Customer Feedback Discussion Board

What should Sears represent?

AdamO — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:43:54 GMT

Tolerance and Flexibility in dealing with Sears's many valued Customers...

What should Sears represent?

moze401 — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:37:07 GMT

Sears used to mean a lot to me. Customer service. Then I suggested Sears buy Lands End to improve their apparel and web presence. Then Kmart bought Sears. Now it means nothing to me.

What should Sears represent?

AdamO — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:21:51 GMT

Quality, Value and Innovation.

What should Sears represent?

workaholic — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 03:12:28 GMT

Looking at Sears in the future--hmm--running close to Amazon and overtaking the apparel world. How? Why can't we offer the broadest apparel offering online--become the go to place of fashion the way Amazon sells books and such. I always want something I can't find. Right now, I want a gunmetal silver leather jacket in a certain style of course--can't find it. Some of the style websites you can build a composite of your style and book it, an option for trendsetters to chat and design what they are looking for would be nice. Just a thought!

What should Sears represent?

gulicious — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:22:32 GMT

Perhaps, as some investors have suggested - Sears may look entirely different in five years. So different, the board itself may not even really have a idea of, as it evolves. Brands, holdings, retail, real estate. It has many avenues and they will change as times change. I guess we do expect something from high-on-up...

but maybe they themselves do not know.

What should Sears represent?

peacekeeper — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:32:04 GMT

I agree with you all. I specially go with Customer Service and Quality.

What should Sears represent?

worldweary2 — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:43:35 GMT

Modern, innovative, keep pace with the times.

I am getting tired of our kiosks being laughed at, and tired of waiting for the pages to load. It's hard to sell a product, when you are talking to the customer's back...

What should Sears represent?

gulicious — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:22:59 GMT

Why bother soul searching? Does Target really 'mean' anything, to anyone? I don't have any words to explain what Target does or sells besides the same stuff youll find in any department store in America. They just present it in a store that is modernized, brighter, and tend to have competitive prices and availability of popular things. To be fair, they have a huge DVD and software section, while their TV section is smaller. The same is true at Walmart although that is recently changing as they upscale the televisions.

Sears has a large TV offering, close to no DVDs and nothing worth remembering in terms of software. Sears sells a lot of clothing and so does Target. What can the difference be, besides brands? Prices? I think they match up on the end, when it adds up. Sears actually has the upper hand with the Lands' End shops which no other big box has. So really the only difference here is presentation.

Hire some architects. Seriously.

What should Sears represent?

AdamO — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:33:20 GMT

What comes to MY mind on the 4th of July is TOMORROW is the BIG day and there had better be some flowers available somewhere TODAY.

Ya...

I'm kinda proud of getting the fireworks and the blocked streets and all the noise, as an Anniversary reminder.

What should Sears represent?

AdamO — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:29:01 GMT

Truth - Justice - and the American Way!

Wait a minute.

That's someone else.

Neither Rain, nor sleet, nor potholes in the road.

Nope. Not that one...

A new lifetime warranted tool NO MATTER WHAT you do to the old one!

Much, warmer...

What should Sears represent?

goodole312 — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:47:38 GMT

rstinnett said…
michelina said…
Sears has meant many things to many people over its long history. Based on your experiences, what should Sears represent?

I remember not too long ago I could walk into Sears with a toaster I bought a year ago that had given out and they would replace it -- no questions asked. Today, I got 90 days and then it's "too bad".

well part of the problem is alot of less then honest people abused that return policy and the people at the top decieded they were loosing too much money

What should Sears represent?

rstinnett — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:35:43 GMT

michelina said…
Sears has meant many things to many people over its long history. Based on your experiences, what should Sears represent?

Sears needs to represent customer service. I don't care what Wal-Mart does, or what Target's policy is. Sears was founded on service and in recent years they have changed that and taken away part of what made Sears great.

I remember not too long ago I could walk into Sears with a toaster I bought a year ago that had given out and they would replace it -- no questions asked. Today, I got 90 days and then it's "too bad".

People pay for quality and service. If we want cheap we'll buy Wal-Mart junk, but some of us are willing to pay for quality.

What should Sears represent?

thatmanguy — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:43:16 GMT

The values espoused by Rob are not to be taken lightly.

Quality & Value - If you really want to know, Sears is the place to get quality at the best price. First off, they have their own major brands, Diehard, Kenmore, and Craftsman.
-Diehard: You can look at Consumer Reports and see that the Diehard Platinum car battery beats all other batteries hands down no contest. Only Sears sells it.
-Kenmore: This one brand, found only within the Sears Holdings Corporation, is found in a majority of United States homes. Sears has the largest market share in appliances buy far and much of that success comes from owning the Kenmore brand. Much of it is made by Whirlpool, the makers of such brands as Maytag, Amana, Jenn-air, and Kitchen-Aid. The thing is, you can buy a Kenmore with all of the same features as the other major appliance brands for hundreds of dollars less, and only at Sears Holdings!
Craftsman - Their hand tools have been in America's garages since 1927. Craftsman, the flagship tool (and lawn & garden) brand of Sears owns the dominant market share across the board and consistently has Consumer Reports best buys every year without fail. Whether it's a drill or a lawn tractor, if it's labeled Craftsman you are getting premium features and quality for an amazing price. The hand tools are covered by a lifetime warranty (if you want to talk ratchet repair, see my post on the "CRAFSTMAN HAND TOOL REPLACEMENT POLICY?" thread) and are trusted by tens of millions of Americans for their everyday tasks. These tools are proudly passed down generations and given as gifts every year.

Trust - America needs a retailer they can trust. Sears Holdings Corporation right now is trying very hard to reach out to the community for suggestions and help, and while some are helpful, many are reluctant and distant. Much of the business Sears thrives on are the people who have been raised going to Sears, and this market is dwindling away as more and more consumers lose brand and retailer loyalty as they try to stretch every dollar. Sears is outreaching to the public because even those at the top know very simply that if it weren't for the customer they would be out of the job. So what incentive do they have to lose customers over shady business practices? NONE!

I'll relate this to when I was in commissioned sales. Customers would ask me if they really needed a product/feature/service that I was offering them. I would then explain the benefits (cost/time savings) of what I was selling and asked them if they thought it was worth it. I told them straight up that my commission was dependent on my customers keeping what I sell them. If I oversell a customer, not only do I very likely get it returned, but I also lose that customer for a very long time, if not forever. Where is the monetary benefit? There is none, only monetary loss.

That is why customers came back repeatedly to buy from me, even recommending friends. Because I built a bond of trust and repore with them by selling them what they need, and not by trying to empty their wallet every sale. Now as a manager, I still treat the customer as I did before, taking care of their needs and concerns.

Forgive the verbose talk on trust, it's just that trust is the most important element in a retailer's representation to a customer.

What is the whole point of this website? To reach out to the community, gauge customer reactions/complaints/suggestions, and to steer the company in the right direction in these changing times. Sears is trying to honestly ask you posters what they need to do and represent to EARN your business, because any retailer knows that you can't expect sales nowadays to fall into your lap, they need to work for them.

What should Sears represent?

optiplex745 — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:13:12 GMT

what comes to mind on july 4th? america b-day and sales at sears!!!!

What should Sears represent?

optiplex745 — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:12:06 GMT

askrob is the man!!! sears stands for what america stands for - honesty,hardwork people put in and pride!!!!! what

What should Sears represent?

goodole312 — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:57:23 GMT

wow laying awake at night that would just be sad wouldnt it? if your not public relations, which is what this site seems to be, then just what the heck are you and michelina to hofman or to us?

What should Sears represent?

askrob — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:05:39 GMT

Well that is a great question. For a full answer, I will definitely need to get some input from a few folks here. I can't speak for everyone but I would say that Sears should stand for quality, value and trust. I know that these "virtues" are difficult to live up to (and many may think we fall short - sometimes way short), but for as many times as we stumble I do see individuals at all levels of this organization working hard to deliver on that promise to the customer every day.

When I think of my own experiences as a customer, I know how I Iike to be treated - well and fairly. That doesn't always happen. I get frustrated too. So, I am glad that we are getting the feedback we are, both positive and negative. And I can promise that this information is being shared at the highest levels of SHC.

Will that translate into immediate change? Sometimes, but not always. However, cumulatively these comments and ideas will help shape our company's direction and hopefully make for a better customer experience. One thing I can share is that we are revamping the Craftsman Club based in large part from community input. So many thanks!

To that point, I think one of the things we really need to focus on is making it much more obvious what we are doing to change SHC and how the Community is influencing that effort across the company. I think the second thing we need to do is encourage more of our senior leaders to participate in the dialog. I will make it my goal to ensure both happen.

BTW, if you have an urgent question, do feel free to post it on my profile page, I will definitely follow up

P.S. Just for the record, I am not with PR or any other outside company. Just wanted to clarify that point in case people were lying awake at night wondering or concerned for some reason

What should Sears represent?

goodole312 — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:42:12 GMT

na im guessing uncle eddie only lets them do this in their spare time

What should Sears represent?

ace1210 — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:55:20 GMT

Wow, more silence? Am I answering the wrong questions or asking the wrong questions?

What should Sears represent?

ace1210 — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:44:57 GMT

michelina, Thank you for valuing my opinion. I apologize if my above remark seemed sarcastic. I tend to get a little editorial sometimes.

I have a suggestion for improving this site. Add a feature that allows a person to review all of the posts of any individual poster. That way I could pull up all of my recent posts and copy the pertinent ones here. I think I've basically answered all of the above questions in different discussions.

I do have to agree with goodole312 about the lack of response about the Craftsman replacement policy from the two Sears reps here. Is this an internal policy not intended for direct public disclosure until the need arises? How far does the policy reach? I'm not trying to touch sensitive nerves here but I think this has the potential of harming one of the most innovative policies any retailer has ever created (even if it is a decades old policy, it's still a well-established, successful innovation). Who else guarantees their product with an unconditional replacement guarantee? I'm sure the list is quite short. If Sears has decided to water down that guarantee, they're just opening the door for future failures. This has been a major key to the Craftsman success. Other tool manufacturers produce quality products. Some have attempted to copy Sears' replacement policy. I've avoided them because I always knew I could count on Sears in this area (why go anywhere else?).

To go back to the original question, what does Sears management think Sears should represent?

What should Sears represent?

goodole312 — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:53:00 GMT

michelina id love to hear your imput on his tread about the ratchet repairs as opposed to just asking him for more info.

What should Sears represent?

michelina — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:32:07 GMT

Ace1210, you have some experience with our stores. What's really important to you? Do you think Sears should focus on any certain types of things (products, services, etc.)? How important is the Craftsman guarantee? Do you rely on protection plans?

What should Sears represent?

ace1210 — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:30:54 GMT

I think this question fell down. :(

What should Sears represent?

michelina — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:23:23 GMT

Sears has meant many things to many people over its long history. Based on your experiences, what should Sears represent?