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Posted

Now it's Craftsman, Stanley, B&D, DeWalt, Irwin & Lennox under one umbrella. At least they kept it American.

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Posted (edited)

I recall reading that Sears last had a truly profitable year in 1989. Kmart - 1993.

 

The slow bleed of Sears has everything to do with shareholders getting their maximum value before it dies. Bankruptcy made sense a decade ago if they wanted to truly save the company.

 

I'm sure that the Internet has contributed but terrible management and terrible decision making by that management had these companies on the slide long before Wal-Mart turned into the juggernaut and Amazon was even a "thing".

 

The decline of Kmart, Sears, JC Penney's, Nordstrom's and Macy's is putting significant stress on the "traditional" enclosed mall market. Malls are heavily mortgaged properties - and if you have lost an anchor or two, it's hard to pay the mortgage.

Edited by dpberr
Posted

putting significant stress on the "traditional" enclosed mall market. Malls are heavily mortgaged properties - and if you have lost an anchor or two, it's hard to pay the mortgage.

McKinley Mall near the stadium. Not sure how that even stays open. NO ONE there

Posted

I had the opportunity to enter the Sears near me during the holidays and, remarkably, the one in my mall smells precisely like the one I used to go to as a kid at Colony Center in Albany.

 

Not sure how they do it.

Posted

I for one would rather have the stuff made here. The junk they sell from china

You can get whatever you want made in China; they make it all. If a company wants to make high quality stuff, they can find a manufacturer in China to make it.

 

The problems are with the companies that cut corners on quality. They figure they can get it made in China for cheaper, might as well skimp on the quality as well to really maximize on the profit. But there are companies who do it the right way and contract quality materials and build, no matter where they actually order from.

Posted

I for one would rather have the stuff made here. The junk they sell from china

 

 

Yeah! How hard is it to build a nice tool collection over a lifetime or career! Get and lifetime hand tool warranty, etc...

 

 

But yet, something things I go Jap, Taiwan, China... How often do I use say a torque wrench?? Beam style is a an old Craftsman handed down to me, adjustable is a Neiko Pro made in Taiwan. No reason to overspend on things seldom used. I do try and pick out the better Asian stuff though and I will mix it in.

 

How can you beat: 70 bucks with a bunch of good reviews:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-03709B-Adjustable-250-Foot-Vanadium/dp/B000N7DHI2

 

For what I use it for, I am not hanging on it 8 hours a day.

You can get whatever you want made in China; they make it all. If a company wants to make high quality stuff, they can find a manufacturer in China to make it.

 

The problems are with the companies that cut corners on quality. They figure they can get it made in China for cheaper, might as well skimp on the quality as well to really maximize on the profit. But there are companies who do it the right way and contract quality materials and build, no matter where they actually order from.

 

 

Yes... Especially the move to Taiwan, Japan...

Posted

End of sears is in sight

 

End of sears is in sight

Mead... agree. It will go back to being a catalog operation but via a website. Hopefully, the little independent stores live. I bought something at the one in Bath cheaper than the one in the Arnot Mall down here.

Posted

I had the opportunity to enter the Sears near me during the holidays and, remarkably, the one in my mall smells precisely like the one I used to go to as a kid at Colony Center in Albany.

 

Not sure how they do it.

Wait. You're from Colonie? That's where my FIL now lives. Wifey grew up in Slingerlands.

Posted

I recall reading that Sears last had a truly profitable year in 1989. Kmart - 1993.

 

The slow bleed of Sears has everything to do with shareholders getting their maximum value before it dies. Bankruptcy made sense a decade ago if they wanted to truly save the company.

 

I'm sure that the Internet has contributed but terrible management and terrible decision making by that management had these companies on the slide long before Wal-Mart turned into the juggernaut and Amazon was even a "thing".

 

The decline of Kmart, Sears, JC Penney's, Nordstrom's and Macy's is putting significant stress on the "traditional" enclosed mall market. Malls are heavily mortgaged properties - and if you have lost an anchor or two, it's hard to pay the mortgage.

 

And not just those. I know of two malls in the area that closed when Borders went under. One somehow managed to reinvent itself as office space. The other...bought by a developer to be torn down, the one remaining anchor store, Lord and Taylor, sued to keep the mall standing (based on their having a 99-year lease on the space and not wanting to close the store).

 

After a three year legal battle, Lord and Taylor won the right to keep the store open...and the developer proceeded to tear down everything but Lord and Taylor, which was frickin' hilarious.

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