James Conley answers:

# Sears Full-Line is a chain of mid-range department stores that are located in shopping malls; they carry clothing, jewelry, appliances, hardware, lawn and garden supplies, lawn mowers, paint, sporting goods, automobile repair, office supplies, electronics and school supplies. Sears stores are usually multi-level. There are 870 full-size Sears stores in the United States.
# Sears Grand is a chain of free-standing department stores located away from shopping malls. They carry everything a regular Sears carries, plus health and beauty products, toys, baby care, cleaning supplies, home décor, pet food, cards and party supplies, books, magazines, music, movies, and an edited assortment of groceries. Sears Grand stores range from 165,000 to 210,000 square feet (15,300 to 19,500 m²).[6] The first Sears Grand opened at Jordan Landing in West Jordan, Utah in 2003. At 225,000 square feet, the Jordan Landing store is currently the largest in the chain.
# Sears Appliance & Hardware is a chain of hardware stores that carry the whole line of Sears hardware and are usually free-standing or located in strip malls. Typically these stores are about 25,000 square feet.
# Sears Dealer Store is a chain of smaller stores that are operated as a store where the proprietor owns or leases the real-estate while Sears Holdings handles the marketing and owns the inventory, and there are no franchising fees levied against the store proprietor. These stores are usually located in smaller markets that do not support full-sized Sears. They are signed as Sears and are usually free-standing or located in strip malls. They primarily concentrate on hardware, appliances, and lawn and garden supplies. This was originally intended as a replacement to the now discontinued Sears Catalog.
# Sears Outlet is an outlet version of Sears department stores located in outlet malls.
# Sears Parts & Repair Center is a chain of service centers that typically sell parts for lawn & garden equipment and appliances and also feature a carry-in point for customers to bring merchandise in that needs to be repaired either in or out of warranty. Typically labeled Sears Service Center or Sears Home Central, two names that also refer to the Parts and Repair Centers. Sears has started closing many of these down as more and more of its service and repair business is home-based.

James Conley answers:

Before you buy anything, make sure there is a local, authorized repair service for that brand in your area. These big box stores (Lowe’s, Best Buy, Home Depot) sell them all but a lot of times, there is not anyone authorized by the manufacturer to work on them should you have an issue under warranty. These stores use that as an “excuse” to push you into buying the expensive extended warranty through them. They say we’ll take care of it. Even they have trouble in some areas with some brands. Don’t buy the warranty!

Pop into the local library and take a look at Consumer Reports 2010 buying guide. That will give you a lot of information right there.

I always buy my appliances from our local dealer rather than one of the big box stores and have for years. I know he won’t steer me in the wrong direction and will be here to fix the thing if I have an issue. I have not been unhappy with anything I have purchased from him in the almost 30 years I’ve been dealing with him.

And you get service you won’t get from the Big Box stores. If I call with a disaster, his service people are here the same day. He will rearrange their schedule to get them here pronto. When our old fridge left us know if was not going to continue to work much longer, he rearranged their entire delivery schedule for the next day so we got the new one before the old one died. They delivered for free and properly installed it, took all the packaging and stuff away with them and cleaned up their mess.

In the almost 30 years I’ve dealt with my appliance guy, I have paid for 3 service calls. Two of them were reduced greatly because we decided to buy new rather than repair; the age of the offending appliance dictated replacing rather than a big repair bill. Most of the time if I call with an issue, he tells me how to fix it or says come out, get the part and I’ll walk ya through it. And he’s not sent me in the wrong direction yet!

Yeah, I might pay a little more when I purchase but the peace of mind of knowing I have someone to call who will fix it and do it quickly should I have an issue is well worth the price.

I have friends who bought a LG stove from Best Buy. 4 months down the road, the burners start shutting off when they feel like it. Come to find out no local service provider. Of course, LG won’t pay the serviceman from 1 1/2 hours (one way) anything extra to come so he won’t. Last I heard, our friends had to pay his travel time & mileage out of their pockets and LG covered the labor and the parts. They were seriously contemplating suing LG but realized that would be a whole lot of hassle and cost more in lawyer fees that it was worth.

James Conley answers:

$2.00-A cup of coffee at a coffee shop/cafe
$100.00-price for 1 day and 1 night at a hotel (unit price per night’s stay)
$12.00-a full meal at a restaurant
$50.00-1 month of cable television
$30.00-1 month of internet service
$1000.00/yr- insurance for a sedan
$25.00- car rental
$99.00- cell phone with data plan (monthly rental fee)
$40.00- a pair of jeans (no brand, just a regular pair of jeans that you like)
$25.00- a T-Shirt of your choice (an average on the shirts you buy, how much do they cost)
$30.00- a bottle of cologne/perfume
$20.00- a gift for someone (an acquaintance)
$20.00- repairs for a broken appliance (any kind)
$100.00- tuition fees for an extra curricular activity (sports, arts lessons)
$3.50- one gallon of gas
$3.00- a beer at a bar
$40.00- tickets to a music concert of an artist you like (general admission fee, the one you’d be willing to pay)
$4.00- a pack of cigarettes
$6.00- shipping of any product ordered online (how much do you usually pay on a regular order)
$20.00- an ad in the classified ads section of your local newspaper
$2.00- a newspaper
$10.00-a large pizza (delivered to your home)
$100.00- a digital camera