Talk:Sears Holdings/Archive 1

self-Biased article?
reading this article, i noticed that it looks like this article only seeks to promote the company.


 * It seems to me the information on this page is of a more factual nature that is not primarily "promoting" the company. For example, if the Coca-Cola article were to say it was the most sold beverage in the world, the statement would be factually true, and not intended as promotion saying "Buy coke, everybody else does." If anything, I would say the page casts SHLD in a negative light, given it mentions the failure of Sears Grand, Nike pulling their shoes, etc, and the bankruptcies.

Sentineneve 00:14, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Missing Section of Text
There appears to be a missing section of text discussing Sears' understanding of the relationship between farmers and general stores and his eventual move into the mail-order catalogue business to attract rural business. This is a fragment that doesn't make much sense:

"Richard Sears knew that farmers often brought their crops to town where they could be sold and shipped, and then bought supplies, often at very high prices, from local general stores. The catalog business grew quickly. By 1894, the Sears catalog had grown to 322 pages, featuring sewing machines, bicycles, sporting goods and a host of other new items."

The Montgomery Ward and Aaron Montgomery Ward articles seem to have some information regarding Sears's copying Ward's mail order business to rural areas but the Sears article seems in context (what's left of it) to imply that Sears came up with it first. I don't know what the original author intended or if he was correct.

Logo
Can someone pull the official Sears Holdings Corporation logo off their website to replace the Sears retail and Kmart retail logos that are in the info box? 69.134.50.153 18:02, 9 May 2005 (UTC)

Done. tregoweth 04:53, August 11, 2005 (UTC)


 * The logo from the 60's-90's listed is purely Australian isnt it? I didnt think the US chain used the italicised K. --Crazycrazyduck 05:49, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Current Kmart Business Level Strategy
Does anyone know where I can find information on Kmarts current business level strategy for a paper I need to write?

Take it from an insider pal... there is no business strategy. Our stores work on a very simple formula: "Not enough profit being made, Cut hours" BUT, without hours there's no associates to help customers. Trust me, I'm in a "Big" Kmart; there are 5 people who run the store: 1 manager, 1 supervisor, 1 cashier, 1 girl in softlines (clothing) and 1 poor guy in hardlines (Sports, Electronics, Hardware, etc)... and he has to get carts, do carry outs, and cover breaks. If someone can find a "business level strategy" for K-mart, you might wanna tell Kmart about it.

Most strategies are kept confidential.

>You're wrong about the strategy. It's "get enough people to invest in the company, so we don't have to rely on people coming to the store and buying stuff". Which is pretty much what you said.

Split Into 3 Individual Pages

 * I believe we should split the information up into 3 seperate pages. One for Kmart prior to merger, one for Sears Roebuck prior to merger, and one for Sears Holdings Corporation, post-merger. I don't know if this has been posted before so please move it if it already has.

Split
Should this all be in one big article by itself? Or should this be broken off into articles for K-Mart and Sears. Personally I think it'd be better split - especially if more material gets added for one chain or the other. JesseG 19:40, 2 February 2006 (UTC) agree to seperate sears/ kmart for store information and history, but sears holdings corporation article should still exist. I reverted the edit. The main Kmart article is terrible! The images are so disorganized! I think that we have reached strong consensus that this article should be split into three articles, one for Sears Roebuck and Company, one for Kmart, and one for Sears Holdings Corporation (Hypernick1980 02:43, 23 March 2006 (UTC))
 * I strongly encourage you to split this up. Vegaswikian 22:10, 6 February 2006 (UTC)
 * I agree -- both main components have a very long and rich history prior to the merger that is done a disservice being cramped together here. older ≠ wiser 00:20, 7 February 2006 (UTC)
 * Here's a third for that motion. Sears Holdings is an umbrella presiding over two different chains with rich histories. Why not organize the company's entries in the same manner: one entry for Sears Holdings, and then one entry each for the two components (legacy Sears and legacy Kmart/S.S. Kresge)? --Captadam 14:56, 7 February 2006 (UTC)
 * Disagree. It is easier to have the history of the Sears Holdings company and its current state all in one location.  It reads easier.  Sears Holdings is a company that has absorbed the "rich histories" of two defucnt companies.  The histories of Kmart and Sears are now the history of Sears Holdings.  If you split, there will the Sears Holdings page will be nothing more than a stub. Wikipedianinthehouse 20:31, 11 February 2006 (UTC)
 * No, there should be a short summary section for each in this article with a main article link to the respective articles. And I would dispute that having the histories together them them easier to read, I think the conflicting timelines make this merged history very confusing to read. older ≠ wiser 02:27, 12 February 2006 (UTC)
 * I agree this should be split up. --Caldorwards4 04:55, 15 February 2006 (UTC)
 * Some of the examples of the chains I put in this artical were sold or closed before Sears Holdings was formed so this needs spliting and soon --Caldorwards4 02:52, 6 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Agree. It's silly to, for example, go in the Montgomery Ward article and see references to them competing in 1900 with a company that was formed in 2005. Jkonrath 22:08, 15 February 2006 (UTC)
 * Agreed on splitting. The sections on Kmart and Sears each should be moved off to their own articles, and replaced with a short paragraph with a  tag to the full article about each legacy company's history up until the date the merger became effective.  Personally, I see the Sears Holdings Corporation article as a place to discuss the combined company from the date of the merger forward.  SchuminWeb (Talk) 00:27, 17 February 2006 (UTC)
 * Disagree they're all just chains of one company now. Should we have separate articles for every company that ever got acquired? What this article really needs is a re-edit to better merge the information that's here. Ewlyahoocom 14:23, 17 February 2006 (UTC)
 * Eh, not really. For one thing, Kmart Corporation and Sears, Roebuck still exist as entities underneath the umbrella of Sears Holdings. For another, both companies are extremely significant in their own right: the legacy Sears was for years the largest retailer in the world. It built the world's tallest building and was omnipresent. Very significant company. And Kmart pioneered the discount department store concept that has really helped to change the face of suburban and rural America. These two companies are important historically, even though they are both shadows of their former selves under the Sears Holdings umbrella. Discussing them both only in the Sears Holdings article denies their important histories. Just my $.02. --Captadam 14:02, 14 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I agree to split this! ---71.33.21.122
 * I agree, sooner or later, this article will get WAY too big.
 * Strong Split Not only because there are two notable companies which have each had an independent history for over 100 years, but because Sears and Kmart are still operated as separate retail chains with unique identities. Trying to squeeze all of the information on both of these chains into one article is akin to trying to put the histories of all 1200+ radio stations owned by Clear Channel Communications into one article. DHowell 05:24, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I agree that this article should be split.Toonmon2005 00:28, 10 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Agree in favor of a split. There should be separate articles for Kmart and Sears, Roebuck & Co. since they were both very notable companies on their own in the past. --Dynamite Eleven 01:56, 11 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Agree to split using Summary style and pointers to the articles. --Christopherlin 00:04, 15 March 2006 (UTC)
 * 'Agree to Split, Although both companies are owned by the same company, many other large companies that have seperate subsidiaries or brands have seperate pages for their large brands or aquisitions. (Examples would be Kroger, General Motors, Proctor and Gamble, Time Warner, Disney and more)(Hypernick1980 02:31, 17 March 2006 (UTC))
 * I agree. A reader comes here looking for information on sears and wades through the troubles for K-Mart.  Separate.  --RedJ 17 21:47, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I agree. K-Mart and Sears have very distinct histories -- if done properly, the reader will not be confused.  In fact, it would result in clearer, less cluttered articles.  The Sears Holdings article would deal with the corporation as it exists today, and on a go forward basis.  The comparable situation is the Hudson Bay Company in Canada, where its department store banners (Zellers and The Bay) have their own articles, as do the department store retailers that HBC has absorbed over the years (Simpson's, Woodwards, Morgan's, etc.).  Mass confusion has not erupted in Canada as a result. Skeezix1000 17:30, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Looks like that to me too. pfahlstrom 22:27, 2 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Agree with the vote to split. There is a lot of information here, and three articles (KMart pre-merger, Sears pre-merger, and Sears Holdings post-merger) would cut this down into more manageable chunks, and we can link everything together.
 * Strong Agree to Split Per Skeezix1000 and many other of the split supporters. The "old" companies in many of these examples are notable in and of themselves and deserve separate treatment. In many ways they are distinct entities despite their ultimate absorbtion or takeover. Fluit 01:16, 6 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Strong Agree to Split Per gwiner I am a perfect example of why this needs to be split - I came here looking for more detailed history on the early pre-acquisition Sears and Roebuck Company, and instead find all sorts of irrelevant info about other companies - it is a very confusing read. Each of these retailers has a distinct, important, and detailed history that needs to be individually referenced.  Fluit 01:16, 6 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Agree because Sears and Kmart have different histories. A seperate page for the "Sears Holdings" should also be seperate. Diediemydarling 06:16, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

3 Pages
Sears and K-Mart and Sears Holdings should have seaprete pages. Sears should be like all other department store pages and have locations and only be Sears, just the same with K-Mart. Sears Holdings should be the overall business page


 * Definitely agreed. A Sears Holding Company page would be of more interest to those looking for technical, back-end information. --72.224.153.104 02:35, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Date/Location
Why is Sears Holdings listed as having been formed in 1899 in Detroit (Kmart)? Since Sears was the acquiring company, shouldn't it instead list the date/place of the Sears Roebuck founding? Istvan 22:57, 20 February 2006 (UTC)

That's an error, I fixed it now. Alexzero77 19:18, 11 March 2006 (UTC)Alexzero77

Actually, Kmart Corporation acquired Sears, Roebuck. The company then renamed itself Sears Holdings and moved its headquarters to the old Sears headquarters in Hoffman Estates. Although, if you want to be REALLY technical, then you can change the actual date of formation to either the date that Kmart came out of bankruptcy (and issued new stock), or you can reference the date that Sears Holdings was organized. Structurally, it really is a different company from both Kmart and legacy Sears. --Captadam 13:58, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

Split completed
The discussed split has been completed, and this article is now three: Sears Holdings Corporation, Kmart, and Sears, Roebuck and Company. The demarcating line is the merger. I've also gone ahead and repointed a number of different redirects for the different companies. Thoughts? SchuminWeb (Talk) 23:06, 23 April 2006 (UTC)


 * I noticed ALOT of errors and problems with the new articles. They REALLY need fixing. I don't know why they're part of the defunct category, and the spacing is screwed up. Also, it's "Kmart," not "K-Mart." I'm probably going to give up on this now because whoever split the articles did a TERRIBLE job! 21:14, 25 April 2006 (UTC) Alexzero77


 * I placed the predecessor organizations in the "defunct" category because they were replaced by a new company - Sears Holdings Corporation. If you think the split was poorly done, by all means, be bold and do something about it.  SchuminWeb (Talk) 21:49, 26 April 2006 (UTC)

WikiProject: Retailing
Hello, a new WikiProject called Retailing has been created, and we invite anyone who is interested in joining to sign up. If you would like to join it, then list your name on Wikiproject/List_of_proposed_projects. Tuxide 00:38, 4 May 2006 (UTC)

Big Kmart
Noticing the back-and-forth addition and removal of the "Big Kmart" passage, I'm curious... what's the harm in including it? The format is still very much in use, and a passage about it seems highly appropriate for the article, as it does differentiate between "Big Kmart" (which is something of a misnomer) and conventional Kmarts.

Thoughts? SchuminWeb (Talk) 02:07, 23 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Big Kmart should be listed, since it is marketed separately from regular Kmarts. This is no different than distinguishing Target Greatlands from regular Targets.  Tuxide 02:23, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

When were they called "Big Kmart"? They were always refereed to as "Big K" in the ads and commercials. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.197.144.134 (talk) 04:56, 20 November 2017 (UTC)

Sears Essentials stores
I saw that this article states that Sears Essentials stores will be converted to Sears Grands because it was a failure, and lists it as a former chain. On the Sears website both the Essentials and Grand chains are promoted, with a store locater search option for "Sears Mall, Grand & Essentials Stores", with a link to that page about the Essentials concept, and another box at the top promoting it. Does anyone have any information on these stores, or references for the statements about the Essentials chain being discontinued? I checked the Sears Holding Corporation website for press releases, but I could only find one announcing the new Essentials concept, from February 2005 (I would think the stores would need to be open longer to determine that the chain is a "failure") Dan128 06:29, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

Sears Essentials stores still exist —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.56.34.106 (talk) 08:57, 18 April 2011 (UTC)

Accuracy
Claims #3 retailing spot behind Wal-Mart & The Home Depot. The Kroger page also makes this claim. Which is correct?
 * Kroger is the nation's 3rd largest retailer with over 10 billion more dollars in sales over Sears in 2005

I also noticed the above discrepency based on the following information from the Sears Holdings homepage:

'Sears Holdings Corporation...nation's third largest broadline retailer...'

Although the descrepency might come down to interpretation of what "broadline" retailer means, due to the fact that Fortune Magazine clearly lists Kroger as having greater revenue in it's list here:

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/full_list/index.html

So is this accuracy problem just spin on Sears' part?

Nike Line
I would like to raise the debate about this paragraph:

In 2005, Nike announced that it would no longer allow its products to be sold in Sears stores. Analysts speculated that Nike did not want its shoes and apparel sold in Kmart stores, and terminated its sales agreement with Sears Holdings to prevent this.

While Nike may not chose to sell Nike BRAND shoes in Sears/Kmart I do not think that holds for the other brands they own including Converse, Champion, Shaq, and Dunkman which are targeted to the retailers key demos.

Also, the Sears in my area is still carrying Nike.

Please tell me what sears still carries Nike. No sears in my district does, nor does the website.

Life Decisions boycott accuracy
Life Decisions International doesn't list SHC on the list of targets on the reference site. You have to donate to see the entire list, so how can we claim it is one of the targets if the reference is invalid? Someonewhobelieves (talk) 03:45, 1 July 2008 (UTC)

Other Sears concepts
I just added a section on concepts that Sears no longer uses, including their Catalog, HomeLife, and Neighborhood Stores. I have a few questions:


 * When, and why, did Sears phase out its catalog stores?
 * Did Sears ever operate Brand Central stores separately from the main stores? If so, when did they start and stop doing so?

(Edit: Forgot to sign it.) TenPoundHammer 19:47, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:SearsHoldingPNG.PNG
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Fair use rationale for Image:Nascar craftsman truck series logo.jpg
Image:Nascar craftsman truck series logo.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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BetacommandBot (talk) 14:52, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

SHC's Commitment To The Armed Services
I would like to suggest that a section be added to the article about Sears Holdings Corporation commitment to the armed services. I believe it is noteworthy as it has been recognized by many different news sources and the company has received the Military Officers Association of America's Distinguished Service Award and the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award for their commitment.

I feel that it would be a conflict of interest for me to add this material. I am a current SHC corporate intern. I believe that this material is noteworthy due to it being a case of going above and beyond the legal requirements(i.e. the holding a job open statutes) in a time when companies are minimizing costs and offering the minimum legal benefits. StarsTrainsAndRandomThings (talk) 20:48, 16 July 2008 (UTC)

Sears and Sears Holdings
I notice that the Sears and Sears holdings articles are not well separated. Both sections for instance list subsidiary companies, which I think are only subsidiaries of the holdings corp. It is unclear. The articles also link back and forth to each other and it seems the "Sears" article really contains a great deal which is actually information about the holdings corp. Where they both have similar content they are not entirely in agreement.

The way they are currently written, one could simply vanish and the overall contribution would improve.

These articles either need to be more clearly delineated or combined. Wiredrabbit (talk) 16:18, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

My Gopher
It seems like there is no reference anywhere in wikipedia about myGopher http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/03/10/mygofer-and-kmart-a-new-kind-of-retailer/ This has been reported on from a number of sources and seems like something to add to the current information about the company. Mmainguy (talk) 22:07, 17 October 2010 (UTC)

Number of employees in Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears (corporate) The number of employees needs to be stated especially in view of the fact that Sears has announced the closing of 120 stores as of this date. Zerses (talk) 17:02, 27 December 2011 (UTC)

Found on CNNMoney.com http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2010/snapshots/2292.html Employees: 322,000 for 2010 Zerses (talk) 17:08, 27 December 2011 (UTC)

Article is Outdated.
Article does not mention many of the company's recent initiatives such as Fit Studio, Meta Scale, Shop Your Way Community, distribution of Ipads and technology for stores, etc. Anyone interested in freshening the article up to include company's current state? such as strategy of selling real estate assets and leasing real estate space, offering an online marketplace of buyers and sellers similar to Amazon and its "Go Green" initiatives like emailing receipts through Shop Your Way? Cypher056E (talk) 20:24, 23 May 2012 (UTC)

Proposed move

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the move request was: Moved Tiggerjay (talk) 07:20, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

Sears Holdings Corporation → Sears Holdings – Sears Holdings Corporation is called Sears Holdings on the Fortune 500 and several news sites like this one from this week. Marcus Qwertyus (talk) 19:09, 31 December 2012 (UTC)
 * Support there should be no need for discussion, this is part of a wider cleanup relating to commonname versus legal names, and the inclusion of company, corporation or ltd. Tiggerjay (talk) 06:36, 1 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Bloomberg BW story on Lampert's strategy
There's a good story in Bloomberg BusinessWeek on Eddie Lampert's strategy for Sears Holdings, which says that he doesn't know what he's doing, doesn't understand retailing, and is driving the organization into the ground with his theories of competition based on Ayn Rand.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-11/at-sears-eddie-lamperts-warring-divisions-model-adds-to-the-troubles

At Sears, Eddie Lampert's Warring Divisions Model Adds to the Troubles

By Mina Kimes

July 11, 2013

Paul Krugman commented on it in his NYT column:

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/john-galt-and-the-theory-of-the-firm/

July 16, 2013

John Galt and the Theory of the Firm

--Nbauman (talk) 01:27, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Also a more recent story in the NYT.
 * https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/11/business/the-incredible-shrinking-sears.html
 * The Incredible Shrinking Sears
 * How a financial wizard took over a giant of American retailing, and presided over its epic decline.
 * By JULIE CRESWELL
 * AUG. 11, 2017
 * --Nbauman (talk) 22:55, 11 August 2017 (UTC)

Bloomberg BW story on Lampert's strategy
There's a good story in Bloomberg BusinessWeek on Eddie Lampert's strategy for Sears Holdings, which says that he doesn't know what he's doing, doesn't understand retailing, and is driving the organization into the ground with his theories of competition based on Ayn Rand.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-11/at-sears-eddie-lamperts-warring-divisions-model-adds-to-the-troubles

At Sears, Eddie Lampert's Warring Divisions Model Adds to the Troubles

By Mina Kimes

July 11, 2013

Paul Krugman commented on it in his NYT column:

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/john-galt-and-the-theory-of-the-firm/

July 16, 2013

John Galt and the Theory of the Firm

--Nbauman (talk) 01:27, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

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First Paragraph Incorrect
In addition to using unnecessary and confusing wording, "was founded after the former purchased the latter," this is also factually incorrect. It was widely popularly assumed that Sears had purchased K-Mart as it was common knowledge at the time that K-Mart was in bankruptcy. In reality though the funding to purchase Sears was generated during the "re-financing" of the bankrupt K-Mart. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1004:B009:B94:7D15:76E7:742A:FC92 (talk) 15:55, 8 March 2017 (UTC)