The biggest retail disaster is the local K-Mart...the place has not been redone since the store was build decades ago, and they sell the worst low market merchandise they can lay their hands on. At one time though, K-Mart was the premier department store and one of a kind. But even the local competition re-designs the whole interior of their stores every five years or so....
I quit shopping at Sears years ago. Sears used to have quite a reputation for tools, but too many of their power tools require non-standard parts that are only available through Sears, and there are far too many alternatives out there that have far superior products that are a lot easier to obtain. Grizzly Tools is an excellent example. They have three locations in the US and have the best shipping service I have ever seen. Their annual tool catalog is better than any catalog Sears ever came out with, and they have an incredibly wide selection of power and hand tools that is hard to beat. And if I need a belt for my Grizzly sander, I can find one locally without having to order the only one that will fit from Grizzly.
People can try to blame Wal Mart and the internet for the dramatic decline of K-Mart and Sears but terrible management from the stores on up is the real culprit.
