[Alas Babylon!]

What happened, I wonder? I know this has been a decades-long slide, but it’s hard to believe that it couldn’t be reversed when it first started.

I blame Cheryl Tiegs. It all started with her... Click to see where it all started...

[Charles Martel]

I blame Cheryl Tiegs. It all started with her...

I dunno, she looks rather innocent in that 1981 video. Certainly, she doesn't look like the slayer of American retail giants. Besides, that was early in Reagan's first term - the "good old days" by any current measure.

I'd forgotten all about those Laserdisc Tele-Shop catalogs. Sears was this close >< to becoming the modern retail sales monster that is now best exemplified by Amazon.com, but blew it. Sad, really. They obviously had some people capable of pushing innovation, but the technology learning curve outpaced them.