Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

stickguy · January 2017

car show coming soon! Highlight of my social season. Going 3 weeks from this coming Saturday in Philly.

Mr_Shiftright · January 2017

Once you learn to use the remote and all the APPS on the screen, you'll be fine.

stickguy · January 2017

oh yeah. for TVs. Either get one with a keyboard remote, or download the app to your phone/tablet that runs it. Because trying to set up the smart TV stuff with the plain remote is a horrible experience.

abacomike · January 2017

https://cdn-ssl.vizio.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small_image/320x200/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/m/-/m-editorschoice-font_5.jpg

Here's a picture with details of what I got.

ab348 · January 2017

stickguy said:
oh yeah. for TVs. Either get one with a keyboard remote, or download the app to your phone/tablet that runs it. Because trying to set up the smart TV stuff with the plain remote is a horrible experience.

If it is anything like my Sonys, forget about the smart TV stuff unless you have a wired connection. Sony is hopeless without that. Even with it, it is as slow as cold molasses.

abacomike · January 2017

stickguy said:

oh yeah. for TVs. Either get one with a keyboard remote, or download the app to your phone/tablet that runs it. Because trying to set up the smart TV stuff with the plain remote is a horrible experience.

That's why the "GEEK SQUAD" is setting everything up for me!!!

stickguy · January 2017

as you go along, you need to be able to add apps (well, they are included in the TV, but you still have to sign up for the service and enter your ID/password).

jipster · January 2017

jmonroe said:

graphicguy said:

Mitsu is one of the best. Lennox is no longer the good company they apparently once were. I would look at Daikin/Goodman, Fujitsu, or LG. With these a lot depends on the quality of the installer and their stability should you ever need them for warranty in a few years.
I concur....the quality of installation is more important than brand. I had heard that most of the internals are made by just a few companies to begin with, and the brands just integrate them together. I have a Goodman that's about 5 years old and couldn't be more pleased. Lots of Carrier, Lennox and others disparage Goodman. But, I think it's because a lot of installers represent higher margins than Goodman offers.

WHEN I HAD A HVAC SALESMAN OUT ABOUT A MONTH AGO, I ASKED FOR A QUOTE FOR A GOODMAN FURNACE AND A/C SYSTEM. HE SAID I DIDN'T WANT TO GO WITH THAT BRAND, AS THE COMPANY IS POOR IN PROVIDING PARTS IN A TIMELY MANNER. HAD ONE OTHER SALESMAN "DISPARAGE" THE BRAND AS WELL. MOST OF WHAT I'VE READ IS THAT GOODMAN IS COMPARABLE TO THE OTHERS. FINDING A GOOD INSTALLER THE KEY.

When I was looking to replace the original Lenox furnace and A/C back in August of '08, I got quotes from several reputable outfits and all of them gave me a price for their name brand (Carrier, Trane, Lenox etc.) and all quoted an off brand of some type but Goodman was the most often one they quoted. The part than floored me was that 2 places that quoted Goodman were higher than the Lenox I finally went with. When the Lenox guy was sitting in my kitchen giving me his quote I asked him about his off brand, his response was he only dealt with Lenox. The funniest part about getting quotes was from the guy my cousin recommended. He dealt only with Rheem and his price was more than any of the others and much more than the Lenox guy. Like $1200 more. When I told him he was way out of line he wanted to know who I got a better quote from, I told him and he said, and I still can't believe he said it, "I wish you had told me that before I came out here. I can never beat that guys price". Still shaking my head about that. I'm not saying Lenox is the best out there but when I get a price for a name brand from a place with a very good reputation, that is less than a so called off brand, I'm going with the name brand. FWIW, I have recommended the place I bought from to 3 guys I worked with and all of them have asked, "how can he be that much lower than the other outfits, my response was, "I don't really care if he's stealing them but if he is, he's been getting away with it for a long time. So he must be good at that too". One last thing, if my furnace quits this Winter or my A/C quits this Summer, I'm coming after someone in here. Remember that so you can't say I sucker punched you. :@ jmonroe

Well, your system is only 8 1/2 years old. I think we should all be safe for another 4-5 years.

suydam · January 2017

Sears is a sad shell of itself. In our condo we had to replace all the appliances and get a new TV so I got very familiar with Sears, Home Depot, Costco and Best Buy. Best Buy is much improved since it's early days. I'm getting their Geek squad to set up my wireless system as it still doesn't connect to the TV I just got. They have been pretty helpful. The only mark against them is that they have the highest installation fees of any of them. Fortunately they had a sale on routers that bundled the install as part of the promotional price. I'm sure they will do a great job with your install. Pluses for their easy installation scheduling too.
I did get a high efficiency washer and dryer and also a Bosch dishwasher from Sears. They had a killer summer sale that made their inefficiencies worth the hassle. I pretty much had to beg them to allow me to buy something.

ab348 · January 2017

Goodman started out as a bargain brand of HVAC stuff and was not the best. But they built a good-sized share of the market and a few years ago was bought by Daikin. Now they are developing some very good products as a result of that. Lennox built a good reputation based largely on marketing, but I know several people who have bought their systems and have had problems fairly early on, and had a heckuva time getting the company to stand behind them. Parts seem to fail with regularity. I know when I got quotes for my ductless system last year, the Lennox quote was initially on the low side (though not super-cheap) but the company bundled a service agreement into it which raised the price considerably. They said you needed that if you wanted the full warranty. That left me with a bad taste in my mouth and I passed.

The companies that produce good ductless systems (Mitu, Fujitsu, LG, Daikin) tend to be ones that are fairly new to the sector, whereas older-line companies like Lennox, Trane, York and others are still somewhat tied to their old tech.

sda · January 2017

ab348 said:
Goodman started out as a bargain brand of HVAC stuff and was not the best. But they built a good-sized share of the market and a few years ago was bought by Daikin. Now they are developing some very good products as a result of that. Lennox built a good reputation based largely on marketing, but I know several people who have bought their systems and have had problems fairly early on, and had a heckuva time getting the company to stand behind them. Parts seem to fail with regularity. I know when I got quotes for my ductless system last year, the Lennox quote was initially on the low side (though not super-cheap) but the company bundled a service agreement into it which raised the price considerably. They said you needed that if you wanted the full warranty. That left me with a bad taste in my mouth and I passed.

The companies that produce good ductless systems (Mitu, Fujitsu, LG, Daikin) tend to be ones that are fairly new to the sector, whereas older-line companies like Lennox, Trane, York and others are still somewhat tied to their old tech.

I understand York doesn't have the best of reputations. Nice to learn the Goodman has improved. I have had Carriers on two of our houses (elec a/c, gas heat) and they have been very reliable. Our current system is going on 13 years old and has only required a capacitor to be replaced. It hasn't (2 units) even required a refrigerant charge. (Knock on wood I haven't just jinxed that)

jmonroe · January 2017

abacomike said:
Just got back from buying a new TV at Best Buy. They are going to install it in my bedroom next Wednesday morning. I got a Vizio Ultra HD 4K HDR TV, 50" (55" was too big for a small room). With the installation bracket that allows you to tilt the TV, installation, etc., including tax, it came to $1028.00. They charged me $649.98 for the TV, $70.00 for the wall bracket, and $250.00 for installation and set up. Based on my research, this TV, which had the 4K HDR, was the best deal for the money. It has 240 hz, which is the top rate for HD. I just hope and pray I made a good decision - according to my brother, it was. But, who knows?

I guess it's time to take down the piece of sizing cardboard I suggested you put up to determine what size fit best in your room.

As for what is best, I say that is the one that lasts until you decide to replace it.

Wishing you many trouble free hours of viewing.

jmonroe

abacomike · January 2017

jmonroe said:

Just got back from buying a new TV at Best Buy. They are going to install it in my bedroom next Wednesday morning. I got a Vizio Ultra HD 4K HDR TV, 50" (55" was too big for a small room). With the installation bracket that allows you to tilt the TV, installation, etc., including tax, it came to $1028.00. They charged me $649.98 for the TV, $70.00 for the wall bracket, and $250.00 for installation and set up. Based on my research, this TV, which had the 4K HDR, was the best deal for the money. It has 240 hz, which is the top rate for HD. I just hope and pray I made a good decision - according to my brother, it was. But, who knows?
I guess it's time to take down the piece of sizing cardboard I suggested you put up to determine what size fit best in your room. As for what is best, I say that is the one that lasts until you decide to replace it. Wishing you many trouble free hours of viewing. jmonroe

Thanks for the kind words, JM. I did put up some packing brown paper on the wall and the 50" seemed the best fit. Thanks for suggesting I do that before making my final decision. It will be 13 feet from my recliner and centered on the wall. If I was putting it up in the living room I would have bought a 55" or 60". Bit I never go into my living room or dining room and since my surgery, I need to be lying flat or in a recliner to alleviate the discomfort. So the small bedroom is where I hang out and that's where the TV is going. Besides, by HD cable box with HDMI cable is in my bedroom.

isellhondas · January 2017

houdini1 said:

cdnpinhead said:

roadburner said:
My previous persona(div2) lasted from 1998-late 2006
I remember div2 but didn't know until now "the rest of the story."

Remember Pat the moderator? She sent me hate mail from time to time, but I never got banned. She died years ago too.

Yes, I remember her well. Threatened me with banning more than once just because our opinions differed. Didn't now if she was a man or woman for a long time.

For some reason Pat the moderator did not like me and although she never actually threatened me she came close. PCH 101 got banned and snuck in with a new username. I immediately picked up on that and I called him out. After that, he disappeared. All in all a lot have come and gone. Anyone heard from Andre?

isellhondas · January 2017

stickguy said:
OF, Mackabee was mr to be continued. Great guy.

GG, I would let this one slide, and drive the loaners. And when you get it back, go shopping.

I really liked Mackabee but as his cancer progressed he quit pulling his punches with his detractors. When he finally got banned I raised hell and one of the hosts sent me a private message letting me know why they finally had no choice. It sounds like he had used some pretty extreme profanity. I did see where he called another poster a very bad word in Spanish. Growing up in So. California I remember the Spanish speaking kids wold delight in teaching us (and a parrot) those words. It was sad to hear of Mack's passing.

driver100 · January 2017

It was like this Pat from Saturday Night Live

isellhondas · January 2017

Mr_Shiftright said:
It's easy getting customer assistance at Sears---just slit your wrists and lay on the floor screaming and someone will be over to help you within 15 minutes.

I was a very young Division Manager for Sears back in the 70's and I was so proud to work there! The store where I worked in Torrance CA was the highest volume store on the west coast! The place sparkled and all of the employees dressed sharp. Morale was high and pay and benefits were hard to beat.

I was on the fast track until Affermative Action came in and a lot of quality people left. Then Sears tried to compete with K-Mart and Nordstrom. They tried to be all things to all people and got away from their roots.

The big box stores came to town giving them competition they never had before and now Amazon and other internet stores are twisting the knife. I believe they are doomed and many stores have closed with more to follow.

A couple of years ago I walked into my old store and I wanted to cry. The displays were slip shod, half the lights were burnt out and employees slouched around. My once bustling Auto Center was so run down that again, I wanted to just leave quickly. When I was there we did nearly everything! We installed A/C, rebuilt engines etc. Front end and brake overhauls. On Saturdays I would have ten tire installers working the floor with three guys manning the latest Coates tire changers. A Coates 40-40 would last us maybe a year. On a busy
day we could install 50 car batteries or more.

Today, the place is barely open and they do very little work. Sad to see but not surprising.

I did ask an employee a question but she barely spoke English.

Mr_Shiftright · January 2017

I used to shop at Sears all the time, and hang out in the Tool Dep't. It's nothing like it was then.

ab348 · January 2017

Sears in Canada is now even worse. I am dubious they will last out the year.

abacomike · January 2017

Mr_Shiftright said:

I used to shop at Sears all the time, and hang out in the Tool Dep't. It's nothing like it was then.

It was a Ghost Town this morning at the Boca Raton Town Center Mall - one of the busiest and upscale malls in Florida. I used to buy my lawn mowers, tires, refrigerators, TV's, and clothing at Sears - I tried to buy something, but it was not to be. A real shame for a company that was top-notch in my formative years.

houdini1 · January 2017

houdini1 said:

cdnpinhead said:

roadburner said:
My previous persona(div2) lasted from 1998-late 2006
I remember div2 but didn't know until now "the rest of the story."

Remember Pat the moderator? She sent me hate mail from time to time, but I never got banned. She died years ago too.

Yes, I remember her well. Threatened me with banning more than once just because our opinions differed.

abacomike said:

stickguy said:

oh yeah. for TVs. Either get one with a keyboard remote, or download the app to your phone/tablet that runs it. Because trying to set up the smart TV stuff with the plain remote is a horrible experience.

That's why the "GEEK SQUAD" is setting everything up for me!!!

Looks like a winner Mike, and a good plan. You should be good to go.

Michaell · January 2017

I remember the Sears store at our local mall when I was a kid - I don't think my parents really shopped anywhere else (the only exception was JC Penney for mine and my sisters school uniforms).

Mom ordered stuff from the Sears catalog all the time, and my sister and I relished the annual Christmas Catalog - going through the pages and marking up the stuff we wanted.

The auto center did a good business, as well. When I went to college in Phoenix, I used Sears for all my auto repairs (the '79 Sunbird I drove at the time needed a lot of repairs).

Sad to see what they've become.

isellhondas · January 2017

Mr_Shiftright said:
I used to shop at Sears all the time, and hang out in the Tool Dep't. It's nothing like it was then.

I still have Craftsman tools from when I was in high school! I wonder how many wrench and socket sets they sell now since cars are too complex for DIY work?

andres3 · January 2017

fintail said:
That's a shame about the BMW emblem, I hope that kind of thing isn't coming back. In the late 90s I lost two fintail hood ornaments, but it hasn't happened since. Maybe the car gets respect as it is so old, but I was thinking the fad had passed, and nobody wants to emulate Flava Flav with a huge car emblem as a pendant anymore.

That cheapo dashcam is intriguing. I just picked up a $50 one with an Amazon gift card I got for Christmas, I am going to use it in the old car. It is HD, but not nearly as fancy as the hardwired Blackvue front and rear setup I run in the modern car. I am not going to hardwire it in, just use it to document pleasure driving.

Let me know what you think of that $50-$60 dashcam setup you linked to on Amazon the other day. Is it worth it? How much is the "extensive" setup?

abacomike · January 2017

houdini1 said:

My previous persona(div2) lasted from 1998-late 2006
I remember div2 but didn't know until now "the rest of the story." Remember Pat the moderator? She sent me hate mail from time to time, but I never got banned. She died years ago too.
Yes, I remember her well. Threatened me with banning more than once just because our opinions differed.

stickguy said:

oh yeah. for TVs. Either get one with a keyboard remote, or download the app to your phone/tablet that runs it. Because trying to set up the smart TV stuff with the plain remote is a horrible experience.

That's why the "GEEK SQUAD" is setting everything up for me!!!
Looks like a winner Mike, and a good plan. You should be good to go.

Thanks Houdini - let's hope so!

dino001 · January 2017

I bought my mattress from Sears three months ago. The store was quite sad but had just the mattress I liked best from three stores I visited (Bed Pros, Sears and Macy's), for the right price and terms. The salesman was nice and helpful, you could see he was worried about the future. I'm not worried about the warranty, as that's really low risk issue (didn't buy theirs, just standard mfr.).

But any time you want to see sad place, you go to Sears these days. I thought JC Penney was first to go, but it seems they got a lease extension on their life (sales are actually improving, albeit from really low base of Ron Johnson's short disastrous reign), not certain for how long, but Sears is definitely first in line. Even those used to considered best of breed, such as Macy's or Nordstrom are hurting right now.

abacomike · January 2017

dino001 said:

I bought my mattress from Sears three months ago. The store was quite sad but had just the mattress I liked best from three stores I visited (Bed Pros, Sears and Macy's), for the right price and terms. The salesman was nice and helpful, you could see he was worried about the future. I'm not worried about the warranty, as that's really low risk issue (didn't buy theirs, just standard mfr.). But any time you want to see sad place, you go to Sears these days. I thought JC Penney was first to go, but it seems they got a lease extension on their life (sales are actually improving, albeit from really low base of Ron Johnson's short disastrous reign), not certain for how long, but Sears is definitely first in line. Even those used to considered best of breed, such as Macy's or Nordstrom are hurting right now.

I've noticed Nordstrom is not as busy as Saks Fifth Avenue or Bloomingdales. But Macy's is always busy with customers. The Macy's at Boca Town Center runs sales all the time. When I need clothes, that's where I shop - very reasonable prices on good quality merchandise.

stickguy · January 2017

Macy's just announced another big round of closings today. Including the one at the little dead mall near me. And the next closest one at a bigger mall that seems to be doing OK overall. Though we did have too many too close together.

abacomike · January 2017

I just looked up the stores Sears is closing - the Boca Mall store is not on the list of closings. It might be due to low overhead - I think Sears at the Town Center Mall may own the property there. I don't know how they can manage to remain open there considering I don't see customers frequenting the store or sales help. Hmmmmm!

stickguy · January 2017

I think sears is a real estate company now. selling stuff is not the priority.

abacomike · January 2017

stickguy said:

I think sears is a real estate company now. selling stuff is not the priority.

Sears doesn't own the mall - Simon does. But I think they own the store and some parking facilities there.

jwm40517 · January 2017

Saw an article last week about the Attorney General of several states had sued and got settlements from Sears ,Macys, JC Penny and Kohls over "fake sales" . The stores would have sales of 50% or 70% or whatever off the original price. Problem was that the stores had never offered the items at what they called the "original price".

suydam · January 2017

Oh but that's par for the course for all big box stores. Kind of like MSRP for autos.

cdnpinhead · January 2017

An expression I heard (and used) several decades ago was "solid as Sears." Oh well. . .

That said, I bought a Craftsman snow blower a couple of months ago, highly recommended, and it works a treat. Sears/Craftsman and Ace Hardware have some sort of a relationship, and I use Ace all the time up in the high country near my cabin. Craftsman will be around long after Sears hits the skids.

In Canada, Simpson Sears was big in the '70s, but now not so much.

tjc78 · January 2017

stickguy said:
Macy's just announced another big round of closings today. Including the one at the little dead mall near me. And the next closest one at a bigger mall that seems to be doing OK overall. Though we did have too many too close together.

Really? That stinks and without them that place is doomed. That Boscovs used to be hopping but not so much since opening down the road as well. All four of our malls have Macy's I guess one had to go.

imidazol97 · January 2017

Long ago the Sears in the midwest lost their moxy. The employees acted like they were DMV workers and had their own pace and their own real attitudes. That drove a lot of customers away. Then the auto service went south and worked on selling parts that might not have been needed to customers especially if they weren't too careful about being oversold.

Only time I've been in the Sears is to return Lands End items that my wife or adult son bought and were sending back. Even ran into an attitude with a cashier doing that one time. Called the manager the next day and she couldn't have cared less. She doesn't care--I don't care.

isellhondas · January 2017

When I worked for Sears, they were big into private branding. Tires were Guardsman, washers were Kenmore, televisions were Silvertone and vacuums were Kenmore etc. This ended years ago.

The retail market is so competitive today that the 40% markups of yesterday are impossible yet the overhead of brick and mortar stores keeps increasing. This is only going to get worse.

suydam · January 2017

They still sell excellent washers and dryers. That's their bread and butter I think. And they were the only ones selling Bosch dishwashers, so I got mine there. But in our area now they don't open till 11 AM! In a mall where everything else is open by at least 10 if not earlier.

cdnpinhead · January 2017

I bought four batteries for my truck (Kenworth) from Sears in Torrance in 1978, perhaps from your department.

When I bought the snowblower I referenced earlier, it was an internet purchase, but we opted to pick it up at the store. I couldn't believe how quickly they brought it out and helped me load it into the (recently departed) Pathfinder. Perhaps there is hope.

jmonroe · January 2017

Mr_Shiftright said:
I used to shop at Sears all the time, and hang out in the Tool Dep't. It's nothing like it was then.

It seems like a lot of posters here have a Sears Tool Dept. story, but not to out do you guys, I have 2 that are my favorites, one in particular.

A little background first:

The company that I worked for when I transferred to the division that I eventually retired from was renting space in a few high rise buildings in a business/commercial area before they build the building that was to be our permanent home. This was in the very late '60's/early '70's.

There was a very large Sears Store in this area and it had a cafeteria that a lot of the employees went to for lunch because our company did not have a cafeteria in the rented space. Believe it or not the cafeteria was not bad at all and we could walk to it rather than drive a few miles away to a restaurant. After we ate lunch we usually walked around the store and of course we ended up in the Tool Dept.

Story No. 1

Before the sales people in the various departments got to know us, they would come up to us and say, "can I help you or do you work for XXX. Soon they knew who we were and didn't even approach us since they knew we were killing time after lunch. This was especially true in the Tool Dept.

Fast forward to when the Tool Dept. sales people got to know some of us by name.

Story No. 2 (my favorite)

One day the Tool Dept. was doing a bang up business (probably on a Monday due to the advertised sales in the Sunday paper). They had 3 registers going and each one had at least 7 people waiting to be rung up. There was a guy (not a fellow employee) that seemed to be a little agitated because of the lines so he excuses himself and walks to the head of one of the lines and says almost pleadingly, "I just have a question can you give me an answer". I was not in line, I was about 6 or 7 feet away and the guy at the register says, "jmonroe, can you help this gentleman since I'm pretty swamped". The guy wanted some info about a tool box with tools and he wanted to know what size ratchet wrenches the tool kit included. I took him to the display and showed him everything that was in the tool box (had to be 80 some pieces) and specifically the 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive ratchets he was interested in. The guy was amazed that for $39.95 Sears had a tool box with that much in it. Being the good sales person that I was I showed him a larger tool box that had to have at least 120 tools in it for $59.95. The guy liked that deal better and bought the larger tool box. I guess you can say I bumped him up a little and I'll bet he was never sorry for allowing me to do it.

You just could not beat those Craftsman tool box deals that Sears offered back in those days and the best part was, the tools were guaranteed forever.

jmonroe

cdnpinhead · January 2017

jmonroe said:
. . .and the best part was, the tools were guaranteed forever.

That's because, in my experience, they will last forever, or at least until I've achieved room temperature.

fintail · January 2017

This is the one I bought for the fintail - weekend weather has been poor lately, so I haven't driven the car yet. I might set it up this weekend, as I think I can run it on the adapter on my little portable jump start box.

The fancy hardwired front and rear setup on my daily driver was around $300.

andres3 said:

Let me know what you think of that $50-$60 dashcam setup you linked to on Amazon the other day. Is it worth it? How much is the "extensive" setup?

stickguy · January 2017

Tom, 2 of the 4 are going. Echelon, and Moorestown. That was always too close to CH anyway. I think that is plenty of Macy's to go around.

so few people shopped up here that I don't think you will notice. I'm just curious to know what they try to do with the space. Definitely not going to be another department store! I'm sure the owners have had plenty of time to think about it. Really surprised that they lasted this long.

I expect Boscovs to hang on.

jmonroe · January 2017

cdnpinhead said:

jmonroe said:
. . .and the best part was, the tools were guaranteed forever.
That's because, in my experience, they will last forever, or at least until I've achieved room temperature.

I'm not sure if you are satisfied or dissatisfied but I am satisfied with the Craftsman tools I have.

The Craftsman guarantee was, don't know how it works today, very liberal. I took back a wrench years ago that I broke because I put a pipe on it for added leverage. I was going to admit this to the sales person and before I could get a word out of my mouth the guy says, "used a pipe, huh"? And he takes me to where the wrenches are and then says, "don't feel bad, we see this all day long. You're covered".

My best Sears warranty story happened about 15 years ago.

I was with my Brother who was buying something and when we got to the checkout, I saw a heavy duty Craftsman 25 foot long 1 inch wide tape measure. I said to my Brother, "I have one like that but I broke it so I may as well get a new one since I'm here". The sales guy at the register says, "if it's a Craftsman, bring it back and get a replacement". I said, "I broke it by stepping on it and cracked the blade. It was my fault". He said, "as long as it says Craftsman on it, it's guaranteed". I said that's pretty liberal and he agreed and said that's our policy. Not wanting to let that go by, I said, "it's definitely a Craftsman, so just save me a trip back here and give me the replacement now". He smiled and said, "I said liberal not STUPID.

jmonroe

isellhondas · January 2017

cdnpinhead said:
I bought four batteries for my truck (Kenworth) from Sears in Torrance in 1978, perhaps from your department.

When I bought the snowblower I referenced earlier, it was an internet purchase, but we opted to pick it up at the store. I couldn't believe how quickly they brought it out and helped me load it into the (recently departed) Pathfinder. Perhaps there is hope.

Not my department. I was in the free standing Auto Center. Art the time our store had a separate department that did commercial truck tire and battery sales. I'm sure it's long gone. Those guys went out on the road and installed those tires wherever necessary. We did small truck tires and motorhomes including those miserable (and dangerous) split rims!

isellhondas · January 2017

jmonroe said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
I used to shop at Sears all the time, and hang out in the Tool Dep't. It's nothing like it was then.
It seems like a lot of posters here have a Sears Tool Dept. story, but not to out do you guys, I have 2 that are my favorites, one in particular.

A little background first:

The company that I worked for when I transferred to the division that I eventually retired from was renting space in a few high rise buildings in a business/commercial area before they build the building that was to be our permanent home. This was in the very late '60's/early '70's.

There was a very large Sears Store in this area and it had a cafeteria that a lot of the employees went to for lunch because our company did not have a cafeteria in the rented space. Believe it or not the cafeteria was not bad at all and we could walk to it rather than drive a few miles away to a restaurant. After we ate lunch we usually walked around the store and of course we ended up in the Tool Dept.

Story No. 1

Before the sales people in the various departments got to know us, they would come up to us and say, "can I help you or do you work for XXX. Soon they knew who we were and didn't even approach us since they knew we were killing time after lunch. This was especially true in the Tool Dept.

Fast forward to when the Tool Dept. sales people got to know some of us by name.

Story No. 2 (my favorite)

One day the Tool Dept. was doing a bang up business (probably on a Monday due to the advertised sales in the Sunday paper). They had 3 registers going and each one had at least 7 people waiting to be rung up. There was a guy (not a fellow employee) that seemed to be a little agitated because of the lines so he excuses himself and walks to the head of one of the lines and says almost pleadingly, "I just have a question can you give me an answer". I was not in line, I was about 6 or 7 feet away and the guy at the register says, "jmonroe, can you help this gentleman since I'm pretty swamped". The guy wanted some info about a tool box with tools and he wanted to know what size ratchet wrenches the tool kit included. I took him to the display and showed him everything that was in the tool box (had to be 80 some pieces) and specifically the 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive ratchets he was interested in. The guy was amazed that for $39.95 Sears had a tool box with that much in it. Being the good sales person that I was I showed him a larger tool box that had to have at least 120 tools in it for $59.95. The guy liked that deal better and bought the larger tool box. I guess you can say I bumped him up a little and I'll bet he was never sorry for allowing me to do it.

You just could not beat those Craftsman tool box deals that Sears offered back in those days and the best part was, the tools were guaranteed forever.

jmonroe

Craftsman hand tools and tool boxes are of decent quality but you generally won't see professional mechanics using them in shops. I spent nearly 20 years with one of the professional tool companies leaving as a Regional Manager. For the life of me I don't know how the techs can afford them now! I read of a guy paying something like 240.00 for a 3/8 drive bent handle ratchet!

isellhondas · January 2017

From what I've heard Sears has REALLY tightened up their warranty program. We used to let customers really walk on us and abuse the Satisfaction Guaranteed program.

abacomike · January 2017

My Dad kept all his tools in a red triple level tool storage box. He had every size wrench, pliers, drill, etc. I still have it in my storage compartment in the storage room on my floor. Every single tool, drill, etc., is a Craftsman. No rust on any of them and they still look like new. Great products of the highest quality. When I owned my own home up north, had Craftman lawn mowers and snowblowers. Never had a problem with them.

We bought the Whirlpool refrigerator at Sears just before he died. But we had originally gone with a Kenmore but had to return three of them for defects so we settled on the Whirlpool. I think I posted my experience with those defective Kenmore fridges. At least they backed up their ptoduct by finally making us satisfied.

berri · January 2017

Sears always had the best Christmas catalogs. Kind of ironic that stores that grew up on catalogs then lost to the internet. Their catalog experience should have been an advantage with internet shopping operations. Retail is just tough. Sears was always a big hard lines power, but not so much in soft lines like clothing which generally had higher margins. Specialty stores and big box stores hit them on one side, while upscale discounters like Target came from the other direction. Wasting big money on buying things like K-Mart and Lands End didn't make matters any better for them. Now Amazon and the internet seem to be taking over. One thing concerns me as all these different store chains are being beaten out of markets; the potential problem becomes a loss of competition if internet operations from others can't beat Amazon. Long term the results may be the same as airline consolidation. Once Delta pushed most competition out of Cincinnati it quickly had one of the highest per mile air fair structures. Long term, consolidation is not always your friend. People in Seattle better hope Alaska stays in the game because otherwise it will become owned by Delta. Same goes for all these retailers cutting back or folding. Doesn't seem to matter which industry, the government seems to be letting our economy become dominated by oligopolies or duopolies. Ultimately the consumer will end up on the short end of the stick.

Another thing that irritates me is this media lack of understanding in economics. Sure, something like Mike's TV is cheaper than they used to be. BUT, that TV will maybe last 7 or 8 years, while the old TV's could go close to 20. So given the more frequent purchase turnover, are TV's really all that cheaper over a buyers lifetime? Of course the government inflation indices overlook this matter because it keeps down wage earner COLA's and increases to things like Social Security.

abacomike · January 2017

@berri said:

"Sure, something like Mike's TV is cheaper than they used to be. BUT, that TV will maybe last 7 or 8 years, while the old TV's could go close to 20. So given the more frequent turnover, are TV's really all that cheaper over a buyers lifetime?"

I really can't say, berri. I've had my current Toshiba 28" HDTV for 8 years now and it is still working beautifully. I paid $399 for it at Brandsmart and it even has a built/in DVD player. I know today's cars sure won't last as long as cars produced in the 1930's and 1940's - but it's technology that is making planned obsolescence a realty.

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