If you’re old enough to remember Howard’s Appliance back in its heyday, you may be interested to know that the chain suddenly closed all of its Southern California locations and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
And so shortly after Black Friday, you put recent customers who’ve made a purchase in a pickle.
“Despite our best efforts to overcome tariffs, reduced consumer spending, and other macroeconomic challenges – we have made the difficult decision to file for bankruptcy and close our doors,” David Goodrich with the Golden Goodrich law firm in Costa Mesa shared with the Southern California News Group. “This was not a decision taken lightly, but one that became necessary given the current economic landscape.”
Not only was the move rushed, but it also took the employees by surprise as there was only a day’s notice for them with no prior public warning.
In addition, absolutely nothing was told to customers, even those who may have had orders in place, according to the Orange County Register.
“The notice, signed by Isaiah Padilla, the general manager of logistics for Howard’s, said the company was closing its business operations, effective December 6, due to ‘circumstances beyond our control,'” the publication reported.
The closing affects the company’s 17 locations throughout Southern California.
The sudden closure of the stores sparked a monumental buzz on social media, as some customers who ordered big-ticket items from the chain may have trouble getting their purchases.
“My parent just ordered a new range from Howard’s and then saw this morning that they are all closing? They still haven’t received the range, and apparently, all the stores are closing starting tomorrow. My mom called four different stores, and no one is picking up,” wrote one user on Reddit.
Another Reddit user confirmed the shutdown of the appliance chain.
“After reading this, I went out to their warehouse in Tustin because we’ve had several issues with them since our order four months ago. Still, we’re still waiting for a few pieces. Lights out, just a closed sign, and the hours of operation have been scratched out the window,” wrote helloninterwebs3.
In the past, Howard’s Appliance had closed its Upland, California store back on September 16, 2020, due to weak sales, poor local retail conditions, and a focus on investing in more favorable locations, according to a press release.
Read the original article at pennlive.com.