Sears Holdings Corp. can add a shrinking consumer electronics line to its list of problems.

Buried in a Wednesday announcement from Sears US:SHLD about a pension plan amendment was a third-quarter sales and profit warning, which the company blamed, in part, on cuts to the consumer electronics assortment across Sears and Kmart stores.

Third-quarter sales totaled about $3.7 billion, the company said, down from $5.0 billion a year ago. Total same-store sales fell 15.3% for the quarter with Sears’ same-store sales falling a whopping 17% and Kmart dropping 13%. In addition to a reduction in its consumer electronics merchandise, the company said results were hurt by fewer pharmacies in Kmart.

Sears has bigger issues than consumer electronics.

“Those who have been shopping at Sears know that the inventory has been depleted and various vendors have limited what becomes available,” said Chuck Tatelbaum, senior attorney in the bankruptcy and creditors’ rights department at the Tripp Scott law firm. He notes the poor condition of stores and unenthusiastic sales associates.

“Consumers are very much aware of what is going on, and with other sales opportunities, they are going elsewhere,” said Tatelbaum.

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Once known for appliances among other things, Sears has now stopped selling Whirlpool WHR, -1.39% products and has started selling the Kenmore line on Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, -1.78%

And with the holiday season getting underway, shopping and savings database Offers.com says Sears’ Black Friday ad (available here) has just one page out of 43 featuring electronics and tech deals. Retailers like Target Corp. TGT, +0.82% and Best Buy Co. BBY, -0.04% are talking up the consumer electronics they have in store for Black Friday and beyond.

“Their electronics selection has dwindled as they’ve been unable to compete with the rise and popularity of big name consumer tech brands like Beats Electronics, Amazon, Google, and the like,” said Carson Yarbrough, savings and retail expert at Offers.com, referring to Sears.

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In and of itself, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for Sears to scale back its consumer electronics offerings. Evan Neufeld, vice president of intelligence at L2 Inc., a business intelligence firm, said that the company could choose to sell high-end items like flat-screen TVs and some discretionary items as a way to “avoid the middle ground, especially if it’s a sophisticated sell.” In-store associates are not equipped with the tools to sell those items.

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“It’s relative to what they need to do to move consumer electronics,” he said.

A few experts said Sears hasn’t done the best job of bringing digital capabilities to the shopping experience. Neufeld said retailers now need to maximize the space in their stores and find relevancy in today’s marketplace to draw customers.

But largely, he thinks, based on Wednesday’s announcement, the company is “bailing water out of the Titanic.”

The question now, if there’s going to be any saving the sinking ship, is what Sears stands for and how it’s relevant to shoppers after decades of being an iconic retail name.

“They can have all the goodwill from the past, but they have to tie it to what they’re delivering today and in the future,” said Aaron Shapiro, chief executive of Huge, a digital marketing agency. “What will make shoppers come back again and again? It’s hard when they’re losing inventory for things they’re known for.”