Losing Sears

For a huge corporation like Sears to go down the tubes after so many years of operation has got to lie squarely on poor management.  These stores, which depend mainly on the needs or wants of the average Joe, can't survive if they have an elite, over-privileged management that has no idea how to attract the middle class customer.  They won't get it from books or by comparing year to year sales.  They won't get it from following teen-aged trends because they'll first lose their elder patrons.  Once lost, we seldom trust enough to go back.

I watched over the past few years as Sears struggled, seemingly jumping from one desperate attempt to another like drowning rats.  They tried so hard to go upscale, just as the now long gone Eaton's did before they were sunk.  And they failed for the same reason.  Customers might want to live an upscale life but finances will dictate every time whether or not they can.  If your stores carry merchandise that is too expensive for your average customer, it won't sell.

And then the panic sets in and your staff is told to cram more merchandise into every available space until there is no room for your customers to even browse.  And all that merchandise starts to fall off the racks or hang awkwardly, looking used and abused and the customers can't get out of your store fast enough.

So now what does management do?  They cut staff to save money and the stores begin to look like bargain basements because there aren't enough staff to keep them neat and clean.  Once your store looks like that it's over.

I worked at Sears when it was a vibrant, profitable company so I can sure see the difference between then and now.  Just as how sad it was to see Eaton's decline and demise, it's equally sad to see a giant like Sears be taken down by management employees who haven't a clue what the average customer will buy.