Brian's Rant-o-Rama - provided free of charge provided you free me from charges

November 21^st, 2005

Let's do a little compare and contrast, shall we? Let's start by talking about a shopping experience at a Sears store in California:

I was recently in California on a business trip. Upon arrival, I discovered that I had stupidly forgot to pack my ties! I need to look beautiful for the client, what with ironed clean white shirts and ties and shined shoes, etc. (and don't even get me started on how pretty I must smell!) So I went to my hotel's front desk and asked them if they had any ideas. The answer: There was a Sears store up the road about ³/₄ of a mile and it was open at least until 9:00PM, despite the fact it was a Monday evening (actually, as it turns out, it was open until 10:00PM). So I hoofed it up to the Sears store, (it was so large, I could see it long before I got to it!) and after spending five minutes looking for the door, I got inside. I found two ties I particularly liked in a prominent display, both on sale for ¹/₃^rd off, grabbed them, bought them, and was back in my hotel room before you can say, "consumerism reigns supreme".

Now let's take a look at the Sears store experience my wife and I had a few days ago right here in BC:

First, we had to hurry: The store closed at 6:00PM and my wife wanted to buy some boots. So we spelunked through narrow aisles, rubbing against shirts and pants tightly stacked into every available space, and when we finally got to the women's shoe section (hard to find due to a lack of signs) we found a few boots in a very small selection ... and all of them more expensive than comparable boots in other stores. Well, fine about that: But with all that stock preventing our easy passage through the store, you'd think that they would at least have unique merchandise people wanted to buy! But apparently not. Then, while trying to navigate around the tables to even look at the boots, the space was so cramped that my wife collided with a sharp edge of the glass table-top. The next day she had a bruise on her hip.

We gave up on shoes, and went, instead, to look at leather jackets for me. After journeying through narrow aisles to the racks of coats, I was very disappointed to find that they were all chained together. I felt like I was being told I was a crook and not trusted. (Plus, the coats were so difficult to even navigate to, I have a hard time believing that their theft would be very likely ... but maybe thieves really are that hard-working after all.) So we searched for a clerk to unlock them so I could take a look at them, but had very little success until we had given up and started to walk away. Suddenly there was a woman there (busy with other customers) and when I finally got a chance to ask her to unlock the leather jackets so I could try them out, she said she didn't have a key; I would have to walk all the way back to the other side of the store to get the person who did have a key!

At this point we gave up and squeezed ourselves through narrow pathways in the clothing to the exit, where we escaped the claustrophobia and could breathe again.

A bad experience, Sears Canada! So let's compare and contrast, shall we? Here goes:

Sears USA Sears Canada

Good selection, not too much, not too little. Too many shirts, blouses, pants, too few shoes.

Found what I wanted in <5 minutes, but because I could walk freely and had some extra time, I ended up looking at belts and dress shirts as well—I nearly bought a dress shirt. Couldn't see the forest for the trees; ended up interested in buying nothing at all. Spent 40 minutes crawling through mountains of clothes, never found what we wanted.

Despite reports of high crime in the US, I could look at and try everything freely and without hindrance. Treated like a crook by having the coats chained up. I had to go so far out of my way to get them unchained that I just didn't bother.

Store clerks were busy, but not so busy they were unavailable. One even suggested a better tie. Clerks were mostly non-existent because there were so few of them, and they were running in circles trying to satisfy customers.

Store open late until 10:00PM on a Monday. Store closing on a Saturday at its usual 6:00PM time.

Merchandise was affordable, a fair price for the goods. Everything seemed to be priced right at the limit of what they thought we could pay for it. No regard to actual fair-value cost.

Easy and safe navigation (well, it is a litigious country, after all ...) Sharp-edged glass table top in a cramped space, and the view of it obscured by so much clothing surrounding it. Not safe at all. Bruised hip was the result.

A pleasant experience, and I would return to that store if I could. I curse the day we have to go back to this store! The experience was just awful.

You know, I guess that last point is the key: Sears Canada looked as though it doesn't think it has any competition in the marketplace. Nothing to stop it from being a miserable experience. The fact is that when we are looking for something in particular, we might have to try that store. They must know that they have a somewhat captive audience. And so they seem unconcerned that they are projecting the message, "We don't care."

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Sears USA	Sears Canada
Good selection, not too much, not too little.	Too many shirts, blouses, pants, too few shoes.
Found what I wanted in <5 minutes, but because I could walk freely and had some extra time, I ended up looking at belts and dress shirts as well—I nearly bought a dress shirt.	Couldn't see the forest for the trees; ended up interested in buying nothing at all. Spent 40 minutes crawling through mountains of clothes, never found what we wanted.
Despite reports of high crime in the US, I could look at and try everything freely and without hindrance.	Treated like a crook by having the coats chained up. I had to go so far out of my way to get them unchained that I just didn't bother.
Store clerks were busy, but not so busy they were unavailable. One even suggested a better tie.	Clerks were mostly non-existent because there were so few of them, and they were running in circles trying to satisfy customers.
Store open late until 10:00PM on a Monday.	Store closing on a Saturday at its usual 6:00PM time.
Merchandise was affordable, a fair price for the goods.	Everything seemed to be priced right at the limit of what they thought we could pay for it. No regard to actual fair-value cost.
Easy and safe navigation (well, it is a litigious country, after all ...)	Sharp-edged glass table top in a cramped space, and the view of it obscured by so much clothing surrounding it. Not safe at all. Bruised hip was the result.
A pleasant experience, and I would return to that store if I could.	I curse the day we have to go back to this store! The experience was just awful.