This is the reason an industry expert states as to why Sears has failed:
PETERSON: They're investing a lot in a rewards program called Shop Your Way. And this is also tied to their e-commerce site. And they're investing a lot less in stores, and as a result, stores have been languishing. Shoppers complain that when they walk in the stores, they can't even find a cashier to check them out, and that's a big problem.
I do not shop at Staples or Sears retail, and would not do so if they were exclusively online.
I have heard several reports of how Amazon employees are treated, and they are very successful. I would expect worse from these two crappy companies as they attempt scratch out an online only existence.
To the 1st answer below, I work for Sears and they are trying to get rid of people too. If the CEO has his way Sears will be an asset light business which in his mind is majority online. He's trying to make Sears into Amazon and it's not going to work.
Both Sears and Staples seem to have some miserable employees on the floor.
Apparently they are now going to produce the "easy button" to be like Alexa. It will order lunch and your office supplies or beyond office supplies. I am sure this will inject a ton of new life into the business. Staples is working with IBM on this with the whole Watson platform. Nothing like piling more dead weight on a sinking ship. Whose idea is this anyway? They need to be fired. I hope IBM is doing this for free. Just what the world needs another Alexa.
Doesn't matter if Staples even wants to focus on a particular part of the business... they're going to fail either way. The same morons in charge will continue to make the same moronic decisions.
I think the difference is that Staples is purposely setting up stores to fail so they can harass out or fire store staff rather than lay them off with severance.
Staples actively wants to close stores and shed it's retail division and focus on online/commercial.