Sears splits from Whirlpool after 100 years

[Zorro]

Source: CBS News

Whether U.S. shoppers are still looking for the softer side of Sears may be debatable, but there's one line of merchandise consumers will no longer find at the department store: Whirlpool appliances.

The department store is ending a business relationship that dates make more than 100 years. In a note sent to its stores last week, Sears said that Whirlpool (WHR) was making demands that would've made it difficult to sell its appliances at a competitive price.

Sears (SHLD) has been ravaged by new competition for years, however, from stores like Home Depot and also from Amazon.com and other online retailers. The department store's sales have continued to plummet, with second-quarter sales declining 11.5 percent at stores open at least a year. The chain is restructuring its operations and shedding underperforming stores, but the loss of a major draw like Whirlpool may add to its challenges in drawing shoppers through its doors.

The end to the partnership is effective immediately and includes the larger appliances and small kitchen appliances of Whirlpool subsidiaries like Maytag, KitchenAid and Jenn-Air.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sears-whirlpool-appliances-split-partnership-after-100-years/

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This may be another sign that Sears might not be around for much longer.

[mikeysnot]

1. Interesting...

Whirlpool used to make their Kenmore branded washers and dryers....

[bucolic_frolic]

2. "demands"

like paying cash, up front, no credit, because your ability to pay your creditors is questionable?

as the financial noose tightens fewer and fewer extend credit

the sharks are circling, but in this case, are there any sharks other than real estate tycoons?

[BumRushDaShow]

3. Heard this on the radio this morning

the irony being that Whirlpool pretty much owns most of the other common brands. Samsung is under fire across it's product line for faulty electronics & GE continually goes Jekyll/Hyde on whether it wants to stay in the "consumer" business. At least Frigidaire seems somewhat stable.

[jmowreader]

25. GE is no longer in the appliance business

They sold their small-appliance business to Black & Decker in the 1980s, and their large-appliance business to Haier in 2016.

[BumRushDaShow]

31. Except that GE DOES have their name on those appliances

as my complex offers the GE "Cafe Series" appliances for interested parties.

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, GE Appliances also operates manufacturing facilities in Decatur, Alabama and has wholly-owned subsidiaries in LaFayette, Georgia, and Selmer, Tennessee.

In 2016, Haier Group acquired GE Appliances. Being a part of this large global organization provides GE Appliances with additional resources to continue to innovate and sell our products internationally.

GE Appliances includes wholly-owned subsidiary FirstBuild, a global co-creation community and state-of-the-art microfactory located in Louisville, Kentucky. FirstBuild's open innovation platform ensures that our best ideas and new products for today's modern home reach consumers faster.

GE Appliances

That's why I call them Jekyll/Hyde.

[jmowreader]

32. I think Black & Decker screwed up by not licensing the name

[BumRushDaShow]

33. I would agree with that!

[Aristus]

4. Let me guess: another winning decision from that crazy-ass, Ayn Rand-worshipping CEO of theirs?

Divest the company of all its assets, and then plummet from the flaming wreck with his golden parachute?

[unc70]

5. Yeah, a real Craftsman

Wait! Not any longer

[marybourg]

11. Sold in Allstate(s). Not any longer either.

[FakeNoose]

8. Well the stock isn't worth much now anyway

What's left of this once-fine company isn't even worth saving. My grandfather's entire career was working as a district manager for Sears. He got a great retirement too, far better than anyone gets today.

[Ray Bruns]

6. When is someone going to man up and

Drive a stake through Sear's heart.

[Bengus81]

13. That's what I wonder too. It's toast,nothing left and a worthless brand.

[Bayard]

7. Really sad

Sears used to be THE place to go for tools.

[marybourg]

12. And kids' clothes.

And great American-made appliances.

[Bengus81]

14. Yeah,till they said I couldn't use a credit card to buy a chainsaw in 1978

Nope...HAD to be a SEARS card or no dice. I told them later days and NEVER went back. Now they're basically in the dumpster. Aw shucks....

[jalan48]

9. My recent Sears purchases were defective products. I won't buy from them again.

[Kolesar]

10. LG and Samsung dumped appliances in America to destroy White &Whirlpool

LG and Samsung took market share by violating trade treaties. Our manufacturers were deprived of revenue and were harmed. Sears sold appliances by LG and Samsung.

The treachery succeeded. Now Whirlpool/Maytag has lost a retail outlet.

I know that there is some trade action on that issue right now .

[Iggo]

15. Translation: Whirlpool put Sears on credit hold. (n/t)

[Wellstone ruled]

17. Just a matter ot time and

the plug will be pulled.

Folks who purchased any Appliance from Sears in the last five years,better read their so called extended Warranties. You most likely bought a dead piece of paper. Good luck trying to have Sears make good on their implied promise.

[Iggo]

20. Sucks for me!

[Wellstone ruled]

22. We had a Reality Check two years ago from Sears.

Water Heater blew,caused thirty K in damage. Had a so called nine year warranted Heater,well it lasted six years two months. Fortunately our Home Owners covered all but one thousand of the Rebuild. So as a somewhat knowledgeable as how to try and activate these so called Manufacturers Waranty's,just a bit of what I encountered. First of all,during a reorganization of Sears,Sears was able to protect themselves against payment for damages caused by structural failure of any of their Branded Products. Secondly,these a prorated Waranty's means how much of the expected usable life is remaining in the Heater. Which turns out to be about seventy five dollars in form of a coupon to be used at a Sears Retail Store and applied to the purchase of a new Water Heater to be Installed at regular Rack Rates by their Installers. In that lies a big big dollar expense. Another thing we found was this,Sears apparently was able to convince the FTC that they are indemnified from most claims against their Branded Merchandise. Slickly Arbitration will be used with any and all claims.

Still waiting for that seventy five dollar Coupon. Three calls and 29 months later,good luck to all those Sears Appliance owners.

The good old days of Customer Service is so gone.

[Iggo]

23. Bought a washer/dryer a year-and-a-half ago.

Fingers crossed.

[Wellstone ruled]

29. Implied Warranty without a

purchase of a extended Warranty,now is 45 days. As per our recent purchase of a Dryer from them,about a year ago. Same sentiment as you. Only use Consumers Digest as our go to on any type of Appliance. Then use price match as a way of purchasing it at the lowest price. Happened to be we got lucky with Sears on the Dryer. When the Sales person would not do a match,turned to leave and then,wait a minute,we will match and pick up your old one for free. Usually they hit you for twenty five bucks on old unit pick up.

[Crabby Appleton]

16. Sears is circling the drain

Just a question of time before they're gone.

[47of74]

18. Our local Sears and Mart of K are both gone now.

We're getting a Sears Hometown some time this year.

I remember when Sears and K-Mart both used to be the go to places for stuff here in town before Wally World and the internet came along.

[Xolodno]

19. The irony...Sears was well positioned.

When it DC'd its catalog, they should have immediately launched and online catalog or at least partnered with someone until it was feasible.

Selling Craftsman off for a cash infusion is like Disney selling off Donald Duck. If anything, when they were shuttering stores they should have offered the line to be sold in auto part chains.

Nope, their dumb CEO is going to faithfully worship his god, Ayn Rand right until it all goes kaput. And of course he won't take the blame, "the rest of the company didn't share his vision and failed to execute".

[NNadir]

21. Well that explains it. I had no idea the CEO was an Ayn Rand idiot.

That these nut jobs have risen to positions of power is part of the reason for the decline of the United States, which is now in free fall under the reign of the orange traitor.

I used to believe that anyone who still took Ayn Rand after he or she was old enough for his or her acne to clear up was simply a case of arrested development.

Somehow major organizations seem to have bought this quasi-religious hokum lock stock and barrel, and to the extent the CEO is a Rander, the situation is explained.

Thanks.

[Xolodno]

27. Oh it gets better.....

...he created a "competition" atmosphere that would pit the different departments of the store against each other....it got so bad, that the departments started to sabotage each other. So naturally the whole store started to suffer.

[Iggo]

24. His vision was to suck it dry and toss the corpse.

Mission Accomplished.

[RKP5637]

26. Sear is history, someone needs to make them realize Sears is dead and gone.

Sears, an example of piss poor management over the years. Used to be a great store.

[MontanaMama]

28. My home was built in 1954.

There was a chain link fence around the back yard that we've replaced, however, we've kept the large gate in place...there's a metal badge on the gate that says "Sears". The previous owners of the home also purchased vinyl siding from Sears - the receipt was left at the house. Amazing what they carried back in the day. Sears used to be my go-to for all appliances, vacuums and sewing machines.

[jmowreader]

34. Sears used to sell entire houses

They only made these from 1908 to 1940 (they were sold through 1942, when they ran out of stock) but you could get a special catalog from Sears, pick out a house, and enough precut materials to assemble the building would show up on a train car.

[The Genealogist]

30. Sadly, Sears is a mere husk of its former self

One of the great American companies is now on its last leg. An aunt of my mother's was proud to work for Sears in catalog sales. Every gift she gave out at the holiday came from Sears. She left with a decent retirement too.

As for my own experience with Sears, it seems there used to be great customer service, good quality products, and the local store was always busy. Past few times I was in Sears, it was quiet as a morgue in there. Sad.

[RKP5637]

35. I remember well waaaay back, if you wanted quality you went to Sears. They also had

an amazing parts department for DIY people. In fact, they still had parts for one of my air compressors, over 50 years old, back a few years when I rebuilt it. 50 years old, and it's still going strong.