Posted on 10/15/2018 7:50:59 AM PDT by Borges
Sears was once the nation's largest retailer and its largest employer. In its heyday, it was both the Walmart and Amazon of its time.
Formed in 1886 by railroad station agent Richard Sears, the company started as a watch business in North Redwood, Minnesota. Sears moved to Chicago in 1887, and he hired watchmaker Alvah Roebuck as his partner. The first Sears Roebuck catalog, which sold watches and jewelry, was printed in 1896.
The Sears catalog was the way many Americans first started to buy mass-produced goods. That was an enormous shift for people who lived on farms and in small towns and made many of the goods they needed on their own, including clothes and furniture.
Sears' stores helped reshape America, drawing shoppers away from the traditional Main Street merchants. Sears brought people into malls, contributing to the suburbanization of America in the post-World War II era. Its Kenmore appliances introduced many American homes to labor-saving devices that changed family dynamics. Its Craftsman tools and their lifetime guarantees were a mainstay of middle-class America. Sears truly changed America.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I remember those times too going through catalogues looking at stuff I wanted. Unfortunately I also remember what they became and now see it as a case of good riddance to rubbish.
I don’t shop there. Haven’t shopped there ever since the bathroom thing. I’m just giving you facts. You can accept them or reject them. The company, and subsequently the stock, are both doing well.
Tell you what. You want to get rich? Open up a store like the one you originally described if you’re so confident.
Adapt, or die.
I heard the same; yet I owned a Craftsman garden tractor and never had a problem with it for 18 years. I sold it when I sold my home and it was still running strong.
Mine is 22 years old. All I’ve chanted is the battery, oil, filters, and the fuse a couple of times. Runs like a champ.
Just read your post.
Mine was a solid tractor, never a problem.
Just keep up with seasonal maintenance and it’ll treat ya well.
As a kid we couldn’t wait to get the annual Christmas catalog.... Dads toolbox was filled with Craftsman tools.
I hate to see Sear’s fold. Kind of tugs at the heart.
I agree.. the Sears Christmas Wish Book and seeing Santa Claus at the local Sears department store was a big part of my childhood every year. Losing Sears (and K-Mart) is like losing a part of you, but I hope Sears can restructure and survive as a stronger, more relevant company.
Yeah, the rider mowers. Had a neighbor that bought one brand new around 2001...first time he used it it broke down. Then, Sears was supposed to come out and repair it on site or haul it off for repair....IIRC it turned out to be a multiweek nightmare, and the grass doesn’t stop growing.
This thread reminds me, I’ve gotta check my home office for any Sears gift cards with remaining balances. Now might be a good time to find some Craftsman tool for the garage, rather than get stuck with merchandise credits.
How much does it cost to publish and distribute a website?
Wal-Mart did the online thing and doing lose their brick and mortars.
When Eddie bought KMart, he killed both. Sears needs to split off.
Sad, I actually like the store and the tools.
It is a warning to a lot of cities and communities.
I read that what is bringing Sears down is the HUGE cash service that they must provide to their pensioners.
The company simply can not make enough money to pay all the retired employees that got pensions.
Very sad, It could have continued to be a great company for the next 100 years had it not messed up like that.
Your city or state (and mine) are next.
I would cut out the pictures of clothes and make paper dolls out of them as a young girl.
Of course, the doll and toy section was mesmerizing. Dear Santa....
In my area, the Target and Walmart both are busy. Both are filled with upper middle class people.
Sonic is good!! What’s wrong with them? The ads, I hate, but if I don’t go to stores because their ads are crappy, I wouldn’t go anywhere.
Matter of fact, Stanley Black and Decker said that Craftsman will be made in America, including New Britain, CT.
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