Sears selling Craftsman

But Sears isn’t owned by someone who has a head for running a business. He’s a hedge fund manager that knows a lot about buying and selling assets. Not much else. Right now the company is being dismantled. When all the good stuff is gone, then all that’ll be left won’t be worth much. Next on the chopping block is Kenmore. They are looking for a buyer now.

So after they sold Lands-End, Craftsman, Kenmore - what is left?

The argument was “it’s beyond saving.” It’s not beyond saving, but their CEO does not want to save it.

As far as I’m concerned, Kenmore is just a name . . . they don’t even make their own appliances, and mine haven’t been any more reliable, versus other brands

Even when Sears carried Lands End clothing in the stores, the selection was very lacking.

In fact, most of the clothing that Sears sells, screams “Poverty” . . . it’s so ugly and cheap looking, you should just wear a sign stating that you are a loser

Just because you are a penny pincher, doesn’t mean your clothing has to announce it

I buy clothes at Costco, and I feel it’s pretty inconspicuous looking.

I don’t understand the value of brands. If I buy any of a half dozen riding mowers with highly respected brand names they are likely built by MTD to their mediocre quality. Schwinn and Huffy are now meaningless plates riveted to the stems of bikes made by various Chinese manufacturers, unlike the rebadged Japanese built Ford Courier and Chevrolet LUV, which were equal to if not superior to domestic models. But what are the chances that the future will find Craftsman tool quality performing up to the reputation that took many decades to build? And is Snap-On quality on the decline now that they are being marketed by retailers?

I guess a good reputation is just an asset that can be cashed in these days… for products and people.

That reputation is already suffering. Anything Craftsman I buy today is unlikely to be anywhere near the quality of the Craftsman stuff my dad bought.

Probably not the real stuff, but the fake stuff is. I mean, does anyone really believe that Snap-On actually makes grill spatulas or flashlights? Gotta check the box and make sure “licensed” isn’t on there anywhere.

I’ve mentioned that “snap on” merchandise, which is sold at Costco, to my snap on tool truck guy

he said he looked into it and was informed by his superiors that it is essentially fake. He said the manufacturer did NOT secure the rights to use the snap on name, and snap on corporate was pursuing the matter

True, but not everything is savable.
In the case of Sears it’s academic. The new CEO made billions buying troubled companies that were worth more as pieces than whole and breaking them up selling the pieces off, deep-sixing the original corporation. I don’t believe there was any intention at that point to save Sears, only to save the major shareholders. From a personnel standpoint it seems cold, but from a business standpoint it’s the only option that makes sense. Pouring huge sums into a long-troubled company to try to save it is not always the best option for the investors. I believe that was the case here.

Life goes on. Many of the retailers I used to like are gone. Zayres, Ames, F.W. Woolworth, J.M. Fields, Home Quarters, Building 19, Johnny Zylas, and countless others. That’s just the way the world works. Every company has a lifecycle. Sears is, I believe, in the late autumn of its life cycle.

Just an FYI, I seem to recall years ago reading that Sear’s automotive business was sold to NTB (National Tire & Battery). I could be wrong, but that’s what I seem to remember.

So Craftsman and Lands-end. They are just a name…always have been. What stood out was Sears backing the product with their store. When a store owns the product they tend to stand behind the product and control the quality of the product more.

What about Stanley? Are you way down on them, too? That’s the other part of the B&D business. I have some B&D power lawn tools and a tire inflator. They work fine for me. They certainly aren’t professional tools, but I didn’t pay professional prices for them, either. They aren’t just buying the tool line, they are buying to good will earned over many years of satisfactory service. Maybe Stanley/BD wants to take advantage of that instead of running it into the ground.

Of course Sears is going out of business. The fire sale is full on. They are also looking for a buyer for Kenmore appliances. If the company is selling its major attractions, they are going out of business, pure and simple.

Yup. And backing the product THROUGH their store. It used to be that if you had a problem, Sears would take care of it, even of it required replacing the product. You didn’t get directed to the product manufacturer.

And, of course, the thing that built Sears was their mail-order catalogs. Much of the country was rural, and rural folks could order directly from the catalog and not have to drive insane distances to a store. They could buy just about anything for the home… including the home itself! And Sears would deliver the house (in kit form) directly to the property! That was, of course, long ago, before there were shopping malls and stores almost everywhere.

Sad to see another once great brand name sold off. Stanley used to be a great brand also but now they’re junk. Craftsman will now be just another junk brand.

Woolworths is actually still around. But in a completely different form. They started shifting towards this while there were still Woolworths around. It’s call Foot Locker now. They also own a few other small companies.

As to Sears staying around. With the right CEO at it’s helm - then I think it could. But the current owner/hedge fund manager - no way no how.

I was under the impression Stanley owns the Mac tool brand, which I feel is good quality

But I feel that the Stanley and B&D branded tools are very mediocre

I suspect if the Craftsman name survives, the lifetime warranty will disappear, at which point there will no longer be any rational reason to buy the tools

When was Stanley a great brand . . . ?

I always felt they were okay, but not more than that

Ever buy something from LL Bean? (I love that store). Buy a jacket from them…if you think it should last 20 years, but only lasts 5 through normal use…they’ll give you a full refund. I know…I’ve done it. Bought a second jacket from them and still wearing it some 25 years later. And still in excellent shape…and the style is coming back…

I think even if “the right CEO” were to magically be at the helm of Sears, it’s too late for the company

Kind of like Darth Vader in the last few minutes of “Return of the Jedi” . . . nothing could save him, at that point

db4690 - you’re a professional mechanic…so you’re view on tools is skewed.

As a consumer I found Stanley tools acceptable…But I don’t use them the same as you do. I know that Snap-on is better then Craftsman, but Craftsman has been fine for me. I’ve only had to get 3 tools (mainly sockets) replaced in the 30+ years I’ve owned them.

I could also be wrong, but my recollection is that NTB was just another retail outlet owned by Sears, and that the NTB locations–like the Sears Auto Centers–were sold several years ago to many different companies. As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of the Sears Auto Centers in NJ is owned by a mega car dealership with a…not-so-great…reputation.

I think that the auto centers and NTB may have been the first parts of the business to be “monetized” by Eddie Boy, followed by Lands End, followed by Craftsman, followed by mass store closures, followed by…

You are, of course, correct

I demand more of the tools than you do, because I have to earn a living with them