Description: A caption on top of the picture says "Earth is littered with the ruins of empires that believed themselves to be endless."
Underneath is a picture of an abandoned store, on five slabs of concrete the name "Sears" is still visible.
this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2024
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Maybe I am outing myself as young or as a European but what the hell is/was SEARS? And yeah I could probably google it, but I figure I can upset some people
Sears was a mail order/catalog company that operated out of Chicago as far back as 1892. To expand their business, they vertically integrated a lot of products sold under reliable brands (Kenmore, Craftsman) and added storefronts, typically at malls, throughout the 20th century; but eventually saw their business consumed alive by Walmart which placed stores in suburban and rural areas and slashed prices and salaries to compete. Eventually, online merchants like Amazon delivered the finishing blow. All that remains of Sears is memories.
It's also worth noting that the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world for over two decades. They were once so apparently dominant, and now almost nobody even thinks of them anymore.
People still refuse to call it the Willis Tower.
Ah I see, quite interesting to see that it died in the USA, but there are similar companies that still exist outside of the USA - though by going with the times and going online.
They shifted too hard into the retail market. They refused to do an online store and actually discontinued their mail catalog in the 90s.
They had the infrastructure in place, the experience, and more. They should have taken over the online world, but left the door open for Amazon.
People would mail-order houses from them in their prime.
Sears was Amazon a century before Amazon. Their mail order business drove the lions share. They thought they were invincible.
Basically Amazon before Amazon. Except it was a physical store, and a paper catalog instead of a website.
Department store.