kmealy Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 (edited) Interesting article. I, too, worked for Sears for a couple of years, but have become disappointed their products and customer service since. Edited November 21, 2017 by Ron Dudelston tags added Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 Thanks for the link. I hear more and more tool users say they like the Kobalt tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadio Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 Thanks for posting, that is very interesting, I agree with everything said, like the Kobalt brand too. I have had very positive results from HF in the past. I like to deal with all but Sears, and I was raised on Sears merchandise too. but now even the cashiers don't know how to ring up a sale. Herb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred W. Hargis Jr Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 I didn't really see anything there that I didn't know (about the Craftsman stuff), and at least in mechanics tools still consider their the top value in what's available. Interesting (to me) was that back in the late 60's I bought a set of Husky sockets and ratchets. At that time it was form one of those traveling salespeople that came to the door selling a variety of products. This was my first tool purchase on my own, and these guys made things a little easier. (another sidenote, it was the brand Swallen's carried for several years) Anyway, the Husky set I bought I still use daily, and back then they were a Connecticut company manufacturing tools here in the states, top notch stuff that was easily as good as any of the other brands. Somewhere the original company went under, and I broke my ratchet. Held onto that broken ratchet for many years, and when the name was bought and restarted I sent that ratchet in for replacement....I think that was in the early 80's, and got one back...made in USA. But the stuff available at HD now are Asian imports. One other thing, that writer mentioned the repair kits you get now for Craftsman ratchets. That same thing is what SK (another reputable brand) does for theirs; I've had to replace 2 of them. I don't think the craftsman brand will be Sears for long, word is they are shopping it out. Hope they sell before they go under. steven newman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stick486 Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 2 hours ago, kmealy said: but have become disappointed their products and customer service since. gave up on them for these very reasons... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmealy Posted December 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 (edited) You can get Craftsman stuff at several places now, Ace Hardware and Costco, for example, maybe even Amazon. His father keeps feeding one of my son-in-laws Craftsman stuff. "It's the best there is." Wall, maybe 50 years ago, it was serviceable stuff for all but the pro mechanic. Now, everyone has a lifetime warranty. But Sears has been sliding and resting on that reputation for a generation., IMHO. Last time I went, first guy I ran into saw me coming and ducked into the store-room, second one when I asked where I could find staples like I had in my hand, waved me to "Aisle 10 or 11," and finally, when I found the section, and couldn't tell which was the right one, I asked a third, who shrugged his shoulders, said I'd need to figure it out and when I turned around, he'd walked away. I wrote a note to the manager expressing my discontent, that went entirely unanswered. GAS factor < 1. Well, that was my last buying trip. The Sears near one of my kids is closing and was having a "clearance sale." While at the mall, I wandered through and wow, 5-10% off selected items. The other problem with their power tools is when they private label them, they use the manufacturer du jour, so best of luck finding parts in a few years. Edited December 5, 2016 by kmealy Fred W. Hargis Jr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred W. Hargis Jr Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 I haven't been into a Sears store in many years, and have no doubt their CS is a bag of dooky. Ever since that idiot that runs K-mart bought them, the decline has accelerated. steven newman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p_toad Posted December 5, 2016 Report Share Posted December 5, 2016 " idiot that runs K-mart " I'm not sure he's an idiot, just a bookkeeper; and the name brands are nothing to him...not the craftsman, kenmore, or diehard (which are the three lines i read were being shopped around). If those go, sears will get the final flush. It's already circling the drain. He'll end up like the idiot who bought out Gold Circle. Buy it; close it; pocket the money; skip off happy. My neighbor and i were in a sears over youngstown way and they were ostensibly getting ready for the thanksgiving /christmas rush... kind of... most stuff was still in boxes and not on the display counters and most of the hooks on all the displays were either empty or had only ONE item hanging there. Not exactly inspiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmealy Posted December 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2016 4 hours ago, kmealy said: You can get Craftsman stuff at several places now, Ace Hardware and Costco, for example, maybe even Amazon. His father keeps feeding one of my son-in-laws Craftsman stuff. "It's the best there is." Well, maybe 50 years ago, it was serviceable stuff for all but the pro mechanic. Now, everyone has a lifetime warranty. But Sears has been sliding and resting on that reputation for a generation., IMHO. Last time I went, first guy I ran into saw me coming and ducked into the store-room, second one when I asked where I could find staples like I had in my hand, waved me to "Aisle 10 or 11," and finally, when I found the section, and couldn't tell which was the right one, I asked a third, who shrugged his shoulders, said I'd need to figure it out and when I turned around, he'd walked away. I wrote a note to the manager expressing my discontent, that went entirely unanswered. GAS factor < 1. Well, that was my last buying trip. The Sears near one of my kids is closing and was having a "clearance sale." While at the mall, I wandered through and wow, 5-10% off selected items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmealy Posted December 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2016 Forgot to mention, on that same trip that was so frustrating, three guys in the garden department, leaning on a lawn tractor, bemoaning how nobody wanted to buy a lawn mower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmealy Posted December 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2016 Another KMart/Sears example of customer service http://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/kmart-to-mom-drive-350-miles-for-store-pickup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred W. Hargis Jr Posted December 8, 2016 Report Share Posted December 8, 2016 Amazing, and they wonder why they are going under...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Posted December 8, 2016 Report Share Posted December 8, 2016 Amazing, and they wonder why they are going under...... Fred, I do not think "they" wonder at all - nor do "they" care. The "they" being the top brass in the organization. "They" are financially secure and will end up with golden parachutes and walk away from the rubble with big bonuses for having sold off the brands for a quick buck. It is easy for me to get on a soap box here and talk about why this stuff happens. The biggest culprit, in my mind, are the tax laws in this country and what congress does to prop up the economy. Savvy lawyers and accountants use the laws as intended - to make the quick buck, the future be damned. Notice I did not say they take advantage of the laws, the laws were written to promote this behavior to stimulate the economy. This economic model is unsustainable in the long run. I fear for our kids and grandchildren... Cal Grandpadave52 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmealy Posted December 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2016 https://www.marketplace.org/2016/12/08/business/sears-struggles-losses-executive-departures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 So we are going to put one of the board members in charge of the U.S. Treasury. THAT should go well... Cal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Beitz Posted September 24, 2019 Report Share Posted September 24, 2019 Sure was sad to watch a one time great store go down the drain... And down the drain they sure did go.... At one time they was my go to store.... I still like the older Sears tools. p_toad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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