I can now tell you exactly why Sears is going out of business

"Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief" (flynorcal) 04/07/2018 at 15:42 • Filed to: None

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When I was a kid I remember Sears as being a really cool store. Granted, I’m into chainsaws and wrenches and patio furniture and gas grills so what’s not to love?

Anyway I know they haven’t evolved into an online presence and have suffered as a result. I didn’t know that the wings had departed the aircraft entirely and that they were spiraling into the side of a mountain. Now I know. Wow do I know.

I wanted a new cal-king mattress to replace the queen one I’ve been sleeping on. I attempted to buy one from Sears. Well, I actually placed the order. I ordered three things:

- Mattress

- Box Spring

- Frame

Those were supposed to arrive today. This is after placing an online order and getting an email the next day saying their fraud department needed to confirm that I placed the order. I spoke with the fraud department who asked me an uncomfortable amount of information. Then I got several confirmation emails. Then the phone calls began. I was getting phone calls from human beings alerting me to expect an automated phone call with the delivery window. I got six of those automated calls but they were all silence. Growing concerned I called the customer service number to confirm that I didn’t need to respond to the robot call in some way as it clearly was malfunctioning. Everything will arrive today between 12:00-2:00.

Then the robot calls me a couple more times and finally finds it’s voice and tells me they will be there between 12:00 and 2:00.

So the delivery guys arrive at 10:00 am and since I was already aware that I’m dealing with chucklefucks and didn’t trust this to go well I was up and ready. Old bed has already been picked up by my cousin who needed one for their ever-growing teenage football player kid. I have nothing but a very large, clean, open space on the hardwood floor, ready to go.

They arrived with a mattress, a frame, and half of a box spring. Yes, just half. Cal-king beds have two piece box springs. I tell the driver I’m not going to put a mattress on the floor and lean a bed frame and half of a box spring against the wall and hope that Sears can get me the other half someday, who knows when.

He agreed that this was wise. I feel he had these conversations often. He has to call in to report the problem and the person he is speaking with asks to speak with me.

“So you ordered the wrong thing and now you don’t want it? Why didn’t you buy two?”

“It’s like buying rollerskates. You don’t buy two. There’s literally no way to buy just one. The person who packed the truck only put half of the box spring in the truck.”

“If it requires two and you only ordered one how is it Sears’ fault?”

“It only requires one. You sent half.”

“You need to buy another box spring. This isn’t our problem.”

This is what I ordered, for anyone who has bothered to read this vent-storm this far. See how it’s two pieces? Qty: 1?

Anyway, the blame-the-customer approach doesn’t work well with me so I told them to take it all back and cancel the order. The person on the phone says I’ll have to call customer support and that I *will be charged* for giving Sears the run around and not ordering the correct thing.

I called my credit card company first. I already have my money back, and every penny of it. Then I called Sears and thanked them and explained how much I was looking to sleep on the floor for a week after attempting to help keep them in business. They agreed a refund was the correct answer.

New, nicer mattress has been ordered from 1-800-mattress and will arrive today (same day! free delivery!) between 3:00-9:00 PM. Literally one phone call and 15 minutes of my time. I could have done the whole thing online but I after such terrible customer service I wanted to have a human being verify that it’ll be here today and that there were no surprises I needed to know about.

“No problem at all sir.”

That’s more like it.

Burn in hell, Sears.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 16:15

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That’s a lot of writing to say that they fell behind in the industry.

Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief > gin-san - shitpost specialist 04/07/2018 at 16:20

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I could have some sympathy for being a little behind the times but someone telling me I’ll be sleeping on the order for buying the wrong thing when it was their mistake... just hit the nerve. I’m just venting so I don’t stomp around all day.

WilliamsSW > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 16:21

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TIL that Sears is still in business

shop-teacher > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 16:24

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Wow! I’ve had some crazy dealings with Sears, they are comically behind the times, but this takes the cake.

Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief > WilliamsSW 04/07/2018 at 16:24

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Kind of.

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 16:30

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To think people are actually holding sears stock...wtf?

SmugAardvark > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) 04/07/2018 at 16:51

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I imagine that they all look like this.

SmugAardvark > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 16:55

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As far as I can recall, the only occasions in which I ever bothered to shop at Sears was to buy tools, back when their unlimited lifetime warranty actually meant just that.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > SmugAardvark 04/07/2018 at 16:56

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And are probably stuck in that era as well.

Montalvo > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 17:09

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I went to Sears a few months ago to buy a tool set. All of their registers are from the 80's and most are broken. They then said I had to watch this video trying to get me to subscribe to some BS I wanted nothing to do with. A 30 second transaction took about 30 min. I will never go back and that is the reason they are failing and deservedly so. Also their workers are completely clueless on basic items like what a tarp is. It’s a shame a once great brand is in the toilet but maybe it’s for the better because no one should have to experience that crap. If I was in charge of the place I would have bitten the bullet and closed up a while ago.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 17:09

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I bought a stove at the sears scratch and dent store in Ranch Cordova but if I remember correctly I got our last two beds at sleep train. The Sears at the Arden mall in Sacramento was a sad place to visit and that was 10 years ago.

WilliamsSW > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 17:32

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Wow that looks like a great investment.

For short selling.

ranwhenparked > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 17:43

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The last time I tried to shop at Sears, I was the only customer in the store. Literally. There were about a dozen employees standing in various parts of the sales floor, and every one of their eyes was on me from the moment I walked through the door, following me around the store. I got creeped out and went to Kohl’s instead.

Also, the store was about half empty, and they were using bedsheets hanging from the ceiling to hide the parts they weren’t using, and all the shelves and fixtures seemed beat up and haphazardly placed, and a good portion of the fluorescent lights were either off or burned out.

ranwhenparked > gin-san - shitpost specialist 04/07/2018 at 17:46

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Its really sad, considering they were the Amazon of the late 19th/early 20th century. They didn’t even have any physical stores for about the first 50 years. Unfortunately, they basically closed down their mail order division a few years before the Internet started to take off, then made the mistake of hitching themselves to K-Mart.

facw > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 17:47

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Meanwhile, at 1-800-Mattress’ corporate parent:

See if you can guess where “accounting irregularities” became public...

AestheticsInMotion > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 18:04

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I don’t get how they’re still around. The one near me is a ghost town (in a huge metropolitan area no less) and the prices are not great.

For what it’s worth, the online Mattress wave that’s exploded the last few years is fantastic. I’ve bought a Casper bed for myself and a Leesa for someone else, and EVERY step of the process was amazing. They handle it all, complete money back guarantee, they’ll come pick up the mattress if you don’t want it, and the prices are much cheaper than mattress stores, as is the quality of the final product (how the hell are mattress stores still around? Paying $3000 for $200 worth of material with an old brand name is a bit outdated..).

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > SmugAardvark 04/07/2018 at 18:23

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craftsmen is still honoring the warrenty.

Nom De Plume > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 18:34

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We get it Sears, but did you have to burn them down.

Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief > facw 04/07/2018 at 18:35

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Lol. Whoops. 

Rico > AestheticsInMotion 04/07/2018 at 18:37

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How’s your Casper holding up?

AestheticsInMotion > Rico 04/07/2018 at 18:57

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Pretty well. I’m just starting year three and the foam is still in perfect shape, no lumps, no dips. The mattress cover itself has 3 or 4 small holes (nickel sized) but in all fairness, I’m lazy and sometimes just sleep on the cover instead of putting a bottom sheet on. Plus the bed gets used as a seat.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 18:59

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I bought our new washing machine from Sears, because they had stock of a nearly impossible to find LG model, and their price was a few $$ cheaper than a place I would have to order from and wait for the machine to show up... When the Sears guy asked me if I wanted the Sears extended service contract on the machine it was all I could to keep from laughing in his face... I politely declined and took my 5-year manufacturer-warranted washer home at a good price. I trust LG will still be in business in 5 years. Sears, not so much.

Tapas > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 19:32

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Holy fucking shit. That’s excruciating lol

SmugAardvark > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 04/07/2018 at 20:51

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This is true, but they’ve added stipulations (limited warranties on some tools, and I’ve heard that some stores are asking for receipts).

Rico > AestheticsInMotion 04/07/2018 at 22:48

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Do you find it to be hot at all? I was also considering the Leesa bed, did you get a chance to test that one out too? I’ll be in the market for a new Queen size bed and wondering if I should do a Serta or Sealy (or whatever old school brand still makes decent beds) or go with one of the online beds.

AestheticsInMotion > Rico 04/07/2018 at 22:55

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No, doesn’t seem to be hot. It was such a huge jump in comfort from my crappy old box spring/mattress combo, but if I did it again, I’d probably get the Leesa hybrid foam/spring mattress, or try one of the latex mattresses.

If you haven’t, check out the reviews here.

http://www.sleeplikethedead.com/mattress-reviews-foam.html

Tristan > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/07/2018 at 23:22

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I bought my fridge and washer/dryer from Sears. The washer drain was hooked up wrong and flooded the bathroom upon first use, and there’s a lovely gouge in my hardwood floor leading all the way from the door to the spot where the fridge resides... At least I got enough store credit out of the deal to get a TV mount and really nice shop vac for $14.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/08/2018 at 10:36

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My LG fridge had a 7 year warranty. 8+ years of sitting in a hot Texas garage it has had no problems. From my limited experience and everything I’ve heard LG appliances a pretty solid. Wise choice not getting the extended contract even if it wasn’t Sears.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief 04/08/2018 at 18:27

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I hate Sears cuz I can’t walk into thier store and buy a lawn tractor drive belt for a mower they have been selling for 100 fucking years. Instead I have to order it on line and wait a week for the fucking thing. I mean have the damn store is empty, it’s not like they are short on space. I think they have given up and are just waiting for the inevitable