Sears is dying

yes they did.

When Gander Mountain first opened in the Houston area they had a very limited selection of firearms, almost no pistols, and zero black guns. They also had empty parking lots.

Retailers make serious mistakes in how they choose to do business. Much like GE will at sometime be a lost brand that was a household name because of exiting the things that were not glamorous and momentarily trendy.

Catalog sales were the forerunner of internet sales and the failure to make the transition in a timely fashion also hurt stores like JC penny.

Interesting note about Sears , they used to, in the early 1900's, sell via their catalog a complete house. It would be shipped to the purchaser via train / freight car. I know of a person that owns on of those houses. And it's still in great shape after having been erected in 1924 about 200 yards off a main train route through south Texas. All wood-floors walls, ceiling- and made of oak. There were multiple floor plans available in the catalog. Google search " Sears homes " for some interesting pictures. Originally Posted by Rey Lengua

An interesting fact about houses. Geodesic domes are the most efficient design. However,they are difficult to transport because they are not square or rectangular, and difficult to fit on transportation systems. That is the main reason you don't see many dome homes.

Sears also had their own branded pianos.

They also sold tractors and implements but I don't know what brand.

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Catalog sales were the forerunner of internet sales and the failure to make the transition in a timely fashion also hurt stores like JC penny. Originally Posted by The2Dogs

i grew up in a small town with a catalog store...we got most of our stuff through there. Shit....name it....we got it.

There you go.......that catalogue was the reason for Sears success.

I guess people prefer the internet more than catalogues. Although there are plenty of specialty product catalogues still around and thriving.

i went today to warranty a ratchet. offered me a chinese replacement. passed....next week I'll take mine apart and clean the inside and inspect....and if needed search for a kit. there are still a few kits out there....otherwise your vintage usa tool is trashed.

i went today to warranty a ratchet. offered me a chinese replacement. passed....next week I'll take mine apart and clean the inside and inspect....and if needed search for a kit. there are still a few kits out there....otherwise your vintage usa tool is trashed. Originally Posted by GlobeSpotter

If the gear is stripped.. I believe their rebuild kits are still USA parts..

^^^^ yeah but they told me some kits no longer made. they had a list of about 40 or more ratchet numbers. about a third of those listed noted to discard the ratchet.

I'm going to look in detail next week. I'm pretty sure i have one of the most popular runs...should be able to find. i just hope the handle side teeefs are good. gonna pop the worst one open next week.

Its sad. Everytime i go into a sears, its a ghost town. I like their tools and leggings. Maybe its time to bring back the heroin kits lol!

Well add Penny's to the list, just announced the are closing a bunch of B, C & D mall location. It's not just Sears most older mall concepts seem to becoming real estate nightmares. I actually haven't been to a mall in a number of years & even then it was outside entrance to a Dillard's & straight back out (maybe my demographic).

off topic but brightening up the thread a little

If I remember right, Sears sold guns made by several manufactures like Marlin and a few others. Sears sold them as J.C. Higgins and Ranger and I think they sold rifles named after Ted Williams. I've owned a few .22s and .410s and they all had J.C.Higgins on them. I never trusted the larger caliber rifles from Sears. For along time you could by them mail order from the catalog. I think they stopped that practice in the 60's.

^^^^ not sure what year ffl bs started....but that might have been a factor.

also.....they had fishing reels under those names too. i might have one i stole from a dead guy.

If I remember right, Sears sold guns made by several manufactures like Marlin and a few others. Sears sold them as J.C. Higgins and Ranger and I think they sold rifles named after Ted Williams. I've owned a few .22s and .410s and they all had J.C.Higgins on them. I never trusted the larger caliber rifles from Sears. For along time you could by them mail order from the catalog. I think they stopped that practice in the 60's. Originally Posted by tbone2u

That would be the Gun Control Act of 1968.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_Control_Act_of_1968

Nothing wrong with the Ted Williams brand of guns from Sears in larger calibers. First firearm I ever fired was a Ted Williams .30-30 (made by Winchester) that was brought as a home protection gun during a hot summer of troubles in the late 1960's. They were all made by larger manufacturers to applicable quality standards of the time.

Other stores that used to sell guns,

J.C.Penny (also in the throes of death)
Target
Western Auto
Montgomery Wards
Abercrombie and Fitch
K-Mart
Woolworths
Gibsons
Woolco

and the list goes on.....................




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Globe

Once people get the idea that Sears will go under then Sears will go under very quickly. Who wants to buy a Kenmore appliance and be stuck with parts and service issues?