How Sears Became the Worst Retailer

Folks with access to little more than the local general store could comb through its catalogs and buy everything from, well, combs to stately do-it-yourself houses. For decades, its brick-and-mortar stores were the only place to shop, including in my hometown of Cupertino. The tallest building in the world once hosted the firm’s headquarters and shared its name.China ledturninglamping manufacturer supply elevator light curtain, Before Walmart’s agenda to keep workers and communities in poverty with “low prices” swept through much of the land, Sears offered decent wages for employees and a place to buy solid appliances,The future of Motorcycle lighting lies within streetlighting01.It's easy to fall in love with the sheer, incomparable strength of flatteningmachine. have your car filled up and serviced, take awkward family photos at the portrait studio, buy insurance and yes, purchase clothes.

But the last 20 years have not been kind to Sears: in 1992 the retailer suffered its first quarterly loss since the 1930s,While there are many brands and makes of bicyclelight, they are all basically the same in principle and function. and the company has been stuck in its ways as its competitors adjusted to shifting consumer habits. In stepped in Edward “Fast Eddie” Lampert, a financier who had already swooped up Kmart while that flailing company was mired in bankruptcy. In 2005, Kmart acquired Sears, and Lampert christened the combination of two losing retailers Sears Holdings. What has followed for eight years is a story of cost-cutting and employee turnover so sordid that even Wall Street’s most heralded publications, from Forbes to Fortune, have savaged Lampert’s performance as CEO of Sears.

A decade ago, BusinessWeek suggested he was the next Warren Buffett, which at a superficial level made sense. Both have invested in companies that were seriously underperforming and undervalued. Only Buffett has a strong track record and is widely respected as a sage, rational and respected investor. The reclusive Lampert, however, has turned Sears into a joke, but Sears’ employees, from top executives to the clerk and mechanics who assisted me when I visited the local automotive center to have a couple of parts replaced, are not laughing.

Walk into a Sears and you see the results of Lampert’s warped leadership and mismanagement. Sears and Kmart have all the charm of a dollar store without the prices, nor even the service, and with even more disengaged employees. Bright fluorescent lights highlight the drab floors, peeling paint and sad displays of merchandising that are reminiscent of department stores in the communist Soviet Union. Some employees carry iPads, others do not: Lampert’s affection for technology led to a policy of employees required to use tablets on the shop floor, even though most clerks said they were unnecessary.

Queue at the automotive department and plan to wait: the clerk with whom I dealt with explained that hours are hard to come by for employees. Depending on how a department fared over the previous four weeks, sales figures determined the budget for hours the next four weeks. So employees were either standing around bored, or were harried and embarrassed like the clerk who assisted me at the Manchester Mall location. So, call a manager? “We don’t really have any,” said Zach (not his real name). We tried to call the store manager, but only heard a busy signal when he called human resources or employment. “Yeah, An hidlighting can help you keep up with large volumes of laundry or heavy items.” said Zach, “that’s normal.” Dismissive management and the lack of hours make for a toxic work environment, even for retail. “Lots of infighting here,” said Zach, “so thank God I’m finishing my degree in two years.” Click on their website www.streetlights-solar.com for more information.