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Oh yeah they from what I recall they slowly dismantled it after what’s-his-face became ceo. Too big to fail before that. By the end, in a lot of their stores t

by jonway 9mo ago

Oh yeah they from what I recall they slowly dismantled it after what’s-his-face became ceo. Too big to fail before that. By the end, in a lot of their stores they would have people with iPads walking around accepting payment right there in the aisles. People also forget that what helps build sears’ reputation was their supply chain and curation, they mostly sold brands of good-quality stuff, a lot made in America too! They would rebrand good but basic quality items (like a wrench or sewing machine, or a shotgun or a guitar) and keep it running for years or decades. My dad was given a shotgun in the 1950s, a Remington made sears-brand. It was, apparently, great! He used it a lot for like half a century. I feel like a big part of the downfall was the huge lumbering corporate culture unable to cope with JIT supply lines and race to the bottom economies of consumer goods. Oh well!

lazystar 9mo ago
> I feel like a big part of the downfall was the huge lumbering corporate culture unable to cope with JIT supply lines and race to the bottom economies of consumer goods. i think its simpler than that. they got so big that they didnt pay any attention to all the waste, e.g. all the ad time that they spent on the old "I'll call today" A/C commercial.
- b112 9mo ago
  I wonder if those networks had a hard time filling ad orders, so Sears ended up with a massive discount? If those ads were pennies compared to other spots, it could be deemed worth it. Parents often are nearby when kids are watching TV.
  - jonway 9mo ago
    Hell no! TV ads were Goliath! Radio still stays relevant, too. Late night is where it dried up. (nowadays it’s podcast spot and insta bullshit? Eh.)
    - b112 9mo ago
      No, the cartoon networks. There was a mass explosion of cable channels, and ad rates plunged. Some networks had a hard time filling all ad space.
- craftkiller 9mo ago
  That ad was worth every penny. I _still_ quote that ad, and everyone over the age of 30 always recognizes it, yet I can't remember ads I saw last month. If only sears was still around to capitalize on the ubiquitous headspace they purchased.
  - dragonwriter 9mo ago
    > That ad was worth every penny. I _still_ quote that ad, and everyone over the age of 30 always recognizes it, yet I can't remember ads I saw last month. If only sears was still around to capitalize on the ubiquitous headspace they purchased. Sounds like they would have been better off investing more in staying around in the conditions that actually existed rather than buying attention that they could never benefit from.
    - jonway 9mo ago
      People flocked for this crap though, they were a consistent and reliable partner here. Times change though and everyone started just heading to Walmart, the modern version of sears in essence I guess, and Amazon who didn’t profit at all for like a decade and also never ever paid a dividend. I wonder about comparing the total sales rev of Walmart or Amazon (lifetime revenue) to the lifetime revenue of Sears Roebuck and whatever, adjusted for inflation. This would probably paint an interesting picture of our consumer trends and corporate governance
      - dragonwriter 9mo ago
        > People flocked for this crap though, they were a consistent and reliable partner here. By the 1990s, when the ad in question was around, Sears was long past its status as a retail juggernaut, and was trying (ultimately unsuccessfully) to regain it--this was roughly the last decade before they were bought by Kmart—and the loss was in large part because they had spent decades working harder on trying to do other things (which they largely abandoned during the 1990s, except for the consumer credit business that had displaced retail as the main revenue source, for their terminal effort to refocus on retail.) > I wonder about comparing the total sales rev of Walmart or Amazon (lifetime revenue) to the lifetime revenue of Sears Roebuck and whatever, adjusted for inflation. This would probably paint an interesting picture of our consumer trends and corporate governance Not really, without a lot of other data. Their dominance was for different lengths of times, and with difference size population bases. Simply comparing lifetime sales revenue adjusted for inflation isn't going to paint much of a picture at all.
b112 9mo ago
I bought a riding lawnmower used, 17 years ago. The mower was very well maintained, engine was good, and already 25 to 30 years old when I bought it. I wanted the manual. Sears parts still existed, and they shipped me a complete copy of the manual(photocopied) for 10 bucks. Manual listed all parts, breakdown, etc. I was able to confidently order parts, keep it running for a decade. That was one reason Sears was so liked. (for reference, my new mower manual has as much detail, I checked before I bought)
- metalman 9mo ago
  I will detail the evil anti machine from sears, combo washer dryer, drop the lid and it breaks the switch, the switch trigger is on the lid with a very long prong, dropped gently it works, fast it breaks, $150 plus service call, where it turns out the prong can be snapped off, leaving a stub that still triggers the switch, but wont break it. Next, the waterpump sits on three bosses, with spring clips, if it ingests anything like a dress sock that WILL go through the machine, it stripps the drive shaft, but AGAIN, the bosses can be snapped off, there is a second place for the spring clipps, and the motor shaft now engages much further, and it will power it's way through whatever. So the standard model was that, and the "heavy duty$$$" model was 3 min snapping of plastic booby traps. pure evil, and very very likely illegal but as someone who can fix/repair or make almost anything, I see this stuff all the time, but of course, today, it's done in the software.
  - warkdarrior 9mo ago
    Holy run-on sentences, Batman!
  - jonway 9mo ago
    Yeah they didn’t manufacture anything so they did get stuck with this crap especially after their influence waned on their suppliers. Washing machines used to be better and much more reliable in my experience (if less efficient) for ex my parent have a high end Samsung and WOW is it SLOW! The drying is much worse(slow) too. Probably much more efficient though.
kotaKat 9mo ago
Fun memory and a bit of an internal photo (and a rare shot of PalmOS software from the inside): https://ibb.co/nsVrW0h1 https://ibb.co/nsVrW0h1 Sears' jewelry was... definitely marked up. This is from a SNC (SEARS Network Communicator, just a fancy term for their Symbol PDTs) showing true cost on a "$1299" necklace. $1299 down to $324? What a steal! It still only cost Sears a hundred bucks.
- razakel 9mo ago
  All jewelry is ridiculously marked up. You see Cash for Gold places, but have you ever seen Cash for Diamonds?
  - chuckadams 9mo ago
    That had a lot to do with De Beers blacklisting any buyers of used diamonds, so used stones would end up their only supply. Meanwhile running "Diamonds are Forever" campaigns that would paint any such recycling as the actions of sleazy dishonest pawn brokers. You wouldn't sell Grandma's precious heirloom to one of those people now, would you? Nowadays I'm not sure the cartels have the power they used to, but whatever's left does still seem pretty disproportionate.

by jonway 9mo ago

lazystar 9mo ago

> I feel like a big part of the downfall was the huge lumbering corporate culture unable to cope with JIT supply lines and race to the bottom economies of consumer goods. i think its simpler than that. they got so big that they didnt pay any attention to all the waste, e.g. all the ad time that they spent on the old "I'll call today" A/C commercial.

b112 9mo ago
I wonder if those networks had a hard time filling ad orders, so Sears ended up with a massive discount? If those ads were pennies compared to other spots, it could be deemed worth it. Parents often are nearby when kids are watching TV.
- jonway 9mo ago
  Hell no! TV ads were Goliath! Radio still stays relevant, too. Late night is where it dried up. (nowadays it’s podcast spot and insta bullshit? Eh.)
  - b112 9mo ago
    No, the cartoon networks. There was a mass explosion of cable channels, and ad rates plunged. Some networks had a hard time filling all ad space.
craftkiller 9mo ago
That ad was worth every penny. I _still_ quote that ad, and everyone over the age of 30 always recognizes it, yet I can't remember ads I saw last month. If only sears was still around to capitalize on the ubiquitous headspace they purchased.
- dragonwriter 9mo ago
  > That ad was worth every penny. I _still_ quote that ad, and everyone over the age of 30 always recognizes it, yet I can't remember ads I saw last month. If only sears was still around to capitalize on the ubiquitous headspace they purchased. Sounds like they would have been better off investing more in staying around in the conditions that actually existed rather than buying attention that they could never benefit from.
  - jonway 9mo ago
    People flocked for this crap though, they were a consistent and reliable partner here. Times change though and everyone started just heading to Walmart, the modern version of sears in essence I guess, and Amazon who didn’t profit at all for like a decade and also never ever paid a dividend. I wonder about comparing the total sales rev of Walmart or Amazon (lifetime revenue) to the lifetime revenue of Sears Roebuck and whatever, adjusted for inflation. This would probably paint an interesting picture of our consumer trends and corporate governance
    - dragonwriter 9mo ago
      > People flocked for this crap though, they were a consistent and reliable partner here. By the 1990s, when the ad in question was around, Sears was long past its status as a retail juggernaut, and was trying (ultimately unsuccessfully) to regain it--this was roughly the last decade before they were bought by Kmart—and the loss was in large part because they had spent decades working harder on trying to do other things (which they largely abandoned during the 1990s, except for the consumer credit business that had displaced retail as the main revenue source, for their terminal effort to refocus on retail.) > I wonder about comparing the total sales rev of Walmart or Amazon (lifetime revenue) to the lifetime revenue of Sears Roebuck and whatever, adjusted for inflation. This would probably paint an interesting picture of our consumer trends and corporate governance Not really, without a lot of other data. Their dominance was for different lengths of times, and with difference size population bases. Simply comparing lifetime sales revenue adjusted for inflation isn't going to paint much of a picture at all.

b112 9mo ago

I bought a riding lawnmower used, 17 years ago. The mower was very well maintained, engine was good, and already 25 to 30 years old when I bought it. I wanted the manual. Sears parts still existed, and they shipped me a complete copy of the manual(photocopied) for 10 bucks. Manual listed all parts, breakdown, etc. I was able to confidently order parts, keep it running for a decade. That was one reason Sears was so liked. (for reference, my new mower manual has as much detail, I checked before I bought)

metalman 9mo ago
I will detail the evil anti machine from sears, combo washer dryer, drop the lid and it breaks the switch, the switch trigger is on the lid with a very long prong, dropped gently it works, fast it breaks, $150 plus service call, where it turns out the prong can be snapped off, leaving a stub that still triggers the switch, but wont break it. Next, the waterpump sits on three bosses, with spring clips, if it ingests anything like a dress sock that WILL go through the machine, it stripps the drive shaft, but AGAIN, the bosses can be snapped off, there is a second place for the spring clipps, and the motor shaft now engages much further, and it will power it's way through whatever. So the standard model was that, and the "heavy duty$$$" model was 3 min snapping of plastic booby traps. pure evil, and very very likely illegal but as someone who can fix/repair or make almost anything, I see this stuff all the time, but of course, today, it's done in the software.
- warkdarrior 9mo ago
  Holy run-on sentences, Batman!
- jonway 9mo ago
  Yeah they didn’t manufacture anything so they did get stuck with this crap especially after their influence waned on their suppliers. Washing machines used to be better and much more reliable in my experience (if less efficient) for ex my parent have a high end Samsung and WOW is it SLOW! The drying is much worse(slow) too. Probably much more efficient though.

kotaKat 9mo ago

Fun memory and a bit of an internal photo (and a rare shot of PalmOS software from the inside): https://ibb.co/nsVrW0h1 https://ibb.co/nsVrW0h1 Sears' jewelry was... definitely marked up. This is from a SNC (SEARS Network Communicator, just a fancy term for their Symbol PDTs) showing true cost on a "$1299" necklace. $1299 down to $324? What a steal! It still only cost Sears a hundred bucks.

razakel 9mo ago
All jewelry is ridiculously marked up. You see Cash for Gold places, but have you ever seen Cash for Diamonds?
- chuckadams 9mo ago
  That had a lot to do with De Beers blacklisting any buyers of used diamonds, so used stones would end up their only supply. Meanwhile running "Diamonds are Forever" campaigns that would paint any such recycling as the actions of sleazy dishonest pawn brokers. You wouldn't sell Grandma's precious heirloom to one of those people now, would you? Nowadays I'm not sure the cartels have the power they used to, but whatever's left does still seem pretty disproportionate.