Thread regarding Sears layoffs

The reason Sears doesn't help you with an online order problem some times is that most of what is on Sears website is sold by third-party vendors. Sears just basically rents the web space to them. That is why sometimes you will see something online that says "not avaliable for in store pick-up or delivery withing 50 miles of store" this is a third party vendor selling something and they are not Sears. Also, the third party vendors can set their own price and sometimes they will be three times the price of something on Amazon and this makes Sears look bad. Sears does not back any merchandise that is not a Sears product or that is not sold in the stores they leave that up to the third party vendor to deal with. Good luck trying to get help from some of these vendors. But Sears does keep your money.

Everyone says Amazon & it's true. They will support you with an issue with a seller. Occasionally I've had problems with a seller & Amazon has been there for me if the seller has not. I think the sellers on Amazon know this and are more responsive in general because of it.

EBAY appears to have some type of enhanced protection in place now too. I haven't had to access it yet (knock on wood) but it at least promises not to throw you to the wolves as Sears does.

I agree the Eddie is more interested in selling off the real estate than keeping the company going. He wants an asset light retailer. How does a business that is based on selling stuff survive when they don't have inventory to sell. I have heard management talk about how Sears will become like Amazon. Then they pull inventory off the floor to mail out for online orders and when asked explain that stores are used as "warehouses". Amazon has many warehouses through out the nation and partner with companies that sell through them. Sears has their market place partners, and use that a was to justify offering less online and in store. With the Sears market place partners the customer has to contact the company directly if there is an issue, with Amazon you call them and they contact the company. With Amazon when I had a problem they not only helped but had my back, when I looked over the details for sears it became clear that all they offered was advertising space. I ended up buying through Amazon where I new they would help if I had an issue. Eddys' asset light retailer is becoming a customer light bussiness.

MW did go under and someone bought the name and slapped it on a website. Most that junk sold on there is like QVC or other home shopping network overpriced crap. It is possible That someone may buy the Sears or Kmart name and try to make a go of it.

They can never make it online. They pull merchandise from the store to ship out. No stores, no shipping, no online. Vendors are not getting paid and they are done with SHC. No it will not be like Montgomery Ward who still has an online marketplace. When this goes under it will go under. They may be like Radio Shack that still has a few B&M stores still around

Kmart started as a mail order catalog company. Its brick and mortar will end as an online catalog company. Lamperts "end game" if you will was/is to sell off the lucrative real estate. Then run the company until it can't anymore all the while establishing a stronger online base. Will he ever compete with Amazon. No. But he knows he can compete better online than he can in B&M.

They are just preparing for the end. Everyone on this forum keeps talking about bankruptcy and the end of the company. Well, this is what it looks like. Empty counters and product not being shipped, falling sales and profit, staff cuts to extend the time just a little bit more, another scheme to pretend like they are trying to turn a corner, and taking away the last employee benefit. It is no longer speculation, the curtain is falling all around you. If you are a long time employee, I would forget about the 8 week severance pay as they may take that away soon. Start working on your resume and get out now.

And that, my good people, is the reason that the employee discount went away and you get SYW points instead. You now have to connect your employee i.d. to a SYW account. No more sharing accounts with a spouse, like many employees do, so that they can combine SYW points. More personal information, more SYW members, more list to sell to third party vendors. That is why they now have a SHC master card, the partnered with Uber and other business partnerships. More information to sell.

Eddie will end up with the customer data base as an asset when if all folds. Good observation

I was surprised because I thought a store wanted to sell things but when no one cared about the length of the checkout lines or the amount stolen from the floor or even if the cash registers were over or under, I slowly realized. Sales do not matter.

Duh.