Re:Sears has another chance to avoid closing down
by philwelch on Tuesday January 08, 2019 @01:01PM
(#18857721)
Sure, but people can and do buy these things online as well, and some of these are well-suited for a hybrid approach. With clothes, for example, once I find my preferred SKU of trousers or shoes or whatever, I will just buy replacements online rather than return to the store where I bought my first pair, because they're a mass-produced product.
Re:Sears has another chance to avoid closing down
by sixothree on Tuesday January 08, 2019 @07:02PM
(#18861045)
What's more is that more and more people do buy these things online. Clothes and tools especially.
Re:Sears has another chance to avoid closing down
by billfruit on Tuesday January 08, 2019 @12:16PM
(#18857258)
Isn't warranty provided by the manufacturer and not the retailer, and hence better to buy big ticket items online (likely cheaper since there is no local retailers markup).
Even for clothes, yes offline stores do give us the ability to ability to try, but online offers more choices, colours, fabrics, sizes and brands than any one physical clothes store could possibly offer, so I do think online has an edge.
Re:Sears has another chance to avoid closing down
by Skunkleton on Tuesday January 08, 2019 @02:48PM
(#18858936)
> Isn't warranty provided by the manufacturer and not the retailer
The cost is usually covered by the manufacturer, but the local retailer is usually a point of service.
Re:Sears has another chance to avoid closing down
by excalibur on Tuesday January 08, 2019 @12:08PM
(#18857180)
Pretty much in agreement here, although I do find it more convenient to buy appliances through the big box store's website than to go in person and spend an hour guiding an associate through the options in their arcane inventory system.
Re:Sears has another chance to avoid closing down
by xnyan on Tuesday January 08, 2019 @01:05PM
(#18857766)
Also you get to avoid most of the 99% profit-for-them "warranty" hard sell. I try not to hold it against the salesperson as I've done that kind of job and I know they don't have a choice but it's still incredibly annoying.
Clothes -- I like to try them on first.
Tools -- I like to see if they are well made and how they feel in my hand. Photos on a website don't provide this.
Food -- I want to check produce and meat before I buy it. And it's easier to stop at shops I'm passing on my way home anyway.
Household supplies -- I don't want to deal with disposing of shipping boxes, styrofoam peanuts and air pillow packs for stuff I can just grab off the shelf at the local Target.
Big-ticket items (appliances, furniture, etc) -- I want a local business standing behind the product and the warranty.
Stuff I buy online are typically things like books (no local bookstores anymore) and odd items that are hard to find locally (like the mic/audio splitter cable my kid needed for his X-box controller).