying replacements. "designed obsolescence"

 

[Gpgtp]

Got some made in the USA magnetic socket rails for $1.97ea. Murphy's revenge struck when the magnets came unglued before 1st use, but nothing a bit of epoxy can't fix.

made in usa quality

 

[Incredible]

It's fair to say that there will be no batteries once yours **** out.

Fair enough. You're probably right, especially if these last 5-8 years. But by then, I'll be ready to upgrade. I wouldn't buy them if my livelihood depended on it since they probably wouldn't last 5-8 years in a professional, day-to-day use environment. Also, if I were a professional, "The only bad part is that they are being discontinued. So there will be no easy in-store swaps."

They seem to have a preset lifetime amount of charges before completely refusing a charge

I have never heard of this. Maybe this is because lithiums don't slowly die as slowly as NiCad. They either work or they don't.

 

[VWandDodge]

Uh, I believe I am speaking for all of us. It's fair to say that there will be no batteries once yours **** out. Most lithiums aren't as easily rebuilt like older ni-cad, so once they are done, they are done.

The fact the stores I went to didn't have any more kits that includes batteries is inconsequential when considering replacements won't be available and the nature/lifespan of many current lithium batteries. They seem to have a preset lifetime amount of charges before completely refusing a charge. Regardless whether fully discharged or barely topped off. As a matter of fact, some have suggested internal circuitry prevents charging once that counter is exceeded, for sole purpose of buying replacements. "designed obsolescence"

Take them to Interstate Batteries and have them rebuilt.

 

[nate379]

Haven't been inside Sears in about a year and that was just to get a set of belts for my yard tractor.

 

[diesel research]

I have never heard of this. Maybe this is because lithiums don't slowly die as slowly as NiCad. They either work or they don't.

5-8 years seems extremely optimistic since they naturally degrade and lose capacity each month regardless of use. Even so, I have heard the IC chip thing a few times, and even recall one tool company boasting that it's batteries record the charge time data (think that was ingersoll rand IQV line?), and another's batteries were warranted of "x" number of charges. (think that was my milwaukee?)

 

[nate379]

Well went to Sears yesterday and place was a ghost town, yet I got attitude from one worker when he was b/sing with a customer and when he looked up like "WTF do you want" I asked if anyone was available to help me. (Had a few tools I needed to swap out).

Of the tools I had, they didn't have anything to replace, though I got some kind of similar items for most.

 

[LevalleSr]

Went into my local Sear/Kmart in Clinton southern Maryland today and talked with a 35 year Sears sales associate who told me that this particular store as of August 20ll will be converted back to Kmart only. It seems that since the merger 2-3 years ago Kmart was more profitable than Sears in 2010 and the CEO has decided to take the money and run.
So between June 2011 an August 2011 Kmart will be selling off Craftsman tools an other Sears related products @ 10% to 30% discount from regular pricing.
If this is true you local DC/MD/VA garage journal guy could find some deals.