Sears selling Craftsman brand for nearly $1 billion

[cincinnati]

Sears selling Craftsman brand for nearly $1 billion to Stanley Black & Decker

Interesting reading the link below it says in part.
To accommodate the future growth of Craftsman, we intend to expand our manufacturing footprint in the U.S. This will add jobs in the U.S.,


http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news ... j=76974111

[swampgator]

Thinking of selling all my Montgomery Ward PowerKraft and all my Sears Craftsman to have all Kobalt. They all have the same warranty, but Sears promised to honor all the Montgomery Ward PowerKraft. Also, I have an old 16 oz. claw hammer with the synthesized rubber handle that I need to replace. Maybe, I won't have the grandchildren on Sunday and will take it in then. Decisions, decisions!

The good thing is, more American jobs. I like.

[Sherlock]

Another Point of View: Brought to us by the same mentality that brought us 2008.

Inside Sears' death spiral: How an iconic American brand has been driven to the edge of bankruptcy

http://www.businessinsider.com/sears-fa ... ces-2017-1

[garys]

That isn't a problem for me. I have my entire roll-around tool box full of 1970s and 1980s Craftsman made-in-the-USA tools in my garage. I still haven't broken any of them in over 40 years. These tools will easily outlast me, and then my Sons or Grandsons can have them.
Also, I have a great used tool shop near my house that is full of old US made tools so I can get anything I want "old and used", but in perfectly working condition.
I won't be needing any of the Chinese and Japanese made tools.

[Ed in Tampa]

It is the Harvard/Yale business school mentality that is driving these problems.
CEO's are treated like emperors and allowed to act like dictators, they receive ridiculous compensation, more money than any human is worth many times over. They soon learn to believe all the butt kissers that circle them and they lose their moral compass.
Instead of being able to lead to success they become tyrants demanding people under them fix their mess.

What American business and industry needs is men and women that understand the business and technology they are trying to lead. They need to understand the market they are involved in and have a desire to see the company to succeed.

Apple is an excellent example. It was successful under Jobs but stockholders wanted to make more money they got rid of Jobs. The replaced him with excellent people but people that cared nothing about Apple only about making more bonuses. Apple almost died under this leadership.
They brought back Jobs and off they went. Jobs died and Apple is going back to what it was between Jobs leadership.

[newportcycle]

Ed, I don't disagree with anything you've said, American business leaders are for the most part short sighted and ignorant on how to build a long term successful operation, they rely more on cost shifting, offshoring and parlor tricks to make bottom lines look better. Accountants dictate for the most part, no longer do engineers, designers, or marketing teams determine the best way to tailor products for their customers, its purely bottom line numbers, no longer do best in class, longevity, durability, and other attributes matter to American Corporations. The companies that do get it, Honda, Toyota and the like, learned it from American companies, and the Deming principal, before the accountants and idiots at Harvard and Yale business schools took over.

It's sad for me to see what was an iconic brand brought to it's knees by such a person. When my dad died in the early 70's, Sears was the only charge card my mother could obtain, all our clothes and many Christmas's were provided from that catalog, it was a place where a young, rural kid could go drool over things not available anywhere else.

This Lampert guy is a "rectal chapeau" fortunately life has a way of dealing with them.

[dusty]

We must face reality. These are no longer "the good ole days". Those are long gone never to return. Have you been to a movie theater lately. My Grandkids took me to see "Sing". It was fun and entertaining. I'd go with them again if they asked. But the price of popcorn and sodas was unbelievable.

I used to go to the Saturday morning matinee, get popcorn and a soda all for less than $00.50. The half dollar, today, won't pay for a Snickers Bar. Popcorn, large - $7.00 (buttered no additional charge).

[Ed in Tampa]

We must face reality. These are no longer "the good ole days". Those are long gone never to return. Have you been to a movie theater lately. My Grandkids took me to see "Sing". It was fun and entertaining. I'd go with them again if they asked. But the price of popcorn and sodas was unbelievable.

I used to go to the Saturday morning matinee, get popcorn and a soda all for less than $00.50. The half dollar, today, won't pay for a Snickers Bar. Popcorn, large - $7.00 (buttered no additional charge).

Dusty I agree the "good ole days" are over. But that is not my concern my concern is people's attitude. I seems no one is concerned about the future generations it seems most look at life as what is in it for me. So few people seem interested in building something that will last instead they only worry about getting theirs now.

If the bottom line looks low sell something off to make it appear that the company is thriving. It is a get rich quick mentality. Need operating capital buy a company, piece it out and sell it off. Forget about improving anything, that is too hard.

Don't get me started on movies. I view actors as the most overpaid group of performers in this world. Besides that most are political idiots!

[beeg]

I used to go to the Saturday morning matinee, get popcorn and a soda all for less than $00.50.

But how much did you earn then vs now?

[dusty]

I used to go to the Saturday morning matinee, get popcorn and a soda all for less than $00.50.

But how much did you earn then vs now?

I wasn't earning any money at all. I got my theater money by collecting glass pop bottles from the garbage and taking them to the grocer for the deposit. If I remember correctly, a coke bottle was worth $.03.

My first money paying job was as a paper delivery boy. Actually, it was not a job. It was a business. I purchased the papers, delivered them, collected on Saturday mornings and went back to the Gazette to stand in line with all the other carriers to pay. My customer base was in the area of 100 customers. The weekly cost was $.35. Monthly customers paid $1.05. My first "business expense", other than the news papers, was my Lincoln Schwinn bicycle which cost me $105.00 but reduced delivery time significantly. I used to finish the route at about 7:00pm. With the bike I was done and home by 5:00 pm. I later switched to the morning route. I was able to start earlier (15 minutes after press time) and had more customers.

Could no longer go to the Saturday matinee. Had to run my route to collect the money from all the customers.