Sears/Kmart quickly disappearing

[Diggin It]

Is Lowes headed in the same general direction as Sears?

Once I got done blocking all the adware and paywall nags so I could read the article, it doesn't really say much other than bean counters gonna do what bean counters do to make a name for themselves.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Is Lowes headed in the same general direction as Sears?

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlot...strategy-by-closing.html?ana=yahoo&yptr=yahoo

Interesting. I used to prefer my local Lowes to the HD, I thought the blue box had more high-end and hard-to-find type items, and they price-match each other on everyday stuff. But this summer I had a project to do and a bunch of 10% coupons from Lowes, so when I needed stuff I would go to Lowes. After three or four trips where my Lowes didn't have what I needed and the HD down the block did, I started making HD my first stop. I did one delivery order from Lowes -- which they messed up.

My experience is that when a retailer starts hitting the skids, customers start to notice pretty quickly, and start going elsewhere. From there it's a death spiral.

 

[/pine]

So is it inevitable (like Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio) that HD and Lowes become a single entity at some point?

How much longer can CVS and Walgreen's keep going head to head with Walmart in the mix...somethings got to give there sooner or later...

 

[KubotainNH]

When building my house I bought a lot of items from Lowe's, 10% off using my card. The closest Lowe's to my house closed a few years ago, it was a huge well stocked store. Now HD is just closer so that's usually where I end up. There is a Lowe's near my work but HD is still half the distance so again quicker to hit up. They kinda screwed themselves seeing that large store was in a major City for that area now HD is the only close option.

CVS and Walgreens always make me wonder. Walgreens put up a decent sized building all their own a couple years ago while CVS had been small and sitting in the nearby strip mall. CVS just moved into a larger building of their own a few hundred feet away. I dunno how they do it but Walmart is on the other side of town so that helps. I only shop at the two drug stores when I'm on the rushed side as their prices are only good when on sale.

 

[4570Man]

When building my house I bought a lot of items from Lowe's, 10% off using my card. The closest Lowe's to my house closed a few years ago, it was a huge well stocked store. Now HD is just closer so that's usually where I end up. There is a Lowe's near my work but HD is still half the distance so again quicker to hit up. They kinda screwed themselves seeing that large store was in a major City for that area now HD is the only close option.

CVS and Walgreens always make me wonder. Walgreens put up a decent sized building all their own a couple years ago while CVS had been small and sitting in the nearby strip mall. CVS just moved into a larger building of their own a few hundred feet away. I dunno how they do it but Walmart is on the other side of town so that helps. I only shop at the two drug stores when I'm on the rushed side as their prices are only good when on sale.

Lowe’s 10% off and $25 off 250 or more cards used to be plentiful. I could buy them off eBay for a dollar or two. They seem to cracked down on that. They also use to sell a case of Gatorade for like $12 that had a $10 gift card inside. I drank a lot of Gatorade then.

 

[ultrarunner]

Lowes owned my favorite Hardware Store Orchard Supply founded in 1931 otherwise known as OSH...

West Coast Operation with 100 stores... spent a lot relaunching the brand a couple of years ago... lots on the fa軋de of the stores.

Anyway... they are all closing... even the rank and file didn't know... came to work and found the notices on the door.

When I am in Olympia... Lowes is my first stop... don't have a local one near Oakland.

 

[cqaigy2]

I shop alot at the lowes in oly too. 10% off helps and they quite often have things the home depot doesn't.

 

[MossRoad]

So is it inevitable (like Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio) that HD and Lowes become a single entity at some point?

How much longer can CVS and Walgreen's keep going head to head with Walmart in the mix...somethings got to give there sooner or later...

Except there's the convenience factor of location. We have three Walmarts in our town, but probably 20 CVS and Walgreens locations. I'd much rather go to CVS or Walgreens for candy, prescriptions, photo printing, greeting cards, small stuff. I hate going to Walmart. While they do have good prices, it's just isle after isle and a ton of people all the time. I can park close to the door at the CVS and Walgreens and get in and out fast.

 

[goeduck]

... I hate going to Walmart. While they do have good prices, it's just isle after isle and a ton of people all the time. I can park close to the door at the CVS and Walgreens and get in and out fast.

And here I thought you would do anything to pinch a penny.

 

[MossRoad]

And here I thought you would do anything to pinch a penny.

How do they make copper wire?

Try and take a penny away from me! :laughing:

 

[Diggin It]

but probably 20 CVS and Walgreens locations. I'd much rather go to CVS or Walgreens for candy, prescriptions, photo printing, greeting cards, small stuff.

I get what I need at Dollar General or Big Lots. Use the locally owned drug store for some things.

I was in Wally's Wart once. Once. Couldn't get out fast enough. What a pit.

 

[dragoneggs]

I hate going to Walmart. While they do have good prices, it's just isle after isle and a ton of people all the time. I can park close to the door at the CVS and Walgreens and get in and out fast.

Not to mention those ‘wide load’ women taking up two lanes with their shopping carts full of junk food!

 

[MossRoad]

I get what I need at Dollar General or Big Lots. Use the locally owned drug store for some things.

I was in Wally's Wart once. Once. Couldn't get out fast enough. What a pit.

We don't have any locally owned drug stores near us anymore. The last one I know of closed around 1990 and the owner went to work for Osco's as their pharmacist. He said he made more money working for them than he did owning his own store. There was one downtown, but it got bought out by a health care company and moved to the next town over in 2013. One of our local hospitals also closed and moved to the next town over. See, the next town over doesn't have the low income residents like South Bend, and it's closer to the affluent suburbia that's been building up over there the past 30-40 years.

 

[MossRoad]

Not to mention those ‘wide load’ women taking up two lanes with their shopping carts full of junk food!

Hey, you're talking to an oatmeal cream pie, nutty bar, swiss cake roll fan here.... I'm fond of the sodie pop and cookies, too.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I get what I need at Dollar General or Big Lots. Use the locally owned drug store for some things.

I was in Wally's Wart once. Once. Couldn't get out fast enough. What a pit.

Around here now one can not get to a WM store without driving past at least one Dollar General store. If they had gas they could be a one stop shop in my book.

 

[Diggin It]

Around here now one can not get to a WM store without driving past at least one Dollar General store. If they had gas they could be a one stop shop in my book.

I pass three to get into town where BigLots, Lowes and the rest of the stores I use are located. They missed out big time by not putting a DG Market (fresh produce, meat, etc.) at one of those three locations since there are no other grocery stores nearby. They could have had a nearly captive clientele.

 

[Sigarms]

I get what I need at Dollar General or Big Lots. Use the locally owned drug store for some things.

I was in Wally's Wart once. Once. Couldn't get out fast enough. What a pit.

Dollar general makes their money just like a convinence store. Put one up on every corner in the middle of no where, and people will pay what you're asking.

Don't know enough about big lots. Generally buy at Costco.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I always used the back door to Wally World, through Automotive. There were always parking spaces within fifty feet of the door, and you could pay for all your stuff at automotive on the way out. No lines, no babies, no hassles. Sometimes I would feel better if I pretended I was interested in buying tires or a battery.

 

[Diggin It]

Dollar general makes their money just like a convinence store. Put one up on every corner in the middle of no where, and people will pay what you're asking.

Don't know enough about big lots. Generally buy at Costco.

I was told once that their strategy was to have a store about every ten miles. That's about what it is here, give or take a few miles.

I liken Big Lots to Kresge's or Woolworth's of years back.

 

[Industrial Toys]

A few years ago, a Dollar store caught fire near here. Man, that was some hot fire. Can you imagine all that plastic?