Abandoned - Sears

After over 130 years of business, today I am looking at one of the most iconic and prolific retailers in history. A corporation which grew from a small mail order business in Chicago, to pioneering modern retail and what is now known as the "big box store" as well as shopping malls. It became one of the worlds largest companies and brands... all until its rapid and public decline. Leaving hundreds of abandoned stores and leaving a huge mark in retail. This is Sears.
Watch the entire Abandoned series - • Abandoned
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Twitter - / brightsunfilms
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BrightSunFilms 2019

[@notorious_majora]

I worked for Sears till about a month ago. There was days when literally no one came in, easiest job I've ever had. Needless to say we closed

[@phxmaster9684]

Corey Christensen you get an F in the chat

[@eddiew2325]

Corey Christensen Corey I would’ve bought an item just for you. Will you marry me?

[@paisenpaisen]

Eddie W damn thirsty

[@christinestange4813]

I visited the Sears in Niagara Falls, NY several years ago. The employees were ' hanging on' ... but they knew the end was near .... so sad 😞 It lead to the closure of the store and the entire mall 😢

[@Deathbyreality1]

@@eddiew2325 If this isnt internet cringe idk what is.

[@jacksonmoore26]

It’s kind of crazy that Sears that started as a mail order business is being put out a business by Amazon which is basically mail order

[@aday1637]

Exactly. Stupid Sears.

[@markegipto1462]

The irony

[@Lauren_210]

Things come in a full circle. Weird.

[@MooseCall]

@@aday1637 stupid amazon.

[@MrJoeyDude]

And Amazon will then build brick and mortar stores repeating the cycle

[@veganleans7500]

Both of my parents met at Sears during the 1990s. My mother had worked for retail, while my father worker in automotive. Sears is the reason I exist, this store chain is like a parent to me. It is sad to see it die.

[@selkzer3711]

mom dad and sears :(

[@kite6864]

@Warlock he was conceived during their lunch break

[@lucasjohnstone6419]

Da Mn

[@TurkishEmpire2023]

YOU ARE THE SEARS

[@SlushysSecret]

@@selkzer3711 pun intended 🤡

[@Mark16v15]

I recall almost the exact moment in the 1980s when I realized Sears was doomed. A Walmart came to town, so I checked it out. There I could buy some underwear for almost half what Sears charged, but I had to do it on my own. After making the purchase, I quickly realized how I really didn't need a salesclerk to help me buy such items. It appears Sam Walton saw the writing on the wall in the 1970s when he probably noted that people were willing to save some money by filling their own gas tanks, rather than pay extra for an attendant to do it for them. But that wasn't the only blindness Sears execs suffered. They took their focus off retail sales and instead expanded into real estate, banking and insurance, which only accelerated their demise. The Sears Tower marked the pinnacle of their hubris. Isn't it ironic that it was Amazon which copied Sears' original 19th-century idea of allowing people to buy products from their own living room which dealt the final death blow into the failed former retail giant.

[@scarlol1800]

poetic

[@RemoWilliams1227]

VERY ironic

[@btchnotme1587]

I once heard a story about a Sears executive in the mid 1990’s that actually wanted to move their catalog business online and get in front of the internet boom that eventually happened. Instead of being proactive about it, they fired him. It’s like they were destined to fail.

[@JoeStuffz]

I would love to know what happened to him. It would be amazing if he ended up at a high position at the likes of Amazon I have a relative that worked for Sears Holdings, so there was incentive for me to buy stuff at Sears or Kmart because of the employee discount. The website was one of the worst online websites out there. Amazon's was bad at the time, but it was better than a Sears Holdings online store. If Sears Holdings ended up with better navigation, there was an opportunity right there! The crazy thing was that Sears after the Kmart buyout had the infrastructure to do what many retailers are doing now, especially Amazon and Walmart. Many places are advertising 1-2 day delivery, and if they got the logistics right, they could have pulled it off. There also has been a trend of buy online and pick up at the store. So, if Kmart didn't have something like a higher-end item and Sears was an inconvenient drive, why can't you deliver the Sears item to Kmart?

[@JoeStuffz]

Especially considering Fast Eddie

[@willfishing5605]

It sounds like when Blockbuster video had the opportunity to buy netflix 50 million dollars, and didn't... oops.

[@fartexpertable]

No one fires an executive just over a strategy pitch. There’s got to be more to that story.

[@youriphonesucks7590]

@@fartexpertable ... I work for this company since 1986 and let me tell you yes it does internal bickering and self-preservation instead of intelligent navigation is what Doomed this company

[@mariekatherine5238]

My Dad had a saying back in the late 40s, “If it’s not in the Sears catalogue, I don’t need it.” They were the Amazon for most of the 20th century.

[@graygravity3856]

Your father? Back in the late 40s? So he's over 80 yrs old?

[@champkind6877]

@@graygravity3856 How is it a surprise for you that people are in their 80's? It's not the medieval ages anymore.

[@faizaliqbal2284]

@@mariekatherine5238 Send my wishes to his birthday alright? What a Legend!

[@yalepelchat6613]

Champ Kind maybe shut up and be kind.

[@plum2843]

Marie Katherine wow! Happy late birthday to your father! 🥳🎉🍰🎂

[@airborneace]

Getting the Sears (and JC Penney) Christmas catalogs and going through each and every page was a highlight of the holiday season as a kid in the 90s

The JC Penney's was only a companion, Sears' was Master & Commander. 😂

[@richardjohnson8197]

As a walmart employee in 1989 I remember a leader board posted in the breakroom that listed sears and kmart as #1 and 2 with walmart #3. Walmart was intent on being #1 and they did, far sooner then they even suspected I believe. I don't think anyone back then could envision how hard and fast both sears and kmart would fall.

[@kite6864]

didn't even know of walmart back then.. #3? are you sure it was caldor or bradlees?

[@scotthewes2431]

They did not fall, rather were taken apart and sold for scrap by hedge fund manager Eddie Lambert, a,La Wallstreet.

[@foodreviewswithfinners]

your name is funny

[@xOneCinema]

Sears was the pre-internet Amazon of America. A fallen legend.

[@daytonasixty-eight1354]

Not really a fair comparison. Sears made lots of profit in it's day. Amazon has never made a profit. In my opinion, Amazon is a shell business with nefarious goals. Sears was just a store.

[@daytonasixty-eight1354]

@Real boxing Fan1 They do now, barely... but they operated for like 15-16 years with no profit lmao

[@Dudububu57]

@SublimeHawk6 assets, if the company is valued at a certain amount, it can borrow money and roll on it with Research and development for upcoming projects/business, which was successful enough that they are now monopolizing America's trade, then soon logistics.

[@Dakidpepe]

@@daytonasixty-eight1354 Amazon does make profit they just use it to invest in themselves. They buy their own planes, technology, and make their own deliveries. Cutting the middle man so in the future they control the market which gives them the upper hand over the competition.

[@lpi6608]

Went from mail order to box stores, you see Amazon doing the same thing

[@runee1977]

Everyone in Chicago still calls it the Sears Tower, that will probably never change.

[@Void_1984]

Yup it never will, always the Sears Tower it shall remain lol.

[@richerDiLefto]

I’m certainly not calling it the stupid “Willis” Tower. 😂

[@runee1977]

@@richerDiLefto I don't either. And that goes for Comiskey too!

[@EmberMoonprincess92]

I’m from St. Louis originally but live in Phoenix. It will always be the sears tower for as long as we keep calling it that. Maybe one day If they’re lucky they can buy it back

[@faiththeunknownbeing8126]

Same thing here... No one called the steel tower the UPMC tower here. Somethings won't change

[@melaniexoxo]

Its kinda sad that my dad (93) didnt really ever realize that the store was failing. A number of years ago he would talk about calling Sears for things that he needed and how it was hard to get help anymore. I had to explain to him that Sears would likely be closing soon. I know it hit him hard in a way.

[@dylanmaher2526]

Your comment is so heart touching yes I agree with you, can we be friends if you don’t mind?

[@keetahbrough]

why would you tell hm that jesus christ what a thing to do to your old man. Like killing off his oldest and bestest friend. Don't do that people.. you don't HAVE to do certain things.. as we age.

[@theanorexicgorillawithtype6871]

​@Keetah Brough it's a store, not his friend. Grow up.

[@mortb9]

@@keetahbrough I'm with you Keetah. Why tell him?

[@kfiscal01]

Being the grandson of a former CEO of Sears in the late 50s, it breaks my heart that this loved and iconic store has become a skeleton of its former self. We lived and breathed Sears. He was a titan in retail, a dollar man during ww2, Chairman of the Committee of Economic Development for Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. On numerous boards in corporate business. He took pride In what Sears offered the public and especially the employees. He was a wonderful man and believed in corporate responsibility. Now, our country and businesses are strictly about profits, dividends, off shoring jobs, no customer service. Eddie Lambert and his type are the scum of the business world,they don't give a rats ass about people, employees, integrity, community, or country.

[@jefffoley6546]

Well said.

[@mediocrebanters]

Sears was the "Amazon" in its day, but it failed to transform their catalog for the Internet Age.

[@JStorm13]

They had a mountain of consumer data and totally discarded it, instead of forming an internet presence with it.

[@mussolini2525]

@@JStorm13 they could've had it all rip

[@mediocrebanters]

@@JStorm13 Righto. They even had recognisable brand names under them with supportive patrons. I'm suspecting that the higher-ups in corporate aren't too savvy with emerging techno and markets, I dunno. Maybe their I.T. Security head is a Music Major too LOL

[@sabersz]

@@mediocrebanters Bruh sears was ran by boomers and it deadass killed them

[@VulpesHilarianus]

Sears thought they could bully Amazon the way they and J.C. Penney bullied eBay back in the day. 2008 screwed all of their plans up, because the price difference on some items jumped 2:1, Sears versus Amazon. They'd likely still be thriving had the 2008 financial crisis not happened, seeing as how K-Mart was being turned into a dump for all of their debt before they sold it off to someone who didn't know what they were getting. Their worst mistake in my opinion was selling Craftsman and the manufacturing plants for Kenmore appliances. Those were the only two things making them money. Now with Whirlpool having ended their partnership, Sears is forced to sell badge engineered products made by LG at a higher price than LG.

[@T1C]

After I heard Sears was closing I knew for sure that was where spirit Halloween was opening

[@CellularFixation]

The hermit crab of retail stores...

[@trillvirgo]

lol for sure. they put spirit halloween in the old toys r us building in my city

[@carmellolb200]

Lexi Nicole mine too

[@alex0589]

A halloween store so large, they could have their own in-house haunted house ride

[@Genshinlmao123]

Lexi Nicole Samee..

[@tacticalmattfoley]

The reason for no windows in shopping centers: so you can't tell how much time is passing while you're inside.

[@A_Ducky]

Same with bars & casinos. Latter don't even put clocks on the wall to make it easier on us to relaaaax & lose track of time.. how kind of them to care so much. 🙃

[@ihavefallenandicantreachmy2113]

WRONG!!!!!!!!! "Vandalism", is why no Windows.

[@tacticalmattfoley]

@@ihavefallenandicantreachmy2113 I’ve seen shopping centers that had huge windows. They weren’t IN the stores themselves. I worked in an outdoor sporting goods store and the owner told me they had no windows or skylights in this store so people couldn’t judge how much time had passed.

[@chuckselvage3157]

It's called Gruen Effect they design them to make it harder to exit as well.

[@MMA-mh9uv]

It's because windows are an easy entry point for theft, plus windows take up valuable wall space which could have products there instead.

[@Kiriafycso]

one of the sears buildings built in Minnesota during the 1920's was transformed into an apartment building on top, clinic in the middle, market for ethnic groceries and goods on the first floor, and civil center in the basement. the sears in the Mall of America was where I got the first video game I enjoyed on my own. the one I went to more often is a place i would frequent with my grandma. I have so many memories with sears, it's sad to see it hardly exist anymore.

[@dylanmaher2526]

Your comment is awesome and I agree with you I will like us be friends if that’s okay with you

[@cagv7297]

I'll never forget that Mall of America Sears. Had many wonderful memories there. I heard MoA has changed a lot. They even got rid of the Marshall's and the Dollar Tree on the same third floor???

[@lorumipsum1129]

Allstate: are you in good hands? Sears: ...no :(

[@MGOBLUE902]

This format has been killed but I applaud you for using it correctly 😂😂

[@CDeuce152]

My dad became an Allstate insurance agent right before they spun off. He shared an office initially then had his own office. Sadly that office venture lasted 23 months.

[@taimaishu-nao1922]

That was… S A V A G E

[@taimaishu-nao1922]

Also, what was interesting is that the real estate company that sold my store was ironically once owned by Sears. Yes, Coldwell Banker was the one who put the space up for sale.

[@lorumipsum1129]

Tai Maishu-Nao it's funny really, how alot of companies that we know of today are spun off of another, usually dead, company. The fact that CarMax came from circuit city, and now all that's left of circuit city is CarMax, always struck with me.

[@ATCBenas]

My Grandfather actually still lives in a Sears house

[@yoursleepparalysisdemon8171]

What is a sears house

[@chuckrutkowski1072]

@@yoursleepparalysisdemon8171 Sears once sold houses. They had blueprints and would sell you all the lumber and stuff to build it. I grew up in one myself.

[@richardbrobeck2384]

we have some in my town

[@markdavis2838]

Rumour is there's some houses tree streets j c tn

[@jimmierustler4887]

Look up the Sears Magnolia. The top notch kit house they sold. Just a beauty.

[@kenzielint7230]

I may only be 19 years old, but some of my best memories were in Sears and Kmart stores. Growing up I was raised by my grandparents who swore by Sears to buy absolutely everything. From our mattresses, washers and dryers, appliances, tools, lawn mowers, and clothes of course, you name it from Sears my grandparents bought it! I used to love going there to go back to school shopping it was always my favorite! Lots of great memories, a shame things ended the way they did!

[@Blue_Fire_1013]

Same here always so excited to walk in to the entrance of the mall and jump on the large squares. Now the whole mall is nearly abandoned. Oh look I’m 19 and a Miller too😂

[@karlimo4034]

Go back to school was your favorite season? You kidding me? That one is the worst, just after the best, CHRISMASS!

[@ItsOKtobeNormal]

The last sears I saw was empty and everything was heavily discounted 10-15 years ago, I think I went in there because I was traveling for work and wanted to go to the mall to poke around and I couldn't believe there was still a sears as they had all closed in my area by that time. Never really cared for them honestly.

[@zachscarbrough2727]

I actually got to watch a mall slowly die out while I was growing up. It was a mall in Jonesboro AR and for a long time, it was where everyone got whatever they needed. It had a SEARS and a JCPennys and all the other stores in between. Then the city opened up an even bigger mall, and slowly one by one, the businesses in the first mall just pulled out. The last to go were ironically SEARS and JCPennys. Last time I saw it was just this big abandoned mall with absolutely nothing in it. Honestly a little bit sad thinking back on it.

[@connerSphotography]

That’s what’s going on with my mall. Burlington coat factory has left and sears has closed meaning have lost two huge tenants for there building. Lots of restaurants closed down and left the mall to due to high rent cost. Lots of people aren’t making it in a mall anymore so they leave to try else where.

[@freeman2399]

When I was kid I remember how bland sears was. It was so depressing with no windows or natural light and stuffy smell.

[@rbfoster]

freeman239 yes! Lol The smell!

[@LivenSixtyFive]

That’s all wholesale stores

[@laggedxx]

I went to a barely surviving Sears and it does feel depressing. A lot of other stores feel more comfortable. Sears just feels like Costco, but a lot more saddening.

[@Itssike1]

freeman239 Harrowing huh!

[@montanacrone8984]

The Sears we went to had a popcorn stand inside the front doors! I remember that.

[@joshbacon8241]

Who remembers searching through Sears catalogues before Christmas as a kid?

[@SearsCool]

Josh Bacon ME

[@Rico_G]

I vividly remember drooling over the Silvertone electric guitars and amplifiers. Getting the new Sears catalog in the mail was always a great day!

[@notachinesespypleasebeliev8954]

Here definitely

[@princesskristan]

Those were so cool! I remember really wanting this Singer sewing machine for christmas and I never got it

[@perturabo7825]

Before my time unfortunately

[@turbofanlover]

As a kid growing up in the late 70s, the arrival of the annual Sears Christmas Wish Book was a HUGE anticipated event. So many wonderful memories. I really miss that time.

[@DocNo27]

Imagine if just a few of us had saved them. I kick myself!

[@RemoWilliams1227]

Oh hell yeah, circling the toys you wanted, glorious times my friend.

[@dr.edwardvedder1992]

I liked the regular catalog. All those ladies in bras!

[@RemoWilliams1227]

@@dr.edwardvedder1992 lol Doc we all did, I preferred Montgomery Ward but I'm a little more cultured 😂

[@hakapik683]

I remember when the Sears closed in Halifax. EVERYTHING was for sale. You could buy the tables, the clothing racks, the display cases, coat hangers, etc etc, and if you wanted to buy ALL of the, 80 pairs of boots, for example, they would make you a great deal on the lot. A sad sight to see actually. Many great memories of flipping through the Christmas Wish Book and going to the stores.

[@nateye2450]

I live near Halifax, around the kingswood subdivision (25 ish minute drive from downtown) and there is a sears pay phone outside a strip mall just outside my Neighbourhood which is STILL THERE. Shows just how quickly it was abandoned

[@B727X]

Whatever Canada doesn’t count not a real country it’s autonomous USA territory by our choice

[@leena5859]

I remember Sears as one of the entrance stores to a shopping mall. They were literally used as a fancy entrance and exit.

[@tigerwoodsescalade9611]

Yep, I'd walk straight through Sears to the mall, then run through it as quick as I could to exit. Nothing more than a large mudroom full of shit I had no interest in buying.

[@war.helmets9636]

@@tigerwoodsescalade9611 Fucking FAX

[@geneeli9499]

EXACTLY!

[@nfabian5100]

Every sears mall entrance made anybody feel special once they walk through those doors

[@PossumMedic]

that reeked of perfume 😂

[@toddnolastname4485]

Sears should have pushed into internet harder. We should be subscribing to Sears Prime.

[@michaeljohnson1057]

their on-line experience was a joke, disorganized, could never place an order AND get the rewards system to work. however, their parts (searsparts.com) - holy cow...i could find any part for any device - even a 40 year old radial saw my grandfather gave me - and they would have it in the mail the next day.

[@jonj4357]

There were amazon before amazon

[@YorHighness]

Correct even if it meant doing business with Amazon and Ebay. Coporate pride killed them. There was a time Sears meant Quality period. Good Tools with awesome garantee even without receipt. Craftsman. Lawn Movers great.

[@jdl7211]

Strangely enough, Sears was one of the partner companies along with IBM and CBS that formed Prodigy internet service. They were ahead of everyone then dropped the ball.

[@joesterling4299]

@@jonj4357 Yeah. They were Amazon before the internet--catalog sales.

[@digitalfootballer9032]

If you were a child of the 70's or 80's and didn't get to experience the Sears photo studio, you had a deprived childhood.

[@Gabito04]

Probably because I wasn't born at that time lmao

[@jamaicanjuice8684]

@@Gabito04 that's exactly why he said "if you were a child of the 70s or 80s"... is that really that hard to understand.

[@B727X]

And now you’re 70

[@DennisJohnsonDrummer]

Our entire house was from Sears growing up. My dad and I would go to the separate outdoor building at Sears to look at mini bikes and lawn stuff while my mom shopped in the main store. Such a great time. I can still smell that smell of rubber tires and outdoor equipment. We lost a great store when Sears went under. Even my Boy Scout uniform and equipment was bought at Sears. And that candy counter with those chocolate covered peanuts. I can still see my dad waiting in the shoe department for my mom to finish shopping. Such nostalgia. R.I.P. Sears & Roebuck.

[@brutalictesku]

Damn those 60's department stores where peak aesthetic!

[@dreadhead5719]

*Y E S*

[@NickNitro03]

Gorgeous

[@cleatrampler]

Growing up in the 70's and 80's I never could figure out why they destroyed that look through remodeling. The result is awful.

[@17denby]

Yea! The new stores they made was legit just a sad tan square with no windows and a small sign at the front.

[@allanrscott]

I remember being a teenager back in the mid-90s and even then Sears was the "Old Person" store. The only thing that remained popular from Sears was Craftsman Tools and Die Hard Batteries.

[@TotosSword]

Allan Scott STOP

[@mikem9536]

And Kenmore.

[@LynxStarAuto]

No the old person store was JC Penny. Sears was still very relevant in the 90's. Their decline started in the early 00's.

[@erocker78]

The old person store was Montgomery Ward

[@Razuberri]

The most haunted feeling and liminal space I’ve ever been in was a Sears in 2014. The store was practically empty and everything that was left was severely discounted. The back room I went in to was EMPTY, like they did not have a single thing in stock. An absolutely cursed place.

[@Shermanbay]

I always thought that Sears was ideally positioned to transition to the internet sales model, more than any company. With such extensive experience and infrastructure in mail-order, why didn't they adjust slightly and beat Amazon?

[@AFoxGuy]

1 word: Incompetence.

[@joshhuskins5363]

2nd word arrogance

[@dylanmaher2526]

Your comment is so heart touching yes I agree with you, can we be friends if you don’t mind?

[@nickl5658]

They did not see a future with online shopping. And by the time they realized it was the future, Amazon had already gotten too big.

[@CheeseMiser]

@@nickl5658 no one understands this somehow

[@artcamera5514]

Does anyone else feel depressed after watching these episodes about the stores that we grew up with?

[@jamesfranco7270]

Yeah I do. Sucks

[@jamesfranco7270]

I miss kmart and radio shack

[@artcamera5514]

@@jamesfranco7270 Radio Shack was so awesome when I was a kid, even better than Toys R Us.

[@jamesfranco7270]

@@artcamera5514 yeah. And now even toys r us is gone. Its unfortunate😭

[@krusenator123]

Cuz the world's shit now and everything is about money and there's more evil on earth than good and corporations run everything and we just live to die

[@OuterHeaven210]

I remember sears stores as a kid as being “the empty boring store” born in 1990

[@koishii_]

Same! That and K Mart. My grandmom always used to shop there.

[@jonj4357]

They should have made the transition to e-commerce in the early 2000s tech boom

[@brianb7423]

Same here. Was born in 93, but I do remember sears for having the fun gaming section right next to the workout equipment they sold. Lol they used to have foosball, basketball hoops, all that stuff. Would be so much fun lol. We’d be like the only people in the store though

[@haleeyyyyyy]

For me it was the store with the escalator

[@sammywest3979]

same lol. i thought sears was so boring whenever i would go with my mom. Born in 1999

[@melbrown6019]

I remember the Sears Christmas catalog in the 80’s. That was so exciting! Kenmore is still my favorite appliance company. I think they were a Sears company.

[@dylanmaher2526]

Your comment is awesome and I agree with you I will like us be friends if that’s okay with you?

[@brazilianboss10]

@@dylanmaher2526sure!

[@radiomindchatter7994]

It was a big deal to visit Sears in the 60's..particularly on Saturday night..with the Beatles playing on the AM radio. Great memories of being a kid then.

[@JeremyLeech]

It may be named Willis tower, but its still called Sears Tower here.

[@snowcoalRC]

Been calling it the Sears Tower since I was born, will still call it that till i die

[@cheeseebun]

fax!

[@The528692]

WHAT U TALKING ABOUT!

[@infiltr80r]

@Tyler Haraf What HQ? They're almost worthless. They're the Pontiac of retail.

[@mikeuhlir4823]

If president Trump buys it . It will be the Trump Tower. And YOU WILL call it Trump Tower! ..

[@okmrocksU]

When Sears outsourced the Craftsman tool production to China, they abandoned their most loyal customer base, which caused that most loyal customer base to abandon them.

[@AnjelynRoberts]

couldn't be more true!!

[@bringiton660]

Before the outsource, craftsman was a respectable brand, but now why even bother buying craftsman? It makes more sense to buy something from harbor freight, or online. At least harbor freight is cheap, and their made in the same factories. There is no reason to buy any tools from the old American brands like Stanley, their all chinese tools anyways.

[@okmrocksU]

@@bringiton660 This is exactly the point in one of two email complaints I sent to Sears, 5 or 6 years ago. I told them if I wanted Harbor Freight quality tools, I would go to Harbor Freight and get them cheaper. I also mentioned that I felt like they abandoned us. I never got a reply.

[@JackLambert180]

bringiton660 I actually have good news they were bought by Lowe’s and are making a new U.S. based factory for tool manufacturing.

[@okmrocksU]

@@JackLambert180 I googled a couple of pages that back up your post, but they were announced back in October of 2017. I recently looked at the hand tools on the shelf at Lowes and they still say china on them or nothing at all. So far, only their original screwdrivers were still made in USA. I am keeping a watch for USA craftsman tools and will start buying them again, if and when they do have them.

[@pineapplepenguin9901]

Very sad to watch this, especially now that Sears is getting closer and closer to closing entirely. I remember going to Sears many times as a kid, and it will always have a special place in my heart.

[@dylanmaher2526]

Your comment is awesome and I agree with you I will like us be friends if that’s okay with you?

[@CranberryFo]

I remember as a young girl, one of my favorite parts of the month of December was looking through the Sears catalog to come up with Christmas ideas. My siblings and I would look all through the catalog, eyeing all the toys we dreamed of getting under the tree that year. I used to think Santa's elves made the items in the catalog. The Sear's Catalog was pretty much what Amazon is. It contained almost anything you can think of, and you ordered it and it got shipped to you. It is shocking to me that the Sears catalog was discontinued and never brought back. If the Sears catalog had been put online, that would have been a really big deal. They could very well have become what Amazon is today had the catalog migrated to online instead of being cancelled.

[@dylanemanuel8408]

I used to look at those catalogs like a thousand times before christmas lol.

[@davidcribbs367]

yup it was am awesome day when that catalog showed up in the mail

[@misha2197]

Yes!!!

[@MrCraigblaze]

Me too..

[@LynxStarAuto]

Nikki Travis God bless her. That era produced the greatest grandparents ever. I too share very fond memories of my grandparents.

[@sudochop]

@@Dobviews - I bet if you were a kid back then and found those catalogs underneth the bed, you'd be devastated!!! lol!

[@Kreder1979]

Our old Sears is currently being renovated into a mini casino!

[@nicholaskurta]

Where at? There is one near me also

[@SearsCool]

mine is vacant

[@TracksideViews]

That’s a plus for sure

[@lilrex2015]

i heard ours might get turned into a theater. Calgary.

[@jettozahoku]

My Sears became a Round 1 :D

[@lauraduplooy]

It's sad and somewhat ironic. Sears' rise can be attributed to its innovative sales and marketing through its catalogue, yet, generations later, failed to recognize the innovative nature of the Internet. This is another prime example of the importance of connecting with your customers and adjusting to their ever-changing needs. Many thanks to the gentleman who agreed to be interviewed, as well as to you for setting it up. I'm always delighted when you elect to include one. It adds another layer of depth and a degree of connectivity that's always appreciated. Thank you!

[@dylanmaher2526]

Your comment is so heart touching yes I agree with you, can we be friends if you don’t mind?

[@gasstationincanada4990]

Just watching this made me realize that one day target Walmart etc will go out of business

[@ddsjgvk]

I will hate that. Like I love walking around stores and looking at things. The recommends I get on Amazon is not really good. Because sometimes I want something I never thought of or looked at before. You can't find new things when eveything you see on the internet is is what you get when you search for what ever. Don't get understand what I mean. look for NSFW lingerie pictures and than you sell ads what want to see that to you. Before you ask why I'm looking that up. I'm bored of pornhub. Onlyfans killed free porn sites

[@estahbear]

They probably won’t, but Target almost did a few years ago

[@CelticShadow75]

After Circuit City closed its doors, I took a management position at the Sears in our local mall. Let me just say, talking to corporate was like talking to a pre-school classroom. They had absolutely no idea what they were doing.....certainly not for a company that old. I left shortly after I started there, without any notice other then a phone call letting them know I would never return as a manager, employee of any kind, or a customer. What was a great company when I was a kid became a complete joke.

[@Gravydog316]

Here in Canada, we had Future Shop (which was owned by Best Buy. One Xmas, I won a $500 15" Compaq laptop, so, I took it to the store & wanted to trade for a MacBook Pro for school (which was like $2,000), the manager was like "NO PROBLEM!!!" I traded a free $500 laptop for a $2,000 15" MacBook Pro & an $500 iPod. They closed like 3 months later lol

[@AaronCo29]

You are definitely describing Kmart and all of its upper management, the district manager that took over, right after the buy out of Sears Holdings, she was wearing her favorite basketball jersey and matching shorts and tennis shoes, the guy that Kmart had just let go always wore a suit and a tie, always spoke with a calm and clear voice, right out of the gate, her first words weren't, hello, or nice to meet you, or anything like that, instead, it was, and I quote, "Oh, your Aaron? I'm going to prove you aint as good as your file says you are!" in the most sarcastic voice I ever heard. now coming from a flunky in basketball jersey it didn't actually resonate as good as if she had been wearing the proper attire, and I am sure all of these people hang out with Eddie Lampert on a regular basis, ever rich guy has his fan club that he feeds.

[@jz5791]

I worked there as a top salesman and hitting double all required metrics in lead. However, instead of innovating and being supportive of the top talent it was all micro managing. Was a real shame as I loved selling appliances for Sears!

[@jz5791]

I also knew the minute they sold their credit card and then melded with Kmart that it was the beginning of the end.

[@AaronCo29]

j Z yeah, Kmart knocked the top employee, almost as if to make everyone try mediocre, and they wonder why they don’t exist anymore

[@traci3905]

I actually have one of my grandpas old jean jackets that says “sears, roebuck and co.” on the tag inside.

[@kilometers7117]

You could sell that in a couple years for a lot of money

[@fiverumble257]

The Inverted Nut That’s not the point here

[@penguinmaster7]

hold onto that. You'll be sitting on money after a while.

[@ok-wh6zh]

.

[@tomryan914]

"not and Coooo?"

[@rjmcallister1888]

As of early 2022, there were just seven Sears stores open. Sister KMart closed it's last store in California in early 2022. Owner Transformco apparently is more interested in the real estate rather than the stores. The Lampert brothers also helmed the demise of Montgomery Ward in the early 2000's. My father oversaw the renovation of one older store (N. Kingshighway), building a new store in the massive (and now-closed) Northwest Plaza in St. Louis, along with their former warehouse in Hazelwood, so we knew much about Sears. It's all gone now.

[@CupwakeRBLX]

I grew up in a Sears Magnolia. I still miss that house that my dad built himself. Wish it never got torn down.

[@Blackwolffe097]

The last time I went into a Sears the place had no employees & the shelves were almost empty. We ended up exploring the store including the employees only areas. Spent about 2 hours & not one employee was seen. The place was open for business & it was 3 in the afternoon

[@SearsCool]

That’s cool! My local Sears stores have employees so not so fast 😔

[@RiceGrainz]

They probably knew what was coming and didn't bother showing up for work.

[@the.abhiram.r]

i had to walk through the sears in my mall to get to the parking lot. the next time i went to the mall the sears was not there anymore.

[@lilgg999shi9]

I went to sears recently and I was surprised that it was very busy but this was during thanksgiving week and I tell u I thought I was going into a dead store and it wasn’t even an outlet store this was in a big mall in Dallas and I tell u they were big lines everywhere I was surprised big time thinking that sears has completely died off , thinking that it was this busy blew my mind

[@andrewbelmudez6985]

There will still be some Sears in America for a couple more years, either they become independent, an outlet, or closed stores.

[@aeroman5239]

When Sears absorbed Kmart, that signaled the end of both brands.

[@danh2134]

Doesn't really matter both businesses didn't have much to offer for a while

[@EvertGuzman]

Star Trek Theory the hell*

[@carleebrown123]

You wouldn't believe how massive Kmart is here in Australia it's the best store with everything

[@AndrewSuaste]

Their going to make a local comeback with their home thing I think.

[@TUPPERWAVE]

@@carleebrown123 they are EVERYWHERE! it's crazy!

[@loveeveryone8057]

I sure do miss Sears. They were an amazing icon store that I loved as a teenager and young man. I was able to dress very well due to being able to visit there. God Bless Sears. Thank you for making this channel! You leave amazing footprints.

[@dylanmaher2526]

Hello , well I'm really so impressed with your comments, although I know it's not appropriate saying this on the comment section can we be friends if you don’t mind??

[@justmelmao]

Just imagine Parents: You can get Only one thing at Sears Kid: Ok, I want that House

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

The last Abandoned episode of the decade, I’m glad you continue making these

[@SearsCool]

Kim Jong-un I just noticed that

[@jamiebarba5701]

Hey Kim Jong-un you should buy Sears.

[@solared]

Thanks, supreme leader.

[@nemeczek67]

There was no year zero, therefore a new decade will start on Jan 1, 2021.

[@solared]

@@nemeczek67 we've heard it all before, and we don't care

[@hackthis02]

Talk to anyone from Chicago, it's still the Sears Tower. We refuse to call it anything else.

[@-NateTheGreat]

I visited Chicago last summer. I thought it was still called the Sears Tower. When someone corrected me and said it was the Willis Tower I was like. "What the hell is that? It's the Sears Tower, dammit! "

[@No-tv6te]

@@-NateTheGreat WILLIS TOWER ITS NOW WILLIS TOWER. REPEAT AFTER ME. WILLIS WILLIS WILLIS

[@alex0589]

First time i heard willis tower i thought of die hard

[@hackthis02]

@@No-tv6te Are you talking about the Sears Tower?

[@stevenzeletski1730]

@@No-tv6te whatchu talkin bout Willis???

[@TimeLady8]

When the mall in my hometown opened in 1971, it had a Sears & JC Penney at opposite ends of a cross shape. The crossbeam, as it were, had two local retailers to anchor those ends. 50 years later, only JC Penney remains as the sole original store from 1971.

[@DalmationProductions]

Eddie has really destroyed Kmart and Sears he's put so many beloved people out of jobs

[@jenniferclark9842]

Instead of trying to, I don’t know, get people into stores and shop, he sold the whole thing off, part and parcel.

[@scottdenesen8044]

Yeah he did it intentionally cost me my job of 14 years really was a bummer put a lot of time in that company

[@kfiscal01]

Yea,Lambert is the definition of an evil human being, just like most of Wallstreet.

[@500KiloVolt]

My parents met working at a Sears together, if sears never existed I would have never existed

[@richardm3023]

@IMxYOURxDADDY And they were classy enough to tell you the story too.

[@trevonpernell0814]

@IMxYOURxDADDY NO WAY....

[@MantisTobogganMD92]

Mine met at K Mart.

[@trevonpernell0814]

@@MantisTobogganMD92 Ain't that something.

[@SunriseLAW]

Great for you but think of all the sperm wasted by millions of guys getting off while viewing the women's underwear pics.

[@carterjones4709]

Getting a Sears catalog around Christmas time was my favorite thing ever

[@TheCybertiger9]

same here couldn't wait to get it

[@kate3930]

Did you go through and circle everything you wanted? lol

[@tonyjrdeets]

For me it was the Toys "R" Us big book than Sears

[@digitalfootballer9032]

By the late 90's or so, Sears pretty much had cheaply made low end merchandise, and even the Kenmore and Craftsman brands, which were once among the best, had fallen very far. However, Sears in Canada was always much higher end. They sold designer clothing brands that you would see in higher end American stores like Nordstrom's or Macy's (before Macy's went to crap). I always found that strange. It was like a completely different store north of the border.

[@ItzBIULD]

I think it has to do with the difference in what people want out of a store cross the border. It's kinda the same reason target in Canada failed. It failed to recognize what Canadians wanted in oppose to what Americans wanted out of a store.

[@jayyates1676]

I began in discount store management with Kmart in 1979. It was a given through the 80s that no one would be as big as Sears. Once they merged with Kmart, we knew the end was near. It was kind of sad. I am glad to be with Walmart now, but nothing lasts forever.

[@LaceyGlasgow]

Why does Sears in the 60’s look more up to date and modern than the ones that went out of business 🥴

[@moreadventure3627]

Yea

[@CaptTerrific]

Because once Eddie came onboard, he literally cut the store investment budget to $0. He was convinced that upkeep wasn't necessary, that it was just window dressing, and that people would come for the products and price. Laughable because, of course, not only is it necessary to have a good customer experience... but the product assortment was crap, and the prices weren't competitive :/

[@moreadventure3627]

@@CaptTerrific they made Kmart deal with the same issue. It's a shame

[@CharlesAbramson-hh6wk]

your existence disgusts me

[@intenseowl1255]

@@CaptTerrific kinda sus that now he owns the company privately, was there ever a investigation into their CEO for maybe purposely sabotaging the company.

[@Toad8508]

As someone from Chicago, where Sears started, this hurts to watch

[@AbeJacoby]

Yes, it does. I used to work for Allstate and they used to automatically issue professional employees a Sears credit card (called Checklist credit card). It was a good company to work for.

[@kevinvu5432]

To be fair....Sears deserved it. They never changed...

[@AndrewSuaste]

I remember when my sears was closing their was a older women that worked at the glasses store. She was trying to hold the tears she has been their for over 15 years. This just hurts me

[@mattmarzula]

Being from Chicago should hurt by itself.

[@Toad8508]

Matt Marzula Are you from Chicago?

[@slackerman9758]

Let’s all shed a tear for Sears going out of business, when they themselves put thousands of mom and pop stores out of business.

[@Rickswars]

Mom N pop stores didn't sell craftsman's tools, clothing, and Craftman lawn mowers, the big Corp gas station stores and drug stores put Pop N Ma. under!! Sears sold only made in America or quality products, the cheaper Chinese made products sold at Kmart n Walmart etc put Sears stores under.

[@jaimegutierrez4548]

I was born in 2004 and I remember spending my early childhood getting pictures taken there. That same Sears is where I got my Wii. Man does time fly

[@you900001]

Funny, Sears was Amazon before Amazon and the internet. Ironic.

[@SearsCool]

the irony is ironic

[@jgallardo7344]

Yep...got that right!

[@aday1637]

And I never understood the decision to end the catelog sales division. Big mistake.

[@isthatatesla]

@@aday1637 too little, too late.

[@neoasura]

@@aday1637 Piss poor management, Sears could've adapted, it had the logistics in place.

[@oriannastadelbauer6757]

My favourite thing about Sears was the feel of the stores. It felt right out of the 80s or 90s. Shopping there made me feel like I was living in the past. I really miss being able to go to my local mall and feeling like that. :(

[@anemoiia]

Orianna Stad God you’re so right!! I miss it too

[@nancythompson3282]

Orianna Stad - Shopping at Sears, Pennys and Wards reminds us when our mothers took us shopping and when we wnet out with our young husband or wife shopping on weekends and evenings. Stores had cafeterias and coffee shops. They were nice experiences.

[@hollow7994]

I still have one near by, it’s not the same knowing it might be closing.

[@misha2197]

Same.

[@AaronCo29]

That is why Sears decorated their stores that way, it wasn't because they were behind the times, they redecorated to bring you back to then, a time when America meant something and stood for something and all of their items were made in the USA before Kmart got ahold of them

[@michaelgilpatrick8118]

I remember going to a Sears as a kid around 2008 or 2009 when my Dad wanted to get a new TV. The store had a wide selection of old cathode-ray TVs for sale and just a couple flat screens. It just shows how outdated they were back then.

[@Dr-Random]

It’s weird how they were selling CRTs, which are analog, right up to basically the analog shutdown, at least in America, which occurred on 06-12-2009.

[@FATHERSOFBASS]

I’m 46 and when I was a kid Sears was it my mom and dads favorite place to shop and mine too they had everything and all the cool clothes my dad would always be stuck at the craftsman tools section while my mom was in the clothes and I was at the toys lol theeee best memories there

[@SarahB1863]

The last time I went into a Sears was in 2013. It was the most dismal shopping experience I've ever had. The store was devoid of shoppers, the merchandise was skimpy, and the clerks could not have cared less. I was shopping for a dress, and what meager selection they had was nothing but really poorly-made polyester dresses that you wouldn't even find in a dollar store. They felt like they were made out of cheap plastic. Very sad; I worked for them in the late 1980s and remember what a giant the store used to be.

[@scoobycarr5558]

I didn't shop very much at Sears when I was younger, but my Mom loved buying its Kenmore appliances and Dad bought mostly its Craftsman tools and DieHard equipment for Mom's Subaru.

[@trustno1903]

To be fair, by then, Sears was pretty much sunk. Back in the day, when I was a kid, Sears was a great store and all dads shopped there for tools, tires, or anything that would go in a "shed."

[@Hopeguz3]

I worked at Kmart in 2013 and I never bought clothes there. They looked cheap.

[@dakhaikh]

😿

[@ArizonaWillful]

I used to walk through a mall SEARS just to get to other stores within the mall. I never once saw an actual sales person, and there were no customers. One time I saw a cute man's tee-shirt I wanted to buy, but I could not find a single sales person, got fed up and left. The store would have been a shoplifters dream come true.

[@DUBracer01]

BSF: "Here's to another 50" Businesses everywhere: _sweats nervously_

[@PhilipTrouble]

BSF: "Welcome to Abandoned, where today we will be talking about..." Jeff Bezos: *sweats* Tim Cook: *hyperventilates* Bill Gates: *tries to bribe BSF*

[@oztheproducer1990]

Y’all should come to Florida I got a few abandoned places here My email is [e-mail]

[@MustraOrdo]

@@PhilipTrouble Coronavirus: Remember to give me a shoutout, BSF

[@thisisbenji90]

I worked at Kmart from 2007-2012. The miss-management was staggering. I wasn't surprised at all that they went out of business.

[@pan_vegan3245]

I feel like sometimes, the thumb nail doesn’t seem that interesting but then I remember you’re going to give a back story and I watch/listen. It’s always very useful information. I love understanding why business went out of business vs just looking at abandoned buildings. Great video, as usual!

[@khrystellehutton6651]

My connection to Sears is that my mother went into labor in the Everett mall location back in 1994.

[@GoofNerdProductions]

Wow

[@piano2live09]

Khrystelle Blackburn and that place just closed

[@amandasky2296]

94? why do u look 45 lol

[@khrystellehutton6651]

@@amandasky2296 bahaha. I have never heard that in my life. This was a professional photographer from work a couple years ago. In real life, I look 16 (if that) blessed with a baby face.

[@dylanmaher2526]

Your comment is amazing and I love it, can we be friends if you don’t mind?

[@EddieJazzFan]

Sears employee in the 70s: "I'd be glad to help you find what you're looking for?" Sears employee in the 80s: "You might find what you're looking for on the second floor" Sears employee in the 90s: "I don't know, and I don't work in that department"

[@craftyria]

Sears employee in the 2000s, "You might as well order it from Amazon."

[@mrrobot5963]

You just made my 2020

[@knicks2030]

You could almost make this same statement for retail stores in general.

[@everythingsalright1121]

"We have a floor for that?

[@Ironcabbit]

I’d love to see a comparison of the associate attitudes with their salaries throughout the decades. In any market, including labor, you get what you pay for.

[@sonjahughes2065]

I'm glad you're here making content! Recently this has been my favorite channel to binge - its been great finding you. Best of wishes on the project!

[@MikeDS49]

For a lot of people in more rural areas (like me growing up in outport Newfoundland), Sears mail order from their catalogues through a tiny local office was a very convenient and sometimes only way to get household items. Their Christmas Wishbook was a huge highlight of the year. Like @JoeStuffz said, they had Amazon's infrastructure and scale decades before Amazon, but failed to capitalize.

[@B727X]

Stfu nobody knows who Joe is you boomer

[@RandomRangerRambles]

My town has a neighborhood of “kit” houses, many of which are Sears houses. They really stood the test of time. I wish the kit houses were still available.

[@jeremymenchaca]

I've noticed.

[@TwistedCyclonix]

Zimmit's FunHouse Adventure well it wasn’t just one box. They would ship the materials in separate boxes for different things. For example one box would have a some of the wood siding and another box would have bricks for the chimney

[@RandomRangerRambles]

Zimmit's FunHouse Adventure They came in boxes as That One Guy said. Each piece was numbered and the kit came with a plan to follow. You could hire a contractor to put it together or gather your friends together and assemble it (I read stories of folks doing their own build, though as I haven’t the skills I can’t imagine doing it myself. )

[@MandieTerrier]

We have a few houses in my neighborhood that came from a kit.

[@michaellynch1159]

And now we are working on 3D printing houses

[@ColePenner]

Rip Sears :( went to a Sears on their very last day of being in business’s, bought a $16 scarf for $3

[@Camelotsmoon]

I remember going to like two stores when they had all the fire sales going; I was going to get a pair or two of jeans, but they were only like $10 off the normal price lol; I'm like damn guys, really taking your time on this store closure huh? I could've gone in like a week later to see if the prices had gone down, but I couldn't be asked.

[@joeuginta816]

Niiiiiice bro

[@LivenSixtyFive]

There is a sears near me

[@AndrewAMartin]

@@Camelotsmoon Like, really? Like, wow dude, do you need to say 'like' in like every sentence, like?

[@Camelotsmoon]

@@AndrewAMartin Could you ever add less substance to a comment I made?

[@epiclad9685]

There’s a Sears near my house that a lot of people still go to!

[@Pete_Finch]

The last Sears here on Long Island just closed. All of these episodes make me sad - so much of my youth was spent in malls, and the two most fun jobs I ever had were in retail. I met so many great people who are still friends to this day. Now, we just get it online and if we need something that same day, too bad.

[@MarcoEvens]

Let’s face it. No one calls the Willis Tower by its name. We still call it the Sears Tower.

[@Ctwosrer]

Facts

[@Mickocarbomb]

I only ever heard of it as Sears tower so it's ingrained into my memory only as the Sears tower.

[@trevonpernell0814]

It has come...the time to talk about the dumpster fire known as Sears.

[@BrightSunFilms]

That’s just how I should start every abandoned episode really

[@trevonpernell0814]

@@BrightSunFilms Between you and me Jake, compared to Circuit City, Ames, and even Toys R Us, Sears, and our beloved Kmart for that matter, are SPECIAL LEVELS of a dumpster fire. They were SCREWED into bankruptcy, kinda like Toys R Us.

[@plowtruckdriver]

@@trevonpernell0814 he should do Montgomery Wards

[@trevonpernell0814]

@@plowtruckdriver Uhhh...he actually already did a video on Montgomery Ward.

[@themusicguy2879]

@@BrightSunFilms Great Idea

[@AdventuresinNature]

I actually grew up going to Searstown Mall in Titusville, Florida! Lived about 10 minutes away! I have many fond memories of Sears, especially since my grandfather literally retired from Sears and we would go often to Sears with him. It's been so disheartening to see Sears' downfall, but for mostly sentimental reasons.

[@ijnfleetadmiral]

As a kid, going to Sears was awesome...I would spend hours in the lawn & garden department, looking over the mowers and tractors. I still have every Craftsman mower and tractor brochure I collected as a kid, from 1987 until they stopped making them in 2017.

[@bugjams]

old abandoned stores like Sears or K-Marts have such an oddly calm, dream-like quality to them. I just wanna go to one and walk around inside for an hour or two and just lose myself.

[@TimurTripp2]

There's an abandoned K-Mart near where I used to live. It's boarded up so I'm not sure about finding a way inside. Regardless, the "Big K" sign box is still there in front but tattered and faded. This combined with the empty parking lot gives it an incredibly odd and dystopian look, especially as I have memories of this location as an active store...

[@xyneiumr5028]

Timur Tripp I love the way you described it.

[@than217]

*2,000 years in the future* Archaeologists: "We believe these temples were constructed to a God known as Sears. People would bring old clothes to lay inside the temple as a prayer for good health."

[@everythingsalright1121]

@@dgpsf asking for a frappucino blessing from the priests or priestesses at these temples invoked wrath. As did something called the secret menu, which brought down the full anger of the spiritual leaders

[@asalbert79]

I worked at our mall Sears back in 2001-2003. It is interesting to look back now and think about the signs that were starting to show up. It didn't close until 2018, but the space did remain "abandoned" until earlier this year. I think that you should do an episode on Kay B Toys.

[@luseanehalaufia2419]

Sears was my go-to store. I remembered my Parents taking us kids to that store all the time. Our family portraits were made at that store. I miss it for sure! Thanks for making this video. Very informational indeed!

[@dylanmaher2526]

Hello , well I'm really so impressed with your comments, although I know it's not appropriate saying this on the comment section can we be friends if you don’t mind??

[@2222jm]

Does anybody remember Best Stores? I remember as a kid going to the store and ordering items and waiting for them to magically arrive via one or more conveyor belts in the middle of the store.

[@burendasan]

I had almost forgotten about Best! I remember going with my parents as a young child in the mid-late ‘80s

[@RonKosey]

I loved the Best catalog as a kid and the store was magical. I think our ping pong table was the last purchase there.

[@marc751]

I loved Best. Got a bike from there.

[@ZachArmstrong02]

Yes I remember going there when I was a kid there and Service Merchandise

[@kiand9433]

And also the exteriors of the building. Oh those were interesting :)

[@KayleeCee]

My grandparents were all about Sears when I was a kid. This would have been in the 80s and 90s. They had a Sears charge card and almost everything they bought for their home, yard, garden, and garage was from Sears. Appliances, tools, clothes, kitchenware, electronics, towels... you name it. It's a shame that they've been going downhill for quite some time now because they used to have some pretty nice stuff. Not anything fancy, but just about anything a middle class family could want or need. I remember leafing through grandma's giant Sears catalogue at Christmastime writing down what I wanted.

[@YaowBucketHEAD]

It seems that all middle class families just spent money and bought stuff because they could. Everytime I went to my Grandparents house as a kid in the 90s, we *always* went shopping. Sears, Montgomery Ward, Marshall's, "Penney's", and old school Wal*Mart (before they adopted the grocery side). My grandparents had a "charge card" for each store and would just buy tons of junk really. Snacks, lawn ornaments, tools, stock up on batteries for the end of the world, clothes, really ugly clothes, more shoes than you would know what to do with, etc. I think it was just a thing at the time. Strong economy and the consumerist mindset went wild. I'm 36 now and I don't spend money like they did. Never had a credit card, only buy what I need after searching online for the best deal, I try to visit brick and mortar stores out of pity, but I don't spend much. Just get what I need if it's a reasonable price. The lack of a middle class and the lack of people more than willing to spend every dollar that comes into their possession and buy insane amounts of things on credit had to make a huge impact on Sears and the malls.

[@mrf02251986]

You need to do what happened to Montgomery Wards.

[@robertl7239]

Those of you who never got to thumb through the pages of those massive catalogs from Sears, Wards, JC Penney - you missed out. OHHHH, and the aroma of the ink, as you would turn from page to page ...that was goooood stuff ...the stuff dreams were made of.

[@Fibrosis50Creations]

Me: Oh the Sears tower WAS made by Sears, I knew it. Wait they made Discover credit card too?! WTF? Wow...

[@simmerszalai9196]

you didn't know the big tower in chigco was own my sears. I knew this am from Canada.

[@Fibrosis50Creations]

I blame Canada

[@Sari-ey8cu]

@@simmerszalai9196 You own Sears?! Punctuation? ;)

[@marioivezaj154]

and allstate

[@nolancain8792]

Mario Ivezaj I didn’t even know they did that. So technically Sears is alive, just through its spinoffs.

[@ast-og-losta]

I worked for Sears back in the early 80's. There were many things that led to their downfall. The biggest one was losing market share to Walmart, then to internet shopping. The management at Sears were blissfully unaware through their own igonrance and unwillingness to adapt to a changing market.

[@kennethklein1262]

I worked for another big retailer with the same problem: management blissfully unaware of the real world. They got bought out by a venture capital group who then fired management at all levels. Our managers never saw it coming.

[@nicopolis7377]

The start of the downward slide began when they stopped giving their employee's a comission on sales , which I believe was 2 % .

[@ast-og-losta]

@@nicopolis7377 Its was more than that back in the day. Back in the late seventies and early eighties, if you sold a MA with the product you could get as much as 13%

[@ClaytonHensley]

Well told story about the demise of what was once an inevitable force in retail. Many great memories of visits to Sears (and KMart) over the years. Sad to see them almost totally gone now.

[@lindajah3708]

Loved Sears. Couldn't wait for the Christmas Catolog as a child. Married 1974 and we got my first charge card to build credit and bought a new clock radio.ooohhh... To this day we are still with Allstate car/house insurance and my husband only bought craftsman tools all these years. Miss the memories. I actually live in a town where we have 2 Sears catalog home. Cool to drive by and know that it was ordered. Life as we know it is GONE.. Sad..

[@dylanmaher2526]

Your comment is amazing and I love it, can we be friends if you don’t mind?

[@flanexism0165]

The sears in my city’s mall has been “closing out “ for about six years now. They don’t even play music anymore. The only reason it’s still there is cause our mall itself is dying, and sears is the only reason people still come- along with kohl’s . It’s crazy.

[@tauraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

Wait, do they still sell things? Where is this

[@royroblox]

I would kill to spend some time there ... the Sears and the dying mall are probably not long to live :’(

[@Eudamonia-123]

My Dad worked for Sears for 30 years, retired (luckily in the late 70’s), put 4 boys thru college, and lived a nice middle class life. So sad 😞 to see it gone...it was a great ride.

[@dmmice2344]

Middle class doesn’t exist anymore

[@LadyCoyKoi]

@@dmmice2344 Nope... only Rich class, Working class, Working Poor Class, Poor class, and the really shit bucket of "Why am I still Alive" class.

[@dmmice2344]

@@LadyCoyKoi yeah I know

[@b1nary245]

There was a Sears in my childhood mall in Canada, stationed next to a Walmart. My mom would always go to Sears for clothing and drag me along. As a kid, the boring beige slapped everywhere in the store did not amuse me. My mom knew that the store was declining, so she was with the company until the and of Sears Canada. Eventually, the Sears met its end in 2014, effectively killing one of the two anchor stores in the mall. Fast forward 8 years, the mall has lost a lot of stores, but still running. They transformed the anchor store plot into a bike park. However, I doubt this mall will revive itself after the drastic hits it has taken for the past couple years. This video brought a lot of nostalgia and how this store met its fate. Thank you!

[@MsBlackhawk69]

The Sears catalogue was one of the most anticipated deliveries of the year. With 4 siblings there was some fierce competition getting a chance to pour through the pages and pick out a wish list for Santa. Sears and The Bay were staple stores to shop at in the 70s and 80s.