Not surprised you didn't see any other customers in Sears but amazed that there was not a single employee in sight. I worked at Sears for 26 years and it's very sad.
I used to walk by the audio/video are where they would have a wall of speakers to play with on my way home from HS. The video game area was pretty cool too, always had games ready to play.
I worked there for two years in Receiving…we were the mules of the store ..the used to work us full time then cut us to part time at the end of the month to avoid offering benefits..they became corrupt
Is it empty and dying? Yes. Did the staff at least try to make it look presentable? Yes. Props to the workers at this location making the best of a bad situation.
You’re right but this still doesn’t look presentable with the merchandise littered and scattered and all the boxed stock out on the floor. I know they are trying to make the best of the cards they’re dealt, and probably on skeleton crew but this doesn’t scream “shop me”. Which in its own way is sad.
Sears is a classic example of a company that refused to change with the times. Given their long history in the catalog mail-order business, they were perfectly positioned to dominate online retail. Heck, they were Amazon before Amazon was Amazon. But right about the time online retail began, they went the exact opposite direction and shut down their mail-order division!
I like Sears because it is real. It is tangible. Amazon doesn't exist yet it seems Omni present. Shame on them for ending mail in orders 📑 That sounds so cool!
My grandpa, a very hands-on guy who loved doing handiwork and automotive work in his spare time, was a hardcore Sears and Craftsman loyalist. He always talked about how high-quality their goods were, and how he preferred shopping there over Home Depot and Lowe’s because the Sears employees were a lot more experienced and knew their stuff. It took him a long time to accept that the chain was on its way out. It’s sad to see. I wish the company had leadership that embraced everything that people loved about it, including its staff and the quality of its products. Instead they bled Sears dry, and are now pecking at its remains.
Old Craftsman tools last forever, many people are still using them. They are not what it used to be. Its sad to see what happened to Sears. If they had good leadership, they could have been as big as Amazon.
Same with my grandparents and my mom and dad my grandparents house was within walking distance of a Sears in a plaza and I grew up buying this stuff they always did have good quality they're automotive stuff the tools I still have tools I bought when I was a teenager I'm in my 40s now I bought them at Sears Craftsman.
Sad. My grandma worked at sears for 55 years, she was crying so much when she was told she no longer had a job, 54 YEARS in the same department store and then its just gone. Not even a thank you from the company.
So sad! Sears was always my families “go to store”. Diehard, Craftsman, and Kenmore! You could practically go to Sears for home and clothing! I miss Sears every time I am at the mall.
Such a storied history. It was the Amazon of it’s day. Trenton Michigan has a prefab hotel on West Jefferson that was purchased from the Sears catalog.
The reason you got ketchup but not cheese is because while the ring around the ketchup turned red at 3:44, it didn't turn red around the melted cheese when you touched it. As the biggest fan of cheese, it's a shame the machine betrayed you. Because cheese is love, cheese is life, and cheese is one of the greatest inventions of all-time. I've been enjoying it ever since I grew up in Switzerland.
I am sorry but even the most expensive cheese could not redeem this burger. This is looks so bad compared to a kid burger they sell at the cafe made by old ladies wearing hair nets and gloves.
The machine was destined to fail took too long constant malfunctions and had a guy constantly had to come fix it and add condiments wonder where they hid him and the machine disappeared before sears
When Kmart bought out Sears it was as if they both decided to hold hands and go slowly die together..and i noticed throughout the whole time you were taking video in the Sears store...not one person
Kmart started closing stores in the mid 90s and never really recovered. I prefer to think of it as the world's longest going out of business sale, for almost 30 years now.
I've been a Sears customer since the 70's so it's sad to see it go. Once Sears outsourced their iconic Craftsman and Kenmore brands to China it was the beginning of the end. Too bad the higher ups at Sears didn't realize that consumers were willing to pay more for quality goods made in the USA.
I’ve been working retail since I was 16 and you’re completely wrong people want American products until they see the prices then buy imported goods because it’s cheaper and they still bitch and moan about it
I’m not entirely sure how I ended up watching videos about walking through mall and old dying department stores, but I am enjoying it. I was born in the late 80s and grew up going to places like Sears, JC Penny, and the like. Seeing them like this, especially the plain boxes out on the sales floor is one of the most depressing things I’ve seen in a while. The world has certainly changed… at least in America.
Sears is still in business…in Mexico. So is Radio Shack. Both companies have kept their brand, appearance of their storefronts and interior, including inventory in excellent form. I have driven past one Sears located 15 minutes south of the San Diego/Mexico border. Saw the big Sears sign lit recently. I have entered one of the Radio Shack stores recently and was impressed with its typical stock of inventory the brand is known for.
@Shawn Radio Shack had sky-high prices, but also had good sales. Once I got 50% off a VCR from there. So I paid $250, but that was a good price at the time.
I grew up on the Trenton Hamilton NJ border in a 1929 sears robuck house. Hard to believe they went from a catalog selling houses to 1000s of stores across the country to only a few stores left. Very sad indeed.
I actually went and hung around my local Sears in the week it was closing. Went and stood in the tools area, the appliances, where the exercise equipment used to be. Maybe five years ago. I'd been in Sears for the previous 50 years. Made me a little sad. The mall is almost completely empty now. Everything changes.
Working at sears in the late 90's early 2000, this brings back so many good memories. I was a loss prevention manager, also worked in electronics. Sears had it all! Sears auto, optical, service, lawn and garden, tv's and appliances. Still can't believe they fell off so hard. So many many good memories working at a sears.
Heyo! Former Employee Here! Happened to work around the time this video went up and a lot of things have changed since filming, We were able to rebuild some of the Craftsman Section to restore the section to some of it's former glory and had since sold what was affectionally named "AC Mountain and AC Wall" It was honestly shocking seeing one of my favorite content creators film here and hoped you had a great time! My Family quite literally grew up with this Sears and it's sad to see it go after all these years, but I thank you again for filming so it's at very least here for the memories!
@@RayOutThere Couldn't say, Survived every single economic disaster since it's been built and we get decent amount of customers everyday, most older tradesmen, families who are dedicated to the brand, and younger people looking to get a reasonable deal on tools and appliances, some looking for services long since discontinued but others happy to grab things that corporate sent to us to get sold and out the door! To a lot of Jersey City Residents, this store is quite literally a staple and has been around for as long people can remember and if it survives the current recession? The only this store leaves is if the Simon group kicks them or Newport Mall itself closes it's doors.
Cash registers are the same now as when I worked there from 2000-2005. Those registers were new to me in 2002 when the Chandler store opened. Fixtures haven’t changed since I left either, as well as the signage like that elevator sign. That part with all the fixtures near the entrance was where their vendors would have been (optical, Miracle Ear, portrait studio, that type of stuff).
When Sears was bought by a Hedge Fund group, that sealed it's doom. Hedge Fund groups destroy companies from within. They are about selling pieces off as quickly as possible to get fast immediate profits, which dooms a company. If your business is ever bought by a Hedge Fund, look for another job!
In the ‘70s, Sears sold Levi’s jeans. They were like cardboard paper. You’d put them on and they were just stiff. They’d need about 100 washes before they’d actually breakdown and get soft. This was before the ‘80s when jeans became a thing. Or came in ‘pre-washed’ styles.
I remember when Sears use to be the place to go from back to school clothing. Everyone bragged about going to the sales to get their new wardrobe for the season. Simon/Simon seems to run some well kept-up malls.
Lots of nostalgia in this video. I live in a city with a mall that’s almost completely empty now. You can still go in and walk around and it’s kind of depressing. We used to do all our shopping at that mall when I was little and it was so nice! Now we have to drive 45 mins to go to a halfway decent mall. Supposedly a hobby lobby is going in our mall soon so hopefully more stores will come!
It seems like Eddie Lampert ran sears into the ground. I suspect that that store is in self liquidation because of the mess of the store, so many areas closed off, empty fixtures, etc.
I worked for Sears in St. Davids, PA and King of Prussia, PA for 9 years in the late 70s to late 80s. I very many fond memories of my time there and of the stores themselves. It's very sad what Lampert has done to the company.
One of the last Sears that I knew of in Indiana just closed last month. It was one of the rare few that wasn't a part of a mall and only sold appliances.
The one in Evansville closed down probably 5 years ago, I think. I bought quite a few hand tools there about 15 years ago. We had one of those small ones in Henderson, KY. But that store didn’t last but maybe 4 or 5 years.
my grandparents used to shop at sears a lot so we've still got some sears tools and clothes around, you were right on the money with those screwdrivers, and the house we live in now came with a Kenmore refrigerator and washer and dryer all from the 90s and they still work great!
New Port Center Mall was built in 1992-1993. I was working at the tower connected to the mall during that time. The mall has always been busy due to North Jersey & NYC shoppers ability to take the Path train to the Pavonia Stop. There are still 170 Sears nationally and I believe 3 in NJ. Craftsmen Tools were well made American tolls. They had a lifetime warranty, if you had an issue you brought it to the store for an exchange. The Kenmore brand was also superior, I still have a set of washer and dryers that are 30 plus years old and work perfectly.
it’s sad to see. i remember going to the one in Queens NY when they first opened and now gone. had many memories going to buy TVs, games, and drills at Sears. They really got ate up by the Targets, Walmarts and Amazon.
Sears is a pretty sad story overall. It was such a retail titan. I think I'm the last generation where I received the advice, "new home? get your appliances at Sears." And I did, over a decade ago. They were falling hard even then. We used to enter the Quakerbridge Mall through the Sears anchor and saw the decline over time until they finally shuttered.
Well, this hits home. Lived in Jersey City for five years growing up, and shopped at that Sears all the time, especially the Land's End section for kid me. It doesn't surprise me that the Sears lasted so long. Same for the JCPenney, and that mall in general. For starters, the location is quite accessible thanks to the PATH, shuttle buses/dollar vans, and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. It's the only big mall in Hudson County, and many in Jersey City are moderate to low-income and since I left for Long Island, Jersey City has gotten more expensive because of booming demand. So for those staying on a budget, Sears is perfect. I didn't really find anything weird about the CVS being in the mall because I took it for granted. Meanwhile, my local Sears on Long Island closed back in May 2020, and my local JCPenney closed in July 2019. It's sad, really.
Issues i think Sears presented to themselves were their buyers had grandma tastes in early 90s. I worked at a Sears in 95-98 and I often overheard long time customers complain Sears wouldnt hold their word for lifetime guarantees on big purchase items and hardware. Turned away many seniors who had shopped there their whole lives. In 90s they overpacked their aisles w merchandise and made it feel crowded and messy too easily. Parents could hardly get a stroller down the aisles. Lots of things lead to their downfall but mostly corporate greed.
My dad stopped buying appliances from them sometime in the 1990s. Had something to do with them not wanting to service them when they broke under warranty. We used to go the the one in Evansville, IN frequently, but after that, we never did go back. When they dropped the Craftsman professional tools, that really hurt them, too.
i worked at a sears in 2018, it finally ended up closing a year later, but when i worked there it had traffic. not a lot, but we were partners with kmart and did a lot of shipping from our store. we also had an auto maintenance attached to our store that had a good number of people regularly. it’s crazy to see how much has changed & now driving past it & working in the same mall as it used to be in is just wild.
Thank you for the Sears tour. Sears had a great story then a very sad one! I live in Minnesota - there are no Sears left. Also loved the Robot Burger clip.
My last local Sears kicked the bucket in early 2021- a tattered vestige of Eddie Lampert's brutal dismantling of the chain for personal profit as the last pieces are fed into his dollar-sausage grinder. Most of the remnants are just stuck there due to long-term leases where they can't quite get out and/or in malls that aren't going under themselves.
For me, it was the pandemic that killed the final Sears…at least the building is landmarked as it was built in the era of Art Deco stores (Sears had been at that location for 89 years).
Awesome video. Thank you for posting this. I worked at Sears Auto Center as a Manager for 16 years. Yes Sears had its share of problems. But it was a great company to work for.
Holy crap thank you for giving this fantastic tour! I live in Jersey City and I go to this mall semi frequently and I'm actually going to check today to see if the store is still there. The mall can get a million times more packed than that especially during the holidays and it's a weird Fusion of like late '90s early 2000 stuff and like super forward stuff like cryptocurrency machines. That Sears though is stuff of Legend when you walk into it you're literally walking into a time machine back to 1998 and there's still like using VHS tapes and stuff in there it's wild!
Funny thing is I remember going to Sears as a kid in the 90's to buy a vacuum cleaner. We had a couple cheapie normal ones that crapped out, so we bought a Kenmore canister vacuum, thinking it would last longer. Plus it had all these attachments and made the carpeted stairs easy to clean. Well that thing almost 30 years later is going strong. A few years ago when my vacuum cleaner crapped out I asked Mom and Dad to borrow that old Kenmore cause they had bought a new commercial grade upright vacuum. Told them hell just give me the old Kenmore, but no they wanted it back and bought me the same $400 upright commercial vacuum they had. Said the old Kenmore was useful for vacuuming the stairs and drapes still.
This actually makes me sad. Sears was my first real and only job after high school. I was there for 3 years before I got married and had kids. I had a lot of good times there.
I can`t even imagine how many hours of my life I wasted shopping (and waiting in long long lines ) at that Sears since it opened in about 1986. I think it was the very first store to open in what would be Newport Centre. I vaguely recall it was open a few months before the rest of the mall as it was still being built. It was opened to replace the very old free standing one that was in Union City that closed in about 1985. That area where the mannequins were lined up heading towards the rear exit had a Sears Optical on the right side, it was later used to sell damaged furniture. The area on the left was for H&R Block tax services, before that I think it was for All State Insurance. It too was used to sell damaged furniture and standed mattresses at one point. If you went through the door to the left it lead to online pick up orders and a few non working vending machines. I doubt the pick up area is open now but I believe it was still open in 2021 or 2020. Great video ! I saw parts of the store even I never saw before.
The last Sears in Texas is in El Paso, well away from the majority of the population of the state. It is odd how all of the major cities in Texas lost Kmart, then Sears. Kmart pulled out of Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio during their first bankruptcy. Anyway, this was an awesome tour of what is likely the last few months of this Sears store. Some of the large Sears stores in our area were replaced with Sears Hometown stores and most of those didn't last a year. Sears closed their last Texas department stores in 2021 with the exception of El Paso. Update Sept 30, 2022 All Sears Hometown stores in Texas that were in former department store locations are closed.
@@RayOutThere when the Sears at west town mall in Knoxville closed the mall didn’t waist much time getting the Sears building torn down and dicks house of sport built that’s now open
During college, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I worked at a mall that was acquired by Simon. We had an Eckerd Drug under old management, but Simon didn’t renew their lease, as well as a couple other shops. Their reason was that those stores tended to not promote the upscale image they were seeking for the mall.
Yep, my girlfriend (now wife) used to shop at my local sears for tools when I was in my early 20's. Even farther back I do remember back to school shopping at sears with my parents. I actually enjoyed it because I just settled for whatever they wanted so they would switch to my sister who was more picky, meanwhile I would go to the electronics/video game section. My sears had the BEST video game section. Of course that was mid 90's. The internet has ruined shopping malls and department stores.
Sears, Mervyns & Montgomery ward were my childhood and teen clothing stores 🥺 This is absolutely awesome! Thank you for sharing this with us fellow 80s babes
This store is still open! They do seem to get inventory in bursts. They will become very empty, then all off a sudden they will get a huge stock of new product, then slowly sell down what they have. Basically what you see is what they have, and when it’s gone that product is gone. During major shopping seasons they seem to have much more inventory, such as before Christmas.
You’re right, we still have some old Craftsman tools, my dad bought them at Sears in the late 90s. I had no idea there was one surviving Sears in JC, where we drive to North Bergen and New Jersey city university every week. I used to go to the one at Willowbrook mall in Wayne. But honestly i never bought anything there, I used to go on the 2nd floor to use the public bathroom b/c it was rarely used hahaha.
Awesome 👍😎👍 Most malls in Maryland have closed and last Sears in Maryland is closing in January 2023 Francis Scott Key Mall in Frederick Maryland Lowe's bought Craftsman Tools from Sears I have lots of Craftsman tools and tool boxes also a Kenmore refrigerator freezer with ice maker made by Whirlpool. Also have a Craftsman Snowblower got 5 years or more ago it looks brand new still got in March one Spring 1/2 price Sears always had awesome holiday sales on appliances and mattresses I grew up with going with family to a very large free standing Sears and Sears Automotive in White Oak / Silver Spring Maryland off New Hampshire Ave. I remember Tough Skin jeans before when we were older and we got a Pants Coral that sold Wrangler and Levi's
That robo burger was cool. But of course they forgot the cheese. Some things never change! As for Sears, it's tragic. I grew up in the early 2000s and I remember always going with my grandma to Sears for appliances when tax refund season came around. We'd go there to get a new microwave or a new home phone. Now, it's in such sad state. It seems that every Sears is just the most dead place in any mall they happen to reside. They're just hanging on as long as they can now. Great video as always, Ray
I recently visited the Frederick MD Sears. Even worse than this. Just some clothing and lots of Kenmore appliances. No hardware, furniture, toys, electronics or other departments they used to have.
I worked in that Sears almost 20 years ago! When I go in, I still see some of my old coworkers!! Sears was the go to place for appliances if I can remember correctly.
Great video it’s funny that you commented on that cool block wall when you walked through the mall. I thought the exact same thing that was so cool. I love those kind of walls.
We had 2 malls in our area. Stripped down the plants & waterfountains...miss that. My mom the kids &I used to go every Saturday when it was flourishing!!!
My Mother and Father had stock in companies like this, so sad to see them go. They had tons of stock in Montgomery Ward. Got our first huge, massive VHS player from there. Great memories. Thanks for getting out there RAY !!!!!!
There was a Sears in Arlington park mall and I saw it was open sign was still there. But no cars. Maybe a month later or week it was shut down sign was ripped off look dark in there, the mall to the entrance I never saw but maybe had to be shut down too. So I haven’t seen a Sears no where. Sadly it’s sad to see it dead and empty. I think I been to Sears, I don’t remember but Rest In Peace Sears ❤
When I was little, I would hate going to Sears whenever my mom took me to the mall. I remember despite thinking the store was very boring, I made the most of it by laying on their display beds and seeing all the toys. Now that I'm much older, I'm sadden go to it and experience the nostalgia :( I didn't realize how good I had it
For sears this is pretty well stocked and FYI those are the same POs systems I worked with when I started in 2010, the best part about it is these are the OLD pos systems (no touch screens, same systems/computers) lol... The store I worked in got shut down even though they did 200%+ in yearly sales... Know why??? PROPERTY.
First Wards, Then Sears. I guess JC Penny will be next to go. All my favorite stores of course. The Sears store that I usually went to at Oakridge Mall in San Jose closed in 2018. I miss it.
This was so amazing, and sad, to watch. The Sears near me finally died about a year and a half ago. The most fluffy and warmest comforter I ever bought was from Sears! And my toaster over. Yeah, totally random but my point is that they WERE selling quality items meant to last until the take over by that fool. I remember looking forward to my mom getting their Christmas catalog and diving in to the awesome toy section of it. Now, Sears and Kmart are no more...with the exception of a handful. Thank you for going to the last Sears in NJ. Though it was so heartbreaking to see (because it is bare and customer-less), it still brought me a bit of happiness to see that ONE is still hanging on...even if only for a short time. RIP Sears/Kmart.
I think I grew up in Sears’ hardware section, following my dad around. I remember endless rows of wrenches (they used to sell tools individually) and then lawnmowers.
So true this Sears Store in Jersey City Newport Mall it the last store in the nations I use to work for JCPenney as a Store Supervisor for 8 year's so I know..
Thanks for sharing this 😊 it’s unusual to see Sears with COVID shields at the registers since so many were gone by then. Craftsman tools were great until Sears outsourced to China. Love how their store music selection is outdated too. Fun fact: Sears and Kmart are still hiring under the name Transform Holdco LLC, and you can become a garage door installer for Sears Home Services at $18/hour.
When you got off the elevator in Sears it looked like there were a few people buzzing about, then it just got eerie quiet as if everyone just disappeared.
I live in Houston, Texas, and we had one last Sears that closed about a year and a half ago. What kind of pissed me off about that store is they were crazy freaking expensive, even right before they closed down
THIS was HILARIOUS! I give it until March of 2023. Then it's curtains! Hahaha! Come to think of it, I didn't see one employee during the course of this video!
That is so sad. It's on borrowed time for sure. Was always my grandma's fav store. They pulled out of Canada years ago. last time I think I was in one was 2008. We used to get all our appliances there, so many things we still have at home came from Sears. If only they'd jumped on the online bandwagon before Amazon did. I read an article years ago that someone on their board told them it was the wave of the future, online shopping, but they didn't believe it and it was their downfall. With the history they had with catalog shopping, they could have ruled online shopping had they gotten on board with it from the beginning. Very sad, such bad decisions that have brought it to this.
I agree! I think if Sears seized the opportunity to move their catalog online, they could have been a serious competitor to Amazon. But the managment at the time saw online shopping as a passing trend...
It’s their final location in NYC Metro. There are only 15 full-service Sears stores left besides this one. Most chains have folded with more stores. I could see the final reckoning coming after this holiday season.
@@AEMoreira81It’s now closed, they looked like this for the last ten years I would say at this Newport mall location and finally went out of business two months ago
We all had that screwdriver set !!! I remember every Late August in the 70's going to sears for our school cloths . My parents allowed us 100.00 each to spend. And that went a long way !!
In the 1960's to maybe the mid 1980's, we grew up on SEARS products. Back then, you could not own a home without them...and a SEARS credit card was one of the first ones I got. Growing up in that era...there were no big box stores... and while there were a few other brands of appliances and things, KENMORE ruled. Sears had everything, from photos to glasses to tuxedo rentals, carpeting and drapes, and even its own cafeteria. You were once in the good hands of SEARS (insurance), and even in the tallest building in the world. How could "The store that has Everything" from small towns to big city's go so wrong?
So sad. I've shopped there many times. I liked their middle-of-road fashions. Went there recently and found very little on the shelves. When it's gone I'll miss it.
That’s a big mall. I’ve been there a few times, but haven’t been there in a long time. Parking is an ordeal though. Can’t believe they still have Sears and CVS! Staten Island mall just got rid of their CVS recently. I was so mad. It was classic. It had a 1970s vibe. Malls are changing so much. Either they’re dead or becoming increasingly pretentious and sterile. Most have far too many clothes stores.
The clothing is about 20 years behind the times with the 80’s music. By that sweater was horrendous lol. I would always buy my major appliances from Sears. This store is virtually a ghost town.
I remember in the early ‘90s, somebody told me that a Sears credit card was the hardest card to get which was funny because there were several higher end stores than Sears and they didn’t have much of a hangup giving people credit cards.
