You know things are REALLY BAD when even the third-rate Chinese suppliers cut back on us.
What are the holidays going to be like this year? Not just tools, but other categories.
Softlines is pretty thin in men's, kids and juniors.
Appliances appears well stocked but so many things are pushed out for several weeks or a month or are flat out unavailable. When did I experience this before? (hint: I worked in Electronics before moving to Appliances). What happened in Electronics before it was taken out of the store? You couldn't order anything. Nothing was in stock or on the shelves except for the really basic, cheap, low-end crap.
Now, what are the two biggest reasons people come to Sears? APPLIANCES. TOOLS. If people show up for those reasons and can't get what they want or need in a timely fashion or at all, what happens? They go somewhere else.
I think this time around, it won't be those two categories disappearing in the way Electronics did. It will just be the entire company, or at least the entire store base.