Sears or JCP who will die first?

[bluedogok]

I can see that. The next OKC store to close will probably be the standalone one at S 44th and (Western?).

Sears owns the properties at 44th & S Western and Heritage Park Mall. They might entertain offers for them but I doubt they would close them just to close them. I would think neither property is ripe for development but HPM would have a slight advantage.

[Snowman]

I wonder how much longer Heritage Park Mall has.

I believe someone said that Tinker was pretty much the main safety net for that store, that it did enough volume through it alone that it might be the last one to turn out the lights in the metro, though at some point they might find a cheaper location in an ex-walmart or something to continue those operations.

[Soonerman]

I wonder how long the 44th & Western store has untill Sears decides to pull the plug?

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

That one is usually doing pretty well on the weekends too.

[Rover]

Sears is just dead man walking. Too bad...love the Crafstman brand.

[Chadanth]

Sears is just dead man walking. Too bad...love the Crafstman brand.

They'll sell the brands off. You'll be able to get craftsman in Walmart or Lowes probably.

[BBatesokc]

Sears is just dead man walking. Too bad...love the Crafstman brand.

IMO, in recents years (actually easily a decade or more) the Craftsman brand has been in name only. I've tried a few of their high end products - like a riding mower and some saws. All were junk. The customer service to get the craftsman riding mower serviced was abysmal - "Wait 2 weeks for a part" "give us 4-5 more days to instal it." Oh, and you had to wait a week just to get it diagnosed. In the mean time you either have to own a backup mower or pay someone else to mow for you.

I remember when a Craftsman push mower weighed a ton and was actually made of metal and lasted 30 years. Not anymore.

I go in to the Sears at 44 and Western - but only to check out the clearance items and returns in the lawn and garden area.

[Urbanized]

You can already purchase Craftsman products at Kmart, Ace and Fastenal, among others.

[SoonerDave]

You can already purchase Craftsman products at Kmart, Ace and Fastenal, among others.

The Crafstman name died a long time ago. They've licensed it out to whatever garbage overseas vendors can press out the tools or whatever.

I had a nice, fairly old (but not ancient) Crafstman socket wrench, and the ratchet mechanism failed in one direction - just seized up. So I took it over to Ace, asked them if they honored the Crafstman warranty, and they did, so I found the comparable replacement - and what a piece of junk. The reverse mechanism is a plastic switch that flexes just from normal direction change and will almost certainly break, to say nothing of how the internals are probably built - and I'm only a casual garage fixer-upper home not-a-mechanic type. I can't fathom a day-to-day type relying on them for professional work. Just flimsy from the word go. You can get much better quality tools over at Harbor Frieght - even if they're not world class, I think most of their stuff is better-built than the Craftsman stuff these days. Really sad.

[Rover]

That's too bad about Craftsman. Guess I didn't know that because I'm still using my tools from 20-30 years ago and they are still great.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Craftsman still sells good stuff. But they also sell junk. Generally, you get what you pay for.

/uses lots of tools
//is VERY hard on tools

[Snowman]

IMO, in recents years (actually easily a decade or more) the Craftsman brand has been in name only. I've tried a few of their high end products - like a riding mower and some saws. All were junk. The customer service to get the craftsman riding mower serviced was abysmal - "Wait 2 weeks for a part" "give us 4-5 more days to instal it." Oh, and you had to wait a week just to get it diagnosed. In the mean time you either have to own a backup mower or pay someone else to mow for you.

I remember when a Craftsman push mower weighed a ton and was actually made of metal and lasted 30 years. Not anymore.

I go in to the Sears at 44 and Western - but only to check out the clearance items and returns in the lawn and garden area.

I had heard by the early 90s not to buy any of their electric items, the hand tool set I got from that era is still my main set.

[ctchandler]

That's too bad about Craftsman. Guess I didn't know that because I'm still using my tools from 20-30 years ago and they are still great.

Rover,
Like you, I still have my tools but from the mid 60's, so I guess that's about 48 years. I have bought a few things over the years, but most of what I have was pre 1970/
C. T.

[bluedogok]

The newer stuff isn't all that good unless you know who actually makes it. I have 30 y.o. sockets that I still use and that are better than anything they have now. If I have to find a specialty socket, tool or something I will check Sears but I buy much less there than I used to tool wise.

On the Black Friday sales about 5-6 years ago they had the Craftsman battery tender for 50% off, it was the exact same one as the Deltran battery tender just with a Craftsman sticker on it.

[BBatesokc]

Craftsman still sells good stuff. But they also sell junk. Generally, you get what you pay for.

/uses lots of tools
//is VERY hard on tools

I find their hand tools to still be of good quality. If you want the lifetime warranty (actually only about 20 years) then you'd better keep your receipt.

Its their power tools and mowers I think have really gone downhill.

[SomeGuy]

I don't know if this would be the right place to put it but, J.C. Penney's closing dozens of stores again. That's great news. - Fortune

Also a lot of teen retailers seem to be doing poorly as well ( DEB is going out of business, Wetseal is closing 2/3 of their stores down, Aeropostale is closing several stores and their stocks are tumbling same with Pacsun, American Eagle and A and F)

[Snowman]

I don't know if this would be the right place to put it but, [url=http://fortune.com/2015/01/08/jcpenney-store-closings/]Also a lot of teen retailers seem to be doing poorly as well ( DEB is going out of business, Wetseal is closing 2/3 of their stores down, Aeropostale is closing several stores and their stocks are tumbling same with Pacsun, American Eagle and A and F)

It seems a bit abnormal for teen retailers to be in for more than a ten to fifteen years, yea their are some that do manage to keep themselves viable longer but a lot of them seem like they are riding a trend till it dies.

[bchris02]

It seems a bit abnormal for teen retailers to be in for more than a ten to fifteen years, yea their are some that do manage to keep themselves viable longer but a lot of them seem like they are riding a trend till it dies.

American Eagle seems to still be doing alright. Not as good as the mid 2000s but people still shop there. It wouldn't surprise me to see A&F completely gone within the next few years.

[rtz]

It will be interesting to see if that Sears out on 39th Expressway(& Council) gets built in time. Unreal they built a new sears out by Quail Springs to replace the old Sears.

The problem with these standalone sites are they are now destination stores(have to make a specific and intended trip to go there), and not just a "I'll stop by since I'm walking by anyways" or "I'm parked out that ways" like they had going in the malls.

Offshoring their tools was a huge downgrade. Had they kept them made in the USA, they could have stood on their own. Their clothing prices haven't been a bargain in a long time.

Walking into that Von Maur; if one didn't know any better; it FEELS like being in the old Sears. The shoes are even in the same place! How did they manage that? The only difference is not having the tools/appliances on the top floor. Tony Bahama shirts for $80 and $100 really? That mall really needs to get rid of all the kiosk that haunt the mall. Especially that one selling sea salt or whatever they are hawking. Also that marketing firm that haunts the other end of the mall with a person with a clipboard.

[ljbab728]

I don't know if this would be the right place to put it but, J.C. Penney's closing dozens of stores again. That's great news. - Fortune

None of the new store closures are in Oklahoma and, while a few are in larger cities, most are in smaller cities.

[bchris02]

None of the new store closures are in Oklahoma and, while a few are in larger cities, most are in smaller cities.

Most of the stores are in dead or dying malls. That is a pretty big problem for a lot of retailers.

[ljbab728]

Most of the stores are in dead or dying malls. That is a pretty big problem for a lot of retailers.

I hadn't heard that. Do you have a link about that information or are you just guessing?

Most are in malls, however.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_4604436.html

[Snowman]

I hadn't heard that. Do you have a link about that information or are you just guessing?

Most are in malls, however.

Here's A List Of The J.C. Penney Stores That Are Closing

seems like that was brought up in the article linked to in post 165

[bluedogok]

That mall really needs to get rid of all the kiosk that haunt the mall. Especially that one selling sea salt or whatever they are hawking. Also that marketing firm that haunts the other end of the mall with a person with a clipboard.

Those kiosks bring in an obscene amount of money considering that was all originally unleased space and a minimal investment for the mall company. I was shocked by the pure profit in those when I was doing Simon work.

[ljbab728]

seems like that was brought up in the article linked to in post 165

You're correct. I overlooked that.