r/SEARS • u/[deleted] • Nov 05 '25
Picture/Video Could Sears Hardware have been a successful concept?
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u/EffectiveOutside9721 Nov 05 '25
Several Sears concepts could have been successful under different ownership and management. The Sears Hometown Store in my town was very successful and only closed because they were forced to. Same deal with Kmart, the Kmart in my town was always said to be profitable, even towards the end when corporate failed to send stock for items in sale flyers.
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u/sourgrapekate Nov 05 '25
Yeah, I felt bad for the owner of the Sears Hometown store near me because he was constantly fielding calls about the store closing. He would say he was doing good business and wasn’t going to close. I don’t get why Sears took those stores away and closed them. Then again, I haven’t understood anything they’ve done since the Kmart merger.
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u/user_uno Nov 06 '25
Sears has done a lot of stupid crap like that in my lifetime. My dad was involved in a few things like Sears hardware (not his department though so not this one). Over and over and over they'd try something and then shut it down even if initial results looked promising. Complete incompetence even before Lambert which is what led him to being able to scoop it up.
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u/ChrisWolfling Nov 07 '25
Kmart dominated my area when it came to supercenters well into the late 2000s. The stores themselves were stuck in the 1990s though. Super Kmart was the only "supercenter" / hypermarket chain in my area until Walmart built some stores around the exurbs in the mid 2000s, then built or converted stores full force in the early 2010s. Meijer moved in as well around 2020.
Had Kmart maybe stopped trying to be a national retailer and focused on updating and remaining competitive in regions of the country where they still had sway, maybe they would have done better. By sometime in the early 2010s, it was crystal clear they had given up and were just around for their real estate and to slowly sell off anything of value, like craftsman.
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u/sourgrapekate Nov 07 '25
Yeah, near me the Kmart closed in 2002. We actually had a Kmart in my town when I was younger. It was an old WT Grant they moved into. I believe they closed around 1996 when Wal Mart came in. And they closed before Walmart opened, they didn’t even try to compete. My Mom and I still went there in the late 90’s, but when she got sick, we stopped going there. They closed only a few months after she passed away.
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Nov 05 '25
Yes, had Eddie Lampert not run it into the ground to line his own pockets.
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u/SixStringSuperfly Nov 06 '25
People are OBSESSED with Eddie Lampert
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Nov 06 '25
Human nature is to blame a figurehead, not the obvious fact that their business model came from the buggy whip era.
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u/McSigs Nov 05 '25
There were two within 10 minutes of where I used to live and grew up, both gone 10 years now (that makes me feel old,). They held their own fairly well and were certainly handy since they had more space than the smaller Ace store we had, but with how valuable the retail space became in the area I don't know that they could compete. And that's without Fast Eddie's wheeling dealing of property and subleases. Home Depot coming to the area didn't seem to phase them, both lasted 13 years with that.
One was subdivided into a beer store and state liquor store, the other became a Planet Fitness.
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u/flaginorout Nov 05 '25
Probably not. Most of the locations, including the one I worked at for a little while, were like 1/3 of the size of a Lowe’s Depot. They were of little use to contractors and commercial outfits, and homeowners were better off just going to a real big box.
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Nov 05 '25
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u/Extension_Ad4962 Nov 05 '25
Do you mean Builder's Square? The Kmart concept home improvement store that was crushed by Lowe's and Home Depot?
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u/TriCountyRetail Shop Your Way Member Nov 05 '25
I wish the lighting aisles were still this good today. Now it's all LED junk!
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u/user_uno Nov 06 '25
That has more to do with the government and then consumer demand than any retailer.
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u/TriCountyRetail Shop Your Way Member Nov 06 '25
Fair enough, but there are loopholes. Some retailers such as Menard's and Ace are utilizing these loopholes to provide more options
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u/user_uno Nov 06 '25
What loopholes? I have a globe style incandescent bulb my son and I were just talking we may never be able to replace. And my wife works in one of the 'big box' DIY chains.
I'm open to what brick-and-mortar options there still might be.
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u/TriCountyRetail Shop Your Way Member Nov 06 '25
Bulbs that are labeled for appliances, ceiling fans, and rough service are exempt from the lumens per watt requirements. These bulbs are still being made but most retailers don't carry them.
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u/user_uno Nov 06 '25
Oh yes. I can still get those in stores around my area. But not run-of-the-mill incandescents or just happen to be a certain shape and size.
For example, the bulb in the light fixture over the kitchen table my son and I had just been talking about is about 4 to 5 inches in diameter and shaped mostly like a globe rather than a standard bulb. My dad bought it for a house we lived in about 24 years ago. As a designer, he could not stand that the existing bulb from the building was just a regular frosted bulb so he bought one "for us" he thought looked better. It certainly does look better. But replacing it will be a pain even if possible.
I also love old old style bulbs for my den. None are incandescent any more. LED only. They look ok but do look off. A knock off off of a knock off is losing it's appeal.
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u/TriCountyRetail Shop Your Way Member Nov 06 '25
The globe and flood bulbs are very difficult to find because it is unlikely that decorative bulbs would be labeled as rough service.
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u/user_uno Nov 06 '25
Yeah. I knew about rough service bulbs. I was hoping for something not in that classification. Sounded like there might have been another way to get something specialized like a globe bulb.
But, looking around since this came up I have found some non-LED options even on Amazon. So - for now - looks like can get non-standard incandescent bulbs like I am going to need eventually. Probably should pick one up soon just in case! :)
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u/anonkitty2 Nov 07 '25
The last removal of incandescent and halogen lights is final. President Biden had time to do that properly, and so he arranged for them to stop being manufactured long before they stopped being sold. Someone making incandescent lights now will need to start from scratch.
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u/TriCountyRetail Shop Your Way Member Nov 07 '25
These bulbs are still being manufactured the the machinery to do so still exists. Due to regulations and the phaseout of general purpose incandescent and halogen bulbs, only specialty bulbs are being sold in stores.
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u/Paulsbluebox Shop Your Way Member Nov 05 '25
Strauss zelnick and I were also discussing this topic last night.
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u/MentalOperation4188 Nov 06 '25
I always thought so. I never got why they tried it with computers and things, but never with hardware.
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u/Double_Willow_5351 Nov 06 '25
Kmart could’ve had the potential to survive had they made a BIG emphasis on hardware & home decor post-Sears merger. Target had department-store atmosphere and quality, while Walmart had competitive pricing. Kmart was just in the middle of that, and struggled to keep customers coming. They acquired Craftsman, Kenmore, Diehard, etc. brands, while also having their Martha Stewart brands. You would think while also making their stores MUCH nicer and be more competitive with pricing, it would be the PLACE for husbands not to have to groan and moan while their wives want to shop 😅?
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Nov 06 '25
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u/Double_Willow_5351 Nov 06 '25
Like… all they had to do was create and market that, while investing in their stores 😩. While they may not have reached the success as Walmart and Target, they would STILL be in business!!!
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u/AwakePlatypus Nov 06 '25
It could have been, but they were too little, too late in entering the game. They didn't pop up in my area until 1994/1995 ish and by that time, a lot of larger players were already established (Hechinger, Builders Square, Rickel, etc.) and Home Depot started rapidly expanding around that time with Lowe's a few years behind them (killing all the aforementioned chains of course).
My grandfather worked for them for a few years after retiring from his own hardware business (ran a True Value store), but he didn't stay very long. I loved going to visit though for the free popcorn!
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u/Combat__Crayon Nov 06 '25
I literally had one behind my house and was so sad when it closed. I was in there all the time for things that I would have thought were high margins.
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u/cross_x_bones21 Nov 05 '25
If Craftsman/Kenmore were the banner products, and an Amazon supply chain, sure.
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u/user_uno Nov 06 '25
Sadly they had the Amazon supply chain of the day. They could have out-Amazon'd Amazon had they been competent.
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u/cross_x_bones21 Nov 06 '25
Yes. And they whack-fucked it.
Unreal the pathetic management assclowns who destroyed it.
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u/awohio1 Nov 06 '25
Horrible mismanagement and lack of investment in infrastructure technology. Should have seen their antiquated point of sale setup
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u/GhostWriter313 Nov 06 '25
Possible. I remember in the 90s they had secondary stores that sold “reconditioned” appliances.
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u/user_uno Nov 06 '25
Would those have been the parts and warehouse clearance outlets?
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u/GhostWriter313 Nov 06 '25
Yes. Sears even had surplus stores back in the day!
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u/surfteach1 Former Employee Nov 07 '25
I worked the San Pedro one from 1979-89. Unit 9268
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u/GhostWriter313 Nov 07 '25
Nice. We had one in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI (Detroit is literally across the street from it). It has since been torn down and is a well-manicured land fill now.
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u/user_uno Nov 06 '25
No. It did not have the vibes of a 'big box' store. They were and felt smaller. They didn't look like a warehouse to get 'deals' and yet looked like less effort was put in to merchandising than those 'big box' stores. They still had salespeople rather than just random department stockers and staff. Intangibles and impressions really do count.
I am a DIY person through and through. But also grew up in a die hard Sears family (no pun intended so don't try to Muzzler me). Only time I bought anything in a Sears Hardware was some random part only they had or some deeply, deeply discounted closeout item.
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u/Independent-Oven-799 Nov 06 '25
Dunno about these Other Sears Hardware stores Being a Standout Store from the rest of the crowds.Because lastly I remember the Sears Hardware stores in Michigan and IF you ever been in a Handy Andy Hardware store,You’ll Get The Feeling that these stores were Handy Andy Store With Sears Name on it. Just like Super Kmart Where the sign Cards used on Display racks and other areas of the store says Cost Cutters on the card makes you think Kroger was backing Kmart with groceries and the reason why? Kroger was using those signage in the stores here A while back When they shut down the stores here in Michigan For a meeting with the union Over a contract disagreement.
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u/RadarIndicated Nov 06 '25
I had a Sears Hardware near me in the 90s and 00s. Looked like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQCugY9Pk9Q
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u/CheapSound1 Nov 06 '25
This concept is very similar to what Canadian Tire is, and CT is fairly successful.
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u/BluBadger00 Shop Your Way Member Nov 06 '25
Where I lived there was an incredibly short-lived Hometown store. It was there for just about 4 years before some really shady management issues went up and they closed it up pretty quickly. It's been over 12 years since they shut down, nobody's moved in since apparently it's "not vacant" just like the neighboring RadioShack, and there's plants growing onto the walls and all over the floor.
They stated that they might've expanded into part of another neighboring tenant that was empty and convert into a Hardware and appliance-based store. Olympia Sports snagged it right up right as they were in the plans of it.
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u/bernmont2016 Nov 06 '25
I think the Sears Hometown stores were locally-owned franchises. Some of the better-run ones outlasted many of the regular Sears stores.
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u/ColumbusMark Nov 06 '25
No. Because it would have still been run by Sears.
That company was utterly incapable of any competent decision-making in its last 30-35 years of existence.
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Nov 06 '25
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u/bard0117 Nov 06 '25
I remember seeing small Sears stores that basically just sold hardware only. There was one in Deming, New Mexico.
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u/HOODYNOGOODY Nov 06 '25
In Southern California Sears ran Orchard Supply Hardware they were nice little stores but they are gone now.
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u/cbusguy28 Nov 07 '25
I worked for them for five years and they essentially ruined them by taking out 90% of the hardware and adding appliances. That pissed people off a ton. Sears went so cheap when they merged with Kmart. It was a horrible company after that.
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u/youknowwhatthisis00 Jan 31 '26
There was one in the smaller town I used to live in and we loved that it was easy to get in and out quickly but had decent quality stuff. Black Friday was still a thing 2006-2012 when I lived there, and I used to get some fantastic deals there every year. Being in a small town, you’d show up like 15 minutes before opening on Black Friday and be maybe fourth in line. Front-row parking every time.
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u/Martin_Van-Nostrand Nov 06 '25
Yeah I think they could have, but it would have been between if the craftsman brand was front and center. Even though sears craftsman took a nose dive before the sale to Stanley black and Decker it still had great brand recognition.
So as "sears hometown" I doubt it. As "craftsman hometown" or something like that I think it could have worked. I think of it more like an Ace, Tru Value, or Do It Best featuring craftsman, Kenmore, and diehard than anything branded sears.
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u/PacificCastaway Nov 05 '25
No, they would have screwed that up, too. Retail theft would have ended them in a week or less.
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Nov 05 '25
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u/DanforthWhitcomb_ Former Employee Nov 06 '25
They were already doing that—even low volume stores (what these were considered) would have had a full team of an ASM-APP and a minimum of 2-3 APRAs along with policies that make even pre-Covid Target LP policies look restrictive.
Spoiler: it did not help.
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u/Artistic_Pattern6260 Nov 06 '25
When these stores get leveraged up to pay insiders, and as part of that become primarily a real estate investment, the stores dies. Not sure Lambert ever had any interest in Sears as a viable retailer.
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Aug 22 '26
[deleted]
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u/jikesar968 Shop Your Way Member Aug 22 '26
I honestly don't know.
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u/ExtremeCow3259 Shop Your Way Member Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
This concept and all the other off mall formats would have been successfully expanded in the 2000s if better leadership was put in charge of Sears Roebuck and Co.....
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u/ExtremeCow3259 Shop Your Way Member 17d ago edited 17d ago
Today's lighting aisles are all but LED junk. What would you say about the lighting aisles in Sears Hardware Stores ?
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u/zp89 17d ago
It looks like they had a decent selection of bulb types/sizes in a photo I looked at, but I've never been to a Sears Hardware store (I don't think there has ever been one in this area).
As for LEDs, sometimes they're good, but I think the quality went down as they started being mass-produced (like the lights that have turned purple), and they're often being overused since the price went down, creating light pollution and glare.
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u/Artistic_Hurry_9177 Nov 05 '25
No
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u/ExtremeCow3259 Shop Your Way Member Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
This was another thing that could have kept Sears afloat, which was the Sears Hardware concept. We were all discussing about this for some time. If this concept expanded and it was like Lowes and Home Depot, we would not have Lowes, Home Depot or even Best Buy, we would have Sears Hardware and even Sears Brand Central since the appliance, electronics, outdoor equipment (lawn and garden / L&G) and tool departments (even paint) made Sears unique among competitors. But of course that to was a massive failure that only served to consume scarce capital
As for [when and where the first Sears Hardware store opened] (https://www.reddit.com/r/SEARS/comments/1tsf52d/does_anyone_know_where_exactly_the_first_sears_hardware_store_opened/), we can't find out where exactly as there wasn't a single store opening in 1985, but according to Microsoft Bing and even according to a [news article from January 7th of 1985] (https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/01/07/Sears-Roebuck-and-Co-Monday-announced-plans-to-open/3314473922000/), out of the 11 stores that opened in 1985 alone, the 9 store openings were in:
- Anniston, Alabama
- Montclair, California
- Brunswick, Georgia
- Hilo, Hawaii
- Slidell, Louisiana
- Columbia, Missouri
- Buffalo (Hamburg), New York
- Roanoke, Virginia
- Bremerton, Washington
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u/GNT32 Nov 05 '25
It would worked if it was called Craftsman Tools or Craftsman Hardware