Thread regarding Sears layoffs

Your right, IR is much more than shipping product. But it is the shipping and the product that brings people in. Our IR only ships once a week so people get there stuff days-weeks later than what they would get with Amazon. Also, the shipping is outrageous on some items, sometimes as much as the item cost. And there are too many third party vendors selling on the Sears/Kmart site with little to no oversight or accountability. Many third party vendors sell for almost twice as much as Amazon.

And lastly, many items are out of stock or not avaliable for delivery, in store pick-up only. With many stores closing many people (myself included) do not have a Sears or a Kmart within 2 hours of us.

IR is so much more than shipping product.

It shows here with people posting about shipping materials.

This is why Sears totally missed the mark.

"Integrated retail" as practiced by SHC is something that sounds futuristic and high tech on paper, but ignores what people really want in a retail store. As of the end of 2016, 92% of all retail sales dollars still went through brick and mortar stores, the "traditional" way. People use devices to gather information, but when it comes down to actually buying things, stopping in at a store is still the preferred option. Smart retailers, such as Walmart, are developing the other sales channels while also maintaining and building stores.

Management at SHC lives in a fantasy world where it's possible to make money without investment and work. They think they can magically transform to a low investment, low asset, high profit business. It's pure delusion in the ultra competitive retail business. Integrated retail is just a meaningless slogan and a diversion from reality.

There is no "beacon" for the future of SHC, only an epitaph. The company is already dead, a corporate zombie burning off what's left of the assets.

A recent CIA declassified memorandum identifies the intent of N. Korea's recent missile testing is to actually launch a strike against Sears at Hoffman Estates. The misguided thought by N. Korea's leader is that "Eddie L" at Hoffman Estates intends on opening a Sears Store in the N. Korean capitol. Understandably, a fate worse than death. The N. Korean leader may be a clear thinker and visionary after all.

Still, and when considering Sears is predictably "blowing up frequently", similar to the recent missile failures in N. Korea, . . . the lackeys at Hoffman Estates have nothing to worry about -- -- for awhile.

@lsj- it must be different in every store? At ours they send more boxes, bubble wrap, and packing tape than we have room to store.

If IR is the future then the future is bleak. I have worked in the IR at my store for three years and we don't buy boxes to ship merchandise. We use old boxes from other merchandise that has come in the truck to ship IR. We don't really thin tape that breaks or does not stick. We used regular old Scotch tape (like you would use with wrapping paper on a gift) for some of our Christmas orders. We have no packing peanust or bubble wrap. If anything is large we just ship it with the shipping lable on the box. That was not good at Christmas shipping kids gifts (think large doll houses, bikes, etc) with just a shipping lable on the box. I can imagine what the parents thought when they pulled up to the house and there is all the Christmas gifts on the front porch so the kids could see.

And lastly our IR is down at least 50-60% from last year.

An area restaurant had this displayed on the outside of their building, "Free crab legs tomorrow." While this sounds enticing, the fact is the statement is an empty promise since tomorrow is always a day away. That is how I view the "integrated retail" proposal.... we aim to become the world's greatest integrated retailer, tomorrow. SHC has been pitching this concept for at least five years and they are no closer to their goal than when they started.

Salesflash, I mean news flash, I wouldn't call the integrated retail executives "successful." All I see are declining metrics for Sears online sales.

"The executives with free reign are the ones who are working on projects that have nothing to do with the physical stores."

Good point. The people working on projects such as "integrated retail" can brag about the number of SYWR accounts and other meaningless statistics, while people working on stores are stuck with the absolutely dismal sales numbers. It's also likely the people who stay around are better at s---ing up to Lampert.

Sears loves to try to play 'follow the leader'. Right now the leader is amazon.

The executives with free reign are the ones who are working on projects that have nothing to do with the physical stores.