Lawn & Garden Discussions

What is Sears Missing?

 
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SHC-DeanS Carpentersville, IL posts: 10
posted on October 27, 2009 at 10:29AM Inappropriate? Quote Reply

My name is Dean Schwartz and I'm responsible for the merchant organization for the Lawn and Garden product category at Sears.  As we look at fall/winter 2009 and 2010 and then into Spring 2010...what are we missing in our product assortments?  Is there anything you thought we had in the store that your trip to the store revealed we didn't have?  Is there something our competitors have in their assortments that you wish we had?  Let me know!

2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on October 27, 2009 at 10:49AM
 

For in the store:

Charcoal for the charcoal grills...

High-wheel trimmers for California.

An electric chipper/shredder (mostly for leaves and pine needles).

Small generators.

A composting kit.

2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on October 27, 2009 at 10:55AM
 

Collapsible leaf bins (springy trashcan-type containers that flatten down to a disk) would be a nice addition.

Have composters of any kind been tried in-store? Bins or spinning barrels might be worthwhile.

A simplified glove selection wouldn't hurt. As it stands, there are approximately 30 gloves in L&G, along with about 30 in HI, many of which overlap (like split-grain leather gloves). Reducing the glove assortment to avoid unnecessary redundancy should make this accessory more profitable long-term.

It appears hoses have undergone some long-needed culling, but hose attachments have exploded with the introduction of the Chinese-made Craftsman attachments. Meanwhile, the Companion products still appear on shelves. Is there a plan to phase Companion out of the L&G line-up? If we need a non-warranteed product to provide a lower price-point versus the Craftsman forever guaranteed products, couldn't we use a cheap national brand rather than diluting the Sears brand with lower quality products? This same point could apply to stick tools and pruning tools, too, though if they switched over to evolv, and added ergonomic dual-material grips like the evolv hand tools have, that might make even better sense.

And, of course, we need to find a permanent solution to rakes. For the past three years, the large fiberglass handled Craftsman rakes have had shipping and quality issues. For such a critical autumn clean-up tool, Sears has been dropping the ball. If we need to start shipping rakes earlier to detect shipping-based issues, or if it's a vendor-driven problem, it needs to be sorted out to avoid losing customers unnecessarily.

2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on October 27, 2009 at 10:56AM
 
In response to AdamO's post from October 27 2009 10:49AM

You want our charcoal? It's CLRX for around $2 a bag!

I'll go along with the small generators. Some people do come in looking for 1500-2500 kW generators.

2009 President's Circle
posted on October 27, 2009 at 02:25PM
 
In response to AdamO's post from October 27 2009 10:49AM

your al;lowed to burn charcoal in california? heck are you allowed to burn anything in CA any more?

2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on October 27, 2009 at 02:55PM
 
In response to goodole312's post from October 27 2009 02:25PM

I think you're allowed to burn rubber getting the heck out of CA. ;)

posted on October 27, 2009 at 09:14PM
 
In response to BlueCrewGuyInMA's post from October 27 2009 10:55AM
You are right on target with many of your suggestions and we are working to execute many of them now. Thanks for your feedback and stay tuned!
posted on October 27, 2009 at 09:16PM
 
In response to SHC-RandyR's post from October 27 2009 09:14PM

Sorry. To clarify, my post was specific to BlueCrewGuyInMA.

2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on October 27, 2009 at 11:37PM
 
In response to SHC-RandyR's post from October 27 2009 09:16PM

You don't have to direct your responses manually; by hitting the Reply button, it automatically says who your reply is directed to. Pretty slick, eh? :)

2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on October 28, 2009 at 05:32AM
 

One of those battery-powered, motion sensing, animal squirting things.

A Customer came in looking for one.

They sell them over to Ace Hardware.

Sears should sell them, too - to generate more garden hose sales...

posted on October 28, 2009 at 02:50PM
 

Free delivery - or discounted delivery.  Sears has the highest cost of delivery of all the major power equipment stores in Wisconsin.  $65 is absurd when I can get $20 at Menards, Home Depot, and Fleet Farm and Free Delivery from Lowes and True Value Hardware

2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on October 28, 2009 at 04:14PM
 
In response to dx316ns's post from October 28 2009 02:50PM

In almost every case, a comparable Craftsman product, even with delivery added, comes out costing less than products at other retailers. If we're already beating the competition on price by a wide margin, and enough that delivery doesn't affect which retailer costs less for comparable products...

Well...you know. :)

posted on October 28, 2009 at 05:18PM
 

When the other retailers have the free delivery...are they offering via mail in rebate or instant?  Our local Lowe's store doesn't offer free delivery at this time...only appliances.  Also, keep the product ideas coming...

posted on October 31, 2009 at 02:42PM
 
In response to SHC-DeanS's post from October 27 2009 10:29AM

Yes, you need to put tracks back on the snowblowers like Sears used too. You get more traction and can go without chains to clean snow. I have the older model Sears Snow Thrower with Tracks instead of wheels which iliminates the need for cahins on the wheels. Why did Sear change that? 

2009 President's Circle
posted on October 31, 2009 at 02:58PM
 
In response to dx316ns's post from October 28 2009 02:50PM

I agree.

2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on October 31, 2009 at 04:23PM
 
In response to gusblue's post from October 31 2009 02:42PM

It's not that Sears changed it; it's a system that no manufacturers use for their consumer snowthrowers anymore, most likely because it's far more part/labor intensive in manufacture and more expensive to repair when/if it's necessary.

2009 President's Circle
posted on October 31, 2009 at 05:48PM
 
In response to BlueCrewGuyInMA's post from October 27 2009 10:55AM

And, of course, we need to find a permanent solution to rakes.

The problem with rakes is educating the customer to use metal rakes in Spring and plastic sweep rakes or the 30" drag rakes in Fall. Sturdy metal is better for dethatching their lawns in Spring and the plastic rakes are only intended for dry leaves and won't damage shrubs or hedges.

Small, 1500 Watt campground-quiet generators would sell year-round. 

2009 President's Circle
posted on October 31, 2009 at 06:08PM
 
In response to gusblue's post from October 31 2009 02:42PM

Troybuilt's 2690XP should still be available elsewhere but frankly the track machines are not big volume sellers at Sears. There have been 2 steerable track Craftsman models in the past 10 years and the demand just isn't there. I've run one of the earlier models without steering and it was impossible to manuever. These new lug style or snowhog tires work fine without chains.

2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on November 05, 2009 at 02:16AM
 

The free shipping on the store to home orders are great.

Free shipping on store parts direct to home orders would be awesome, to.

posted on November 05, 2009 at 11:23AM
 

For some of the higher quality items that you sell especially chippers and log splitters, it would be advantageous to have samples of these in your bigger stores especially those that are not the craftsman name

2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on November 06, 2009 at 03:14AM
 

There was a Craftsman Shredder/Chipper on floor display, for a number of years.

None of the Customers new what it was!

It finally went on clearance sale and I picked it up (knowing what it is) and it's up to my property a shredding and a chipping, now.

2009 President's Circle
posted on November 06, 2009 at 02:59PM
 

Wheelbarrows.  The store I went to had I think two -- and they were both in a box up on a shelf.  You need to get some on display on the floor.

 

posted on November 07, 2009 at 03:04PM
 

A pull behind rake that can be used with any sears tractor york makes a 48inch rake that will work with a 10 to 20h.p. tractor.The only rake now offered by craftsman will only work with tractors that have 23inch or bigger tires another words garden tractors.I suggest your engineers look at the york ta-1 because of its wheels it can be pulled by almost anything.

2009 President's Circle
posted on November 07, 2009 at 03:25PM
 

Sears needs to buy Whirlpool outright. Then we can talk about having true appliance domination.

2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on November 07, 2009 at 03:38PM
 

We setup some display wheel barrows, last season.

They sure sold FAST!

2009 Contributors Circle
posted on November 11, 2009 at 02:09AM
 

know how on some troy-bilt tillers and bcs tillers you can get dozer blades for the front of them to move snow/dirt with? yeah i want one of them for my craftsman tiller! that will also boost winter sales of tillers as you will be able to use them year round.

2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on November 11, 2009 at 02:45AM
 

Are C3 19.2 volt cordless Lawn and Garden tools coming in 2010?

The store is still waiting for the C3 "chainsaw" to come.

posted on November 11, 2009 at 06:28AM
 
In response to AdamO's post from November 11 2009 02:45AM

We are currently working with the Craftsman team and a few of our vendors to move to the C3 platform for cordless products in L&G.  The C3 chainsaw is out there already.  Does your store not have it?

posted on November 11, 2009 at 07:02AM
 
In response to madgolfer's post from October 31 2009 06:08PM

The madgolfer is right.  I am the snow thrower buyer and we have tried track unit snow throwers multiple times and have been disappointed with the sales results.  Our Craftsman Pro units with the heavy duty tires will get the job done without using track technology in most cases.

2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on November 12, 2009 at 04:41PM
 
When do you expect to get lawn mowing "robots" that are programmed to act like an outdoor Roomba?
2009 Chairman's Circle
posted on November 12, 2009 at 05:02PM
 
In response to gulicious's post from November 07 2009 03:25PM

Uh, that's not very Lawn & Garden. :)

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