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Sears Demise

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  • MysteryWho
    Persistent Member
    • Dec 16, 2008
    • 1046

    Sears Demise

    I was just in a remaining Sears store in Ottawa. Not much left, but the age of the place and all the old fixtures etc. made me sad. It was the last department store that was a part of of childhood, not my favorite, but the last of its kind. There were old file cabinets for sale and I wondered about all the cool paperwork that might have been in those drawers over the years. Anybody else been to the last Sears gasps?
  • Goblin19
    Talkative Member
    • May 2, 2002
    • 6108

    #2
    No, but I always find those sort of store closings sad. Also, fascinating, like you said. I've bought several of my toy shelves from going out of business sales.

    Comment

    • ubermanx
      Career Member
      • Jul 3, 2013
      • 946

      #3
      The toy section of my local Sears was walled off awhile ago to make change rooms. So even though I walked into the store during the week before Christmas, that wonderful alcove that held that magical toy department of my youth was still walled up.

      Got my first Micronaut at that Sears.

      My Dad pulled the Exclusive Bespin Han Solo (Sears Exclusive in Canada that one Christmas) off of the huge styrofoam Hoth display and proceeded to argue with a store clerk until she sold us that single figure.

      My sense of nostalgia for the place was sadly snuffed out when that wall went up maybe 15-20 years ago.

      - Marty

      Comment

      • Mikey
        Verbose Member
        • Aug 9, 2001
        • 47243

        #4
        Never had a Sears near me growing up so I don't have that nostalgic connection to them a lot of people do.

        Closest thing to me was a Sears "Catalog Store" which was a tiny hole in the wall at a run-down strip mall ...

        Comment

        • enyawd72
          Maker of Monsters!
          • Oct 1, 2009
          • 7904

          #5
          In the last 20 years my area lost Sears, J.C. Penney, Carlisle's, Hills, K-Mart, Dahlkemper's, Woolworth's, Conley's and Ben Franklin, as well as two newsstands.

          So many memories...I can pick out specific ones. I remember being home sick from school with the flu, and my mom taking me to Hills to pick out a MOTU figure. I picked Mer-Man. I remember getting comics and candy at Ben Franklin.

          Comment

          • Sideshow Spock
            valar morghulis
            • Mar 8, 2005
            • 2850

            #6
            Originally posted by Mikey
            Never had a Sears near me growing up so I don't have that nostalgic connection to them a lot of people do.
            Closest thing to me was a Sears "Catalog Store" which was a tiny hole in the wall at a run-down strip mall ...
            We pretty much had all the stores in my small city (all gone now), but I rarely got to them as a kid. But man, did I devour those JCP and Sears catalogs. There was nothing more exciting than going through the toys and sports sections. I remember picking out an NFL team jacket and a digital watch in particular..

            1980searscatalog.jpg

            Comment

            • Earth 2 Chris
              Verbose Member
              • Mar 7, 2004
              • 32498

              #7
              Sears pulled out of the big mall in Lexington about two years ago. There was an outlet store in a closer outlet mall for a bit, but it's gone too.

              There are no K-Marts left in this area at all. The last one closed down spring of last year.

              Chris
              sigpic

              Comment

              • warlock664
                Persistent Member
                • Feb 15, 2009
                • 2072

                #8
                After 16+ years working for Kmart as a pharmacist, my store announced they were closing on November 2. At the time, I was negotiating for a position with another pharmacy chain, so I was able to start a new job a few weeks later. I had seen the end coming for a few years, but it's hard leaving a company you've enjoyed working for. Kmart/Sears Holding has no one to blame but the short-sighted executives in charge, though. Their stores have been an eyesore for a couple of decades, and they've been slow to adapt to the times in a changed retail world. In 2 years there will be no more Kmart or Sears stores. Kmart has gone from roughly 1600 stores when I started there to I believe around 200 now.

                Comment

                • PNGwynne
                  Master of Fowl Play
                  • Jun 5, 2008
                  • 19445

                  #9
                  Originally posted by enyawd72
                  In the last 20 years my area lost Sears, J.C. Penney, Carlisle's, Hills, K-Mart, Dahlkemper's, Woolworth's, Conley's and Ben Franklin, as well as two newsstands.

                  So many memories...I can pick out specific ones. I remember being home sick from school with the flu, and my mom taking me to Hills to pick out a MOTU figure. I picked Mer-Man. I remember getting comics and candy at Ben Franklin.
                  Ach, Conley's--that was a lovely little Ohio discount chain. I miss it, too.
                  WANTED: Dick Grayson SI trousers; gray AJ Mustang horse; vintage RC Batman (Bruce Wayne) head; minty Wolfman tights; mint Black Knight sword; minty Launcelot boots; Lion Rock (pale) Dracula & Mummy heads; Lion Rock Franky squared boots; Wayne Foundation blue furniture; Flash Gordon/Ming (10") unbroken holsters; CHiPs gloved arms; POTA T2 tan body; CTVT/vintage Friar Tuck robes, BBP TZ Burgess Meredith glasses.

                  Comment

                  • Brazoo
                    Permanent Member
                    • Feb 14, 2009
                    • 4767

                    #10
                    My wife's best friend was a service dispatcher manager for Sears. She worked there for years. She was 7 months pregnant when this was announced (due in a couple weeks now). Makes me ill.

                    Comment

                    • enyawd72
                      Maker of Monsters!
                      • Oct 1, 2009
                      • 7904

                      #11
                      Originally posted by PNGwynne
                      Ach, Conley's--that was a lovely little Ohio discount chain. I miss it, too.
                      Yep...I forgot to mention Nichols too. Another little department store gone.

                      Comment

                      • warlock664
                        Persistent Member
                        • Feb 15, 2009
                        • 2072

                        #12
                        More Kmart closings announced today; 3 more in WV, leaving just 3 still open in the state.

                        Comment

                        • palitoy
                          live. laugh. lisa needs braces
                          • Jun 16, 2001
                          • 59204

                          #13
                          Sears Canada's demise was all due to terrible management.

                          It was unbelievable that a company that built the long tail market had such a terrible, janky website.

                          They then use Mike Meyers brother as the face of the company for a year but then lay him off without severance during restructuring,

                          The media swarms on this famous, unemployed, in his late 50s man, it creates a massive backlash towards the brand especially on the news that the execs still took their bonuses.
                          Places to find PlaidStallions online: https://linktr.ee/Plaidstallions

                          Buy Toy-Ventures Magazine here:
                          http://www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

                          Comment

                          • Hector
                            el Hombre de Acero
                            • May 19, 2003
                            • 31852

                            #14
                            I’ve tried to support the store over the last few years. But Sears just kept going downhill. Awful layout. Limited stock/selection. Disinterested and sometimes rude employees. Buildings with low ceilings. It was a monumental hassle trying to return items. Dark, depressing. They never modernized to keep up with modern times.

                            Sears is an old dinosaur of a store.

                            It was a cool store back in the day, but those days are long gone...
                            sigpic

                            Comment

                            • cjefferys
                              Duke of Gloat
                              • Apr 23, 2006
                              • 10180

                              #15
                              Between the way the employees are being treated while execs still received big bonuses (for what, doing a crappy job??) and the deceptive pricing that's been going on with their closing sales, I've refused to step into the local Sears that's closing. I honestly feel bad for the employees working there, but Sears deserves to die, they turned into a completely crap store chain.

                              Comment

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