What they need to do is recognize how the way American corporations do business creates disparity, and has placed 85% of the wealth, into the hands of 20% of the population.

They pay the people who do some of the dirtiest jobs $16,000 a year, or even less, take massive paychecks for themselves, and leave the company infrastructure to get a solid grade of "D".

Most of our tech is antiquated (servers, kiosks, etc.), and many of the stores need a good bit of remodeling.

They need to look at the cost of living, especially with their stores in states like NY, and California, where the disparity their way of doing business has created.  Pay commensurate with cost of living is non-existent in this company.

It should be.

worldweary2 said…

What they need to do is recognize how the way American corporations do business creates disparity, and has placed 85% of the wealth, into the hands of 20% of the population

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Its not the way corporations do business's that is the root of this problem its 2 fold. Its the way schools teach people, and how the government taxes them.

The poor and middle class are taught to go get good grades go to school get a job and buy doodads. The Rich teach their children to only buy things that generate income. So of course the rich will get richer... its a snowball. If you started buying investments instead of a new Thingie then one day your investments will cover you cost of living and if you keep leting that money grow you will then be rich and keep geting richer.

The second thing that keeps the poor and middle class poor and middle class is the Tax man. Workers make $100 and before they even see a dime of it The government has taken $15-60 of that right off the top. With what ever is left over you then have to buy gas Witch is then taxed again. Pay your phone bill wich is full of tax. Then the power bill wich is also taxed. The Americana worker doesn't stand a chance cause the tax man is bleedin him dry. Business's on the other hand get to pay all their expense's first and pay taxes on what is left...

You wanta be rich, Start your own busines and beet the tax man. If you like stayin poor or middle class please let the tax man bleed you dry.

dont think i was ever once taught in school or by my parents to go get a job and buy shiny things, from commercials maybe but never my parents or teachers.

yea beat the tax man. parents of one of my brothers class mates own a bar/resturant thinks hell have to close down because of the taxes

you know its funny only recently it seems have people been ******** about socalism when weve had socalist roots in our

economy since the first time there were taxes passed

I think Sears is the same as all retailers.  I worked in retail years ago.  Nevertheless and strong vision with passion and leadership go a long way

goodole312 said…

dont think i was ever once taught in school or by my parents to go get a job and buy shiny things, from commercials maybe but never my parents or teachers.

 

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Too bad, my dad finally got his Caddie when he retired... and his younger brother, the school administrator, got his in the 70's.

what would i do with a caddie i dont even play golf

TO:  Metalbard

In the last ten years, I did invest.  I bought stock, put into my 401k, and hedged against inflation for the future.

I lost EVERYTHING I worked nine years for, with the exception of about $1800 worth of stock in an up and coming Wi-Fi company.  In the last two years, I lost almost $20,000, and my former career. 

I never bought luxurious things, the most expensive vehicle I ever owned cost $9600, taxes, title, and tags.

Take a good look around, way beyond your neighborhood, because it just may open your eyes to what has gone on.  I live on Long Island, and have watched the way the corporate greed and bankers have just amassed wealth for themselves, leaving everyone else to flounder and struggle in the cost of living THEY have IMPOSED on us with their lifestyle.  I can't but hope to do what my father did before me, and the American Dream has been snatched from my hands.

I won't stop working for it, but I've taken a heavy hit, like so many of my friends, and neighbors.  Many of us now have to start over elsewhere after giving up years of seniority, and a decent, hard earned pay level.

We out here on the Island have a bit of a different, first hand perspective on disparity.

And, the "beating of the taxman", is the reason we have a grade of "D" when it comes to our nation's infrastructure.  Instead of paying into building the country, they build extravagant homes, and fancy "shiny goods" for themselves. 

WE NEED a change!

eh i wouldnt put a whole lot of concern into what he says. sounds like someone blindly following the anti establishment crowd instead of blindly following the establisment.  same dance different drummer

sorry to hear you lost a lot of money in your investments but I must warn against assuming that most 'smart' people have been sheltered from the losses. Even the biggest and best investors, save a few, have lost tremendous wealth. Our own chairman has lost quite a lot on some recent bets, and he is considered one of the most promising investors in our generation. So yes, youve lost a lot but so have plenty of other unsuspecting people who considered their investments sacred. This crash and economic environment is not the first of its kind, look at history and see that crashes and wealth disappear but always find a way back into the green with time. 

If I had to suggest a way to get yourself back on firm footing, the best investments are still in the stock market in great companies that are selling at very low prices. Do not invest your 401k in your company stock. Do not buy wi-fi companies and do not expect to beat the rich guys, because they do this for a living. Good luck.

Hey, look, all I know, is that my neighborhood used to be middle class. It used to be affordable, and you could buy your own home on $40,000 dollars a year. Things have changed, rich people found my neighborhood desirable, moved in, and jacked up the cost of everything from housing to groceries. I know many people who have lost houses, and life savings.

Most of them who caused the damage, not only to the economy, but to the local environment, work in NYC, or are on Wall St., and yes, they have lost a great deal as well.  BUT, they had bigger cushions, and in a way, got what they earned by playing with invisible money.

However, they created, and participated in the circus that caused the meltdown.

I'm not anti-establishment, I'm anti-greed, anti-self entitlement, and anti-avarice.

I've seen too many people fiscally evicted from their hometown, local business owners fiscally evicted from their stores, not because they didn't work hard enough, but because the rent was increased so much they had to pack it in.  Some after 20 years in the same commercially leased space.

It's outreageous, and it needs to stop.

It's like now, when people take more than they contribute to society that these kind of things happen.  Yes, there has been "boom, and BUST" since day one.  In the late 1700's, there was a recession on average every twenty years.

Haven't we figured out how to overcome this problem yet?

I guess not...

youve answered part of your own question. booms and busts are natural cycles and do not get 'overcome' - we will be here again and that much is absolutley certain. how, or what causes it will be slightly different. Some people talk about how things are different, how the bailout and reactions to failure are different but I believe nothing happens without an equal and opposite reaction. 

So right now things seem to be mending but in time, inflation can cause other types of damage. The best you can do is get a high paying stable job and seek to increase your productivity - there is no end to greed or '20 years in the community' - all of it ends but a new cycle begins. 

As for bashing wall street and investment types, do not get into a tizzy over their jobs. They work considerable hours working on intensely complex situations and earn a good deal of money doing it. It is not invisible money but rather, money that does exist and can have consequences. I also blame a significant portion of this crisis on ordinary citizens who purchased houses, cars and many lifestyle items on credit when they clearly did not have enough income to protect from this very problem. 

Anger is a two way street.

gulicious said… also blame a significant portion of this crisis on ordinary citizens who purchased houses, cars and many lifestyle items on credit when they clearly did not have enough income to protect from this very problem. 

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you mean the ones taken advantage of by preadtory loan agents/banks?

goodole312 said…

gulicious said… also blame a significant portion of this crisis on ordinary citizens who purchased houses, cars and many lifestyle items on credit when they clearly did not have enough income to protect from this very problem. 

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you mean the ones taken advantage of by preadtory loan agents/banks?

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AND, why were those things they overpaid for so expensive? The people in question who created the crisis. Supply and demand. If someone can afford a million bucks for a house, someone will ask for the money. That effect will trickle down, and you get what we got in Nassau, and Suffolk County, NY. NO piece of land or any housing under $400,000.

 That has alot to do with my point of view, and it isn't just here. It happens in alot of places. It's a beautiful place to live, but you can't live here, because only the rich can afford it. It's fiscal eviction, and what I call "de pecuniae" segregation. Pecunia is Latin for money.

I'm fortunate, my extended family was here since the '30's, my immediate since the mid '60's, and we have a "homestead". Of course, the house is forty years old, and in need of renovations I can't currently afford.  Many have been forced to leave the home they were born in. The only one they ever knew.

 Because they aren't rich.

And my follow-up point is this: if you cannot afford to live someplace anymore, you must leave. This is simply the way the world works and nobody is arguing against you or what you've dealt with. My point is that a lot of people assume too little can change in their lifetimes in a community. Brooklyn itself is a perfect example of a place that used to be very affordable and now has blown the doors off millions of people who simply cannot be there due to the rising costs of housing and goods.

I am a sane American with common sense. I will never complain about the rising cost of my community - I will shut up and put pen to paper - and realize how difficult it will be to continue living there. I will move, or find a way to make it possible to live there. This is the large scale denial that has affected too many people time and time again. Costs rise, this is a fact. 

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As for the predatory loan givers, they have lost on their bet that citizens would pay the loan. They were just as badly burnt and I am a supporter of the American dream (home ownership) but only with a clear mind and income that can support it.

Well, thanks to the people in control, that's not going to happen for millions, as long at they keep taking that amount in salary for themselves.

It's nice to hear you defend somone who takes home 100,000 times what you will make in about five years, as a bonus in a single year.  Plus regular salary.

I guess it's OK to break up, and scatter families.

There's no defending it in my eyes, and obviously, people can't control their lust for gold.  If you think that the 500% rise in the cost of living that has occurred in the past decade in my neck of the woods is acceptable, you are entitled to your opinion.

I just think it is wrong, de pecuniae segregation is wrong, and so are the ones who made it that way.

For reference, the people that work the checkout at the local K-Mart, take home just over seven bucks an hour, in the midst of some of the wealthiest people on the planet.  And, for good measure, alot have them have been bucked to thirty hours, or less.

I don't think that's right either.

Y'know, I always did love "Head like a hole", by Nine Inch Nails.

"The ONE you serve", in too many cases, is the Almighty Dollar.

Possible future acquisitions

It has been speculated that Sears management is interested in more purchases beyond the Kmart takeover of Sears.
Edward S. "Eddie" Lampert is an United States investor, financier and businessman.He is the chairman of Sears Holdings Corporation and founder, chairman of the board, and CEO of ESL Investments is interested in becoming an investment company more than a retailer. Some of many possible targets are other companies that have low stock prices relative to company value. Some mentioned are Safeway, Home Depot, and Anheuser-Busch.
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. is the largest brewing company in the United States and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev. It holds a 48.8% share of beer sales by volume in the United States.
. The source linked here speculates that Sears Grand could be expanded in combination with Safeway's grocery stores. Another potential purchase is Radio shack.

Radio shack is a slang term for a room or structure for housing radio equipment....
 since a former Kmart CEO took over as CEO and chairman. The Washington Post, in an article dated March 11, 2007, described the current Sears as a Hedge fund.

A hedge fund is an investment fund open to a limited range of investors that is permitted by regulators to undertake a wider range of activities than other investment funds and also pays a performance fee to its investment management with money being diverted from the maintenance and improvement of stores to non-retail financial investments. A former executive is quoted as saying the company faces an "uncertain future". Surprisingly, a third of pre-tax income in the third quarter of 2006, according to The Washington Post, was due to financial trades, not the retail business. However, these investments performed poorly in the fourth quarter.

I think that was Nine Inch Nails.

I'm worse than Lincoln when it comes to revision, by the way.  Measure twice, cut once.  Read, re-read, proofread, and edit.  I did "Oops", and fix it, before I saw your post below mine.

Love that edit button...

I think the last paragraph spells out Dr. J's question a bit.

Their passion is money, not Sears Holdings, and the people that depend on it.

"with money being diverted from the maintenance and improvement of stores to non-retail financial investments"

"Hey, little boy, you can't go where the others go, 'cause you don't look like they do. That's just the way it is, some things will never change."

 -Bruce Hornsby, and The Range

I understand a new Lead position IS being created.

One of the main duties will be letting the Sales Associates in the store know EXACTLY how their metrics are "doing" and what they need to be "more better" at doing.

I wonder if the lead will handle the "write-ups" directly or just prepare the paperwork, for the appropriate manager's signature?

I got a twenty dollar gift card for turning in a Take the Lead Customer lead.

Put, down another twenty toward my Christmas Club Savers Gift Card, for that Craftsman tractor lifter.

Gotta find the torque for tightening the new tractor blades...

Sounds like the old in-store trainer position that was eliminated years ago. It would certainly be more effective to have someone focused on selling practices rather than someone running the department, handling customer service issues, hiring, administration, AND training. Training is a time-intensive activity, and requires full attention. The chances most managers and hardlines leads have to do training on top of the other activities are few and far between. Considering that selling is what creates profit, and having a selling coach would increase sales, seems like a no-brainer to me. I'll have to check with my HR person to verify what this new position is and whether it's a pilot program or what. Sounds good, though.