Inside the Last Sears in New Jersey! My Final Sears Adventure... Jersey City, New Jersey. May 2023.

Join me as I visit the last operating Sears in New Jersey! This is the Sears at Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City, New Jersey.
There currently are not any "going out of business" or "store closing" signs up, but it appears clear that this store won't be around much longer, in my opinion. What do you think? Let me know in the comments!
This was filmed on a Tuesday around 1:00pm.
Sources:
brostocks.com/2023/05/11/how-....
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears
#sears #retail #newjersey #mall #shoppingmall #deadmall #deadmalls

[@timboslice1979]

I was a Sears employee. It was an ok environment, decent pay, but management was a joke. I could see even in the late 90s mistakes they were making. I always disliked their wage vs. commission pay-scale. They expected astronomical sales and "maintenance agreements" out of you despite the store being a ghost-town 99% of the time. Glad I left.

[@williamgottlieb8723]

Oh, those "maintenance agreements"! Back in 1998, I traveled to this very last Sears in New Jersey when they were having a sale on Sony 8mm camcorders. Feeling uneasy about spending too much money on myself, I selected the cheapest model at $400. I was then offered the great deal of a one-year warranty which would fix or replace my purchase should it fail.... for ONLY $200! No! If I wanted to spend that amount, I would have selected the $600 Camcorder that was on sale! As for my purchase, I still have it twenty-five years and one week later as I write this, and it still works just fine. No maintenance agreement necessary.

[@jacobsekela8691]

My local Sears at the Coventry Mall in Pottstown, PA closed nearly 12 years ago in 2011. Still can't believe it's been that long. That was probably the first major domino to fall that eventually lead to the Mall's closure in late 2022. The Mall seemed to have been poised to make a very surprising comeback from 2017-2019 but the COVID pandemic drove the final nail in the coffin and doomed it for good. My dad would always shop at Sears for our home appliances and power tools he'd use.

[@kathyhenry2362]

I worked for Sears as a cosmetician in both Saskatoon, SK and Kelowna, BC Canada, 2002-2009. Amazing years in my work-life. The people I worked with and for were the best. I miss that store so much.

[@VercumPraeses]

I worked for SEARS back in the mid to late 90's selling Craftsman Tools. Even back then you could feel the eventual demise of this dinosaur of a company. I sold a lot of power tools and water heaters but I never really felt as if I was in the tool business but more in the "selling extended warranties" business. That's all they cared about, how many MA's (maintenance agreements) you could sell. We had sales meetings every morning about that. Those that were good at it were praised, and those that weren't were degraded, humiliated, and eventually fired. I hated having to push those rip-offs. But if we didn't, we were fired. Circuit City was just as bad if not worse. It's all about extended warranty sales.

[@agero2k6]

I’ve grew up going to Newport mall and also this sears. The whole second floor was all the electronics and the sears brand central appliances.

[@pittstonjoma]

Honestly I had no idea that there were still Sears stores around. I think ours has been gone about 10 years or more.

[@john-mc4zo]

There still 3 kmarts arouns to

[@peacefuldaizy5717]

There are 11 full line Sears stores open for now.

[@dylanmaher2526]

Good morning 🌞 🌹may this day come with all the love your heart can hold and bring you every success you desire may each of your footsteps bring joy

[@andysorensen1737]

Honestly thought COVID would’ve killed off Kmart & Sears, but they’re still here limping along and I suppose in a weird way it’s impressive. I’ve said that between here and the Braintree store this feels like the end, but I’ve been wrong before.

[@fleabittenadventures]

I think it actually did. Sears is kind of like a zombie at this point.

[@dylanmaher2526]

Good morning 🌞 🌹may this day come with all the love your heart can hold and bring you every success you desire may each of your footsteps bring joy

[@tgree18]

As someone who had worked at Sears for eighteen years, it takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

[@UQRXD]

As a kid I liked the tool department of a Sears it was in basement next to the popcorn machine and hot dogs. I still have all my Craftsman tools non have ever broken.

[@scottr3484]

Now they are made in CHINA. Complete garbage.

[@jsmurd]

@Fleabitten Adventures I believe the Sears in Concord California (SunValley Mall) is still open.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Could be. I'd love to go, but it's not really in driving distance for me

[@goddessoftruth]

Our mom (I have an older brother) used to work for the Sears in Paramus, NJ at the Paramus Park mall. She used to work there in the children’s clothes department, usually in the baby section because she loved it. She worked there for seers for 25 years. Everyone had an expression for my mom. There’s a right way there’s a wrong way and there’s Roberta‘s way and Roberta‘s way is the right way! That was what they used to go by when they were doing floor resets with merchandise. Mom passed away in 2020 and when my brother and I were going through her things , we found she had saved a special commemorative key ring she was given for her 25 years there. I have that on my own key ring and carry her with me every day. The part of this video where you were going up the escalator and coming over the crest to the next floor has brought tears to my eyes because for most of the years the second floor is where the children’s department was and that’s how I used to go upstairs to visit mom when she was working. Thank you for this video. It brought her back to me when she was younger and healthy and alive .

[@mikemancini313]

Pretty nice grocery store at Paramus now.

[@Jacob-nu4nd]

I used to work at Sears and they used to be jam packed with clothes.

[@jackiesplinter8844]

I miss Kmart Sears and JCPenney

[@Mayakardashian91]

JCPenney’s still open

[@OriginalNethead]

The closest Sears stores to me (West Hartford and South WIndsor CT) have been closed for a while now. Ironically, part of the West Hartford one became a Buy Baby Buy, i.e. Bed Bath and heading into the great Beyond.

[@fleabittenadventures]

I used to go the Sears in West Hartford and Enfield, CT all the time. Sad to see them go.

[@brennenroup4652]

I remembered that when I was a kid, I got my picture taken at a Sears and got a Sears Hot Wheels car at the Sears at the Susquehanna Valley Mallin Selinsgrove, PA. 🛞 And I also remember going to the Kmart in Shamokin Dam, PA. These were some of the memories that were gone. Sears and Kmart are going going gone by 2025.

[@toocoolforreel]

I remember this exact sears that I remember used 2 visit like it was all my life as far as 1991 when my parents used to buy a huge Magnavox Stereo including a Cassette player, a Turntable, Cd Player and especially the Radio. But it's too bad we threw it away as it was time to replace it with other stuff at that time as we'll.

[@TheGamingCanadian]

My local Sears that closed in 2018 was always PACKED. So many people shopping and it was very profitable, everyday it was thriving, nothing was closed off and I could barley walk without bumping into someone or a clothing rack. To this day I still don’t know why Sears closed, in their last years in Canada they were seeing positive cash flow. This was during Since it opened and when it closed it was always full with people.

[@classic.cameras]

Sears Canada was different from Sears USA. It was profitable but it was bought by a invetor who bought up the company, then wanted to get out of his stock so he devalued his stock which caused everyone else to sell off their stock for cheap. It didn't go out of business as much as it went broke because the companies evaluation. This is the jist of it. My dad had stock in it, he lost a fortune, including his pension.

[@petes9845]

Great video, and also very sad to see a store from my childhood on its last legs. I'm a fellow Connecticut resident, and the Orange Sears, which has been gone for years when they moved to Milford, was a place my family did all their shopping in the 70s and 80s. I remember as a kid always going to the Atari/Telegames section while my mother shopped. I sure do miss those days. Thanks for the video!

[@filmaker256]

It's still open great!

[@everyhandletaken]

Is it just me, or would you not move a lot of the 2nd level stock down to the 1st & then wall off maybe half of the 2nd level ?... make it look more stocked at the entrance level.

[@peacefuldaizy5717]

The reason they cannot do this is because of fire exits. I worked at Greensboro Sears til Jan 2023. We could have sectioned off more areas than we did, but the fire code enforcement officers would not allow it.

[@alexanderbanos8125]

UPDATE: The Sears store in Jersey City NJ at Newport Centre Mall is now closing down permanently. The store's second floor is now closed off, subleasing it to Irish fast fashion retailer Primark. The Jersey City Sears store will close by this spring, leaving the state of New Jersey and the NYC area with zero Sears stores open. The nearest open Sears store that will remain near NYC is located in Braintree MA at South Shore Plaza Mall.

[@marcusgonzales2984]

The worst thing that happened to Sears was the Kmart Merger. Had Sears never merged with Kmart they would still be in business. They would have downsized, had there ups and downs. but still be within 200 to 500 stores to this date of the Video

[@saulalvarez220]

It's Eddie Lampert fault

[@Jake-rs9nq]

@@saulalvarez220 He had plenty of help from his hedge fund, ESL Investments, Inc. What happened to Sears and Kmart was no accident, they were milked for every last penny, then all their assets were sold to the highest bidder. Eddie has never cared about retail itself, he's always been concerned with selling the properties he buys for more than he paid.

[@saulalvarez220]

Americans overall loved Kmart and Sears, and even into the late 90s, the merger wasn't really at fault. It was Eddie Lampert lack of mismanagement and not fixing the stores infrastructure that killed both brands. Kmart as well would have been a fleet of 200+ stoess nationwide today (2023), where there is no Target or Walmart stores nearby.

[@oldcrook510]

It wouldn't have mattered Sears has been POORLY managed since the 90's. When the internet came out in the mid 90's Sears had the opportunity to be the FIRST brand to convert their catalogs to the internet. Sears could have been AMAZON they had the brand recognition & a head start with a well developed catalog.

[@1rockcrawford]

Nah, Sears would still be failing, even without that disastrous merger. They just wouldn’t be doing this horribly, they’d be more like where JCP currently is: still existing and a visible option, but no longer popular and severely out of date. Sears had massive internal problems long before Eddie Lampert showed up, that the company was not properly managing.

[@retailexplorationwithdanny8070]

They aren’t closing, the stock has been low for awhile. All sears are like that now

[@danielwatson8136]

I work at sears Sept 1999 to 2000 media pa most of the merchandise is in the stock room before Eddie took over in 2003 down here ll be gone

[@quartytypo]

Sears started as a mail catalog business. It was put out of business by a company that is in the online catalog business.

[@edwardglowacki4495]

I think your guesstimate of sears being gone in 2 years is definitely being generous. At this point with what is left of the retail giant and their product offerings , all I can is what’s the point anymore ? I don’t see them lasting past 2023 .

[@retailexplorationwithdanny8070]

People say every year that “This is the last year for sears” I don’t believe it one bit because stock has been low since 2020

[@tyeralexander7346]

It's supposed to be downsized And the second floor is supposed to be renovated for a new store and the main floor is going to be the sears

[@Mayakardashian91]

For real?

[@tyeralexander7346]

Eddy Lambert is planning to downsized all the kmart and Sears stores

[@danielwatson8136]

It's a shame that sears started as a catalog company should be online again a catalog company Keep ware house intact

[@Mayakardashian91]

I went to this Sears today and the second floor is closed for remodeling and today there were customers

[@nintendork900]

It's so sad. Sears Canada was in much better shape but ended up closing and liquidating to pump cash into the American side of the business. We lost a relatively stable department store that could've survived so that the U.S. stores could wither more slowly over a longer period rather than freefall.

[@danielwatson8136]

After Eddie took over they combined sales floor with stock room associate as one position Its looks like is on its last legs I bought 2 items one wad a opened box ac qnd a reconditioned freezer with the label off inside it lasted 3 years i bought a new one same model but 2 brands Kenmore another one From Lowe's

[@danielwatson8136]

Different manufacturer

[@santiagocolon8729]

I kind of miss the sears stores.

[@user-qi5gq4zx8o]

Sears in lansing Michigan closed in 2019 i think. Allot of the time wish i could go up the street for things i need, hardware or not. What the h you guys doin...

[@DavidSmith-sb2ix]

I wouldn't call this a full line store.. The Hagerstown MD store had had paint, hardware, toys, home decor, jewelry, furniture, electronics, a full line of clothing. You name it. This looks like the Frederick MD store that recently closed. Little clothing and nothing else but appliances. There was never a plan to save the company.

[@danielwatson8136]

They put cash register on the walkway out less cash register in the store

[@bradye21playsIndieHorror]

I didn't know there were any! I thought there were a lot of small format stores though... Apparently not

[@fleabittenadventures]

There's apparently only 11 Sears left as of now. The one in NJ and MA are the only two in my general area. The rest are in FL, CA, TX and WA, and Puerto Rico.

[@MRVISTA-wz7vj]

It's still open 3.9.24.🎉🎉🎉

[@tyeralexander7346]

And the Sears home life stores are closing

[@ZephyrsTuneOfficial]

Closing now 😔

[@garaines]

This store is going to close Montgomery Ward stores years ago looked this very same way when stores were going to close!

[@Lupinthe3rd.]

I plan on visiting this store soon. i live on staten island and i want to make a claim i visited on of the last sears stores in america

[@susankaye6624]

Will Sears become an online store

[@jackwilliams5474]

Well they already are.

[@dylanmaher2526]

Good morning 🌞 🌹may this day come with all the love your heart can hold and bring you every success you desire may each of your footsteps bring joy

[@scottr3484]

Hopefully not

[@AWBOfficial994]

IT'S CLOSING DOWN!

[@john-mc4zo]

There probley so spead out they cpuld probley get rid of floor 2 and stuff everything to floor 1 Also they do this before tbey close each store they quite sending stuff and jjst let it all air out there aleady closeing just not tec. I bet this store gon in early 2024

[@retailhiphop1991]

Breaking News Update: Store is now closing! Liquiation sales going on.

[@Imxlnt2]

sears. was that even a real store. ive been in it, never really purchased unless it was for computer. almost everything needed credit card! i prefered cash only. computer parts thankfully were cash only.. oh yeah and a playstation 2 gameshark. i did play in their gaming area.. their collection to purchase from was meh.

[@tyeralexander7346]

I don't know how long it's going to last

[@courtneycourtney9085]

Sears still open in Orlando Florida mall

[@scottr3484]

I have not been in a Sears store in about 30 years

[@tyeralexander7346]

Eddy Lambert plan to downsized the store

[@UmutPotato]

It’s gonna close down soon

[@harrygr218]

I thought all Sears stores were gone. I would love to know how many Sears stores are still open.

[@renardfranse]

11

[@jackwilliams5474]

Google is your best friend. There are 11. 3 in CA, 3 in FL, 1 each in PR, NJ, MA, TX, WA

[@john-mc4zo]

There 3 kmarts open still as well

[@jackwilliams5474]

@@john-mc4zo There are 8 Kmarts. 3 in the US, but also 1 in Guam, plus 4 in USVI

[@thebestchannel5456]

​@@jackwilliams5474and Australia they have over 350 kmarts

[@michaelcrockette8694]

really miss Sears Auto. always did great work.

[@scottr3484]

They were great at ripping people off too

[@williamzander4732]

You can’t beat inflation or vehicles a lot of people own trucks now and finance credit cards are what people in the sixties and seventies lived on to survive your cloths and toys all came from JC penny or sears then Kmart came and then big malls and WAL Mart ran the mom. And pop like Alco and local store and Best Buy was big . Hardware stores are gone to . Western AUTO gone . Crime in malls destroyed them . Casinos in some areas took alot out .

[@captnhoney]

Update 2024 closing time

[@Steve.Cutler]

I bet the stock rooms are empty. Was that guy wearing a mask? Talk about brain washed. This sears is def on hospice.. I didnt see one employee, i bet you could pick something up and walk out the door and no one would stop you.

[@gianpolignano2632]

Can Sears be restored to its former glory?

[@Mathin3D]

No. American consumers are extremely dumb for that to be possible.

[@edwardglowacki4495]

Too late and too far gone . Brick and mortar retailers are a thing of the past and they don’t have enough internet presence and capital to really grow that venue . Eddie is just milking what’s left as far as inventory and property

[@scottr3484]

no

[@john-mc4zo]

The sears to honest was packed aound chirsmas 2022 but everything and i mean just ablut everything was on clearene, It what they did to almost every singal kmart and sears before they close there do it like 1 year in advance/ stop sending the store any. Merencde , This sears emepty out a lot scine chirsmas time 2022 and there inverty looks cut in hafe

[@scottr3484]

Sears sucked that is why it went under

[@Mayakardashian91]

No it didnt

[@RICKRUIZ1220]

Sears in Puerto Rico are doing a bit better.