Sears Holdings Corp. plans to open a warehouse-style concept store in Joliet called MyGofer that will allow shoppers to order online and pick up their purchases in the store or at a drive-through portal.
The prototype, slated to open by this summer, is expected to fill a niche between Wal-Mart and Amazon.com and could provide a model for the giant retail chain to eventually operate with fewer stores and lower overhead.
Sears and Kmart, both owned by Sears Holdings, have been foundering for decades as younger and more nimble rivals like Wal-Mart and Amazon have eaten away at their market share.
Architectural implications? I use the pick up in the Loop and so far it's been great - order at work online, pick up after work, cab it home. It's awesome.
And as for architecture as people in the comments pointed out, get back to your roots with good store design. If your going to make a warehouse style store, then damit make it shine.
I'm curious if the model really works, aren't a lot of sales moving directly to the home delivery model offered by stores like Amazon?
I guess the idea is to reduce costs by having you pick up the item and not force sears to ship door to door, and pass the savings on the consumer with cheaper item prices?
I suppose the architectural implication is fewer big box retail stores, which is probably a good thing?
I'm with vado. This model offers the worst of both worlds: the hassle of going to the store in addition to the riskiness of ordering something you haven't actually touched/tried on etc.
Strange - I thought it was the best of both - given the nature of online shopping being mostly done from work, you can pick up that new cordless drill, shelves, video games, coffee maker on your way home. The key would be a user friendly pick up experience. i almost envision a drive thru building where a tall roofed area allows you to wait while the stuff comes out. It could be big in cold weather regions. I dont like waiting for online stuff.
guess the idea is to reduce costs by having you pick up the item and not force sears to ship door to door, and pass the savings on the consumer with cheaper item prices?
i'm guessing theft is another. I like buying stuff online but don't like when the package is left at the front door while i'm away. some don't even leave the package because of liability and you'd have to pick it up at the warehouse anyway.
i've also seen larger online stores working with local stores. i've recently ordered some things online and i picked it up at a local store.
Sears already has in store pickup that rocks. you can buy online and have the item identified as stocked at your local store or not and you just go and stop by the claims window and pick it up. I bought a vacuum cleaner that way. I purchased it online, drove about half a mile and picked it up the same day. And you do have to pay sales on in-store pickup items.
The fundamental flaw in this concept is that they are trying to compete with two different types of retailers and coming up short against each.
Amazon is a true online retailer that offers free shipping right to your home or office. How is this Sears concept any better when it requires you to pick it up? Most people use Amazon to save time and avoid the shopping experience all together. Sears is only going half way to save time and reduce the hassle of the shopping experience.
Wal-Mart is a traditional retailer that relies heavily on impulse buying. People go in for their $4 prescription drugs or a loaf a bread and walk out with $50 of merchandise they weren't planning on buying. That's the bulk of their business. Without letting people browse the shelves Sears is missing that sales opportunity.
Additionally, if the public is going to pick-up this merchandise Sears needs to locate their building in a high visibility and more expensive retail/commerical area. Amazon on the other hand can be in a back alley warehouse and the cheapest lease rates available.
The remaining 20 percent will house a showroom in what one Joliet official described as a 21st Century version of Service Merchandise, the catalog showroom store popular in the 1970s and 1980s where stock was kept in a warehouse and shoppers picked up their purchases with a claim ticket.
There is provision for impulse buying. I'm assuming the showroom will have actual merchanidse and catalogs?
Jan 19, 09 10:28 pm ·
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Sears Prototype
Sears Holdings Corp. plans to open a warehouse-style concept store in Joliet called MyGofer that will allow shoppers to order online and pick up their purchases in the store or at a drive-through portal.
The prototype, slated to open by this summer, is expected to fill a niche between Wal-Mart and Amazon.com and could provide a model for the giant retail chain to eventually operate with fewer stores and lower overhead.
Sears and Kmart, both owned by Sears Holdings, have been foundering for decades as younger and more nimble rivals like Wal-Mart and Amazon have eaten away at their market share.
Sears Drive Through
Architectural implications? I use the pick up in the Loop and so far it's been great - order at work online, pick up after work, cab it home. It's awesome.
And as for architecture as people in the comments pointed out, get back to your roots with good store design. If your going to make a warehouse style store, then damit make it shine.
LEED ?
I'm curious if the model really works, aren't a lot of sales moving directly to the home delivery model offered by stores like Amazon?
I guess the idea is to reduce costs by having you pick up the item and not force sears to ship door to door, and pass the savings on the consumer with cheaper item prices?
I suppose the architectural implication is fewer big box retail stores, which is probably a good thing?
and with Internet sales tax imminent the incentive to pay that on top of shipping...
Evil,
The online purchase and pickup works very well. I concur!
if i bother to buy it online why wouldn't i just have it sent to my crib?
I'm with vado. This model offers the worst of both worlds: the hassle of going to the store in addition to the riskiness of ordering something you haven't actually touched/tried on etc.
I don't get it.
Strange - I thought it was the best of both - given the nature of online shopping being mostly done from work, you can pick up that new cordless drill, shelves, video games, coffee maker on your way home. The key would be a user friendly pick up experience. i almost envision a drive thru building where a tall roofed area allows you to wait while the stuff comes out. It could be big in cold weather regions. I dont like waiting for online stuff.
i'm guessing theft is another. I like buying stuff online but don't like when the package is left at the front door while i'm away. some don't even leave the package because of liability and you'd have to pick it up at the warehouse anyway.
i've also seen larger online stores working with local stores. i've recently ordered some things online and i picked it up at a local store.
I just deliver everything to my office to avoid that problem, works like a charm.
Sears already has in store pickup that rocks. you can buy online and have the item identified as stocked at your local store or not and you just go and stop by the claims window and pick it up. I bought a vacuum cleaner that way. I purchased it online, drove about half a mile and picked it up the same day. And you do have to pay sales on in-store pickup items.
The fundamental flaw in this concept is that they are trying to compete with two different types of retailers and coming up short against each.
Amazon is a true online retailer that offers free shipping right to your home or office. How is this Sears concept any better when it requires you to pick it up? Most people use Amazon to save time and avoid the shopping experience all together. Sears is only going half way to save time and reduce the hassle of the shopping experience.
Wal-Mart is a traditional retailer that relies heavily on impulse buying. People go in for their $4 prescription drugs or a loaf a bread and walk out with $50 of merchandise they weren't planning on buying. That's the bulk of their business. Without letting people browse the shelves Sears is missing that sales opportunity.
Additionally, if the public is going to pick-up this merchandise Sears needs to locate their building in a high visibility and more expensive retail/commerical area. Amazon on the other hand can be in a back alley warehouse and the cheapest lease rates available.
There is provision for impulse buying. I'm assuming the showroom will have actual merchanidse and catalogs?
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