Sears is not going away, it just needs to exist on a smaller level. The problem lies within the size of the buildings. They can shrink product levels all they want but shrinking a physical building poses a problem. The levels are not uncontrollably low yet. If your local store looks empty it's because the leadership doesn't do a good job of filling in. My store is definitely low on product but you can't tell because my store manager is obsessive with making sure empty spots are filled in right away. My store has also been profitable and making money every year up til this year and that is only because road construction is blocking all of the entrances to the mall. We also have way too many stores out there that lose money. That is why you see so many closings. If it's closing it is because either it doesn't fit the area or it was poorly lead and it is s---ing the blood out of the stores that do a good job. There is no reason that we can not survive if we get rid of the dying locations.
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Ladders. That is the safety problem of the month. We were told to get rid of any ladders in the store. The whole district had to do this. We had to buy a company approved ladder not one of the ones we have on the shelf.
O.K., no problems, I get it, liability issues and all. But here's where it falls apart. Each store was only allowed to buy one ladder. ONE LADDER (three steps) for the whole store!! Many people still cannot reach the top shelf (SImple Store process) to get merchandise down. And now with only one ladder we have to climb on the shelves to get things or spend twenty minutes looking for the ONE ladder we have in the store.
So far we have three people who have fallen off the "approved" ladder. We went almost two years without any employees falling in our store. Again, ONE LADDER!!
It would make sense why some went under quicker makes me mad because they always complained and talk about safety stuff, but never gave us anything but cheap rewards. Ice cream party. Like really? I mean like really its disgusting company saving a lot of $$$ and yet for 90 days accident free spend $35 bucks on its employees for something pathetic. I am so fed up that our store manager never gives us anything just plain sad.
I'm @qqo and although most days, I wish it would just end. Ripping the bandaid off, forcing us hanger ons into something else, this is what is seems to be. Someone said 300 stores and I think we might be it. Until bankruptcy is the only option.
Don't even get me started on workers comp! If I have to hear one more time that a hanger on the floor equals $10,000 I'm going to puke! "Wouldn't you pick up $10,000 if you saw it on the floor, I know I would, I could really use $10,000 right now, come on help the company out, save us some money so we can through you a little ceaser pizza party if we have no accidents in 500 days" this is a direct quote from store manager (eye roll).
Wow I feel sorry for you that you actually believe this!
@qqo- several of the closed/closing Sears stores have been remodeled or even right in the middle of remodeling.
In my area, the Sears stores are being remodeled to one level. The ones that are not closing. I believe these are the stores that will stay open to the end. There will be a end but how soon is anyone's guess. It's a negative working environment though with many mixed messages that undercut morale.
Regarding other charges to profitability don't forget workers comp charges. Any doctor's appointment, every physical therapy charge, every rehabilitation charge and yes, even surgery is charged directly to the store. The medical providers charge top dollar because they know a major company is paying. These charges are allocated directly to the store. The charges come right off the top of the stores sales. I know this is true because when I was injured at work at Sears a few years ago store management put the guilt trip on me for hurting and reducing profitability. Also, one of the stores in our district is closing. Our store manager said one of the main reasons was because they had a couple of expensive worker's comp claims that hurt profitability.
Im going to speak in general laymans terms so everyone reading can have a better grasp at what is going on.
The actual numbers are not what you see at the store level.
I'm in the south. We have to file store level reports, yes. But the final numbers incorporate other figures that we are not responsible for at the store level.
And we do not "get back" anything to see anything "manipulated." I don't think the higher ups are manipulating store numbers. But they often plug in things that have nothing to do with product sales or shrink. So while we as managers can think our store is profitable, it might very well not be profitable after those other things are charged against a store.
If the company were more honest in how things are charged against a store after managers submit their own reports, then perhaps there would be things we, as store managers, could do to make the stores more profitable.
There's really no incentive, invisible or tangible, to do anything different -- to make staff cuts or implement other operational efficiencies -- unless we are directed by corporate.
@ooo - What? All managers have total visibility to the profitability of their store down to the account and line level through EIS and General Ledger.
I guess a store's "profitability" is dependent on whether or not Eddie wants the real estate
@O3srzoy-ooo that is not true. As a store manager for Kmart for over 20 years that recently retired I can tell you that I absolutely knew what my store profit was every month and had to file a P&L report every month. But in the last couple of years I would get back reports where my numbers had been manipulated. This also was happening with inventory as well. It seemed to me that Eddie wanted us to fail.
First of all, the actual "profitability" numbers are not available to store managers or even district managers. The only numbers available to them are the actual gross sales. There are several things beyond a store manager's control that do affect overall store profit.
It means that Eddie has decided that the K-Mart banner is dead, and he needs to focus on Sears. He doesn't yet get that neither has a consumer reason for being, and both will be eaten by the Amazon/Walmart/Costco troika. SHLD cannot compete with competently run organizations and is simply too damaged to survive.
They have closed many Kmart stores in my district that were profitable. They were making the company money. What does that mean?
Whether or not Sears goes away will be decided by one person, who's agenda you can't know.
Have been looking ;)
y'all keep drinking that kool-aid,,, let us know when you start looking for that next place of employment