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Sears Closing 100 US Stores And Auto Centers

Joe Marconi
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Gonzo Grand Master

Gonzo

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Well that sucks. Sears has always been one of those department store repair shops that I get a lot of referral work from. Locally, they've had a tradition of parts swapping. They screw it up and then give up...and then tell their customer to see me.

 

They were good advertisement for me. Gonna miss them. Now, those folks that use this sort of service from these department store repair shops will have to go elsewhere to get their cars looked at. I just hope the next place they go extends the referral work back to my shop as Sears has done in the past.

 

You know, ya gotta have those parts swapper shops around... makes for good business for other shops. I guess times are changing and maybe people are starting to realize the value of a trained technician and not somebody with just a name on his shirt and a Sears logo.

 

What am I thinking??? Seriously? Consumers getting wise? my bad.....

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OEScanTools.com Explorer

OEScanTools.com

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It is my understanding that they are going through a major restructure to get their Sears Auto Centers separated away from their retail locations. The locations closing are not profitable and typically have been in their location for quite some time. These locations are in not so desirable areas and so thus there needs to be a change. Don't be surprised that in 2 to 3 years that they have increased their locations by 25% or more and in very desireable areas.

 

My .02

 

OEST

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

    • Joe Marconi
      Want to End Your Technician Shortage? Focus on Retention!
      By Joe Marconi in Joe's Blog
         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”

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