Sears and KMart had a rough holiday season. The chain is closing more than 100 stores. so far, none are here in our area.
Management is spinning this one as a positive. The stores that remain will make for a stronger chain. There's some logic in that, but you can't escape the fact that there's blood in the water. Closings, of this scale, are always a sign of major trouble.
Let's take a closer look.
You can occasionally see me wandering about the aisles of the KMart in Moosic. I'm an early riser. The store opens at 7 AM, and it's rarely crowded at that hour of the day. Hey, you have my business. The prices for the basics, toiletries, batteries, little hardware items, etc. are competitive. There is a small food section in case I need some canned soup, cereal, soda, and so on.
Here's where the problems lie. It's a tired, dated store. It's clean and orderly, but the look really needs to be refreshed. On top of that, the only cash register open at 7 AM is the one at the courtesy desk. If someone is in front of you with a full cart, or if that person has a return, forget it. Plan on spending the better part of your morning in Moosic. Why is it that when a company has problems, customer service is the first thing to suffer?
I also blow through Sears once in a while. My last purchase was a pair of pants, and that was several months ago. I can't speak for them all, but the Viewmont and Wyoming Valley Mall stores are nice. Sears, according to industry analysts, is stuck in the middle. It gets pressure from higher end department stores, and lower end discount stores. Sears is in danger is becoming irrelevent, the Montgomery Ward of the new century.
Can Sears and KMart pull out of the downward spiral? Sure. Will it be easy? No.
