Sears or JCP who will die first?

[SoonerDave]

The Sears website shows TWO stores in OKC: Heritage Park Mall in MWC and S. Western.
There is NO indication that either one of those two stores are closing, as Sears has not announced which 100 of its stores it is closing.

They're actually building this horrible little box store just off May avenue at Quail Springs.

They may announce this round of closings, but I have to agree with the comment in the article above that indicated they're going to keep closing stores while they hemorrhage cash, and they can't keep announcing each iteration. Sears isn't long for this world.

[jn1780]

They're actually building this horrible little box store just off May avenue at Quail Springs.

They may announce this round of closings, but I have to agree with the comment in the article above that indicated they're going to keep closing stores while they hemorrhage cash, and they can't keep announcing each iteration. Sears isn't long for this world.

The little box store is an attempt to leverage the only thing they have left which is their craftsman tool legacy. I bet the other departments at their stores are a big money sink.

And really that legacy is rapidly fading.

[PhiAlpha]

I would like to see someone else take the JCP space in Penn Square. Though I like what they've done with the store over the last year or so, a Nordstrom or at least an upgrade over JCP would be nice.


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[bchris02]

I would like to see someone else take the JCP space in Penn Square. Though I like what they've done with the store over the last year or so, a Nordstrom or at least an upgrade over JCP would be nice.


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I have thought of that. Penn Square really needs to get a more upscale anchor with Quail Springs getting Von Maur. I would like to see Penn Square move upmarket in terms of its offerings all around. It's upscale by OKC standards but when you go to other cities this size and slightly larger, its pretty much your average mall. They shouldn't even have low-end stores like Windsor, Gamestop, Payless, Champs, etc given the small size of the mall.

[SomeGuy]

Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom would be nice for penn square if JCP ever leaves.

Speaking of struggling stores, I don't know if anyone has posted this but Coldwater Creek is closing all their stores and Aeropostale is closing a lot of stores including all their P.S. stores .

[ljbab728]

Sears stores these days are ghost towns that are dirty, poorly lit, understaffed, and have nothing that I couldn't get somewhere else. It's almost depressing walking through them. Kind of a trip back to the 1980s but not in a positive way. I doubt it will be very missed.

I don't know where you get your information. When I have been in Sears here, the store was absolutely not dirty or poorly lit even if it wasn't booming with business. The amount of staff was certainly adequate for the business.

[ljbab728]

Things are looking up for JCP.

JC Penney beats expectations as sales improve | News OK

[kevinpate]

I will say this. Because the Budget Kiosk in Norman is in the Sear's store, I've been in it several times over the last few years. the store appears to be well stocked in most all departments, with active shoppers throughout. Whatever problems Sears may have elsewhere, it seems to have a loyal following out at Sooner Mall in Norman.

[MWCGuy]

I will say this. Because the Budget Kiosk in Norman is in the Sear's store, I've been in it several times over the last few years. the store appears to be well stocked in most all departments, with active shoppers throughout. Whatever problems Sears may have elsewhere, it seems to have a loyal following out at Sooner Mall in Norman.

I did my Christmas Shopping at the Norman store last year. It is one of the best maintained stores I have seen in awhile. Midwest City and South Western appear to be holding their own as well. The traffic at both stores has picked up since they closed the store at Quail Springs. Every now and then they will see a packed parking lot. Nothing compared to the old school days but, busier then what the used to be. I think they could do really well if they went down to two full sized stores for the metro the rest of the city could be served by Sears Hometown Stores. A perfect place for one would be right off I-40 between Air Depot and Downtown.

[SoonerDave]

I don't know where you get your information. When I have been in Sears here, the store was absolutely not dirty or poorly lit even if it wasn't booming with business. The amount of staff was certainly adequate for the business.

Can't speak for what bchris02 is referencing, but I can attest to the state of the 44th and S. Western store. They could stuff the whole thing into the back of a UHaul one night and stealth away....

One other point raised in that financial article was that, to the external/bus/fin type, the current CEO of Sears Holdings was "clearly" (Or was it "obviously?") engaging in an "orderly liquidation" based on the lack of store investment/upkeep and the way satellite holdings such as Lands End have been spun off, etc.

One thing that I think JCPenny does have going for it is that they brought back one or two (?) of their own label clothes - and I, for one, happened to like the clothes sold under the St. John's Bay label - only to find them gone when Mr. Cool Apple Dude took over and promptly filled the company with worms. Still don't really hold out hope that they are going to magically turn around, but I think they are at least a) trying, and b) have something on which to build, whereas Sears is pressing forward with its "We Really Don't Care Anymore" attitude...

[bluedogok]

You can also get Craftsman at ACE Hardware stores now. I don't know if they provide a lifetime warranty.

K-Mart carries Craftsman as well.

[zookeeper]

After getting rid of the mall stores, they are going back to their roots as a showroom as the only future they have. It could be bigger than ever now as people like to look, hold, touch this or that, but then order it from the store and pick it up the next day - or have it shipped to their front door. They are actually making inroads with electronics, too. I wouldn't be too quick to right off their whole new vision, it may be more suited to this era than those of an earlier time. The Sears Hometown stores may pull the rabbit out of the hat.

[gjl]

I've been buying a lot of clothes at the Quail JC Penneys lately. Been finding a lot of good deals on men's dress clothes there.

[ljbab728]

Can't speak for what bchris02 is referencing, but I can attest to the state of the 44th and S. Western store. They could stuff the whole thing into the back of a UHaul one night and stealth away.....

That's the Sears I have been to most often, so obviously I disagree.

[SoonerDave]

That's the Sears I have been to most often, so obviously I disagree.

Interesting difference in perspectives. I just have too vivid memories of what it was back when it was popular versus its...present condition. Compared to then, its a slum now. I guess one could argue its better than the average walmart, but I think that's the essence of damning with faint praise.

I remember when that store was part of a vibrant shopping corridor, and when Sears was almost part of Christmas as an institution. That store, which was very similar in design to its long-gone counterpart over on NW 23rd, was, in its day, a really nice place to shop - particularly around the holidays. Their also-long-gone "script" red neon sign would complement the rich red Christmas lights that would adorn the perimeter of the roof, and the Sears Christmas Wish Book was the hallmark of the arrival of the early part of the Christmas season.

The Reding location is just an archetype of the way Sears has neglected its broader "inventory" of stores, and that neglect was aptly described in the article. It obviously isn't accidental. Really a shame.

[Bunty]

About a year ago I stopped in the JCP at Penn Square, and most of the floor space was just open areas with carpeting. I think people stop in their to use the toilet since there's not much of a line.

How about Radio Shack? I wonder who buys from them these days.

I do. A clerk at Wal-Mart a couple of days ago told me to go to Radio Shack to find a wafer battery I needed. Wal-Mart didn't have it.

[Chadanth]

^

Remember, there are still places that provide great customer service, but they also tend to charge a bit more.

The relative death of customer service is due to consumers actively choosing lower prices as a higher priority. Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's, for example, offer service that will almost boggle your mind.

As an example, I was looking at dress shirts in Nordies and one of their fantastic sales assistants was extremely helpful. She pointed out some nice French-cuff shirts and I mentioned I had bought some previously but didn't like the way they fit. She asked, "What can we do for you in that regard?" I told her that I had already had them laundered and starched a couple of times and she asked again, "What would you like to do?" I told her I would prefer to return them but realized that wasn't possible and she said it was indeed possible, even without a receipt. Subsequently, I returned them for a full refund.

I had a similar experience at nordstrom on a pair of shoes. I was wearing them, and it came up in conversation with the associate that I had to wear an insole to make them fit because I bought a half size too big. 5 minutes later I was wearing the correct size, and I actually felt a bit guilty about it. Regardless, there's a reason to shop there, and you're getting your money's worth.

[woodyrr]

I remember when that store was part of a vibrant shopping corridor, and when Sears was almost part of Christmas as an institution. That store, which was very similar in design to its long-gone counterpart over on NW 23rd, was, in its day, a really nice place to shop - particularly around the holidays. Their also-long-gone "script" red neon sign would complement the rich red Christmas lights that would adorn the perimeter of the roof, and the Sears Christmas Wish Book was the hallmark of the arrival of the early part of the Christmas season.

I remember the 23rd and Pennsylvania store and the Reding store (as well as the Midwest City store that burned to the ground in 1976) SoonerDave's description of the Christmas season at Sears of days very long past is quite evocative.

In the 1960s, my family did virtually all our shopping at Sears. For myself, I haven't set foot in a Sears store in over thirty years. A couple of unnecessarily unpleasant sales experiences in a market overabundant with better alternatives saw to that.

[bchris02]

I don't know where you get your information. When I have been in Sears here, the store was absolutely not dirty or poorly lit even if it wasn't booming with business. The amount of staff was certainly adequate for the business.

I haven't been in an OKC Sears other than the Quail location prior to it closing so I don't know how the remaining ones are here. The Little Rock location is absolutely horrible so I am basing my opinion off of that.

[ljbab728]

I haven't been in an OKC Sears other than the Quail location prior to it closing so I don't know how the remaining ones are here. The Little Rock location is absolutely horrible so I am basing my opinion off of that.

Well of course. That's Arkansas. so a blanket opinion about Sears based on that store is absolutely warranted.

[bluedogok]

Walking into the one in Capitol Plaza in Austin (just north of the UT campus, facing I-35) was like walking into a time warp, it really didn't look much different than I remember the one at 23rd & Penn was like. I don't think I have been in a Sears store here in Denver, just a Sears Outlet looking at appliances.

[SoonerDave]

I do. A clerk at Wal-Mart a couple of days ago told me to go to Radio Shack to find a wafer battery I needed. Wal-Mart didn't have it.

I'll be amazed if there's anything left of what we know as Radio Shack in five years. And in all honesty, I think five years is being generous. I just don't see how their business model can sustain the stripmall storefronts they occupy, and the hobbyist electronics niche they filled for so many years is either filled now by Internet retailers or is just shrinking in general. I seriously doubt that RC cars and cell phones are going to turn them around.

[bombermwc]

Sears is for sure the first to go. The current CEO has been on a path of closing stores to liquidate the company in a controlled manner. I think they see the writing on the wall and are just trying to keep the place from going into a firesale. This way they can control more of the decline. The lack of investment in ANY stores hasn't helped to keep them going. Sears lost its purpose a LONG time ago in trying to be too many things. The idea of the department store has changed, and having everything from clothes/tools/electronics/applicanes/housewares/etc. doesn't work. You really need to divide up and decide what you're doing.

From the tools and appliances side, they are falling because of the crappy service they offer and the crappy employee attitudes. Who wants to shop with someone that's rude and doesn't really know what they're doing? From the employee's side, why give a crap when your employer is treating you like dirt? They are following the same employee model Kmart did, which as to treat the employee base like a revolving door....who cares if you treat them bad because there is always someone to replace you in 24 hours. I actually had a kmart manager say that during business hours...called every employee to the front of the store to say that because someone mouthed off to her....both in front of all the customers. Turned out she had been drinking more than just water in her cup and she got fired a week later, but it was the general idea of managers. You invest in your employees, and things will turn around because your employees will be GOOD sales people...even being able to sell a bad product.

Choosing crappy clothing lines also didn't help. There are enough Kohl's and Penny's out there (and you see how well they are doing). Sears wants to survive at all, they need to offer something that draws people in. WalMart sales better quality stuff than Sears!!!! HOW SAD IS THAT! I think Sear's day in the department store world is done. If they can refocus on the hard side instead of the soft side, maybe they can get somewhere. But really, there are too many players in those fields to make it work. Sears is doomed and there isn't anything that's gonna keep it from happening.

[Jon27]

My wife mentioned that she thought she already saw a for lease sign on the new Sears building they are building by Quail. Anyone else see this?

[jn1780]

My wife mentioned that she thought she already saw a for lease sign on the new Sears building they are building by Quail. Anyone else see this?

There are two spaces in that building that are for lease. Sears isn't for lease as far as I know.