Cheapskate.

The article profiles two stores, Autozone and Sears, and discusses how cost-cutting has affected customer satisfaction. At Autozone, keeping inventories thin and stores small and basic has kept operating costs low. However, same-store sales have fallen by 2% as competitors such as Advance Auto Parts and O'Reilly Automotive begin to take away customers. At Sears, shares are up 56% since the merger with Kmart, however, same-store sales are down 8.4% at the same time that operating costs are down 11%. INSET: THE FEAR AT SEARS.