Remember When Sears Sold Video Games | Sears Tele-Games Video Arcade | Retail Relics

[@VolkswagenNut1969]

Atari 2600 memories! I also remember the huge 3-story freestanding Sears stores... one floor for clothes and housewares, one floor for appliances and electronics, and a basement floor for tools, sporting goods, and toys. The Sears candy counter was the best! This was back when they were the first place you hit when out shopping, and WalMart was just this small musty little discount store at the edge of town. Amazing how such a retail juggernaut could fail so miserably in such a seemingly short time.

[@cdcVintage]

I'm older than you and I didn't know Sears had their own line of video games. Love your channel!

[@silicon212]

Now this brings back memories.

[@FyberOptic]

Our Sears used to have a mini arcade in it with several pinball machines, the sit-down Star Wars cabinet, Missile Command, and I can't remember what else. I also remember standing in the kids clothing department and playing the Speak & Spell display a lot, since we couldn't stray far from mom. And even this was all biding our time until we could get to Circus World Of Toys and The Gold Mine arcade elsewhere in the mall. Now Sears is gone as of a few months ago, the toy stores are gone, the arcades are gone (replaced by a sub-par ticket dump in a different location), and the mall itself is a ghost town. So much for the dream of being an adult with a pocket full of quarters and all the video games I want. Now I'm lucky to even find a video game machine!

[@zix1257]

its called a computer

[@dianaberlin4767]

ZIX dumb. just a dumb comment.

[@dianaberlin4767]

FyberOptic I know exactly what you mean. its sad.

[@cmdrwhitewolf]

There is a big difference between a gaming PC and a arcade game in a cabinet located in the mall. With a arcade game in the mall, you didn't have control over the difficulty settings (Some arcades cranked it up for more quarter eating) or get yourself customized controls. While I myself prefer a PC, I do know some people really liked the challenge of the cabinets and defending their score from any player who could walk up and test their mettle vs the cabinet...

[@stphinkle]

FyberOptic I have great memories of arcades. So sad yours closed.

[@ChristiRich]

I remember when Sears used to have coin-op cartoon theaters in the kids clothing section.

[@Dios67]

Yes, Sears Tele-Pong 1975.

[@ModPallet]

Sears was a big part of video game history with PONG being sold in the sears catalog. that's why it's so sad that sears and also Kmart don't sell video games anymore.

[@DeadAbeVigoda]

I had the Sears Telegames PONG game in the 70s. The fact that you could actually interact with your TV in my house was like "What sorcery is this?!"

[@matth3805]

Not just video games, but electronics and other departments and exclusives they were known for once! Sears was good at one time, now it's dead and ran like a kmart junk store

[@jc1979af]

Sears also use to sell firearms under their JC Higgins housebrand (I think they had a few others as well). If you go way back, Sears sold home kits where you could build you own house. The kit would arrive by rail car and you and your buddies put it together. Plumbing and electrical would require a professional install. A number of these houses still stand today.

[@frankyu553]

James Carpenter The old Sears and Roebuck days that I read about in the books but never seen.

[@bandccoresohio]

James Carpenter very true and they were well built homes alotta them still around in toledo ohio

[@bandccoresohio]

Frank Yu i have an old 1890s catlog its about six inches thick

[@cmdrwhitewolf]

Look on Wikipedia, there is a list of links concerning existing sears homes.

[@MrJturner74]

if they had been smart they would have invested in becoming big online. Going back to their roots as a catalog co

[@BillWilson83]

bought my Sega Saturn at Sears when it first came out.

[@SteveHolsten]

I grew up a few years after the video game really got going. I played Pong like when I was 22. My little brother is 8 yrs younger than me. He got the Atari 2600 & a new 13" color TV when he was 12 or 13. I didn't realize Sears sold a game system under their name. Your videos are so informative.

[@Murrlin27]

Ah, memories! Heck, I remember INTVs at JCPenneys, and TI99/4As at Sears... Not to mention all the old LED games... and entire shelves of PONG models!

[@DaniRadioCat]

I remember Sears in Colonie Center was where I got my Sega Genesis when I was 7, gonna miss that store :(

[@MandalorianFanboy]

I just did an inflation calculation and $139.99 in 1979 is the equivalent to $499.23 today.

[@silverlinings8240]

People back then had well paying jobs and earned enough to have substantial savings to buy stuff.

[@KoubuPilot]

Tron The PS4 and XBONE of its day

[@Dicegirl72]

Tron I appreciate your doing that, I was wondering what the equivalent price would be when he mentioned it.

[@joeb2588]

Funny, I don't think pay scales reflect that....

[@Weatheredstorms1]

Silver Linings I have to agree. My grandfather earned 38K back then and he invested his money wisely. Christmas was insane. It's not the gifts though I remember most it was the music.

[@kuyabillromjue6892]

We had this system when we were kids ! What a blast seeing this here.

[@brendanburke4804]

Awww nostalgia I love it. Good video and channel

[@Yubl10]

Im not quite old enough to remember atari stuff in Sears, but I do remember playing an N64 in a Sears as a kid.

[@DDCecil]

I used to own a Sears Talking Computron back in the 80s and spent many hours with it!

[@RandomAssaultPodcast]

Man, I actually got most of my GB games from Sears before they stopped selling games, I used to love going to Sears as a kid

[@chargermaster3676]

i remember buying home pong and both an Atari vcs and sears tele games from Sears back in 1977 and 1978 i still have them i always thought it was like buying a brand of sears just like buying plates from a store​ brand compared to the name brand but its a cool piece of video game history. and now that Atari announced the Atari box things have gotten really interesting.

[@chargermaster3676]

oh dang i seen your video of radio shack no longer Americas tech store nice video man

[@slayerdearly]

I can remember to this day and buying sonic 2

[@gildersleevefan67]

The Atari 2600 did indeed come with paddle controllers as well, at least the model I had did. This was before it was branded the 2600 and was called the Atari Video Console System.

[@harunal-muhajir5555]

Rick Tyler Yep. This is what I was thinking as well.

[@grandpasretrovideogames]

yup I've got an boxed atari and it came with two joy sticks and a set of paddles.

[@TheAtariCreep]

Rick Tyler VCS stood for video computer system, not console.

[@gildersleevefan67]

Gotcha!

[@silicon212]

Yes when we got our Atari VCS (was a big thing for us back in 1981), it also had the paddles and it came with that awesome game (ahem) Combat.

[@ChrisRoth1972]

I had a Sears Video Arcade System probably in 1982 or 83. I also remember Target Fun coming with the system and buying the Sears Pac-Man Game with my allowance. I had almost forgotten about this until I saw your awesome video and a lot of memories came back.

[@NightSprinter]

"I Love What You Do For Me! Sears, Roebuck, and Co.".. anyone else growing up from the 80s remember that jingle?

[@cosettehoyt8232]

i love space invaders and sears

[@davidprodigy5833]

I remember when Sears even sold the Nintendo Entertainment System

[@ChiefCoralcola]

Can't tell, but I'm getting the vibe you're a fan of Little Nemo. I did also see the NES poster towards the end... so maybe there will be more video game content coming, I hope? Great vid BTW, took me back to the 80's...

[@neildbarker]

Haha, not heard enough: "Any woodgrain is awesome." Seriously though, I remember the Atari 2600 at the time and my mind was blown. Such an awesome system to go from board games to playing games on your TV. Awesome.

[@cynwright8622]

Neil Barker I still remember getting the Atari 2600 for Christmas and thought my life couldn't get any better!

[@KoubuPilot]

I remember the Superstition store's bounced around a little. I it was a glass case similar to what you would see in jewelry. It's been in front of the old portrait studio and it's been in kid's. It finally joined the rest of Div 3 downstairs and gained upright glass display cases like what you see in Wal-Mart. This area was straight commission sales. When I worked there, Sega Dreamcast was the newest system and the PS2 would launch in a week or two.

[@mustangs-marketing]

I remember trying out a Sega Dreamcast at a Sears in Tucson.....memories.

[@davinp]

Reminiscence of the days you had to use your TV as your computer monitor

[@ShiverThermal]

I remember my local Sears selling PS Vita games.

[@BigRedTower]

I shoplifted NES Double Dribble from Sears, when I was about 10. I still get pangs of guilt about it.

[@RetailArchaeology]

BigRedTower You're part of the reason Sears is failing!

[@BigRedTower]

Retail Archaeology ikr

[@American-Motors-Corporation]

Retail Archaeology though shoplifting does contribute to large losses in the retail world most of Sears and many other companies are falling is mostly because of bad management that refuses to get with the times in terms of pricing... they are over priced and run fake sales and most of the store is trying to be Macy's they are not the everyman's store they once was they tried to go preppy and that has failed but the higher ups won't do anything to fix the problem they act as if people can afford to buy over priced crap you can find at Walmart and Target much cheaper Penny's Macy's and Kohl's are going the same way!! outside of bad management it comes down too an income deficiency among the population!!

[@7676tbrown]

I know this off topic, and probably cant do a video per SAY, but I remember getting a bunch of Sega genesis games at Montgomery ward - ultimate dead store ha ha. Also only place I ever remember seeing the Turbo Grafx 16 on the shelf for sale! and if you guys remember the store BEST- or service merchandise- I got XMEN on genesis a week before it was released, they broke street dates bad- great vid

[@harunal-muhajir5555]

tbrow76 Yeah, Montgomery Ward was and David Weiss (was that nationwide?) were the only two department stores I remember selling the TG16. I think Sears might have sold them in their catalogs but I can't remember. Of course, Electronics Boutique used to have them.

[@7676tbrown]

I remember also seeing the the turbo express on the shelf and the TV tuner next to it and just being mind blown as a ten year old! The orange and black packaging just jumped off the shelf to me! good times!

[@fixman88]

Oh, I remember going to Montgomery Ward (where I lived they had a standalone store that was two stories), but I really remember Service Merchandise! I used to go there all the time back in the 1990s and look at all the electronics they had, I bought my first Game Boy there back in the pre-Pokemon era and I bought the first Casio watch I owned that I paid my own money for there as well.

[@7676tbrown]

awesome...the best part was watching your stuff com out behind he counter on the conveyer belt!! The anticipation was brutal lol!!

[@RetailArchaeology]

I bought quite a few video games at Montgomery Ward also. I'm pretty sure I got Mortal Kombat 2 early at Montgomery Ward, I'm pretty sure they broke the street date on that one too. I also played the Phillips CD-i for the first time at Montgomery Ward. They had a demo unit with the Zelda faces of evil game on it. I actually remember enjoying the Zelda game on the CD-i demo unit 😀

[@RonnieBarzel]

@2:13 - oh wow, I'd forgotten about the game "grid" that Atari used to display the variations on a cartridge. I also didn't realize there were both 4- and 6-switch versions of the Tele-games.

[@christianroth812]

I had a Sears Tele Games System & definitely remember Target Fun that came with the System & also definitely remember the area in Sears at the Columbia Mall that sold games since I bought Pac Man for the System In 83.I enjoyed your presentation & the memories of a simpler era.Yep there were crazy ways to hook up the System lol!

[@WhittyPics]

The electronics section in the Sears closest to me has shrunk down to 2 small isles.

[@KoubuPilot]

Dennis W When I started working there, Div 3 had video games, computers, printers and phones. Dreamcast had been out since 9/9/99 and the PS2 was just about to launch. Div 57 had all the TVs with the nice big screens showing of the definition in conjunction with state od the art DVD technology. They also had stereos, speakers, TV antennas, Discmans and Walkmans.

[@thrasherx2k1]

Enrique Cortez I remember

[@SearsCool]

My electronics section is completely gone and replaced with more washers and fridges

[@deendrew36]

Sad...

[@Shenben2021]

I love that you said "The top is a little GNARLY!" Omg! I forgot about the time we used that expression "gnarly"! I haven't heard it in years! I'm going to try using it today!

[@audrisampson]

Atari collector dating back to the 80s but just got my first Sears consoles today :)

[@Firevine]

I recently refurbished one of these that I picked up at a sketchy thrift store over a decade ago. Cleaned it up right nice. Works like a champ. Hooked it up to my woodgrain RC portable TV and played some Yar's Revenge and Demon Attack.

[@sirot5561]

This looks DANK! Pretty sure my cousin still has one in his basement. Its been on the same shelf pretty much my whole life haha

[@MarkfromKy]

Cool video I remember the Tele games

[@jordach545]

That wood grain is willow, I believe :)

[@the_cheese]

This takes me back to Christmas of 1977 when we got the Sears Tele-Games (with "Target Fun/Shooting Gallery" cart) unit, along with Blackjack. If you were the kid who had the Sears Tele-Games, it meant that you would get schooled at Combat when you went to your friends' houses who had a real Atari

[@NightSprinter]

I still remember the first model Intellivision was rebranded as the "Super Video Arcade". Also, just that late-70s/early-80s aesthetic to it. Would look perfect sitting next to a Magnavox Disco-Vision LaserDisc player. Also, bonus points for using music from "Little Nemo - The Dream Master". "Night Sea" is a perfect track for reliving nostalgic memories.

[@Jay-de4rk]

Yes I do also in 90s to 2000s too it sears funtronoics nes,SNES ,sega and n64

[@chickenalaking1319]

I remember when they sold toys too, all those GI Joe exclusives!

[@Titanic19127]

I once bought a portable record player branded "Sears & Roebuck" sold it... probably would have been worth more if I kept it... it was from the 1940s

[@maxi-me]

Fun video. Sears also sold versions of Matel Intellevision and Magnavox Odyssey 2 console.

[@RetailArchaeology]

I knew about the Sears Intellivision, but I didn't know they did a Magnavox Odyssey 2 console. I'll have to look into that.

[@maxi-me]

@@RetailArchaeology yeah I can't remember if they branded it but I remember they even carried the budget Activision series games.

[@prismstudios001]

I had that console! It d.id indeed play other systems games. My Mom worked at Sears, and got an employee discount, so I ended up with one.

[@IMRROcom]

Cool stuff, We had a intelivisiontype game center that looked almost the same. Her is one for you to find. The Radio Shack/Tandy. Pnong game. Looked like a Telephone and our had the 2nd player paddle option.

[@AlgaeEater09]

I have memories of games at Sears.. But This was the dreamcast/Ps2 era

[@aegonthedragon7303]

They made another video arcade, the video arcade 2 which looks like the Atari 7800. Pretty cool device. You should check it out.

[@askhowiknow5527]

My only working Atari is a Sears Telegames

[@megacide84]

SEARs also sold TVs in the 70s and 80s under their own brand. Of course those were rebranded Toshiba TVs.

[@wulfone5961]

I remember going to Sears with my parents and they would have the SNES and Genesis displays that allowed you to play them in the store. I believe I remember seeing the PlayStation on display the same way in Sears. I never went to Sears for my video games, I always went to Toys R Us. I don't think anyone does those kind of displays anymore and I heard Sears stopped carrying video games.

[@sonnydacuse7622]

Yasss, sears catalogue

[@EdgedShadow]

More like reminiscing about when Sears sold anything at all

[@gamewizardks]

Sears also sold a Tele-Games rebranded Intellivision as well.

[@RetailArchaeology]

+Game Wizard and now I have another console to hunt down 😀

[@owenrichards1418]

'Back when Space Invaders was a killer app' - sigh, memories.

[@TheRanificent1]

Lmao, was just about to call that out

[@thrasherx2k1]

I remember when sears had a good electronics section

[@thedungeondelver]

If you can find one, maybe a review of the Atari demo cabinets. Wasted a lot of time playing on those at the KMart when I was a kid!

[@Dicegirl72]

Really fun video, thanks. although I wouldn't have minded seeing more gameplay. 🖒We had a few of the Sears games that were exclusive to Sears. I remember a driving game I particularly liked.

[@MrKroogur]

Awesome video! I have been a Atari fan since Christmas 1978 and this brought back memories. I worked for Sears Auto Center in the early 90's and even then the store was a far cry from what I remembered from the 70's , it had lost a lot of what made it stand apart it was becoming generic. The only thing that helped it stand out was the tool department, Other stores like JC Penney had moved away from tools and such. Anyways enough rambling you asked for suggestions, how about Montgomery Wards,Woolworths,GC Murphys and Service Merchandise?

[@lostinthemasses]

I own this.

[@KyoRedBladeZR1]

I remember that my parents bought me my original PlayStation at the Sears at Aventura Mall in 1999. Ahh.... better times.

[@ChapmanFilms]

Oh yes Sears game. For some reason my friends made fun of me that I had a Sears games even though they were the same game they had. What a horrible childhood memory.

[@gamewizardks]

Made in the same factory, even. Kids are cruel.

[@chargermaster3676]

Chapman Films yes if the person didn't know what a sears Tele game's they might have thought you had a boteleg Atari 2600

[@bchristian85]

My parents bought our first computer from Sears. It was in 1991 and it was a Laser Pal 386SX. They had a ton of PC games as well.

[@Time2Flee]

I recall my local sears having a Dreamcast you could play. Honestly, I probably put more time into that one than my dreamcast at home!

[@officialclownbusiness7788]

Time2Flee same. I used to get home from school, ride my skateboard to Sears, and play their demo N64 until sunset. I got real good at Diddy Kong Racing that way.

[@mharclerode]

Awesome- can't remember whether my family had the Atari or the Sear version, but I do remember buying games at Sears. I remember getting Stampede and River Raid.

[@officialclownbusiness7788]

Harc 70 River Raid is my all time favorite Atari game!

[@NeptuneRising70]

@@officialclownbusiness7788 I loved River Raid!

[@michaelanderson9792]

My first console was telegames got it in the sporting section in the store

[@someonesomebody5414]

wow you aced that game

[@RussellFlowers]

I have a 4 switch Telegames console... going to put it on Ebay soon.

[@farmcentralohio]

Haha that ending was great, I was dodging and diving with ya

[@gregkarris6869]

Sears sold their Tele-Games in the Sports Department as they felt it didn't belong in Toys. Actually, the Sears I grew up with closed yesterday. :( I first played Pong and Video Pinball at the demo Kiosks they had set up there. Then I played and actually got my 2600 there (and I still have it). So sad...

[@Weatheredstorms1]

We had the intelevision. I wish I still had it but I have no idea who it was "gifted" to. We rarely got to play it because it took so much to hook it up and back then we had only 2 Tvs in our house and back then that was considered a lot.

[@pancudowny]

My brother and I considered getting that platform, once we saw the performance of the Super Video Arcade--the Sears Intellivision knock-off--we decided differently.

[@Sinn0100]

Technically Sears never stopped carrying games. I purchased PS4 and Xbox One games before the store closest to me closed down. I think I paid 10 to 15 bucks for what was new games at the time.

[@jasonleman1396]

I had an atari 2600 but the 1 and only time I ever played the star trek arcade game captains chair was at a sears in the early 80s

[@quinnfranke1347]

My parents were so cheap they bought me the knock off Radio Shack Pong game they bought at a Garage Sale. in 84 I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

[@quickdraw9648]

Very last game i bought at sears was fable 2... not incredibly long ago. Less than a year after that though they got rid of all their electronics at my local sears

[@jackschissler255]

My Mom bought by Atari 2600 (Tele-Games) from Sears as well. I was not happy cause it came with Target Fun while the original 2600 came with Combat (I think). Not all games were both Atari and Tele-Game versions. Tele-Games had a handful of games. I had a few under that brand.

[@gamewizardks]

Very nice. Illustrated labels do exist on some versions of Telegames cartridges, though and they use the original Atari artwork. In fact, I own a copy of Space Invaders by telegames that has an illustrated label as well as the one you have. If you have a copy of 'Air-Sea Battle' it's the same game as Target Fun.

[@Drac39]

Do a video on Blockbuster

[@ratbert86]

I remember standing in line at Sears to buy Pac Man for the 2600 on release day. They had Buckner and Garcias Pac Man Fever album playing over the PA. What a POS that game was - Pac always faced the same direction, no matter which way he was moving. PANK PANK PANK PANK PANK PANK

[@blodguizer]

When I was in my 20's Sears was the very first company to give me a credit card. I used it to buy Genesis and SNES games. Unfortunately their selection was often limited.

[@TheDealer6373]

I bought my N64 from there. Came with a transparent controller.

[@vaultboy123]

Heck, I remember when there was an actual Space Invaders arcade cabinet in the customer service section in the Sears in Pearlridge. Was it common to see arcade cabinets in retail and grocery stores in the mainland, or was Hawaii just weird?

[@kgoundan]

Those days Sears didn’t sell name brands. Everything they sold were from their own brands.

[@thereallantesh]

I had this Sears branded version when I was a kid. I don't remember it saying Tele Games, but I guess it did. I only ever had 4 games for it, and of course Space Invaders was one of them.

[@citizenofcorona8783]

Yep. I don't remember when they sold Atari games, but I do remember when they sold Nintendo, Super Nintendo, N64, Dreamcast, Playstation, Sega Genesis, etc.

[@bluebugaboo3344]

I wonder did Sears sold the regular Atari 2600 consoles, or they didn't since they had the Sears Tele-Games?

[@hatednyc]

Does it harken back to a better time for Sears when they actually sold video games by any chance?

[@GardenerEarthGuy]

Putting the cartridge in, and holding down the reset button while turning the power on gave you double lasers on Space Invaders. Toughskins jeans were never cool, even if you had a Telegames system.

[@sunnohh]

3 color manual with color covers.

[@Therailwayenthusiast4real]

Where did you get the sears letters in the thomnail

[@ResidentGerm]

I had that exact Sony VCR model you have in the background back in the mid to late 90's, I bought mines at Sears and it was the floor model, so I got it at a bargain 😂

[@Lumotaku]

great video but it depended on when you bought the Atari vcs if it came with paddles or not. The 1981 and back models came with both joysticks and paddles.

[@nobeac]

Hey is that theme at the end Cobra Triangle end?

[@kingforaday8725]

I remember the gaming kiosks in many stores. After a while though they would be non functional for a variety of reasons. Something would be broken, parts removed. Dont know if it was due to use, vandalism, or cannibalism for parts.

[@mixtapesforever1765]

good video