[DeFault User]

I still find it amazing that Sears did not pursue the strategy used by Amazon. Sears had everything in stock or in a warehouse and the ability to deliver. After all, people had been ordering from their catalogs for over 100 years. Sears could have crushed Amazon in the early years.

[SamAdams76]

I agree and much has been written on how Sears had the golden opportunity to take over Internet commerce. Imagine if they had only just posted their immense telephone book sized catalog online back in the mid 1990s!

[who_would_fardels_bear]

If Sears had done what Amazon did, they would have had to collect sales tax from everyone because they had brick and mortar stores in every state.

Amazon was given a pass because they were internet only. Amazon was able to pass on the 5-10% discount to their customers knowing most customers wouldn't go through the trouble of calculating the sales tax they owed and sending it to the state tax collector.

[DouglasKC]

I still find it amazing that Sears did not pursue the strategy used by Amazon. Sears had everything in stock or in a warehouse and the ability to deliver. After all, people had been ordering from their catalogs for over 100 years. Sears could have crushed Amazon in the early years.

Yeah that had it all...the complete infrastructure in place. I suspect it was because of short sighted executives not understanding the need to change until it was way too late.

[zeugma]

I still find it amazing that Sears did not pursue the strategy used by Amazon. Sears had everything in stock or in a warehouse and the ability to deliver. After all, people had been ordering from their catalogs for over 100 years. Sears could have crushed Amazon in the early years.

Sears wouldn't have even had to deliver. They would have made money hand over fist if you could have just picked up whatever you ordered at the nearest Sears store.