At that time, they may not have had a central database of what items were in stock in which stores. Might not have been possible to route the order to the close

At that time, they may not have had a central database of what items were in stock in which stores. Might not have been possible to route the order to the closest store that had the item. Agreed that Sears never moved much beyond the 1970s in store layouts and merchandise display/organization.