Exploring the Last Sears in the Northeast! What Sorcery Keeps This Store Going? Braintree, Mass!

[@jaysherman2615]

Sears was the ultimate store for a middle class homeowner. Appliances, an auto center, tools upon tools, a flooring department, family photo department and an electronics department that sold middle to high end equipment. All at a decent price. It really is a shame and as a guy who is wandering into the realm of middle class homeowner, a store like the Sears from the 90s would really be appreciated.

[@SethHollingshead]

I so agree. And your all right about all said. Man I miss the 90s as a 90s child

[@chrisd.2546]

That Sears store was 3 levels - when it was remodeled to only 2 floors, the 3rd floor was sublet to Primark. The $$ coming from them is keeping that store open and on life support.

[@uisblackcat]

That's the story of this entire company - they are funding legacy costs (pensions, etc) by transforming into a real estate company - hence, "Transformco" in its name.

[@cairnmom3228]

End of an Era. Sears was great back in the day. Still miss the catalog, especially at Christmas. Great video!

[@fleabittenadventures]

Thanks!

[@larryharry7221]

Those catalogs were big business for the big printing companies.

[@P00katube]

The Elimination of The Sears physical catalog was the beginning of the end of Sears.

[@john_from_eastcoast.]

I used to like the Spiegel catalog! 😊

[@thewhitebackground]

Most if not all of the catalogs can be found on the internet archive.

[@snowg4953]

The sears craftsman made in USA are awesome tools. They will be used for the rest of my life.

[@MP392HEMI]

Visiting a Sears store when I was a kid was a treat, they had everything you could ever want. It was a happy day when the Sears Christmas catalog arrived at the house. We were very poor so never really was able to buy anything but as a kid we could dream of maybe someday being able to. I actually worked part time in the Tool and Lawn/Garden department in Cutler Ridge FL. I was active USAF and worked at Sears for some extra money. It was a great place to work and I loved it. So sad to see them go down the tubes. The end of an era for sure. ☹

[@jasonsimpkins9069]

Man, i loved sears. Everything from clothing to washing machines, to tvs and surround sounds/home steros to pool tables to tools to lawn equipment. And much much more.

[@jh9992]

I went into that Sears 7 months ago just to see it. Reminded me of like a North Korean store. This used to be the Amazon in its day.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Yes. I was thinking the same thing. It's all for show.

[@thekingofkingsrp]

This is a glimpse into the future of America.

[@PrinceMontrey]

“Discover more, more what”? 😂😂😂

[@AlexReed-j3x]

I went over to this Sears last week after seeing your previous video just to reminisce… I spent probably over an hour in the store just going back down memory lane to when my parents would pull up to get their tires done at the Sears car center that used to he here… there was a vending machine with snacks in the car center I remember vividly haha. It was so dead with so few employees I ended up just kicking back on a COMFY display bed and taking a micro-nap, haha. Just such a cool little pocket of nostalgia at my local mall. Nothing I love more than South Shore Plaza. My Fleabitten brother, if you want to explore the tunnels underneath South Shore Plaza, let me know! So much history and creepy nostalgia down there!

[@fleabittenadventures]

What tunnels are you talking about? I'm intrigued

[@LL-bl8hd]

I'm so curious now!

[@fallblossom]

@@LL-bl8hdAlso curious

[@john_from_eastcoast.]

There's no tunnels underneath there. There's only a basement.

[@AlexReed-j3x]

@@fleabittenadventures i use the word “tunnels” colloquially as that’s what I was always told they were called when I worked at the mall. underneath the mall is a pretty vast network of “tunnels” or hallways that have a multitude of different things in them. old doors to the storage rooms of now defunct business, all sorts of creepy rooms, some still with left behind evidence of the 80’s/90’s. lots of completely forgotten rooms. at parts its spooky, some parts are dank and nasty, but it’s certainly interesting and cool. i just went down there today after my comment to explore a bit, lol.

[@bunnykos9518]

I loved going to sears. My mom shopped there when I was little.. RIP Sears

[@westcoastronnieOC714]

@@bunnykos9518 I remember when I was a little boy my mom used to buy tough skin jeans for me. 🤣🤣🤣

[@iamgermane]

The last Sears I was in the employees were gone and people would look at stuff and walk out the door with merchandise!?!? I called the police to complain and they had added one guy too look after the rest of the store??? Kohls is next! A looter's paradise!!

[@vincecarnevale4406]

​@@iamgermane I despise shoplifters,your hurting the good honest people with price increases,you have no self worth,how can you live with yourself,when the store closes up due to losing profit you move to another store!!!

[@desjardinspeter1982]

Walking into the bathroom with a video camera, I'm yelling out loud "dude. Nooooooo" lol

[@bd5av8r1]

The radio station WLS in Chicago which broadcasted all over the US in the evenings, was owned by Sears, which had the call sign WLS, which stood for "World's Largest Store" which is what Sears was way back when. :)

[@ditunnod]

I worked in this location between 2000 and 2012. It was built around 1980 when the company moved from its location near Quincy Center to the mall and as part of their deal with the SSP was to build the parking garage there. When I worked there is was 3 levels but they closed the top floor several years ago to rent it out to another store. They probably still own the building which is why its open at this time.

[@CSXfan618]

The top floor is currently rented out to Primark.

[@Mordanuss]

At the very beginning you can see the top floor is occupied by Primark. That used to be the bed & bath section of Sears. I was at Sears 2 years ago and an employee told me they rented that out to them. The very long white wall in the mens department was were hundreds of Levis jeans were. Been going there for 30 years for jeans, shirts, jerseys, sheets and towels, lots of stuff. Was planning to hit the mall soon, Target. Suppose I'll take one last walk thru Sears.

[@MattTommy]

I live in Braintree and every time I go to the plaza I park in the sears parking garage and walk through this store. There is something so liminal about it, It almost reminds me of a department store from a ps2 game, It’s such a unique experience and I love it.

[@marilynrenaud1892]

I just came across this video. I live in Southeastern Massachusetts near the Rhode Island border. I had no idea there were any Sears left in Massachusetts. I always loved Sears. As a kid, my mom used to shop at Sears all the time. Back in the '70s Sears was a very popular store. I also haven't been to South Shore Plaza since I was a kid. It's a little over a half hour drive from here, but I definitely have to go now that I know that there's still a Sears here in Massachusetts. I am definitely going to buy something. I hated seeing our local Sears stores close their doors for good. We lost two in my location.... North Attleboro and Swansea. Thank you so much for this video or I would have never known. I can't wait to go!👍😁

[@BELCAN57]

We lost the Holyoke Mall location years ago. Sad

[@Pissgremlin5964]

​@@BELCAN57there was one in Holyoke, East Springfield, Enfield, and Manchester! 4 stores within 45 minutes of each other and all gone. I think the Manchester one was the last one to close. I made sure to take a walk through for nostalgia sake.

[@BELCAN57]

@@Pissgremlin5964 You are correct. I grew up in Enfield and live in Western Massachusetts. All those stores are closed. As a matter of fact, we bought our refrigerator from the Manchester store about a year before it closed. It's kinda sad.

[@michaelpalm2210]

@@BELCAN57 I was at the Berkshire mall in Pittsfield.,MA The whole mall is abandoned except for Target . It looked like an end of world zombie apocalypse movie set.

[@lackedpuppet9022]

​@@michaelpalm2210 Berkshire Mall had a Sears too. It lasted right up until the mall itself closed in 2019. Other than the Target(which is still open since they own their space,) it was the last remaining anchor store. I visited in its final days and I remember it being pretty similar to the store in this video. I still get a kick out of the jar of frilly lacey thongs they had selling for $1 each.

[@mikehaas1393]

Sears is the longest liquidation of a store ever. It has become a place for CEO’s and CFO’s who need a job managing the liquidation go whenever they need a job. It’s like a scam in a way because none of them care to try and save the store.

[@GeorgeMonet]

It's not that they don't care it's that the task is impossible.

[@mikehaas1393]

@@GeorgeMonet because they didn’t care for a long time and made bad decisions over and over.

[@robs1852]

Yep, just ask Eddie

[@scotttardif763]

Ah, Braintree and the South Shore Plaza. Way back in the day it was an open air mall where you'd FREEZE going from store to store in winter.

[@OzFrog48Z]

I used to get everything from Sears. Clothes, appliances, tools, sporting goods, and even paint for the house. It was truly a one stop for everything store. Sad to see what happened to them and other retailers. As a kid I couldn't wait for the new Sears catalogue to come in the mail. Times change.

[@areurdytoparty]

i did NOT expect that Bradlees truck at the end! what a blast from the past

[@fleabittenadventures]

Me either, but I'm so glad I noticed it!

[@gratzmyers3242]

I saw 4-5 customers on video! Looks clean! Displays nice!

[@farhajhassan8516]

All my hand tools were Made in the USA Craftsman. Thank you for a nice video, bringa back memories of a great store from back-in-the-day.

[@nanrowan3528]

So sad. I was a 3rd generation Sears employee. This was my 1st job and started with the company when I was still in high school. I actually helped opened this store and worked there until 1987 in the display department. It was such a fun job and a great place to work. I hope they can figure it out to make a comeback.

[@YaowBucketHEAD]

If Sears hasn't figured it out by now, they never will. These remaining Sears are essentially existing out of habit.

[@alexcholagh8330]

They went online sadly. Jcpenny and maybe Macy's might go next in less then 20 years

[@Shinycelebi]

Sears, or rather their CEO, doesn't want the chain. He just wants to lease the land, thats why he puts in so little into their stores, including when a lot of vendors pulled out when he didn't pay them. There is no coming back because Eddie doesn't want that. These stores close based on lease agreements finally ending.

[@alexcholagh8330]

@@Shinycelebi that's sad. Bad management destroyed these stores

[@PocketsandOutlaw]

I appreciate you immortalizing things like this. Within a few years there will no longer be any Sears in existence and if you told somebody that 50 years ago they'd call you crazy.

[@MegaGeorge1948]

I used to work at the Natick, Massachusetts, Mall Sears as a Christmas help stock boy when I was in High School in the 1960's. Sears was a bustling Corinth of stuff back then.

[@nonenonnenopenonenomorefor5556]

Miss Natick store

[@lucast3006]

Sometimes these random locations are left open because of clauses included during financial restructuring. Sears has undergone multiple rounds of bankruptcy and restructuring, which sometimes included deals to keep certain stores open as part of these agreements or settlements.

[@Crazea]

I'm thinking they chose this store to stay open and try to sell everything that is still unsold from all the other stores they closed.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Could be. Hard to say.

[@GeneralLiuofBoston1911]

I had been to that Sears since childhood. It has become much more quiet since then, but it has held onto every piece of will there is. In a way, it is quite worthy of pride to have.

[@Matucks]

Caldor, WoolWorth, McCrory, Rickel, Bradlees, ToysRUs, KMart, KayBee Toys, CostCutters, Job Lot, SEARS, its all over, this is depressing honestly. The world I knew is long gone. Humanity is no longer in my timeline. 🤧😭

[@thiscorrosion900]

Chess King...Merry Go Round....Waldenbooks. Goneeeee

[@BrianCairns]

My understanding is that a lot of Sears stores remained open because they actually owned rather than leased their space in a mall or other development. Basically, the owner (Transformco) of the stores is just holding on to the real estate with the hope that they can get a favorable price selling it when someone wants to redevelop the land. As long as they sell enough to pay for the minimal staffing, it makes sense to keep the store open.

[@Linda-vx9nr]

One of the reasons it's still open is because it's so iconic. And regarding Sears, I wouldn't doubt if it bounced back. They had some really cool women's clothing I noticed as you were passing thru. Not to mention the washers and fridges. I'm gonna go this weekend now that I know! Thank you for showing this!! I ❤ Sears!

[@mattwrlh1905]

It breaks my heart to see what has become of Sears. We lost all of ours a few years ago in the Richmond Virginia area. I still have some of the old Sears Wishbook Christmas catalogs from my childhood.

[@2entreemike10]

That elevator is a Otis 3274-p year 1987

[@fleabittenadventures]

Thanks for the info!

[@1revjay]

A reason why it could still be open is to maintain corporate knowledge. If they find a buyer for the trademark etc, it would be worth more if there are operating versions of the store to learn from .

[@fleabittenadventures]

Could be. There's got to be some reason because lots of customers isn't it.

[@mikemathews5844]

​​THANK U SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO!​ C.O.N.G.R.A.T.S. ! ON OVER 4 ! MILLION ! SUBSCRIBERS !

[@ericknoblauch9195]

If there is a buyer for the trademark and intellectual property rights to the name the buyer should be a seasoned retailer. A open Sears store under the Transformco, ESL Investments, or anything being run or owned by Lambert is not a good source to learn from. A buyer should know how to run a retail company efficiently, and proper management is a must. Many of the seasoned managers who knew how to run Sears were forced out when they were bought by Kmart. Kmart had poor management, and was in bankruptcy court back in 2002 before they even bought Sears. The real scars left on Sears was the result of poor Kmart management. Transformco has a website that lists every Sears and Kmart location throughout The United States that is available to lease or purchase. The website also lists the remaining locations that are still open that are available as well. There will be more closings. Sears has reopened two locations that were previously closed however. The two locations that reopened have reopened under a lease, and not under a building and land ownership. Most likely reopened with a lease through Lamberts company called Transformco. Sears says they are going to reopen more stores. I will believe it when it happens.

[@viktorakhmedov3442]

Yeah, probably also explains that Garden Center sideshow of a Kmart in Miami or wherever that thing is, where they moved the entire store into the garden center and is a total joke of a store.

[@GeorgeMonet]

The Trademark has no value.

[@louiscameron]

Auto Center closed in November 2021. This is my local mall, I live in the next town over and I have so many memories of this Sears.

[@astralclub5964]

As a Boomer kid we couldn’t wait for the Xmas Sears Catalog! We would circle the stuff we wanted, and looked at all the other cool stuff.

[@dmac7128]

My impressions, this Sears looks like its having a liquidation sale in slow motion. On the appliance floor there were a lot of boxed merchandise. And if those appliances on display are from past years, that suggests they are just trying to sell off as much inventory before it closes. I wouldn't be surprised if this one is the last stop for all of the unsold merchandise from the other locations that were liquidated.

[@2Years2Farm]

As a business owner it hurts me to see a business struggle. It’s crazy what happens when you stop growing and adapting. It also allows opportunity for new business. Thats the beautiful side of death.

[@denniscoughlin7437]

How great was the Sears catalog when we were kids!

[@justfreakingdye]

Absolutely mind boggling to learn that the Sears so close to where I live is the only Sears between here and Florida

[@ChaosPlaysBass]

Same! I was like “Wait….there’s no Sears anywhere else between Orlando and Braintree?!”

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

Bradlees!!! Awesome to see that trailer. I wonder if it was the old brown or newer red logo? Also, if that trailer is there, Sears is probably using it for storage for some items.

[@ericdigeratu]

omg haha I was walking around the store a few days ago and noticed that too

[@fleabittenadventures]

Yes, the Bradlees trailer was my favorite part of the trip! I would bet it was the red logo, but it's hard to tell.

[@NightMagic224]

With as sparce as the store was merchandised, I'll bet the stock rooms are empty and they aren't hurting for storage. Most likely a "bale truck" where they put bales of cardboard from their cardboard bailer. At the retailer I worked at for many years, we always had a trailer we put cardboard bales on, and when full, was swapped out, the cardboard sold to the recycler. They supplied the trailer as part of the arrangement. The trailer was always an old dry box (non-refergerated) that was beyond normal hauling age, often with holes in the floor or walls. We never received any with poorly painted over retail store branding (sometimes freight line branding, though), but since I'll bet these recycling places pick the trailers up dirt cheap at used equipment sales or auctions, who knows what might show up.

[@hexjumper1060]

Black and Decker bought the Craftsman name and brand from Sears several years ago. Craftsman is now found in Lowe’s and they still honor the lifetime warranty on ratchets, sockets, etc…not everything mind you but they do.

[@wazzysgarage5623]

My mom worked at Sears for 25 years! This brings back so many memories!! Thanks for the video

[@bsquared4604]

This store was the flagship. That maybe why it's still open. Also, what is now Primark used to be part of the store as well. I'm pretty sure those cash registers go all the way back to the 90s.

[@mattallen2979]

Auto center went out around Covid times. It was a good shop. I used to get service done there. I honestly didn’t know the rest of the store survived. I’m less than 15 minutes from there

[@john_from_eastcoast.]

I live close by there in Braintree , it has been like that for several years now! It has gone more empty now. So maybe it's closing the end of the year 2024? . I asked the Sears workers there and they're not sure when it's closing for good! ☺️

[@fleabittenadventures]

Sears probably won't tell the employees until just before it closes. I say within the next year or two.

[@john_from_eastcoast.]

"Rue 21" (hip hop fashion clothing store) closed down last month in June,they were on the second floor at that same mall. They went bankrupt!! All their stores closed down quickly!

[@aquatarkus2022]

R.I.P. Craftsman tools. They were the best.

[@aquatarkus2022]

@SodapopTheOutsider not the same, though. All made in S.E. Asia.

[@TheEngineeringFamily]

My guess on why it is still open. They can't get out of the lease and/or there is a huge break fee if they were to leave

[@tonyyx6]

This place was my childhood. I remember this place being our meeting place when we’d shop at the mall with the family. Sad to see it slowly dying.

[@eddie_alabama7997]

I wonder if it’s still open due to stipulations in the store’s lease, they might have to stay occupied until new tenants are found.

[@who6242]

Im sure they could have just bought out their remaining time on the lease if they wanted to. Like someone mentioned before in the comments. This might just be a hub store that's being used for any unsold products from other now defunct stores.

[@pbz086208]

Anchor stores own their own space most of the time unless they sell space back to the mall or sell to another store ..like they've done in other locations to Primark and Lidl( in Staten Island)

[@michaelwalsh7697]

@@pbz086208 Your right they are an anchor i worked there 14 years. They also owned the third floor where Primark is when i left 10 years ago they were in the process of renting it out to them.

[@capeway07]

Well done. I thought that location closed years ago. I’ll have to stop in on the way to work and check it out. Must be a location to dump inventory as you noted.

[@MarlinWilliams-ts5ul]

Sears had a good run ~ about 140 years. Sears, along with Montgonery Ward, were real powerhouses in American retail at one time.

[@stevencallahan3274]

I worked in this Sears in the early 90s. My theory is that they own this building, it’s not rented, and they retain the real estate as an asset for when they are inevitably bought by a private equity company.

[@SethMethCS]

Sale Lease-Back.

[@_Mamba]

I remember going to this Sears at south shore mall and am just flooded with nostalgia and can’t help but feel sad with how it looks today. It’s like having an old pup that’s in his last days. Many memories going with my dad, who has sadly passed sway. Thank you for this video.

[@it2amg415]

At 4:07 even the sign is like what are these doing here 🤦🏻‍♂️🤣🤣🤣

[@rupe53]

I do believe the Craftsman line was bought by Lowes (?) and still exists. Don't know if it's the same quality.

[@NightMagic224]

​@@rupe53Craftsman was bought by Stanley tools, who now own most of the tool brands in America, including Black and Decker, Irwin, Jorgensen, and Vise Grip to name a few. Lowes is probably their biggest retail distributor of the Craftsman line. At the end of the Sears ownership, most of the products were made in China, with the quality substantially lower that what it was before the merger with Kmart. Stanley promised to return Craftsman manufacturing to America, but so far that has fizzled. I read online somewhere they were building a plant in Texas (?), before COVID, but I think that may have stalled, been scaled back, or even shut down before it was fully operational. So the product is still around, but no better or worse than it was at the end before Sears sold it to Stanley.

[@amarsta]

😁

[@tomstraw-dj3qv]

That was a great idea to switch over to digital price tags. Now they can use those to implement a surge pricing strategy. You know, like if they get more than say 5 customers in the store at the same time.

[@nonenonnenopenonenomorefor5556]

I would go to sears tomorrow if I could boy I miss them!!!!!

[@barbarakennedy667]

SEARS WAS THE BEST .. THE BEST OF EVERYTHING THEIR APPLIANCES WERE GREAT... THE MERCHANDISE WAS TOP OF THE LINE... LOVED THAT STORE.... MISS IT

[@Donnie_Narco]

When I was a kid I was so pumped for the sears catalog lmao

[@mcsomeone2681]

I went to a sears recently in Seattle's south center mall, the place looked like it was getting ready to permanently close but its still open. I actually found some clothes I liked and the employees were super helpful and even made sure points went on my old sears account for my next visit. It was overall a strange but pleasant experience.

[@ericdigeratu]

It was actually just announced that the Sears in Stockton, CA will be closing soon. So soon enough we’ll be down to 10 Sears locations left in the United States

[@fleabittenadventures]

Yes, I saw that, but then they re-opened two, so I'm not sure what to think about that.

[@ericdigeratu]

⁠@@fleabittenadventurestrue, I actually have noticed based on reviews that the two re-opened stores have been fully stocked and have better reviews, so hopefully Sears invests into this.

[@RonNewman]

The 10 remaining stores *include* the two that they reopened, Union Gap WA and Burbank CA.

[@jimd2791]

@@ericdigeratu I was watching a video tour of the Stockton store dated 6/29/24. They announced the closing on 6/28/24. Last day is scheduled for 8/18/24. After that, we’ll have our top 10 plus the PR store.

[@ericdigeratu]

@@jimd2791after Stockton closes we will be left with 10 including the PR store 😢

[@JoRoBu]

Hey, I live in Braintree. If you ever want an update, just ask - this Sears has looked like it’s going to close for years now. It currently has a lot of “Boston” swag for sale.

[@Madness832]

Wow, a Bradlees trailer! The Bradlees, in Quincy, shut down in late 2000. And I think the one near Neponset, Dorchester shut down earlier. That latter was a sad loss, because that's where my mother got all of my clothes and stuff, when I was a kid.

[@ericdigeratu]

omg haha I was walking around the store a few days ago and noticed that too

[@fleabittenadventures]

Yeah, Bradlees has been closed for a very long time. Someone needs to save that trailer

[@spirithomehaunter9863]

I worked at the Braintree store for 2.5 years maybe '86 to '88. As did my brother, several of my friends. My favorite job of all time. I worked package pickup. Years later i randomly met Steve Carell at package pickup. He had an a/c put in the back of his Land or Range Rover. Forget.

[@michaelpalm2210]

thats what she said!Love Steve

[@LobsterLilith]

1. Filming in a bathroom is weird. 2. Please edit me and my coworker out we look so weird in the video. 3. Sears looks meager, but it is a nice store. Its restocking and all the employees are really kind. Sears isnt dead just yet : )

[@stephenharper4440]

I met Ted Williams at a Massachusetts Sears store shortly after he retired from playing baseball (circa 1961). He worked for Sears at the time, promoting them.

[@thiscorrosion900]

We used to have some Bradlees back in the 70s and 80s down on LI NY. I didn't realize it was based up in Braintree MA in the first place. They went under around March 2001 apparently. There was that huge, four floor Bradlees/Mays Dept. store at Union Square #4 in NYC on the SW area of the square, for a number of years, which opened in 1993 or so. Of course that went out just after 2003 or so.

[@leshem4424]

I went here all the time when I was in college in Boston all the time and then after oh my God, the memories are flooding flooding back

[@BackInTheCountry]

My mom brought me to that Sears back in 1998 to pre-order Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time using my paper route money. You will be missed.

[@MrRoboto2338]

Sad to see the slow ending of Sears. Similar to Blockbuster, they didn't recognize the threat of online businesses until it was too late. Perhaps if they switched to online earlier selling their Sears branded products, which were often cheaper but just as good, they might have been able to differentiate like Aldi's or Costco brands with their cult following.

[@matthewwhiting6191]

me and my buddy went there to go to the lego store and parked in the Sears lot. "hey look! they left the displays in the windows thats funny" "weird the doors open..." "are we in a sears??????"

[@typicalnewenglander]

Very interesting to see a Sears still hanging on, even if by the narrowest thread, in MA! I wonder if its existence is similar to the one that was in Marlborough at Solomon Pond Mall. In that scenario, Sears was a stakeholder in the property itself, apparently holding a lifetime lease in the anchoring unit they occupied. Somewhat coincidentally, when the store closed in early 2021, the mall was also sold by Simon in a quick and quiet transaction. It wasn't until a year or so later that I realized the change of ownership, and public acknowledgment via partnership between the city and ownership wasn't done until sometime last year! That Sears in particular was a unique location with a very interesting layout. Both levels had access to paved on-ground parking lots due to the Sears wing being built into the side of an incline, similar to JC Penney at this same location. Upper exterior entrance led to tools, outdoors, and fitness. Children's was also on the upper floor as well as some of the home appliance space. More appliances and mattresses were located downstairs in what used to be a full electronics department. This was eventually made smaller by temporary walls. The lower level also featured mens, women's, shoes, luggage, and fragrance. An automotive department could be found in a separate detached building.

[@kevinbtube]

The result of private equity robber barrons

[@hypermarketed]

Amazing. Been waiting on this one. Cheers.

[@maxpower2511]

It is crazy that Sears lasted so long. For me, I think when you walk into a store and it looks like you are still in the late 80's/90's it's a turnoff. My feeling is that Sears were way too married to malls. When mall traffic went down, do did Sears traffic. Not sure if they were not paying attention to that but i feel if they got out of "dying malls" and opened stores in strip malls or standalone like Walmart, they would still be around.

[@DragonProtector]

Drove by it this weekend 😂

[@heathwagner6351]

Thank you for sharing your most recent video of this Sears location. I will gladly explain to you a question you ask in this video a few times. The ONLY reason this Sears location is still open is because of legal contractual obligations. Transformco MUST have an open business in this shopping mall per a contract signed many years ago. The ONLY way for them to eliminate that is to find a suitable replacement. Thus why you see Primark located on the upper floor of this former 3 story Sears. If, (for example) Primark or another entity wanted the two lower levels of this Sears location this store would go out of business in a flash, but because they would potentially loose certain legal rights to the sale/rental of this property if they were to close the store without any form on a replacement. Reason being, back in the day when big box retailers signed often 25 plus year contracts with the mall, often smaller mall tenants have a clause they they can void their rental agreement IF the main anchor tenants are not filled. This would be the same reason for the final K Mart that is also located in the upper/east coast. Also explains the very small K Mart that is now all but a garden center size in the Miami area. In Florida, K Mart was able to get At Home to take over the majority of that former full sized K Mart but they were contractually obligated to fill the entire building, thus the tiniest K Mart in America, granted there are only two locations left in the continental U.S. So there you have it, and now you know. :)

[@dsandler92]

Haven’t been to this location in 11 years I worked near there for a couple years and picked up a few things there I grew up 10 minutes away and was there when it first opened in 1980 and went there a lot in the 80s

[@fleabittenadventures]

Thanks for watching!

[@andromeda939]

There's just way too much glut of competition: Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Walmart, Amazon, Kohls, Ross, TJX, Marshalls, etc.

[@Mike1614b]

for about 100 years Sears was the Amazon of the day-- they sold practically everything- from underwear to tractors to a whole house- and could get it to you.

[@elliotthaskins5923]

When raise in Bronx New York we had a Sears at the corner of Webster avenue in Fordham road right near the 3rd avenue right across the street from Fordham University the Sears building where used to be an old hospital we didn't know the name of it we used to shop there quite a bit back in the day

[@johndifilippo]

I lived in a Sears back room for 4 years unnoticed until the Newburgh location closed last year. It sucks being homeless especially in the winter months

[@Trump985]

I still don’t understand how Sears and Roebuck ended up in this situation. They were the go to place when you needed a tool, a pair of boots, or a washing machine. Their parts department was very nice. Never had an issue getting a part for anything even stuff that was very old. I was buying stuff from them right up till the day they closed. I don’t think that store is long for this world either. I think 2 to 3 years is very optimistic, I’d say it will be gone within the year. Looks like they are just trying to sell off the remaining inventory to me.

[@compaqdeskpro5770]

First it was competition from discount stores like K-Mart and Wal-Mart, then it was internet shopping reducing mall traffic altogether. Sears was the Amazon of the last century, their mail order catalog and national shopping network was the gold standard, to the point that multiple competitors in catalogs came out to challenge them (LL Bean and JCrew for example). Instead of holding the line, they ditched the catalog and went all in on shopping malls. Another commenter mentioned 4 Sears in a 45 minute radius, that is a problem.

[@mormand5003]

A failure to innovate is a big part of it. They let go of the catalog and went to online sales late in comparison to other retailers. They also failed to modernize and innovate their stores.

[@Trump985]

⁠@@mormand5003 Well I don’t know anything about business, but I’d much rather have a printed catalog then try to find crap online. I have no idea what moderation of a store is? The store sells the stuff I want to buy or they don’t. What the stores design looks like has nothing to do with my decision to shop there or not. But as I’ve said before I don’t understand people and business. The places I think are going to fail seem to flourish, and the ones that I use and think they can’t fail all seem to fail.

[@JStorm13]

Fast Eddie played a huge role in they're downfall

[@mormand5003]

@@Trump985 I used to work in retail merchandising and studied in college before I settled on law. By modernization, I mean that the inventory did not evolve with the tastes of the market. They did not maintain the stores let alone make them more appealing to shop in. The Sears store that was closest to my home was built in the 1960s. It was dark and cavernous. It looked like it had not had a fresh coat of paint since Woodstock. The floors consisted of dingy cracked linoleum. You could see the damaged original parquet flooring under the linoleum. This was in an affluent area. There was a Saks Fifth Avenue next to it. People shop with their eyes. Retail environments need to be inviting to encourage people to stay and shop.

[@doug2078]

Bradleys and Caldors !! two missed stores !!

[@fleabittenadventures]

Too bad there wasn't a Caldor trailer there too.

[@doug2078]

@@fleabittenadventures lol That would have been cool !!

[@thepointsnorth]

Anyone remember Ames too? Haha

[@doug2078]

@@thepointsnorth Yes !! Good memory !!

[@michaelpalm2210]

@@thepointsnorth Zayre........became Ames. Ames closed around 2005?

[@DanDrolett]

My guess is that these stores are open long enough to clear out remaining inventory. There's probably purchased merchandise sitting in Sears' remaining wahrehouses that they want to liquidate. They likely haven't purchased any new inventory in quite some time and this is just leftover stock they need to get rid of. The merchandise is spread out among existing stores and when it's gone the stores will go with it. You're probably looking at stuff that's at least five years old by now.

[@onshortnotice9600]

So nice to see it still open. I used to frequent SEARS as a young man and would love some of them to survive. Ultimately, what's hurting most US retailers is the outsourced jobs ,the manufacturing and the destroyed local supply chains. The average American today has far less purchasing power today than 40 years ago, and the closing malls are the final effect of this type of 'globalization'...

[@mikeciulla3952]

One reason it is still open is that it serves customers that do not have a credit card, so you need to be present to purchcsse with cash. Also, the Mall there is quite run down and known to be dangerous, which adds more as to why it is not yet closed.

[@MilaMila20240]

Sears should've been gone 1st before Blockbuster. I never understood that. Even Alexander's went out of business. Whoever remembers that department store growing up. Damn, I miss K-Mart as well. 😂

[@richardmartinez4145]

IIRC, the Alexander's in Northern New Jersey, had Jackson Pollock like artwork on the side of their building. Can't remember the town. Maybe Paramus?

[@westcoastronnieOC714]

In my opinion a long time ago Sears should have stopped selling clothing and just sold appliances, televisions ,tools and electronics and that's it. Grow on that and it could have been an appliance electronic store only they might have been successful. Also remodel the stores to have a new look I think they would have done just fine. It would have cut down on millions of dollars of overhead each year .

[@jamessmith2668]

It's a shame Sears is going out of business I always thought that the quality of what you bought from Sears was decent I miss the Christmas catalogs

[@mikemorrisonmusic]

God, this is so depressing. Braintree is just down the street from where I used to live, too.

[@AlexReed-j3x]

The deals on their appliances/electrics are actually great. One more thing, it seems like the Auto Center closed less than 3 years ago. There’s listings on their Facebook looking for technicians as soon as 2019, and there’s reviews as recent as 2.5 years ago. I have memories of the auto center from 2008 and previous as a young toddler!

[@RonNewman]

The Auto Center closed in January 2022, along with the very few others still open by then. I don't understand why the original poster keeps deleting my comments about this.

[@fleabittenadventures]

By original poster, do you mean me? If so, I didn't delete any comments about the Auto Center.

[@Al-sq5ti]

Looks like the store is ready to lock the doors. I was in this store in 1985 and wow its sad to see the demise .

[@hellojello2211]

OMG!!! I used to work in that Sears back in 2016-17!!! I remember that was around the time they started to mass close around the country and my managers have told us that this would be one of the last ones to close down I guess because of the location or something? It was one of the most popular Sears I believe. When it had opened up it originally had 3 floors. Where Primark is now, that floor had belonged to Sears. They still had a jewelry section back when I worked there and it definitely had a lot more inventory than what it looks like now!! This is so uncanny.

[@madgoose2k]

The racks are 4 to 5 feet apart which is normal. What makes the store look empty is the sporadic empty areas of coarse but mostly the walls are bare where they were originally loaded with merchandise.

[@purplepeoplesparty2368]

A true flash from the past. 🙂

[@amandareynolds2781]

I loved sears when I was a kid and even worked there when i was 17 (in 1999)at the cape cod mall..

[@leshem4424]

Serious was my dad’s favorite store. He would be so sad to know that it’s gone RIP daddy I’m sorry your store is gone.

[@kaymuldoon3575]

I miss Sears. I used to buy my appliances (Kenmore) from them. They were a good brand (made by Whirlpool).

[@jimd2791]

Sears rented out the top floor to Primark. They did that at a bunch of their mall locations before going out of business. They did that at my home mall - The Staten Island Mall. It was one of the first. Are you sure the Florida store is in Orlando? When I last checked, I thought it was Miami. It was unique that I discovered in my research that Miami had both one of the last Sears & Kmarts in the same city. Maybe they are getting out of the refrigerator & stove business? They sold the Kenmore brand to Lowe’s & Craftsman to Lowe’s & Ace.

[@RonNewman]

There is a Sears in Miami and another in Orlando. The Miami one might not be around much longer, as a redevelopment plan for that property was recently approved.

[@rhinox3474]

I worked at this sears in the mid 80's when I was in high school.. it was alot bigger back then