"Well, y'all used to do it..."

[Andara Bledin]

I think it started going down hill when K-Mart bought them. At least thats when I noticed the tool department shrunk to half it's size.

It started long before K-Mart. I suspect the people at the top got greedy at the expense of the rest of the chain below them. That's what usually happens. That's what happened to Home Base, for example.

Apparently CL in the OP never heard of Replacements, Limited? There's a reason that they do booming business.

Because they charge about 10 times what they're willing to pay for the same item?

I only know this because the old boss' wife collects Fostoria green Versailles, and she never bought anything from Replacements, Limited, and they gave her an insultingly lowball bid on her extras when she sent in the form.

^-.-^

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

Well of course they do. Replacements Ltd used to be pretty cool, when they first started. Now, I'd only go to them as a last resort, either buying or selling.

[draftermatt]

Does she call Ford trying to get parts for her Mazda too? Because Ford used to own Mazda.

They still do, they own 33% of Mazda as far as I know. But I get your point, though many of the parts are interchangeable.

[edible_hat]

Because Ford used to own Mazda.

That must have been back when their cars were God-like.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahura_Mazda

[IHateStupidCustomers]

I think I came in a little after Lands' End moved into the store. Still, I agree...some Lands' End customers are nuts. A lot constantly complain that we don't carry Lands' End kids. Sorry--Lands' End has a whole catalogue for that sort of thing. But we carry a lot of neat things from them now--bedding, towels and rugs, dishes, PICNIC baskets (omg, cute, but expensive!), and these cute little plate sets for kids. Bwah...

You worked in commission shoes? They cut commission out of shoes a year or so ago...my store was one of the very last to hold onto the commission in shoes. I really wish it was still commissioned because people really liked it. Now we only have ONE shoe person on the floor at all times...it's awful because that's the highest area for theft and constantly our busiest department.

Yeah, I used to get crazy people who would complain that we didn't carry some specific shoe in the Lands End catalogue...we can't carry EVERYTHING.

I think the store I used to work at has been all self serve for a couple years now. Just before I left they made the athletics self-serve and cut our commission rate. That sucked. In the good ol' days before self-serve I was bringing home about $250 a week, and I was in high school and working part-time! That was awesome. Yeah, shoes was always pretty high-theft. When I worked there, it got worse when they made athletics self serve. We'd find people's old shoes in boxes all the time, where they'd just put on the new pair and walked out the door. Crappy.

[Becks]

"We USED to sell carriages and buggy whips."

Wow. I am so looking for a new carriage.

And whips are always useful.

:sigh: The good old days...

[darknight73]

pharmacies used to be able to dispense cocaine- but you had to have a prescription

[blas]

I think we better go dig up Henry Ford's grave and give him a good old fashioned pimp smack!

"You USED to carry this"

"You always USED to..."

Those were some of my favorite customer quotes.....notice the PAST tense here people....we USED to. USED to does NOT equal still do!

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I think it started going down hill when K-Mart bought them. At least thats when I noticed the tool department shrunk to half it's size.

Even stranger: picture seeing a row of Craftsman grills on display at the SuperK.

I had to do a double-take . . . but I want that big red one.

[Rine]

Don't get me started on Craftsman and Kenmore products at Kmart...

I just...nooooo. I like my Kmart co-workers, but it seems we get more and more problems from folks that bought Sears products at Kmart these days. They get mad when we, Sears, can't take back their bought Kmart product. You bought it at Kmart, you have the Kmart receipt, return it to Kmart!

Kmart also doesn't do Craftsman hand tool exchanges, at least not in my area, and you wouldn't believe the complaining. We also can't take Kmart gift cards YET. Headache, headache, headache!

I wish Sears stayed Sears and Kmart stayed Kmart.

[zzapp the witch]

I haven't bought Craftsman since I bought a pair of dykes and they broke on the first cut.....on soft copper wire. Never again.

[Anakah]

I didn't even know Sears sold plates. Maybe she was thinking of a Mikasa?