Same here. Dad bought Kenmore washers, TVs, tools, tires, DieHard batteries, water heaters. I did the same when I was setting up my first house because they were the only retailer around here with those products and I was following Dad.
Other brands began going after the consumer market with better products (Makita, Milwaukee, DeWalt) and more retail outlets opened up (tires, appliances, electronics). Then came the web. Sears was just flummoxed on how to keep up. Two Sears stores around here are gone (Mountain View & Cupertino, CA).
“Sears was just flummoxed on how to keep up.”
Exactly. Poor, POOR Leadership!
They couldnt explain why they should exist and why they were the best place to come for things.