Go Back   Alberta Outdoorsmen Forum > Main Category > General Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 01-20-2018, 07:17 PM
wildbill wildbill is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Gods Country
Posts: 1,706
Default Sears gone

First WSS, now Sears, it just feels like I’ve lost part of my identity as a Canadian, it was part of our heritage, and when I read about how people’s old Sears rifles are people’s prized possessions, it just shows how far reaching they were, R.I.P., hope all the employees find work.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 01-20-2018, 09:49 PM
bushnell bushnell is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: edmonton
Posts: 912
Default

Got my first rifle at Sears. Had to have my Dad with me when I bought it. Still have it 42 years later. Marlin 22WMR
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 01-21-2018, 01:05 AM
Hiwa Hiwa is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 227
Default

Me too. Model 94/30-30 back in 1975 when I was 13.
Got a box of cartridges with it.
Salesman just wrote my name and phone number down and said Good luck hunting.

They were the go-to store back in the day.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 01-21-2018, 02:48 AM
Duncan71 Duncan71 is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Calgary
Posts: 84
Default

sears was one of my first jobs - bought all my tools from them for some of my next jobs.

Contacts that I made there, helped me get on the career I have now.

Felt sad walking through the store one last time - but the writing was on the wall 15 years ago when I worked there...
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 01-21-2018, 07:26 AM
schreyer's Avatar
schreyer schreyer is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Sherwood Park, Alberta
Posts: 489
Default

It’s too bad, really. Snowblowers, laundry/dryer and lawnmowers we all bought from there.
__________________
My mom says I'm a keeper.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 01-21-2018, 07:46 AM
pgavey pgavey is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Beaver Mines AB.
Posts: 879
Default

Got my first rifle a BLR in 1975 at a Sears sales office. Still have it.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01-21-2018, 09:58 AM
Bellero's Avatar
Bellero Bellero is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Alberta
Posts: 413
Default

It's only the beginning, big box stores and department stores will face their biggest challenge ever in the next 15-10 years. Lots more will close.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 01-21-2018, 10:13 AM
Positrac Positrac is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,281
Default

And now 16,000 Sears retirees will see their pensions reduced as their DB plan was underfunded to the tune of 266 million...

That is the real loss.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 01-21-2018, 11:42 AM
srs123 srs123 is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 455
Default

People seem to always have short memory. For the last 200 years truest say about business is "evolve or be left behind ". People forget how these stores took out many of the smaller shops when they cam in. Now they are being taken out by the online shopping machine. And soon something will come out and take that out too.


Many business have dallen to this. Such as the print media, now we all get our news from the internet, when was the last time you bought a news paper for example?

The local butcher was replaced by the factory slaughter house

The horse and buggy got replaced by 18 wheelers.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 01-21-2018, 11:46 AM
hayseed's Avatar
hayseed hayseed is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 5,647
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by srs123 View Post
People seem to always have short memory. For the last 200 years truest say about business is "evolve or be left behind ". People forget how these stores took out many of the smaller shops when they cam in. Now they are being taken out by the online shopping machine. And soon something will come out and take that out too.


Many business have dallen to this. Such as the print media, now we all get our news from the internet, when was the last time you bought a news paper for example?

The local butcher was replaced by the factory slaughter house

The horse and buggy got replaced by 18 wheelers.


So true yep.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 01-21-2018, 11:50 AM
Fisherpeak Fisherpeak is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Kimberley B.C.
Posts: 5,234
Default

I have a 1913 Cooey Canuck from Sears. They only made them for a couple years then WW 1 came along and they switched to military arms.
Anyway, Sears was too expensive. Wallmart has the same mens clothes for half the price and you don`t have to wait a week to find out they don`t fit. They had a good run but times have changed. Surprised nobody has mentioned Eatons yet. Same happened to them.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 01-21-2018, 11:51 AM
HVA7mm HVA7mm is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 1,209
Default

The executives at Sears really crapped the bed over the last couple of decades. With their mail-order catalogs that they had for over a century, they basically had the same model that companies like Amazon use today. I can't imagine that it would have been that difficult for them to transition to online sales, as they already would have had the warehousing capacity and they would have had the distribution network nailed down as well. If you were to combine this with the customer base that they had, they should have been able to knock it out of the park.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 01-21-2018, 12:12 PM
britman101 britman101 is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 317
Default Sears

Yes hindsight is everything and online sales would have really helped them as a store. Now it will be interesting to see how long the Bay can hang in there. I can see them disappearing in another two or three years. The only way they could survive is to make over their stores, get store staff that are there to help customers, and go to online sales. Will this happen I don't think so.
Then imagine small communities where Walmart is the only game in town to get clothing and shoes, etc. Walmart is out there to maximize profits. Watch for their prices to get jacked up once they realize they are the only game in town.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 01-21-2018, 06:14 PM
wildbill wildbill is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Gods Country
Posts: 1,706
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by srs123 View Post
People seem to always have short memory. For the last 200 years truest say about business is "evolve or be left behind ". People forget how these stores took out many of the smaller shops when they cam in. Now they are being taken out by the online shopping machine. And soon something will come out and take that out too.


Many business have dallen to this. Such as the print media, now we all get our news from the internet, when was the last time you bought a news paper for example?

The local butcher was replaced by the factory slaughter house

The horse and buggy got replaced by 18 wheelers.
Guess it’s hard to let go, and, change...........I often think I was born 100 years too late, I’d be happy in a one room cabin in the mountains with a wood burner, a simple life, but I done went and had a family so my priority and obligation is with them, the dream is always in the back of my head though, one day
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 01-21-2018, 06:46 PM
KUDUHNTR's Avatar
KUDUHNTR KUDUHNTR is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Near Lac La Biche, Ab.
Posts: 575
Default

I bought my first push, and ride'm mower there, lots of hand tools, when they still said forged in USA! They were great for tires and battery's also, bought lots of appliances at Sears, also.

What about Woodwards, that was a great place also, remember $1.49 day !?

We still have the Hudson's Bay, hopefully they can hang in there!
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 01-21-2018, 06:47 PM
buckbrush's Avatar
buckbrush buckbrush is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,072
Default

My kids were asking what the 'wish book' was that me and the wife kept talking about. Many hours spent going through the wish book.

That also made me think about the Bargain Finder and Auto Trader.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 01-21-2018, 06:56 PM
sweld sweld is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 358
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by buckbrush View Post
My kids were asking what the 'wish book' was that me and the wife kept talking about. Many hours spent going through the wish book.



That also made me think about the Bargain Finder and Auto Trader.


Thursday morning was my favourite day of the week.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 01-21-2018, 06:59 PM
fordtruckin's Avatar
fordtruckin fordtruckin is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: In the woods
Posts: 8,923
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by buckbrush View Post
My kids were asking what the 'wish book' was that me and the wife kept talking about. Many hours spent going through the wish book.

That also made me think about the Bargain Finder and Auto Trader.
Haha yep spent many a hour wishing in that book.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fisherpeak View Post
I have a 1913 Cooey Canuck from Sears. They only made them for a couple years then WW 1 came along and they switched to military arms.
Anyway, Sears was too expensive. Wallmart has the same mens clothes for half the price and you don`t have to wait a week to find out they don`t fit. They had a good run but times have changed. Surprised nobody has mentioned Eatons yet. Same happened to them.
I recall a similar thread where I mentioned Eatons.
__________________
I feel I was denied, critical, need to know Information!
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 01-21-2018, 07:49 PM
omega50's Avatar
omega50 omega50 is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 8,491
Default

The old tent trailer I recently gifted to my stepson was from Sears
__________________
You're only as good as your last haircut
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 01-21-2018, 08:01 PM
wildbill wildbill is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Gods Country
Posts: 1,706
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by omega50 View Post
The old tent trailer I recently gifted to my stepson was from Sears
The trailers they make nowadays fall apart the minute you wheel em off the lot
Reply With Quote
  #21  
Old 01-21-2018, 09:02 PM
Selkirk's Avatar
Selkirk Selkirk is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: In the shadow of the Valhalla Mountains, BC .
Posts: 9,174
Smile I'll beat that !

Quote:
Originally Posted by bushnell View Post

Got my first 'rifle' at Sears. Had to have my Dad with me when I bought it. Still have it 42 years later. Marlin 22WMR
Got my first 'motorcycle' at Sears many years ago, while living down in the States ... an Italian made 'Benelli 125'





It's true ^ (I'll swear on a stack of bibles). I bet you didn't expect that!


Welcome to the age of the internet and modern retailing ... Sears (in both the US and Canada) couldn't adapt, so they went the way of the dinosaurs. Darwin can sometimes be cruel.

A lesson for us all.

Selkirk
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old 01-21-2018, 11:15 PM
brslk's Avatar
brslk brslk is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 2,375
Default

Lots of people all over the place reminiscing and bemoaning how Sears is gone but how many of those people actually shopped there in recent years?

My wife was a frequent shopper at Sears up until the end but I gave up on them years ago.

The internet didn't kill Sears, they killed themselves with overpriced foreign made goods they were selling at the same price they used to sell better made North American made goods while other retailers such as Walmart were selling the same things for lower prices.
Poor service and lack of service killed them. Half the sales counters were closed most of the time and there were never any salespeople to be found unless you didn't need any assistance.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:57 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.5
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.