Yet another Sears rant

[UncleJoe]

I ordered a router from Sears online on August 13th and had it shipped to my local store. I live in a small town and the sears store here has one small tool area. Well today August 23 I checked on the order and it is scheduled to arrive September 6th.

How can the stay in business shipping like this? I buy several thousand dollars worth of tools online and never wait this long. Sears is making this way more difficult than it needs to be. If everyone else can get it to me in a week or less then why can;t Sears. This is no way to run a business.

I decided to drop them a note about this. The router comming 3 weeks after I order it is not the end of the world and it is just annoying to me so it is no big deal but I thought at least I would bring it to someones attention that this is a great way to loose even more market share. So after digging around on their website I finnally found a contact us link. I filled out the form and hit the subimit button only to get a "The requested URL /cscontactus/SendEmailToCustomerServiceCmd was not found on this server." So their customer service can't be contacted with email.

I looked at their stock today and at first glance they look good. Too good in fact so I dug into the numbers. Sears Year to Date stock has risen from $30 to $55.90 which is great but if you look at the past twelve months it was as high as $78 in October of 2011 and dropped like a rock to $30 at the end of the year so this last 8 months is a climb out of the basement back to near normal.

The real picture shows that they have lose money in 8 of the last 10 quarters. They have not had positive earnings since Q4 2011 and the losses are growing each quarter since then.

Sears was the tool store of my youth. It was THE place to buy tools for me and my family in the 1960's and 70's. Now with the internet and other sources I do not know how they can compete with their current lack of emphasis on the customer.

Rant over.

EDIT Sorry for the typo in the title apparently I can not edit the thread title

 

[furbis]

Re: Yet another Sears rank

I stopped in to our sears the other day to warranty a wrench, my thought was its turning into Kmart, the guys working the tool department were wearing shorts and t shirts and the tools were kind of a mess.

 

[Super Sport]

Re: Yet another Sears rank

Not to say I don't have my share of issues with Sears, but I almost always get my items the next day when shipped to my house.

Was the router on clearance by chance? I have ordered several clearance items shipped to store and they do take a little bit of time to get in.

 

[woody 73]

Re: Yet another Sears rank

Funny how if you ask 100 different Sears employees you of course will get 100 different answers... just last night I was talking to a young man in the Sears tool Dept. and he said the craftsman line is being sold and how great it was that the tools will now be made in the USA.

If you think Sears is slow I placed a special order for a wright ratchet from a different tool company and I am still waiting for it and that was one month ago!

I do agree with the op how a business can stay in business ; if they move that slow is not good enough in todays world.

 

[vavet]

Re: Yet another Sears rank

I've stopped going to Sears. I used to think of them first when I needed a tool. They don't offer me anything that I can't get from Home Depot or Lowe's, except the Craftsman name, which doesn't mean what it used to. I have a Lowe's within a mile and a HD within 4. My closest Sears is 10 miles. I could probably find 3 of each of those stores within 10 miles.

They don't compete on price.
They don't compete on service.
They don't compete on brand availability.
They don't compete on location/convenience.

The last several times I've been in a Sears tool department to wander and drool on the new tools, I'm just baffled by how much stuff is in the wrong place, mismarked, not marked, out of stock, different than what I saw online, etc.

I don't know how you even order through their website. I love ordering stuff online, but the Sears website is terrible. Their filters are not intuitive. Search the craftsman or Sears website for a common tool, say a 3/8" corded power drill. Then do the same thing on the HD or Lowe's site and tell me which one makes you want to pull your hair out?

I hate to see a classic American brand like Sears die, but it's not up to me. When I try to warranty 2 pieces of a 4 piece set and the cashier and manager tell me I have to bring in all 4 pieces to get a new 4 piece set, that really befuddles and aggravates me. All I wanted was the 2 new pieces that were broken. We'd both end up with a complete set, but instead you end up with an unhappy customer who has to make a return trip and thinks your store policies are idiotic. I'm not so naive to believe that the customer is always right, but sometimes the customer is right.

 

[Exceller8]

Re: Yet another Sears rank

I've been a loyal Craftsman tool buyer for years and that is about to change. Not to say that I'll never buy another Craftsman product, but I'm fed up! I went to my local Sears looking for a 7 pc open end wrench set and after looking for about 10 minutes I asked for help thinking that I had just missed them. Nope... The kid working there said they were discontinued and my option was to buy the wrenches individually. WTF!!! Really? They had about 20 different combo sets so why not one open end set?

I then trucked over to Kmart thinking they might have a open end set. Uh... guess I haven't shopped for Craftsman there in awhile and what I found was a total joke! 50% Stanley tools? What they did have Craftsman wise was less than I have in my junk tool room.

I really think they have given up but I'll probably keep buying the American made tools that I need for as long as I can get them. Oh well, whatcha going to do?

 

[dsmnickk90]

Re: Yet another Sears rank

I've been a loyal Craftsman tool buyer for years and that is about to change. Not to say that I'll never buy another Craftsman product, but I'm fed up! I went to my local Sears looking for a 7 pc open end wrench set and after looking for about 10 minutes I asked for help thinking that I had just missed them. Nope... The kid working there said they were discontinued and my option was to buy the wrenches individually. WTF!!! Really? They had about 20 different combo sets so why not one open end set?

I then trucked over to Kmart thinking they might have a open end set. Uh... guess I haven't shopped for Craftsman there in awhile and what I found was a total joke! 50% Stanley tools? What they did have Craftsman wise was less than I have in my junk tool room.

I really think they have given up but I'll probably keep buying the American made tools that I need for as long as I can get them. Oh well, whatcha going to do?

Its easier to shop on craftsman.com than go to the store. My sears barley has anything anyway.

 

[Exceller8]

Re: Yet another Sears rank

Its easier to shop on craftsman.com than go to the store. My sears barley has anything anyway.

I agree, but I'm pretty sure you'll get the Chinese made tools and there is still a good amount of American made stuff left in the store inventory. I'm not sure which tools are coming from China so I have to go to the store to make sure I get the American made tools.

 

[dsmnickk90]

Re: Yet another Sears rank

I agree, but I'm pretty sure you'll get the Chinese made tools and there is still a good amount of American made stuff left in the store inventory. I'm not sure which tools are coming from China so I have to go to the store to make sure I get the American made tools.

RP wrenches and all sockets are still USA. If you do get something that is not just take it back to sears and get a refund. You can find those open end wrench sets online and as long as they are not polished they are USA.

 

[Cinneagh]

Re: Yet another Sears rank

Yeah, I did in-store pickup recently. One item was ready immediately and the other took two weeks. When I picked up the first item, I checked to see if they had the second item. They did but the manager would not let me have it. I would have had to buy it at full retail rather the online price. That might have been the last straw for me.

 

[wellpoison]

Here is a good one along your lines. My fiancé ordered tires from sears. Said they would be in in a week. Then two weeks later they say it will be in a month from now. After about a month and a half of this I say screw it and we go in and get different, more expensive ones price matched and put on. I told them I wanted the tires that were still on the car as they had about 40% tread.

I had them do a front end alignment whil it was up there because it was getting bad. All good until I drove it home. Some one forgot to straighten the steering wheel before doing the alignment. And they charged me tire disposal. Even though I took them with me. I went back up and got what I wanted that's for sure. I just don't understand how any of this is that complicated. I mean come on do whats right.

Some of you may have seen on another one of my posts in the hot deals section. I went up to buy a craftsman bottle opener. They had it on sale for 5 bucks. But they wouldn't price match it in the store. So I had to order it on my phone while standing at the register. The employee literally came to the counter and took it from me. Just so we could walk to the "pick up" area. Then he gave it back to me. Unbelievable.

 

[SMKS]

Re: Yet another Sears rank

I've stopped going to Sears. I used to think of them first when I needed a tool. They don't offer me anything that I can't get from Home Depot or Lowe's, except the Craftsman name, which doesn't mean what it used to.

They don't compete on price.
They don't compete on service.
They don't compete on brand availability.
They don't compete on location/convenience.

I believes Home Depot has a fake lifetime warranty on their Husky hand tools that requires a receipt. While it isn't sometimes enforced, I still generally won't buy tools with that type of warranty.

Lowes has some OK stuff and a real lifetime warranty. It's all imported, if that matters, and is very pricey at regular prices. But it often goes on sale.

People here like to bash Sears, but they still have lots of USA made tools. Wrenches, tool sets, sockets, screwdrivers and more are all still USA made.

I recently bought two Craftsman wrench sets. Each one had a couple cosmetic issues on a couple of the wrenches, so they weren't perfect. But the Craftsman warranty makes replacing them generally easy.

I paid about $60 shipped for this wrench set. USA made and good quality. They definitely competed on quality and price for me.

 

[d_rock]

Re: Yet another Sears rank

I buy craftsmen from ace hardware. Both stores by me have good selections.

 

[dwp99]

A friend of mine was bragging about the Craftsman Club, so I said sure I'll join. I got my card but not one single sales flier and it's been at least a year since I joined.

 

[Exceller8]

Re: Yet another Sears rank

I buy craftsmen from ace hardware. Both stores by me have good selections.

I didn't know that ACE sold Craftsman.

 

[osborn.ozzy]

A friend of mine was bragging about the Craftsman Club, so I said sure I'll join. I got my card but not one single sales flier and it's been at least a year since I joined.

I haven't gotten anything in the mail either.... you can find the deals on the craftsman website though...

 

[franzdom]

I haven't gotten anything in the mail either.... you can find the deals on the craftsman website though...

Really? I can't seem to find ANYTHING on their website

 

[NC-Fordguy]

It's been a several days since there has been a sears bashing thread. This may help end the multiple snap-on bashing threads we've had recently.

We had a Lowes/kobalt bashing thread recently as well

Since Husky was mentioned in this thread perhaps this will help start a husky/home depot bashing thread. I'd really feel better about this place if we could. Can we? Pretty please?

 

[jkeyser14]

A friend of mine was bragging about the Craftsman Club, so I said sure I'll join. I got my card but not one single sales flier and it's been at least a year since I joined.

They did away with the Craftsman Club. They now have a Sears Rewards Member card. It's not a credit card, but it keep track of your purchase and you can redeem points for money off (I think its 1% cash back, haven't used it in a while).

 

[Exceller8]

I haven't gotten anything in the mail either.... you can find the deals on the craftsman website though...

That whole system is a mess! I only use it for the discount coupons you get on your receipts.

 

[dirtmister16]

the way sears has changed since my youth, and im only 25, dissapoints me.

i used to think of craftsman as my first choice in tool buying and would look at the catalog first thing, then compare it to the snap on tools just because it was fun. i am/was a craftsman club member since childhood. now i can barely find something i want to spend my money on at sears. its very sad and hurts to see such a company go down the tubes

 

[Fast LT1]

I'm the same way as Dirtmister16. I use to buy tools from sears for the past couple of years. Then stuff starting going downhill, they wouldn't honor warranties, stuff was out sourced, and the prices are getting high. So i started buying my home tools at lowes, and now i buy my work tools exclusively from Snap-On and a few duralast ratchets.

 

[SMKS]

and the prices are getting high.

If you look through some of the older catalogs from the 60s, 70s and 80s, when people say Craftsman tools were better, they are more expensive than now when adjusted for inflation.

 

[dwp99]

They did away with the Craftsman Club. They now have a Sears Rewards Member card. It's not a credit card, but it keep track of your purchase and you can redeem points for money off (I think its 1% cash back, haven't used it in a while).

That explains everything, Thanks

 

[dsmnickk90]

That explains everything, Thanks

If you join craftsman clubs you get a few buck off most items online and bonus points for certain items. Craftsman.com is a lot easier to find things than sears website too.

 

[carterbeauford]

They did away with the Craftsman Club. They now have a Sears Rewards Member card. It's not a credit card, but it keep track of your purchase and you can redeem points for money off (I think its 1% cash back, haven't used it in a while).

the points are meaningless, I've had my card for a year and have $1.36 on it, I think it might be 0.10% cash back. the card is handy for returns however, I bought a USA made Craftsman rubber garden hose 2 weeks ago for $35 and saw it on sale for $20 a week ago, I got my $15 back without a receipt.

 

[dsmnickk90]

the points are meaningless, I've had my card for a year and have $1.36 on it, I think it might be 0.10% cash back. the card is handy for returns however, I bought a USA made Craftsman rubber garden hose 2 weeks ago for $35 and saw it on sale for $20 a week ago, I got my $15 back without a receipt.

They add up and like I said some items get bonus points I got $10.35 in point when I ordered the 130pc closeout impact set that was $519.

 

[TwoInch]

i dont have a problem with their site personally. it could be better, but if you use the search function, its simple. if you want a metric wrench set, type "metric combination wrench set" and they will all pop up. browsing is not fun, but that only gets me into trouble anyway, so im good with that fact...

the rewards points are cool, i have redeemed them a few times, for a total of 30 dollars or so, which is just a bonus. you also get cheaper prices with it on different things during sales and such.

as for the online deals, of course they wont honor them instore. they are ONLINE deals. but they give you kiosks in the store to use to get the reduced price if you want to do it that way.

also, if they dont have something in stock, you can order with their computer, pay in the store with cash, and they will ship it to your home FOR FREE... cant beat free shipping...

 

[pipsters]

They add up and like I said some items get bonus points I got $10.35 in point when I ordered the 130pc closeout impact set that was $519.

Just an FYI there are credit cards out there that will give you $200 for spending $500...

I'm up to $2400 in free money so far this year

 

[TwoInch]

Just an FYI there are credit cards out there that will give you $200 for spending $500...

I'm up to $2400 in free money so far this year

i have considered doing those things. i havent though. to easy for me to get out of hand is my reasoning, although i have great will power.

 

[Kyle86]

Their evolve wrenches look to be a higher quality than the latest batch of RP wrenches.

 

[rogersmithiii]

There was an article on Sears in either the Wall Street Journal or Forbes. Common thinking suggests that the new owner wants to sell off all of the assets in separate pieces to maximize the value of the purchase. In other words, Sears is dead, but they're keeping it alive so they can sell the organs.

Sad end to a great store.

 

[bsaint]

I think just about anyone can sell Craftsman if Sears isn't in the area. My Ace sells Cman too.

 

[TwoInch]

Their evolve wrenches look to be a higher quality than the latest batch of RP wrenches.

that depends on what you considider to be "quality"

if bright chrome equals quality, then you are correct.

if strong steel, broached to the correct size equals quality, then you are wrong.

ill take a strong, well fitting USA made ugly as sin wrench over a bright chrome, chinese ill fitting, soft spreader anyday.

wrenches are like women.... looks may be a lot, but they aint everything.

 

[dirtrider]

that depends on what you considider to be "quality"

if bright chrome equals quality, then you are correct.

if strong steel, broached to the correct size equals quality, then you are wrong.

ill take a strong, well fitting USA made ugly as sin wrench over a bright chrome, chinese ill fitting, soft spreader anyday.

wrenches are like women.... looks may be a lot, but they aint everything.

Agree ^^, if anything the standard raised panel Craftsman wrenches are one of the few items that actually has stayed consistent and been overall pretty good quality for many years and still continues to be today.

 

[RCStocker]

Forget Sears. The problems is that you orderd a Craftsman router.
Mikita, Porter cable and Muilwakee are all a thousand times better. I have at least 20 routers in my shop. I had a sears 25 years ago because it was given to me. All junk and they have only gone down hill from there.

I have all 3 brands I mentioned and they all are very, very good.

 

[TwoInch]

Forget Sears. The problems is that you orderd a Craftsman router.
Mikita, Porter cable and Muilwakee are all a thousand times better. I have at least 20 routers in my shop. I had a sears 25 years ago because it was given to me. All junk and they have only gone down hill from there.

I have all 3 brands I mentioned and they all are very, very good.

i have a craftsman router that is probably 20 years old, and it is built like a tank. still works perfectly. i am sure the newer models are not as good, but the older stuff are not bad tools, for the most part.

 

[TwoInch]

Agree ^^, if anything the standard raised panel Craftsman wrenches are one of the few items that actually has stayed consistent and been overall pretty good quality for many years and still continues to be today.

i agree, and will add that they are a super value, especially when had for the awesome sale prices that pop up very regularly. all companies have QC problems, one bad wrench set does not reflect the whole of the current wrench production. I along with a few other members bought the same wrench sets, during the same sale period as the poster above, and all got wrenches that were in fine condition, with a couple with minor cosmetic issues. still a great value, strong as hell, and easily warrantied. just look at the wrenches before paying, and you wont have to drive back to warranty a clunker.