My uncle worked his entire career of 50 years with Sears. Right out of WW2 up until his reirement in the 90s. He's gone now, but he would be saddened at what happened to Sears.
Thank you for sharing this visit to Sears with us. I have a Sears story I'd like to share, please. I encountered Ted Cassidy suddenly one afternoon while standing at the back of the line at a Sears department store candy counter in Glendale, California. I lived "right next door" in "Eagle Rock". It was in 1970. My good friend "John" , who was just ahead of me in line, had quietly whispered over to me, "Hey Marty, look how tall that guy that just walked up behind you is, he's a giant!" I didn't want to just turn around and disrespectfully stare right up at the "big" guy, so I decided I'd turn around and simply pretend to 'just be looking for a wall clock to see what time it was getting to be"(many stores still had wall clocks back then!). Well, when I glanced up, right away I saw "Lurch" without any makeup on or wearing his Addams Family costume! I easily recognized him right away, I mean, who wouldn't? Well, I suppose my good friend didn't, he just said some "giant guy", ha! Well, I wanted to say something to "Lurch", but I couldn't think of a single thing that wouldn't sound kind of childishly-stupid. Since Sears always gave out free small-sized bags of popcorn to kids, only so their mouths were full and they wouldn't be able to pester their parents to "buy me, buy me, buy me" things, I just threw a funny joke up to him by saying, "HEY KID... YOU HERE TO GET FREE POPCORN TOO?!" Mr. Cassidy's eyes appeared sort of upset, but then they grew a sparkle in them, letting me know that he thought what I had asked him was humorous, TINY me calling GIANT him a "kid" and all. He knew I wasn't trying to pester him. Then he humored me kindly by slowly groaning out, in true Lurch fashion, " UUUUUUH....PEEEEENUUUUUT.... MMMMMM & MMMMMMS!". I laughed kindly to let him know that I thought what he had just said and done for me was "really cool". Then we talked for a couple of minutes more. I recall that I told him I was only there with my mother and two sisters just to get new school clothes. He told me he was just browsing, but that he might pick up some new tools while he was there because Sears sold good Craftsman tools, and maybe he'd buy a new washing machine because his old one was starting to give him trouble all the time now. That was on a Sunday afternoon. So on Monday I had the best "bragging rights" story to share before school, during short breaks between classes, at lunch and after school had let out. And I had a good friend to back up my story when other kids tried calling me a liar! I was only 13, and just starting 7th grade. I was going to a school in Eagle Rock that was both Junior and Senior high, grades 7-12. Well, even the big kids wanted to hear every detail of what me and Lurch talked about, and specially where we had met and at what specific time so maybe they might visit there and encounter him later on just like I had. The Addams Family show had already ended production by then, 1970. But they still showed reruns at the time, every afternoon even.
Kenmore was a beast brand in the past. They used to partner up with an appliance maker, put a stronger motor or some more beefy parts here or there... call it a Kenmore and sold it at a discount comparatively. Near the end of this business model I bought a microwave that was rated "not only the best budget microwave, but far better than many higher end units. My folks had a dryer that lasted decades. The replacement doesn't stand a chance in hell.
I miss Sears, especially the catalog, the Christmas one was like gold. So sad to see it disappear, plus the great people that owned the stores, so helpful.
@@gillesjacques1022 yeah I loved the sears and jc penny catalogs and it’s sad to see them gone. I might make a trip and record a video at Kmart sometime soon.
@@andysoddities I remember in the 80s, my family would take a trip every fall across the border and hit the KMART store, it was a lot of fun. Still have things we bought there, like the beautiful angel topper for the Christmas tree. They also had a nice restaurant in it, miss those days, shopping sure has been getting boring.
I had some of the best times of my life working at Sears hardware(later to become Sears appliance and hardware)….. it was kind of sad watching this….. believe it or not Sears used to be a pretty cool place to work.
I've lived in the area most of my life. Any time I went to this mall, I always had to walk through Sears from where I parked. Seeing this makes me sad that this will be gone very soon.
@@Rayeo_TNJ yeah I agree, as sad as it is I still enjoyed going but it was a somber experience while I was there and I don’t think it will be round much longer. My goal is to go the last Kmart in New York soon.
@@christyjohnson4563 it was actually very clean and the restrooms were clean but dated. I too was surprised how well kept the store was. I can’t wait to visit Kmart soon.
OMG that reminds me of the Store that was in Cherry Creek Colorado. I spent a lot of years in that store and for a few years in my high school days. I worked at the key shop for almost 16 months.
I went to the Sears in Orlando back in November and it wasn’t too bad. The upstairs was half empty but the rest of the store was more stocked than this
@@andysoddities Im from Michigan! I went to Florida to visit so I had to go to Sears. My first job was a backroom associate at the Sears near me and we were doing great for business the reason they shut down was because they were offered alot for the property. We were busy alot.
To be honest with Sears every location today will never be compared as much as the majority of the stores that were shuddered in 2018 because it's just a normal Sears but these 9 remaining stores it's not even as near of how it was back then and it's just showing that it's on it's last moments before it goes away and i can promise you if you were to fill all these inventory shelves and clothes racks it will just pretty much leave half of the store or even more empty because majority of the merchandise from Sears being discontinued.
"Too big to fail" is an arrogant concept, as any company, no matter how big, can fail, as these once profitable retailers are learning the hard way. Maybe if their corporate bosses weren't so arrogant, many more of them might still be in business. Might get away with excessive arrogance for awhile, but sooner or later it will cause a downfall.
I worked at Sears back in the 70s when the trouble started. Top management at the time was ARROGANT and complacent. There was an executive named Telling, don’t remember his first name, who got the idea that the business could operate without its lifeblood-middle management and commissioned selling personnel. I worked as a commissioned salesperson. Management began loading our departments with extra people to cut our number of sales and cut our livelihood. As people got disgusted and left, they were replaced with part time workers, who aren’t paid to care if anything goes wrong in a big ticket delivery. That scenario contributed significantly to Sears’s big failure. This scenario is just sad, but the result of incompetent managers.
@@MM-fe9mz we have a nice jc penny next to us about 40min away but sadly the one closest to us closed. Got some many nice deals there too. If you want I plan on doing a Kmart walk through I can also do a jc penny walk through if you would like
This doesn't even look like a Sears store. The hardware, home decor, furniture, auto parts, paint, sporting goods, toys, electronics etc. All gone. Nothing but some clothing.i 5:22
Similar discount retailer Ames Department Stores went down the same road except they got to Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and closed all of the remaining 327 stores in 2002. This Sears is getting empty now. Definitely the same page as Fry's Electronics which also had empty space. Fry's had over 30 stores. They closed up shop without warning on February 24 2021. Sears will eventually shut down all retail operations in general completely since this is showing signs. Sears Canada filed for bankruptcy in June 2017 and closed up shop in October 2017 through January 2018 because they failed to find a buyer. Sears in general, however, only found one and that was Eddie Lampert aka Fast Eddie. The website, brand name of Sears as well as intellectual property rights could also be sold off at any time as well. This is what happened to other once defunct nostalgia retailers like Montgomery Ward, Ames Department Stores, Orchard / Outdoor Supply Hardware, Rue21 and so forth
I watched the whole video. This was very sad to see. I would have bought that American Flag scarf, if I was there. If I had a young son, I'd get him the Cuddle-saurus onesie! I wonder who keeps laughing in the video. I kept hearing a man laughing. Also the broken door was sad, and I spotted an earlier logo inside. I'm glad you patronized the store, and with big $$$! I'd love to visit if it was close, but also in a way, I don't want to remember Sears like this. 😿
@@libertymartin5167 I actually forgot to mention that. My wife and I went back and bought that cuddle-saurus onesie for our friend’s new baby. The were adorable and you couldn’t beat the price. 3 for $4.00
@@SallyannParmentier If employees were present, none of them were out on the floor asking this one customer if they could help him find something. I recall the days when there were salespeople on every floor, in every department, and they were eager to help. That was when customer service meant something.
@@jrnfw4060 right! Not sure how people pay hundreds of dollars for a yeti cooler. I just found a 70’s sears cooler for $1 at a yard sale and it works just as well and look cooler hahah
@@joeydips3926 I meant abandoned in the sense there were no customers that I saw while I was there both days. I went back the second day with my truck to get the grill and patio set and again I didn’t see any customers. It’s definitely open for business but it’s oddly empty in an abandoned forgotten sense.
The problem here is it just feels dated and the clothes they have just won't appeal to current tastes. There's no reason for people to want to shop there over other stores. They could have reinvented themselves to something like Primark in the UK and probably built themselves back up. "Making moments matter" feels like the deadest, most lazy and situationally deaf slogan to use.
@@AbandonedToysrus-tc7tj yeah it’s sad, I used to love shopping at sears. I helped them out last week by buying a patio set, gas grill and a ratchet set from them 😃
The clothing selections in this store are pretty bland, for the most part. I like a lot of variety in style and color, and at least some flare in the apparel I wear, and there was nothing in this store that I would have considered buying. Their shoe selection wasn't much better. Over all, a sad environment. No wonder there was no one shopping in there. Nothing attractive to bring in anyone. And no staff to service customers, that I could see.
My uncle worked his entire career of 50 years with Sears. Right out of WW2 up until his reirement in the 90s. He's gone now, but he would be saddened at what happened to Sears.
Thank you for sharing this visit to Sears with us. I have a Sears story I'd like to share, please. I encountered Ted Cassidy suddenly one afternoon while standing at the back of the line at a Sears department store candy counter in Glendale, California. I lived "right next door" in "Eagle Rock". It was in 1970. My good friend "John" , who was just ahead of me in line, had quietly whispered over to me, "Hey Marty, look how tall that guy that just walked up behind you is, he's a giant!" I didn't want to just turn around and disrespectfully stare right up at the "big" guy, so I decided I'd turn around and simply pretend to 'just be looking for a wall clock to see what time it was getting to be"(many stores still had wall clocks back then!). Well, when I glanced up, right away I saw "Lurch" without any makeup on or wearing his Addams Family costume! I easily recognized him right away, I mean, who wouldn't? Well, I suppose my good friend didn't, he just said some "giant guy", ha! Well, I wanted to say something to "Lurch", but I couldn't think of a single thing that wouldn't sound kind of childishly-stupid. Since Sears always gave out free small-sized bags of popcorn to kids, only so their mouths were full and they wouldn't be able to pester their parents to "buy me, buy me, buy me" things, I just threw a funny joke up to him by saying, "HEY KID... YOU HERE TO GET FREE POPCORN TOO?!" Mr. Cassidy's eyes appeared sort of upset, but then they grew a sparkle in them, letting me know that he thought what I had asked him was humorous, TINY me calling GIANT him a "kid" and all. He knew I wasn't trying to pester him. Then he humored me kindly by slowly groaning out, in true Lurch fashion, " UUUUUUH....PEEEEENUUUUUT.... MMMMMM & MMMMMMS!". I laughed kindly to let him know that I thought what he had just said and done for me was "really cool". Then we talked for a couple of minutes more. I recall that I told him I was only there with my mother and two sisters just to get new school clothes. He told me he was just browsing, but that he might pick up some new tools while he was there because Sears sold good Craftsman tools, and maybe he'd buy a new washing machine because his old one was starting to give him trouble all the time now. That was on a Sunday afternoon. So on Monday I had the best "bragging rights" story to share before school, during short breaks between classes, at lunch and after school had let out. And I had a good friend to back up my story when other kids tried calling me a liar! I was only 13, and just starting 7th grade. I was going to a school in Eagle Rock that was both Junior and Senior high, grades 7-12. Well, even the big kids wanted to hear every detail of what me and Lurch talked about, and specially where we had met and at what specific time so maybe they might visit there and encounter him later on just like I had. The Addams Family show had already ended production by then, 1970. But they still showed reruns at the time, every afternoon even.
@@willoughby1888 thanks for sharing the wonderful sears memory. How cool to meet lurch 😃
A really cool and wonderful memory for you. And it sounds like he was a very nice guy.
I miss the appliance section at Sears. Always had good pricing and great delivery and set-up service. Better than the big box stores in my area.
Kenmore was a beast brand in the past. They used to partner up with an appliance maker, put a stronger motor or some more beefy parts here or there... call it a Kenmore and sold it at a discount comparatively.
Near the end of this business model I bought a microwave that was rated "not only the best budget microwave, but far better than many higher end units.
My folks had a dryer that lasted decades. The replacement doesn't stand a chance in hell.
I miss Sears, especially the catalog, the Christmas one was like gold. So sad to see it disappear, plus the great people that owned the stores, so helpful.
@@gillesjacques1022 yeah I loved the sears and jc penny catalogs and it’s sad to see them gone. I might make a trip and record a video at Kmart sometime soon.
@@andysoddities I remember in the 80s, my family would take a trip every fall across the border and hit the KMART store, it was a lot of fun. Still have things we bought there, like the beautiful angel topper for the Christmas tree. They also had a nice restaurant in it, miss those days, shopping sure has been getting boring.
I had some of the best times of my life working at Sears hardware(later to become Sears appliance and hardware)….. it was kind of sad watching this….. believe it or not Sears used to be a pretty cool place to work.
Thanks for your comment. I never worked at sears, but I always loved shopping at Sears. It’s very sad to see it this way.
I've lived in the area most of my life. Any time I went to this mall, I always had to walk through Sears from where I parked. Seeing this makes me sad that this will be gone very soon.
@@Rayeo_TNJ yeah I agree, as sad as it is I still enjoyed going but it was a somber experience while I was there and I don’t think it will be round much longer. My goal is to go the last Kmart in New York soon.
I worked for two different Sears stores in my life, and this makes me want to cry. If I did not live 1,762 miles away, I'd go there and buy like mad!!
@@misterwhipple2870 I helped them out when I was there. Bought a grill, patio set and craftsman’s tool set. 😀I miss sears too
@@andysoddities God Bless you.
@@misterwhipple2870 thank you, I’ll be going to the last true Kmart soon also and will post that video.
I am impressed with how clean the store is. Usually, when inventory is that low, things seem to junkie.
@@christyjohnson4563 yeah it was surprisingly clean overall.
@@christyjohnson4563 it was actually very clean and the restrooms were clean but dated. I too was surprised how well kept the store was. I can’t wait to visit Kmart soon.
@@andysodditiesThere's nobody there to make it dirty 😂
It IS creepy ! What's the point of being open? Tax write-off maybe? Years ago, the last time I went to Sears, customerss & sales people were scarce.
OMG that reminds me of the Store that was in Cherry Creek Colorado. I spent a lot of years in that store and for a few years in my high school days. I worked at the key shop for almost 16 months.
This reminds me of my sears
Eddie Lampert knew nothing and cared nothing about operating a retail company and Sears.
I went to the Sears in Orlando back in November and it wasn’t too bad. The upstairs was half empty but the rest of the store was more stocked than this
@@domthebandit9366 that’s good to know. Maybe yours is doing better than our Sears. Also the last stores I think should be closer together
@@andysoddities Im from Michigan! I went to Florida to visit so I had to go to Sears. My first job was a backroom associate at the Sears near me and we were doing great for business the reason they shut down was because they were offered alot for the property. We were busy alot.
To be honest with Sears every location today will never be compared as much as the majority of the stores that were shuddered in 2018 because it's just a normal Sears but these 9 remaining stores it's not even as near of how it was back then and it's just showing that it's on it's last moments before it goes away and i can promise you if you were to fill all these inventory shelves and clothes racks it will just pretty much leave half of the store or even more empty because majority of the merchandise from Sears being discontinued.
It's really sad. It just reminds me of my youth. I guess too big to fail does not apply to this one.
"Too big to fail" is an arrogant concept, as any company, no matter how big, can fail, as these once profitable retailers are learning the hard way. Maybe if their corporate bosses weren't so arrogant, many more of them might still be in business.
Might get away with excessive arrogance for awhile, but sooner or later it will cause a downfall.
I worked at Sears back in the 70s when the trouble started. Top management at the time was ARROGANT and complacent. There was an executive named Telling, don’t remember his first name, who got the idea that the business could operate without its lifeblood-middle management and commissioned selling personnel. I worked as a commissioned salesperson. Management began loading our departments with extra people to cut our number of sales and cut our livelihood. As people got disgusted and left, they were replaced with part time workers, who aren’t paid to care if anything goes wrong in a big ticket delivery. That scenario contributed significantly to Sears’s big failure. This scenario is just sad, but the result of incompetent managers.
JcPenny seemed to be going down the same road of more spaced out racks and not many customers the last few times ive been in there
@@MM-fe9mz we have a nice jc penny next to us about 40min away but sadly the one closest to us closed. Got some many nice deals there too. If you want I plan on doing a Kmart walk through I can also do a jc penny walk through if you would like
This doesn't even look like a Sears store. The hardware, home decor, furniture, auto parts, paint, sporting goods, toys, electronics etc. All gone. Nothing but some clothing.i 5:22
Similar discount retailer Ames Department Stores went down the same road except they got to Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and closed all of the remaining 327 stores in 2002. This Sears is getting empty now. Definitely the same page as Fry's Electronics which also had empty space. Fry's had over 30 stores. They closed up shop without warning on February 24 2021. Sears will eventually shut down all retail operations in general completely since this is showing signs. Sears Canada filed for bankruptcy in June 2017 and closed up shop in October 2017 through January 2018 because they failed to find a buyer. Sears in general, however, only found one and that was Eddie Lampert aka Fast Eddie. The website, brand name of Sears as well as intellectual property rights could also be sold off at any time as well. This is what happened to other once defunct nostalgia retailers like Montgomery Ward, Ames Department Stores, Orchard / Outdoor Supply Hardware, Rue21 and so forth
@@PacificNorthwestExploratio-k9j I really miss Ames also
@@andysoddities
Today Ames has new leadership and management as of 2022 and they are now slated to make a comeback in the next couple years
@ that’s so exciting to hear!!!
I fe3l Ike sears could make it back, well as a Hf competitor. Too bad good old Eddie sold craftsman off.
As a Sears retiree, this makes me sick to my stomach. 😢
I watched the whole video. This was very sad to see. I would have bought that American Flag scarf, if I was there. If I had a young son, I'd get him the Cuddle-saurus onesie! I wonder who keeps laughing in the video. I kept hearing a man laughing. Also the broken door was sad, and I spotted an earlier logo inside. I'm glad you patronized the store, and with big $$$! I'd love to visit if it was close, but also in a way, I don't want to remember Sears like this. 😿
@@libertymartin5167 I actually forgot to mention that. My wife and I went back and bought that cuddle-saurus onesie for our friend’s new baby. The were adorable and you couldn’t beat the price. 3 for $4.00
@@libertymartin5167 I agree with your last comment as well it’s so sad. I used to love shopping there as a kid, teenager and adult.
Did you buy anything?
@@SallyannParmentier yes got a good deal on a kenmore 3 burner grill and a 7 piece patio set to replace our old set and a small metric ratchet set.
You didn't watch the whole video, he says he bought a few things.
Thank you for patronizing this Sears! Very sad to see it like this. 😢
This store is dead SEARS was so busy in the day esp in the Philly areas so sad to see them gone.
@@billdepalma161 yes it’s very sad
Yep Sears in the Blvd was packed
This store feels like a dead man walking, I'd be shocked if it lasts for another 6 months
@@scottyefird sadly I agree
They cornered the market on cat litter boxes for some reason.
Haha right ?!?
It’s creepy!
@@SallyannParmentier yeah it was oddly creepy being that empty
@@andysoddities I didn’t see any employees either
@@SallyannParmentier they had a few. More employees than customers haha
@@SallyannParmentier If employees were present, none of them were out on the floor asking this one customer if they could help him find something. I recall the days when there were salespeople on every floor, in every department, and they were eager to help. That was when customer service meant something.
I’ve never seen a SEARS with this sign, sears.
Would I pay over $100 for a cooler? I think NOT!
@@jrnfw4060 right! Not sure how people pay hundreds of dollars for a yeti cooler. I just found a 70’s sears cooler for $1 at a yard sale and it works just as well and look cooler hahah
It's clearly open for business. There are employees at the registers in the background. Abandoned is the new "cool" word.
@@joeydips3926 I meant abandoned in the sense there were no customers that I saw while I was there both days. I went back the second day with my truck to get the grill and patio set and again I didn’t see any customers. It’s definitely open for business but it’s oddly empty in an abandoned forgotten sense.
What day and time of the week was this? It's like a morgue D E A D. No wonder they filed for bankruptcy.
@@robreuler144 it was like a Tuesday or Wednesday around 2-4pm
The problem here is it just feels dated and the clothes they have just won't appeal to current tastes. There's no reason for people to want to shop there over other stores.
They could have reinvented themselves to something like Primark in the UK and probably built themselves back up.
"Making moments matter" feels like the deadest, most lazy and situationally deaf slogan to use.
I went to my abdoned sears the other day
@@AbandonedToysrus-tc7tj yeah it’s sad, I used to love shopping at sears. I helped them out last week by buying a patio set, gas grill and a ratchet set from them 😃
@@andysoddities nice 👍
The clothing selections in this store are pretty bland, for the most part. I like a lot of variety in style and color, and at least some flare in the apparel I wear, and there was nothing in this store that I would have considered buying.
Their shoe selection wasn't much better.
Over all, a sad environment. No wonder there was no one shopping in there. Nothing attractive to bring in anyone.
And no staff to service customers, that I could see.
they gotta close this thing down man. no store should feel post-apocalyptic
SEARS used to be the best though.. RIP
@@ZackTH-cam as sad as it is I agree 100%