Did Sears lay an EGG on Black Friday?

I noticed your post about the jeans and recommend that you call our Personal Shopper service to try to get the specific jeans you need. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/nb_10153_12605_NB_Shopping+Tools

Regarding the washer/dryer set, the tickets were handed out at 3am and at 4am they were rung up in the merchandise pickup area and not in the Home Appliance area so they could control crowds better.  We checked sales reports and confirmed that all 4 were sold right after opening in that store yesterday.

 

michelina said…

I noticed your post about the jeans and recommend that you call our Personal Shopper service to try to get the specific jeans you need. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/nb_10153_12605_NB_Shopping+Tools

Regarding the washer/dryer set, the tickets were handed out at 3am and at 4am they were rung up in the merchandise pickup area and not in the Home Appliance area so they could control crowds better.  We checked sales reports and confirmed that all 4 were sold right after opening in that store yesterday.

 

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And how long would I be on the phone trying to sort this mess out? I shouldn't HAVE to call anyone.

BEWARE - we purchased a washer/dryer on Black Friday and arranged to pick it up later. They called later to say they sold too many and our order was cancelled. By that time, we couldnt go get a great deal at another store cuz the sales were already over! They would do nothing to make up for THEIR ERROR - all we asked for was a comparable item for a comparable price...instead they said my husband "tricked them" into selling him the item and that he was a liar! My husband is a state trooper with the highest integrity of any man I have ever met and would never lie let alone cheat, and the clerk called him a liar to his face in the presence of her department and store manager, with no recourse from them at all. This is what Sears considers to be the best customer service they have to offer! I AM CALLING FOR A BOYCOTT OF SEARS BY ALL, BUT ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE STATE POLICE AND THE US POSTAL SERVICE - we should not tolerate this treatment! We work hard for our money and 'BAIT AND SWITCH" is against the law!

mrskimbeard said…

BEWARE - we purchased a washer/dryer on Black Friday and arranged to pick it up later. They called later to say they sold too many and our order was cancelled. By that time, we couldnt go get a great deal at another store cuz the sales were already over! They would do nothing to make up for THEIR ERROR - all we asked for was a comparable item for a comparable price...instead they said my husband "tricked them" into selling him the item and that he was a liar! My husband is a state trooper with the highest integrity of any man I have ever met and would never lie let alone cheat, and the clerk called him a liar to his face in the presence of her department and store manager, with no recourse from them at all. This is what Sears considers to be the best customer service they have to offer! I AM CALLING FOR A BOYCOTT OF SEARS BY ALL, BUT ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE STATE POLICE AND THE US POSTAL SERVICE - we should not tolerate this treatment! We work hard for our money and 'BAIT AND SWITCH" is against the law!

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I'm referring your matter to SearsCares so that we can better understand what happened.

The media certainly thought so, chastising major retaillers for offering extremely limited quanitities, however well-defined, as unethical sensationalism at the least. What was devised as essentially a first-come, first-served contest has likely caused more damage than Goodwill for fundamental customer relations.

You have to remember the media likes to sensationalize everything. What would happen if retailers over ordered like they did last year? Then the media would be saying something like "Retailers fail again at predicting the effects of the downturn of the economy will have on their customer base and are stuck eating losses due to unsold products." And to be fair, most retailers (including Sears/Kmart), listed the minimum amount that was available per store in the ads.

To mrskimbeard,

I am terribly sorry to hear of this. This was not our intention whatsoever. Unfortunately, there is limited stock available for purchases on Black Friday and it looks like the store was unaware they oversold the stock. The store should have done something to assist with this oversight though. Additionally, how you were treated in the store is 100% unacceptable by any Sears standard and needs to be addressed. My name is Brian and I'm part of the Sears Cares Escalations team and we can help. At your convenience, please contact my office via email at searscares@searshc.com so you don't have to continue to be frustrated. In the email, please provide a contact phone number and the phone number the washer and dryer were purchased under (if different than the contact phone number) and we will call you directly. Also, please provide the screen name (mrskimbeard) used to post here for reference to your issue, and we do look forward to talking to you soon.

Thank you,

Brian J.

Senior Case Manager

Sears Cares

Bait and switch: a sales tactic in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced item but is then encouraged to buy a higher-priced one.

Ok. So Sears offers a super low price on a washer/dryer set and...OOPS!!! We are "sold out". Now how many SUCKERS thought, "oh well, there are these washers/dryers in stock", then purchased a higher dollar set.

Now I want to know how this is the customers fault (my fault) that online sales came up with a bogus "This item is not available in the Fit/Color/Waist Size/Inseam you have selected" and today the magically have plenty in stock. It's MY FAULT??? I would love for Sears to make this right.

Well, that could be said for EVERY Black Friday deal ANYWHERE. Virtually every retailer has limited quantities, and if you don't make it in time, you either have to wait until the next sale, or buy something more expensive. So, no matter how it's spun, it's not unique to Sears. And, if you really want it, pitch that tent like the other diehards did. It doesn't sound worthwhile to me, but hey, it works for others.

While I've never taken advantage of it on a major purchase, Friends & Family days sounds like the way to go -- very low prices, but it doesn't seem to be as competitive, nor does it involve skipping a night's sleep...

michelina said…

Regarding the washer/dryer set, the tickets were handed out at 3am and at 4am they were rung up in the merchandise pickup area and not in the Home Appliance area so they could control crowds better.

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you mean so the "winners" wouldnt get jumped. only 4 sets on hand your lucky there werent fist fights over it, guess its a good thing most people didnt know there were only 4 sets since i bellive the wording was that there are atleast so many sets perstore not only what ever number it was for each deal.

 

 

thelatchkeykid said…

Bait and switch: a sales tactic in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced item but is then encouraged to buy a higher-priced one.

Ok. So Sears offers a super low price on a washer/dryer set and...OOPS!!! We are "sold out". Now how many SUCKERS thought, "oh well, there are these washers/dryers in stock", then purchased a higher dollar set.

Now I want to know how this is the customers fault (my fault) that online sales came up with a bogus "This item is not available in the Fit/Color/Waist Size/Inseam you have selected" and today the magically have plenty in stock. It's MY FAULT??? I would love for Sears to make this right.

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Michelina has suggested the Personal Shopper Service and I agree you should try that service. You have the option to chat online, request a call back or send an email (Monday - Friday). Please give them a try and let us know how it goes. 

And to be fair, most retailers (including Sears/Kmart), listed the minimum amount that was available per store in the ads.

Offering four pairs of washers and dryers is unreasonable in a market of a hundred thousand households and promotes competition among customers which is foolish. Four of anything wouldn't cover even employee demand. A wiser strategy would be a plentiful supply of any advertised item. Say GPS for fifty bucks or digital frames for ten, xmas trees for less than a hundred, free anything!  It only lasts a few hours, creates tremendous Goodwill and opens the floodgates for consumers. Let the media sensationalize that.

1200/store is reasonable in a metropolitan market... 4, not so much. And I agree, its a great week to need a washer or dryer from Sears. 

What is the Personal Shopper Service? I may have overlooked what they do.

For the washer/dryer...our local Sears is one of those Hometown stores. How many were they given? Now the big Sears 40 miles away (Paducah, KY), were they only given four? If so, that's awful. I could see selling four per the Hometown store and 20-30 sets for a full serivce Sears store.

You say "We" so you are implying that you are speaking on behalf of Sears. How appropriate...your response is right in line with the treatment we received from the other employees.  I appreciate you taking the time to understand my concerns before firing off a curt reply; that is shown by the fact that you thought I was referring to last year and had to edit your response. Why in the world would Sear's want 'EVERYBODY" to take advantage of doorbuster pricing? That would be silly, wouldn't it! I wonder if those limited number of customers were the only ones who received good service, because the rest of us certainly did not. You, sir, are the epitomy and prime example of Sears image.

Here is the link for the personal shopper, latchkeykid.  It is a really useful option:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/dap_10153_12605_DAP_Personal+Shopper?adCell=W14&adCell=B0

It is true that it was clearly advertised that there would only be four available in the store. However, to allow someone to come in and actually pay for an item that is not in stock is unacceptable. Especially when we could have gone to any number of other stores to try and get one of their 'door-busters' had we not gotten a set at Sears. If we had gone to Sears and they had been sold out of their four sets, we would have simply gone on to another store! There is no sensationalism or whining going on here as stated by that fine Sears employee on this site...just simply a desire for honesty and good customer service, just like we provide in our own jobs.

I will try not to blow my top this time, but the Personal Shopper didn't work. I asked, "why could I not purchase these jeans on sale yesterday online?"

The reply was: "I do not have an exact answer for that. They could have been out of stock online, or the system was updating and not letting you make the purchase."

They system was updating? How could they be out of stock online and magically be in stock today? WHY CAN I NOT GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER?!?!?!?!

BlueCrewGuyInMA said…

Almost. Bait and switch requires the product to either be available but not being offered (in other words, Sears would have had to had the product but not allowed anybody to buy it), or it has to not be available in the first place (which it most certainly was, in the limited quantities that were clearly described in all advertising for the Black Friday doorbuster, and I know I rang up our store's four sets, and saw them out back, so I can guarantee they were sold).

Likewise, advertising a sale while intending to stock a limited amount of, and thereby sell out, the loss-leading item advertised is legal in the United States. The purveyor can escape liability if they make clear in their advertisements that quantities of items for which a sale is offered are limited. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bait_and_switch)

This is why I say that most people don't understand what bait and switch actually is, and use the term incorrectly, thus diluting the meaning of the term. Limited quantity doorbuster sales are not bait and switch.

 

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actually it sounds more like sears fully understands bait and switch and does just enough to beable to skirt the law

Still waiting on a straight answer. I want Sears to admit they were not out of stock on those jeans yesterday. I want them to admit they were wrong. You know, I can understand limiting heavily on electronics or appliances...but clothing? Those $9.99 jeans...I bet Sears is still making a profit.