Other "retro" stores that didn't make it: Toys R Us (which is still alive in Canada), Circuit City (which is making a small comeback), and Service Merchandise.
- Thread starter David Baxter PhD
- Start date
David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
That was one of the reasons for the decline and fall of Sears. Another is that they never really seemed to recognize or understand their target demographic (followers).
And what's especially sad is that they had many precedents that should have alerted them to the problem.
Eatons used to target the mid-range shoppers in their products. Then they built that massive Eaton Center in Toronto and decided to go high end. What that did is alienate their customer base and because it was new kid on the block in the high end market and that market still associated them with "middle class" products they weren't able to replace their old customer base with a new one.
Sears made some similar mistakes. They failed to recognize that the low end had become overrun with Zellers, Woolworth, etc., and then those companies disappeared and were replace by Target and Walmart, both of whom did it a lot better. They still had some market left in the midrange, especially after the fall of Eatons, but their prices were too high, their website sucked, and their delivery policies were pathetic. For a while, they at least had some specialty items like their Kenmore line of appliances but they let quality control slide on those and suddenly Best Buy and Walmart claimed that market too.
The Sears brick-and-mortar stores, at least in Canada, also sucked. No imagination or display sense. Products crammed in like a Value Village store. Just not customer friendly at all.
And they failed repeatedly to recognize and reward their employees or the importance of customer service.
Companies like Eatons and Sears should be compulsory case studies for what not to do in any marketing course.
And what's especially sad is that they had many precedents that should have alerted them to the problem.
Eatons used to target the mid-range shoppers in their products. Then they built that massive Eaton Center in Toronto and decided to go high end. What that did is alienate their customer base and because it was new kid on the block in the high end market and that market still associated them with "middle class" products they weren't able to replace their old customer base with a new one.
Sears made some similar mistakes. They failed to recognize that the low end had become overrun with Zellers, Woolworth, etc., and then those companies disappeared and were replace by Target and Walmart, both of whom did it a lot better. They still had some market left in the midrange, especially after the fall of Eatons, but their prices were too high, their website sucked, and their delivery policies were pathetic. For a while, they at least had some specialty items like their Kenmore line of appliances but they let quality control slide on those and suddenly Best Buy and Walmart claimed that market too.
The Sears brick-and-mortar stores, at least in Canada, also sucked. No imagination or display sense. Products crammed in like a Value Village store. Just not customer friendly at all.
And they failed repeatedly to recognize and reward their employees or the importance of customer service.
Companies like Eatons and Sears should be compulsory case studies for what not to do in any marketing course.
David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
And Radio Shack.
Oh yes! The source for floppy disks and dot matrix printer paper.
RadioShack was a go to for electronic components before the internet. Even back to the mail order days before the iconic brick and mortar shops we all knew. But ordering components by mail order took forever especially to Canada so in isolated communities they were the go to albeit at a higher price. Convenience was worth it back then.
If you read up on Radio Shack, then RadioShack and the history all the way back to the beginning you’ll notice that it was one of the top players in the computer and electronics market for the longest time under the Different and multiple Tandy leather company name changes.
What is is mind blowing is the number or acquisitions, transfers and sales before and after being sold to Circuit City RadioShack filed a petition and won to retain the RadioShack name because of a breach of contract terms and hence the name change to The Source by Circuit City then simply The Soutce when BCE Bell Canada Enterprises bought out the source.
another fact is that RadioShack name acquired by some company (too lazy to go back and look it up) is still technically alive on artificial life support as they filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2017. The website is still selling at this point but it seems unclear what the status is.
If you read up on Radio Shack, then RadioShack and the history all the way back to the beginning you’ll notice that it was one of the top players in the computer and electronics market for the longest time under the Different and multiple Tandy leather company name changes.
What is is mind blowing is the number or acquisitions, transfers and sales before and after being sold to Circuit City RadioShack filed a petition and won to retain the RadioShack name because of a breach of contract terms and hence the name change to The Source by Circuit City then simply The Soutce when BCE Bell Canada Enterprises bought out the source.
another fact is that RadioShack name acquired by some company (too lazy to go back and look it up) is still technically alive on artificial life support as they filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2017. The website is still selling at this point but it seems unclear what the status is.
Oh I am remembering now about Tandy, etc.
I loved the Radio Shack catalogs. I signed up this morning for their online newsletter, and I am already working on my online order
They also have some "stores within a store" in some parts of Arizona, etc.
A blast from the past:
I loved the Radio Shack catalogs. I signed up this morning for their online newsletter, and I am already working on my online order
They also have some "stores within a store" in some parts of Arizona, etc.
A blast from the past:
A gas station in the Phoenix area accidentally sold gas for 2 cents a gallon (for a half hour):
Glitch at Chandler gas station sells gas for 2 cents per gallon | Arizona News | azfamily.com
Glitch at Chandler gas station sells gas for 2 cents per gallon | Arizona News | azfamily.com
(The opposite is true in the winter.)
Pictures from my backyard:
Fortunately this will all be melted by tomorrow.
Fortunately this will all be melted by tomorrow.
Truck spills 3,500 gallons of chocolate across Arizona highway
January 14, 2019
Flagstaff, Arizona turned into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory on Monday when a tanker truck spilled 3,500 gallons of it across Interstate 40.
The "river of chocolate" flowed onto the highway's westbound lanes east of Flagstaff...
The tanker was transporting around 40,000 pounds of 120-degree liquid chocolate, officials said.
January 14, 2019
Flagstaff, Arizona turned into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory on Monday when a tanker truck spilled 3,500 gallons of it across Interstate 40.
The "river of chocolate" flowed onto the highway's westbound lanes east of Flagstaff...
The tanker was transporting around 40,000 pounds of 120-degree liquid chocolate, officials said.
Arizona Is Buying Back Its Capitol Buildings : NPR
January 16, 2019
...Congratulations to Arizona, which is buying back its own state capitol building. During the Great Recession, the state sold the capitol and other buildings to raise money. Think of the math. The state raised $700 million in the short term, then it leased the buildings back, promising rent payments projected to total far more than the sale price - free enterprise. A decade later, the state is borrowing money to buy the capitol back.
January 16, 2019
...Congratulations to Arizona, which is buying back its own state capitol building. During the Great Recession, the state sold the capitol and other buildings to raise money. Think of the math. The state raised $700 million in the short term, then it leased the buildings back, promising rent payments projected to total far more than the sale price - free enterprise. A decade later, the state is borrowing money to buy the capitol back.
On a serious note, Arizona is a self-care option for SAD:
High in Phoenix on Tuesday will be 97 F (36.1 C).
Item that caused Phoenix freeway closures found to be a traffic counter
A suspicious item caused the closure of three freeways in downtown Phoenix during rush hour on Wednesday, but it was found to be a traffic counter placed there by a government contractor.
A suspicious item caused the closure of three freeways in downtown Phoenix during rush hour on Wednesday, but it was found to be a traffic counter placed there by a government contractor.
"Florida Man" has competition:
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