Community Chat

[Kachina624]

Can this be the end of an era?

NEW YORK (AP) — Sears has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, buckling under its massive debt load and staggering losses.

Sears once dominated the American retail landscape. But the big question is whether the shrunken version of itself can be viable or will it be forced to go out of business, closing the final chapter for an iconic name that originated more than a century ago

[ID2]

It's about time!

[OKPrincess]

I have fond memories of cutting paper dolls from Sears and Roebuck catalogs. Yes it’s hard to they filed for bankruptcy but more and more people would rather shop online than in person. A sign of the future.

[meallen616]

The Sears in my area of New Jersey closed many months ago! Times have changed!

[Nataliesgramma]

I can't beleive it has taken this long and that they are going to try to reorganize

[Cakers3]

Never really shopped at Sears.  DH would pop in once in a while for tools but all I ever did was return Land's End items at Sears.

I'm not sure how much online shopping harmed Sears; if they had pulled away from clothing and toys and stayed with their Kenmore appliance and tools they might have balanced better.

The few times we have been in Sears there has been absolutely nobody on the floor to help out; only one person each at check out stations.

I think people would still like to shop in person at stores; I know I would; but the pickings are getting slimmer and slimmer.

Empty malls are being rented to fitness gyms, some food markets, AMC theaters, discount clothing outfits and off-the-wall clothing start ups.

[sidsmom]

I’ve been seeing this trending on my news timelines recently and

thought....’didn’t they already do this?’  Weren’t they in the news

a year/so ago with this exact same news? I’m confused.

[FrostyBabe1]

This has been a long time coming. Eddie Lampert certainly sucked the life out of every last bit of the company that he can, and now he's providing post-petition financing thru one of his other ventures. If there's a way he can make a buck off the corpse, he'll do it.

The only reason that I ever go in to my local Sears store is to shop in the Lands End shop. When Lands End was spun off on it's own in 2014, they continued to lease space for the shop in the store. The section manager told me it was less expensive than opening their own shop elsewhere in the mall. I'd hate to see my local store close, if only for that reason. 

[sidsmom]

The day this showed up in the mailbox

was BETTER than Christmas morning itself!

[Group 5 minus 1]

We were just talking about Sears last night. DH thought they would soon be filing. 

I can't remember the last time we were at a mall-several years. This is all so sad.