It's a shame that mismanagement killed another legend. Sears practically invented remote shopping, was the largest retail store in the country and started things like the Discover card. With the Sears catalog you literally could start from scratch and build a life, short of groceries. You could order a house, furnish it, supply your kitchen, get the tools to build everything and repair your car, cloth the family, and more all from ONE store And have it shipped to you from the catalog alone. Another company over 100 years old (130) dying. Just a shame. Online isn't good for everything folks.
Growing up everything came from Sears for us. I even remember a television commercial which said "Sears has everything." I still have the deep freezer that my father brought from Sears years ago and it still works.
Had Sears embraced the Internet in the mid-1990s and effectively went back to their roots in a digital capacity, I do believe we’d be talking about Sears the way we do about Amazon.
Sears was a company that used too much advertising and really believed it after a while. I think they got killed by the one company that doesn't use any advertisement, just a subcription, Costco which uses minimal to mid level amount of internet sales.
The design of the interior of this store looks like it’s stuck in the 1990’s. The Sears in my town closed around five years ago, and I don’t miss it except for the auto shop where I used to buy my DieHard batteries. However, you can still get DieHard batteries at various auto repair and auto supply stores. I rarely, if ever, shopped at Sears even in its heyday. They had moved the Sears that was at our local mall from a neighboring town’s mall that was demolished in the early 1990’s. They lasted at the local mall in my town till roughly 2017 or so when they closed. One might feel sad when a beloved chain store which you thought would never go out of business, does indeed shut down, but there is always another chain or independent store still in business where you can still get the same goods, until they too, might close permanently. Life does go on!
I doubt they updated this store in the last 20 years.... And yes, life goes on. It's looking like Sears is slowly getting replaced by Primark and Boscov's.
I miss Sears I grew up with them in Baltimore clothing tool box full of Craftsman tools Diehard batteries under the hood Kenmore appliances etc a true shame how Sears was basically sabotaged and eventually destroyed Thanks for another great video! Kind of ominous the jackhammers signifying The end....
@@pch421054570Sears once was the largest retailer in the United States. In the 1980's. The title then went to Kmart until Walmart came along. In the 1990's Walmart became the largest retailer in the United States. Now Amazon has a huge presence. Sears also was the creator of Discover financial, and invented the Discover Credit Card. They spun off Discover, and Discover has just been bought by Capital One.
Sears in Mexico is an experience. It is a modern take on the classic department store of years past. Candy counters, toys, video games, and full electronics departments. A lot of stores are paired with Sanborns, which is their drugstore chain. The biggest difference at the stores is that they have trendy clothing, not the random crap Sears had towards the end. Lands End wouldn't be able to compete with the quality offered at Sears in Mexico. I visited 5 stores in Mexico City and 1 store in Juarez in 2018 and 2019. Very different and you can see modern style red logos and some vintage cursive logos on their classic buildings. The Sears near the WTC in Mexico City has 2 underground and 9 above ground floors, making it an 11 level store. You should check out one of those stores if you are ever in Mexico.
@williamhaynes7089 Yep, the richest man in Mexico. He is not afraid to keep the stores looking up-to-date. He also kept what made Sears a true department store instead of phasing out things over the years.
@@jeee1074he’s done what the American Sears and Kmart (cough… cough… Eddie Lampert) should’ve BEEN doing… At least in Mexican Sears, it IS an experience shopping there, and makes you wanna come back. They look inviting, luxurious, and have an sufficient amount of merchandise. It’s what American Sears SHOULD look like today, rather than being quiet, putrid, depressing, and empty looking.
I last worked at Sears at the end of 2010. They were still using the same ladders, racks, tables, floor fixtures we used back then. It's a testament to the unwillingness of Lampert to invest in Sears as he should have. He set out to suck Sears dry and that's exactly what he did. He may not have put Sears on life support, but he pulled the cord to cut it off. This is so sad.
He was an evil hedgefund plant from the beginning. They short stocks (bet on them to fail/go bankrupt) and then install puppet plant CEO’s to make sure that happens. It’s truly sinister stuff. He did his job…..for them.
It saddens me deeply 😞, having spent nearly 8 years working for Sears and in this particular store. Over time, I held various positions within the store, but what stands out most in my memory is the sense of family we had. Everyone knew each other, and I practically grew up alongside the management team. Becoming a manager and working with such a wonderful team meant the world to me. I remember Sears as it once was, not the entity it evolved into in later years. Witnessing its decline into obscurity is truly disheartening. Nevertheless, I'll always cherish the memories of Sears #1044. Always. and BTW- the last room you were in was the Optical Department and next to that was Wise Hearing Aids and across from that was at one point Photo Studio. How I will miss that store!
I'm about 70 and can remember shopping at Sears with my parents as a little kid. It was always considered a good place to buy good stuff. Sears really did mean quality. But as times started changing, and shopping habits were seeking new ways Sears didn't adjust fast or correctly enough. You have to remember, they were the big kid on the block, they did whatever they wanted. Sears wasn't used to having a competition just to get shoppers in the store. What started their downfall, ironically, was the growth or the discount stores, such as Kmart (even before Walmart). Sears just couldn't get their quality down to allow for cheaper prices to compete. They also had very conservative, 20 years behind it management who didn't understand the modern consumer. But Sears was so big no one figured it would end up like it has today. Our local stores have all closed and have been gone for over 2 years now. One had a prolonged, 3- or 4-years dying period before it closed and was torn down. I think America doesn't know how to process a store like Sears closing like this. Going shopping is no longer an experience, just another function of modern life.
Sears, Roebuck & Co. began their Mexican/Caribbean/South American Sears stores as joint ventures with other retailers, similar to how they began Sears Canada as a joint venture with Simpsons department stores. Kmart Australia began as a joint venture between S.S. Kresge Co./Kmart Corp. of the U.S. and Coles Supermarkets of Australia.
I remember going to Sears as a young boy. It was before the Mall ones open up. I can still drive by the 2 we used to go to before the Malls open. I wanted to walk in before the 2 Malls in my area closed but I got sick about and missed the closing of them. YES I WILL MISS SEARS.
My dad used to always go to the Sears on Corbin’s Corner in West Hartford. I remember I loved to look at all the tools and outdoor stuff downstairs. We also used to always buy DieHard batteries and we’d go into the automotive section which was a separate building. I still have craftsman tools from my dad (who passed away 2021). I will miss Sears.
The sound of drills just makes it so much more eerie. Knowing that a store is being destroyed while you’re in it makes it so sad. The remnants of this once retail giant are disappearing across the USA, slowly being replaced and demolished. You would never guess 30 years ago that one of the worlds biggest retailers would go out of business. Sears will be remembered for centuries, but the remnants will slowly disappear. When I was in Orlando, I went to a shopping square but I didn’t know that the whole square used to be a sears. Goes to show how quickly things can change. People have been saying for years that Sears will go out of business but it never will. Even if they were down to one stores they would keep it open even if it was losing money. TransformCo has stripped most of the remaining assets of Sears and Kmart to the point where Kmart has only 2 stores in America and Sears only has 11. Thank you for making this video. These will go down in Sears History.
Round tables situated around the escalators were expected to have 3-400$ sales per sq ft in the late 90’s .. I bet that store did well lately to have 300$ a day total..
“Half used cleaning products” might be my new favorite liquidation sale item. Just such a random thing to try to make money off of, if at all. Hope you feel better too.
*I used to work in one of the world biggest Sears located in Six corners in Chicago for 18 years, that used to have 5 floors and a subbasement and and extra roof floor for the machines; and this brings me nostalgia, I still have dreams working there, but everything is for the best because Sears never pay above minimum wage, and if it didn't close, I would probably still working there and probably never move on.*
I used to work at the Sears in Willowbrook Mall in what they called a licensed business back in 2000 to 2004. I can't believe that they are selling well used fixtures for what you said they were. I remember during your walk through the misc office area, the credit card impression equipment, there was 2 occasions I needed to use one. Even at the time, the cash register they used was old and outdated. LOL
I am personally going to miss Sears because of the connection with my dad. We would always go to Sears for tools and him telling me what each tool does before we would walk around the mall heading to KB Toys and have a good time.
Since you asked about Sears in Mexico, I have poked my head in one of the two in Tijuana and one of their Mexico City locations. There more upscale than the ones in the US by a long shot. The one in Tijuana that I usually go through was recently renovated and they did a great job on the facade as well as updated the interior. The fun fact. You know someone lives in Tijuana WHEN - they pronounce Sears the same way it is pronounced in the US.
can't agree more. Border cities like Tijuana and Juarez are multicultural and have big influence from the US. One of the main reasons Sears Mexico looks more upscale than American Sears is because it's always been catered to the upper-mid class rather than the mid class America Sears aimed for. Buying from Sears, Liverpool, Palacio de Hierro or even Costco in Mexico is an aspirational thing as their prices are out of reach for over half of Mexico's population. The closest Mexican equivalent of what American Sears once was would likely be Coppel
Hello Tom, the Sears here closed in 2018, after being the first anchor of a still active mall that opened in the mid 60s. It was a good store, I frequented it more than most other stores in the mall. One thing they did that was really stupid in my opinion, was close off direct access to the mall ( the only mall access) on a very busy entrance corridor. That made it a pretty good jaunt if you were walking the mall, and wanted to go into Sears. I'm sure they had their reasons, but no one I talked to at the store seemed to know why they did that. Another mall here opened in the mid 80s, and didn't survive. It already closed and was demolished in 2020. See ya on the next video
I haven't shopped a Sears in years, and didn't even before they closed anything close to me. They never had anything worth buying. When they closed the West Hartford, CT store down I went in on the last day. Found a whole rack of Land's End shirts all the same. Some officially my size. The liquidator brought those in - they were outlet mall overstock and sized wrong. Don't even bother looking at anything there in large quantities. Too bad the Christmas decorations didn't have the name on them. A Sears Christmas wreath on your mancave wall might be cool.
I do miss Sears. The one where I’m at closed about five years ago. I worked at the appliance service center from February of 1977 until May of 1993 when they closed it down. First real job I ever had and I loved it. Mismanagement really did them in in my opinion. I remember when I was a lot younger our family did a lot of shopping at Sears and they had a huge candy department with popcorn that was the first thing you’d smell when you walked in the store times were great back then and now 😢
I used to go there with my family when we used to live in Jersey City. We actually went to visit Newport Mall last year, but we didn’t go inside Sears.
It's a real shame. I remember being there the day that store opened that entire mall opened and it was such a wonder. Look at it now. It's a shame series when i'm out of business and american institution just gone.
I’m glad I got to go there one last time, I got an old case for what I believe was used for the hand held devices they used to look up or price merchandise, because it had the new Sears logo on it and as you mentioned I also tried to get items that have the store logo on it. Also got a cassette package from 1987 with interview/interrogation instructions on it, it only had one of the two tapes originally inside but it was so unique and interesting I had to grab it. Great video, I’ll miss Sears so much. Growing up my local mall had a huge Sears with a great tv and electronics section! It was a one of a kind store.
Not sure on the square footage, but I would say it was an average size for a Sears, at least compared to the other Sears I'm aware of. Some Sears even had 3 floors, so this wasn't the biggest either. It is too bad about the lost jobs, but I would imagine anyone working here knew it was likely going to close for a very long time. Hopefully they found other jobs already or can maybe work at the new stores that move into this space.
I was saddened to hear when SEARS was closing since my mother worked for them throughout my childhood years always looking through their christmas catalog every year and going to the store was a memory that I will never forget. The stores where I live have been closed for sometime now but I see the store she worked in everyday on the train to work, even still has SEARS on the building and it still makes me think of her.
I worked for Sears in the 80's. Even then they were on a downfall. Always seemed to have issues with stocking products. Stuff would be advertised on sale on Sunday AM, people would come in to buy sale items and had to be told they were out of stock. Catalog and Retail divisions were treated like separate companies. Prices at each were often different from each other. Customer service was not the greatest. Older stores were treated like orphans, not being kept up. Was slow to accept any credit cards other than their small white one, while other retailers were accepting Visa and Master Card (or Master Charge in the old days). Too bad for a company that could have been another Amazon.
great video pitty about sears i remember every time i used to go to canada in montreal the laval mal had a huge sears i used to go a look in there for ages last time i went in 2014 they were still there its too bad they closed all canada locations i am from portugal so we never had any anchor type stores in malls anchors like jc penny macys boscovs or sears never came to portugal :)
The last time i’ve been in sears was in 2013 to buy a mattress. In that time, i was “we never had sears before, so let’s buy something here” we were newcomers in canada that time
I used to go to Sears because my eye doctor's had an office inside the store. Sears went downhill in the 1990s. The Sears in my town closed in the early 2000s. I don't know why Sears didn't go deeply into ecommerce. Sears started with catalogues and that's basically that what the internet is.
We still miss the Whitney Field one out here. It was the only store where as they shrunk their footprint clearing out, where you still had full access to the entirety of the store. It was weird seeing the store almost empty at the end, more strange watching old people (like myself) walking in the totally empty parts reminiscing what was where, pointing things out, it was two separate worlds. The Braintree one is still holding on, so I believe. Heard no closing of it yet, and being the last New England location, that would be huge news out here.
Ahhh I remember shopping at this Sears yeaaaars ago with friends when I would come home from college. Tbh it was empty then too lol. It was just a matter of time 😂
I loved Sears and would go there whenever I was in Leominster the one at Whitney Field closed just before the pandemic and I was sad to see it go I loved their clothes and their sales my mother bought a lot of her clothes as Sears and was sad to see them go there is hardly anything at Whitney Field now so sad :(
Dick’s Sporting Goods is being constructed on the 2nd level. Primark will take a section of the first level with interior mall access. Dave & Buster’s might also go on the lower level but it’s not made confirmed by Simon or D&B themselves, only some articles that cite an anonymous source.
COME ON MAN its still OVER PRICED those damaged shelves should be selling for 5 bucks not 35 and those old 70s chairs yeah you can find the same thing in a second hand store for less then 10 bucks same shape they are still trying to pay staff off the junk they have left no sad to see them go
This video surprised me because I thought that all the Sears stores closed at the same time when my local store closed like 10 years ago. I know that they sold off the Craftsman name to be used for tools by either Lowes or Home Depot, and the Kenmore name for appliances. Other than that I was sure they were they were dead and gone.
I'll miss Sears. I used to go there with my parents when I was a kid. Also had a family member who worked there for a long time. I wish I could've been the CEO of Sears. I would've saved it 😞
On one hand it's sad, because people are losing their jobs. On the other hand, I bought a a dishwasher there ten years ago. The crew that was cintracted to do it was completely incompetent, and the customer service when I called to get help, was the worst customer service experience I've ever had. I ended up having to pay a plumber to fix the mess Sears made. I never set foot in Sears except to cut through to the mall after that. Sears used to be a great store, mismanaged themselves into oblivion. I hope everyone that worked there lands on their feet. At least the job market is good. The poor management at Sears should not be a stain on their employment record. The Macy's at Newport Mall also has lousy service.
It is hard to say what fast Eddy has plans for Sears. Two of the locations that were closed in Burbank, Ca and Yakima, Wa have reopened. They say it is a lease. It looks like some of the closed locations may reopen with a lease. When Sears Holdings emerged from bankruptcy the stores they owned were transferred to Transformco which is owned and managed by Eddy Lambert. Now they have two reopen with leases. Sears used to own the land and buildings the stores ran out of. Sears is also now saying there is going to be a relaunch. We will wait and see if it is true and if it does happen. I think they are pretty much done. A relaunch with reopening of closed stores will have stores that are leased, and not owned like the old Sears had.
They started the year with only a dozen stores. How many will be left now? They have more stuff than the Pineville NC store had left at the end. I miss the old Sears. Not the Sears it was the last 10-15 years
