Now where will I buy my Craftsman tool? The end is near for Sears.

Discussion in 'The Green Room' started by Dinner, Dec 4, 2015.

  1. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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    The enforkening has begun.
    Despite what they're claiming, I think it's obvious what they're doing: Buying the most valuable assets now, so that when Sears files for bankruptcy, they don't have to worry about being out-bid for them.
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  2. Shirogayne

    Shirogayne Gay™ Formerly Important

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    What's the difference between Sears and a Ford Fusion?

    One of them will be seen dead next year on the freeway as you drive past.

    The other is a Ford Fusion. :ramen:
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  3. NAHTMMM

    NAHTMMM Perpetually sondering

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    One wonders just how hard the CEO in question has been working to "complete its transformation" or "reflect its value" lately? :soholy:
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  4. Ancalagon

    Ancalagon Scalawag Administrator Formerly Important

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    Vulture Capitalism.
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  5. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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    [​IMG]

    Sears inks a deal with Amazon.
    If this pans out, I'm betting Amazon will buy Sears, and gradually phase out the name "Sears," replacing it with their own
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  6. Will Power

    Will Power If you only knew the irony of my name.

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    Not just Sears dying. AFAIK Toys R Us is finished & will be closing all their stores soon.
  7. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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  8. Ancalagon

    Ancalagon Scalawag Administrator Formerly Important

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    I've had zero mechanical issues with my 08 Fusion that I've owned since 10.

    They're good cars.
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  9. Dinner

    Dinner 2012 & 2014 Master Prognosticator

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    I actually bought a 290 piece Ceaftsman tool kit last weekend at ACE Hardware. So it seems Craftsman is doing ok post Sears ownership.
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  10. Ancalagon

    Ancalagon Scalawag Administrator Formerly Important

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    Just saw a Lowes ad for Craftsman power tools. Called itself the new home of Craftsman.
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  11. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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    Yeah, I was in Lowe's last weekend and saw a big display of Craftsman tools. Took me back a bit.
  12. steve2^4

    steve2^4 Aged Meat

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    So I can take my ratchets to lowes when they're over being used as a hammer for free replacements?
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  13. Shirogayne

    Shirogayne Gay™ Formerly Important

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    Quit ruining my jokes, damnit :ua: ;)
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  14. Shirogayne

    Shirogayne Gay™ Formerly Important

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    Yeah, I don't see how restructuring is gonna help that they've long since lost relevance. Target and Walmart has been curbstomping K-Mart my entire lifetime (the one in my hometown closed two years after we got a Target and Walmart) and anything Sears has to offer can be bought online or at Macys for the clothes.

    Unless Sears manages to Horcrux the shit outta it's very few assets, they're toast.
  15. Dinner

    Dinner 2012 & 2014 Master Prognosticator

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    I remember when Sears bought Kmart and the analyst of tv said (correctly it turns out) merging two bad companies just results in one bigger bad company buried in a mountain of debt.
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  16. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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  17. Dinner

    Dinner 2012 & 2014 Master Prognosticator

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    As of yesterday they had three days to come up with $134 million.
  18. Volpone

    Volpone Zombie Hunter

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    As I work on The Van...Putting on fiberglass bodywork. Or trying to. Let's just say 3M trim tape is wonderful. Self-tapping sheet metal screws *seem* like a wonderful idea--as does "direct fit" aftermarket parts. But direct fit isn't all it's chalked up to be on a 30 year old van. That fender will "look" true (apart from the bulge that is either rust or Bondo) but it takes bending and wedging and cursing and fighting with those "great" self-tapping screws to get the fender flare on.

    I gave up on fender flares halfway through and didn't feel up for tackling the sun shade, but test fitting the air dam, I thought I could loosen a couple frame bolts, tuck the air dam under them, and retighten them to get a good solid fit. (Turned out the air dam designer actually factored this in and included cutouts to miss the bolts, so I'd wasted a bunch of time, but I'm getting ahead of myself.) I've got a slick Wal*Mart wrench/socket/screwdriver kit that works very well for most things, but as I tried breaking loose a 30 year frozen bolt and could feel the wrench getting ready to fail I went back to the tool drawer to get out the Craftsman.

    ****

    The problem with my Craftsman socket set isn't the actual tools, it's the case. They came in a Franklin Planner-type soft case with slick elastic loops for the sockets. This was great for 10 or 15 years or so, but eventually the plastic zipper on the case failed and all the elastic got brittle so now I have a kind of file folder of assorted random sockets to go through if I want to use them. But ease of use be damned, I needed some actual tools for this.

    About the Craftsman. It's night and day with the Wal*Mart. The Wal*Mart has a longer handle, so basic physics would make you think it would work better. But just picking up that Craftsman driver (which was a replacement for one that failed) makes you realize what a good tool should feel like. No cheap plastic dial to change from loosen to tighten. There's a black steel switch. And the bastard is shorter, but it's HEAVY. and there's no play in the gearing. Just a very nice tool. It busted that rusty bolt off like it was nothing. I was trying to find a pipe to fit on the handle for added leverage, but eventually I just got braced up against a tire and applied the leverage myself and it kicked that bolt's ass like it was nothing.

    Then I found out I'd just wasted all that time and effort because there was no way I could fit the air dam under the bolts, but such is life.
  19. oldfella1962

    oldfella1962 the only real finish line

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    bake sale at Sears!
  20. shootER

    shootER Insubordinate...and churlish Administrator

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  21. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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  22. shootER

    shootER Insubordinate...and churlish Administrator

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  23. Dinner

    Dinner 2012 & 2014 Master Prognosticator

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    Their plan is to keep 500 stores open but supplies probably won't trust them so they probably are going to die.

    It is a shame they killed their catalog business in 1993 because if they had only made it a few years more they could have turned it into an online business instead of a catalog business and become an early Amazon. Their leadership didn't think that far ahead though.
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  24. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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    The piece is 5 years old, but it basically lays out why Sears has been doomed since Lampert took over the company.
    :corn:
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  25. Captain X

    Captain X Responsible cookie control

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    Most people I know avoided Sears because of the cost compared to other stores, and because their auto centers really declined in quality. I actually have some personal experience with that, because I saw one of their guys testing out the brakes on someone's car by doing burnouts and then slamming on the brakes out in the mall parking lot.
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  26. oldfella1962

    oldfella1962 the only real finish line

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    oh no you di-int! Now I have to break out the classic Ron White Sears tire service story:

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  27. Shirogayne

    Shirogayne Gay™ Formerly Important

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    Jesus fucking Christ :wtf: :jayzus:
  28. Paladin

    Paladin Overjoyed Man of Liberty

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    "It falls off...it FALLS off...it FALLS THE FUCK OFF!" "I guess someone was absent on LUG NUT DAY." :rofl:
  29. Paladin

    Paladin Overjoyed Man of Liberty

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    Trying to make the company bigger and earn more money is the essence of capitalism.



    But your company being swept aside by more efficient competitors is also the essence of capitalism.
  30. Tuckerfan

    Tuckerfan BMF

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    Just because you ran the company into the ground is no reason for you to not get a giant bonus.

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