Sears Roebuck & Co. demise

[556063]

What we are witnessing is yet another death of an American Icon that fell into the trap of following popular, conventional wisdoms of the day as it moved through time. As others have mentioned or discussed, the Sears Catalog business of the 60's and 70's should have morphed into something that looks like Amazon today (and I'd rather buy from Sears than Jeff Bezos, believe me. I've only used Amazon a few times!)

Conventional wisdom 15-20 years ago was that big box stores had obliterated catalog. Now, the Internet has rewritten the rules on retail, and it looks more like catalog than anything else. Sears is much like International Harvester. If the Scout could have held on a few more years, it could have filled the SUV craze that started a few years after the Fort Wayne plant that built it closed. Making the types of decisions that stranded these Icons comes from a business environment that changes instantly. Why it's so crucial to differentiate a fad from a trend. The difference can be deadly, even for well established companies.

[jnormanh]

What we are witnessing is yet another death of an American Icon that fell into the trap of following popular, conventional wisdoms of the day as it moved through time. As others have mentioned or discussed, the Sears Catalog business of the 60's and 70's should have morphed into something that looks like Amazon today (and I'd rather buy from Sears than Jeff Bezos, believe me. I've only used Amazon a few times!)

Conventional wisdom 15-20 years ago was that big box stores had obliterated catalog. Now, the Internet has rewritten the rules on retail, and it looks more like catalog than anything else. Sears is much like International Harvester. If the Scout could have held on a few more years, it could have filled the SUV craze that started a few years after the Fort Wayne plant that built it closed. Making the types of decisions that stranded these Icons comes from a business environment that changes instantly. Why it's so crucial to differentiate a fad from a trend. The difference can be deadly, even for well established companies.

Good points.

The Sears catalog hit the independent retailers.

The the high volume/low cost Wal*Marts hit Sears.

Now on-line is hitting Wal*Mart.

[Jeff T.]

it's madness in the sense that selling the brand to a company that will expand the distribution of Craftsman will dilute and remove any tool buyer's need to go to a Sears store. The Sears in Lincoln, NE is on the east side of town, depending on which route I take to the Gateway mall complex I pass at least a half dozen Ace and True Value hardware stores. And if Black & Decker expands the distribution like I think they might there is always Amazon, you can find nearly everything on Amazon.

Why go to a Sears store?

I have grand memories of things I have bought at Sears, like my first tool set decades ago or a giant Pooh bear for my daughter.
but I have grand memories of Woolworth/Woolco, W.T. Grant, Montgomery Wards and other retailers who made monumental mistakes or forgot who or what their market was.

Jeff T.

[Gunslinger]

Selling off the Craftsman brand was apparently done out of financial desperation. Disposing of your main sales brand seems like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

[8E45E]

Selling off the Craftsman brand was apparently done out of financial desperation. Disposing of your main sales brand seems like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Woodward's department stores did the same thing by selling off their 'Famous Food Floor' grocery division to Safeway in 1987. It was their only profitable department, and in doing so, they no longer had a 'buoy' to keep their other sinking departments afloat while they attempted to 'reorganize'. In 1993, Woodward's Stores, based in Vancouver, BC, officially went bankrupt, a year after they celebrated their 100th Anniversary.

Craig

[dpson]

So what does Sears do with $900 million, just keep throwing it down the rabbit hole?

You have to give Studebaker credit, they saw the end was in sight for the car business and divested into a number of other companies that allowed them to stay in business after car manufacturing ended. As much as we lament it, it really was a smart business move.

Also, as I continue to go through the paperwork from Archie Myers Studebaker dealership I found that he became a Gravely and Onan dealer (sales and service) well into the 1970's, so the corporate decision to diversify also had benefits for some of the former Studebaker automobile dealers.

[toymobile]

Back in the day.

[raprice]

Yeah, what ever happened to Roebuck anyway? Just wondering.
Rog

[DEEPNHOCK]

Yeah, what ever happened to Roebuck anyway? Just wondering.
Rog

(copy)
Richard Warren Sears co-founded Sears, Roebuck and Co. in 1893 with Alvah Curtis Roebuck. Sears was 30 at the time. Roebuck was 29.

The mail-order business the duo created was arguably the model for Amazon.com and every other Internet retailer that discovered consumers were willing to buy stuff without actually touching the item first.


But it wasn't for Roebuck. Just two years after the Sears and Roebuck catalog debuted, he asked his partner to buy him out for $20,000. Roebuck just wasn't interested in the workaday world of making a business grow.

Sears did as requested and proceeded to turn the company into a retail behemoth. But nothing lasts forever, and now the company is struggling to survive.

And Roebuck? He took his windfall and moved to Florida. In 1934, he was asked by a Sears store manager to make a public appearance, and enjoyed the gig so much he made similar appearances throughout the country. Roebuck then signed on as the company's corporate historian.

Sears died in 1914 at the age of 50.

Many years later, Roebuck was asked if he regretted not having made as much money as his former partner. He reportedly replied, "He's dead. Me? I never felt better."

Roebuck died in 1948 at the age of 84.

[t walgamuth]

Good point.

[old fart]

Hi Guys :

Thought I'd throw my nickles worth in . In Canada it was known as Simpson / sears for many years . It then was known as Sears and this lasted for a few more years . Then the Hudson bay Company bought the Canadian division of Sears Robuck . They still have 5or 6 stores in Winnipeg . Target didn't last long up here either I guess the comment SIGN OF THE TIMES is correct SSSAAADDD

Old fart

[Bob Bryant]

Another retailing dynasty founder was J. L. Hudson. The Hudson chain after many years was acquired by Federated and later Macy's. Sears had a car and so did J. L. Hudson. The Dayton-Hudson component became Target.

[6hk71400]

Many years ago I was reading an article on Charlotte Ford, Henry II's daughter. Somehow there was a relationship with the JL Hudson Family and she shopped at the Hudson Department store because she got a discount! They are related by marriage to JL Hudson, who invested in the Hudson Motor Co in 1909. Hudson and Dayton are the parent companies of Target.

Useless trivia information that I am full of (no other comment necessary)

Does anyone know if there is a countdown clock on Sears?

Bob Miles
Tucson AZ