There was a time when Sears was the go-to department store for Americans. It was the place to find everything from appliances to clothing to tools. However, in recent years, Sears has fallen on hard times. The company has closed hundreds of stores and laid off thousands of employees. So, what went wrong? In this article, we will look at Sears and try to answer that question. We will explore its history, its products, and its marketing strategies. We will also discuss the company's current state and offer our thoughts on its future.
Sears was founded in 1886 by Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck. It started as a mail-order company selling watches and jewelry. In the early 1900s, Sears began selling other products, including clothing, appliances, and cars. By the mid-1900s, Sears was the largest retailer in the United States. It was also one of the most innovative companies in America. For example, it was one of the first retailers to offer a money-back satisfaction guarantee and one to offer customer credit.
Sears' success continued into the 1970s and 1980s. However, in the 1990s, things started to change. The rise of discount stores like Wal-Mart began to eat into Sears' market share. At the same time, Sears made a series of poor strategic decisions. It sold its profitable credit card business and invested heavily in failing businesses like the 1970s-era Sears Tower (now called Willis Tower).
As a result of these missteps, Sears has declined for more than two decades. The company has closed hundreds of stores and laid off thousands of employees. In 2018, it was bought by Eddie Lampert, a hedge fund manager who had been its largest shareholder. Lampert has promised to turn Sears around, but he has not been successful so far.
American Freight Furniture, Mattress, Appliance
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2 Fairhaven Commons Way Fairhaven, Massachusetts 02719DO NOT SHOP HERE!!! Couches are made of cheap wood and also the mattress and box spring is cheap too. I'm not fat and the wood still broke from the box spring also over p ... more
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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65 Holmes Road Newington, Connecticut 06111They are amazing people who help a lot
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656 New Haven Ave Ste 1 Derby, Connecticut 06418Martin Bello is an outstanding sales person he walked me through everything his personality is one of a kind. he is an excellent worker. He went above and beyond for me ... more
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55 Ludwig Drive Fairview Heights, Illinois 62208I brought a gorgeous dishwasher from here!! Great customer service.
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2301 Mt Industrial Boulevard, Unit A Tucker, Georgia 30084Great customer service from my initial contact throughout our purchase of a new range.
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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1140 Roswell Road SE Marietta, Georgia 30062Kay was very friendly and helpful. Will return for further service for future purchases.
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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6235 N Davis Highway, Suite 101 Pensacola, Florida 32504Michael has amazing customer service stop by and say hi!
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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1200 Blumenfeld Drive, Suite C Sacramento, California 95815Fun group, very accommodating and helpful
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Furniture Store, Appliance Store, Bedroom Furniture Store
2300 White Ln Unit B Bakersfield, California 93304Lorena was fantastic, super friendly. She was very knowledgeable, helpful, and patient with us. Great costumer service from her!
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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2505-B Vista Way 1 Oceanside, California 92054Alex was great helped me replace my fridge
Sleep Number
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1685 E 80th Ave Unit B Merrillville, Indiana 46410Joyce was awesome.
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1000 South 8th Street Clarinda, Iowa 51632When in doubt...don't go without...just ask Erin. She's amazing in helping you find the best deals!
Sears Hometown Store - Closed
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2092 E. Main Street Robinson, Illinois 62454Very helpful and friendly
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8033 W Franklin Road Boise, Idaho 83709Great Service and friendly delivery
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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1800 Prescott Road, Suite J Modesto, California 95350Marie was an extremely knowledgeable, patient and informative sales associate. This was an extremely comfortable and easy transaction and my stackable washer dryer works ... more
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1750 N Richmond Road McHenry, Illinois 60050Very pleased with recent furniture purchase. Staff is very pleasant and knowledgeable. Delivery team was great, an all around great experience. Will continue to shop with ... more
Sears Hometown Store
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322 Eureka Street Berryville, Arkansas 72616We were next door but I enjoy having this throw back still around
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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4308 E Colonial Drive Orlando, Florida 32803Shaji was very nice and gave me a great experience at American freight. Go and visit him!
Sears Hometown Store - Closed
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1700 Rainbow Drive Canon City, Colorado 81212Sad that they are closing out, but I was able to 2000 stove for $800. Get over there before it is too late.
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1415 S Nova Road Daytona Beach, Florida 32114Jim was excellent & provided great service!!
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8090 NW 77th Court Medley, Florida 33166Excellent service !!
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1210 W Morena Blvd San Diego, California 92110patrica was wonderful
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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320 West Rancho Vista Boulevard Palmdale, California 93551Tori was great. Awesome service. Great product.
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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3535 N Rock Road, Ste #100 Wichita, Kansas 67226Great shopping experience at American Freight today! Lisa was extremely helpful, friendly and accommodating. Will definitely go back with any other furniture needs.
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51 Spiral Drive Florence, Kentucky 41042Great price
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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5000 S. Arizona Mills Circle, Suite 625 Tempe, Arizona 85282Jordan and Jon were awesome
Sears Hometown Store - Closed
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168 Golden Rod Dr Mansura, Louisiana 71350Excellent service
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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5734 W Peoria Avenue Glendale, Arizona 85302Great deals. And a little bit of flexibility even with the listed price. Went to 5 other places and cant touch the price.
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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6022 Crawfordsville Road Speedway, Indiana 46224American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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16040 S Harlem Avenue Tinley Park, Illinois 60477Placed an order for a new washer/ dryer received an email confirming the delivery next day 5 hours later we got a call claiming it was not in stock any longer and cancel ... more
Sears Hometown Store
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1339 North Pine Deridder, Louisiana 70634Speedy service and excellent customer service! I love that they will exchange for free handyman tools like tape measures etc in store!
American Freight (Sears Outlet) - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
Appliance Store, Mattress Store, Discount Store
7333 W 79th St Bridgeview, Illinois 60455I'm a first time patron but definitely won't be my last. I was greeted and assisted by Mr. Mike Esco and I must say that he was nothing short of a professional which is m ... more
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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540 S Highway 59 Naperville, Illinois 60540They had all the tools that I needed to measure the refrigerator and it's perfect depth and perfect with from my mom's new house woop woop.
American Freight (Sears Outlet) - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
Furniture Store, Appliance Store, Bedroom Furniture Store
98-600 Kamehameha Hwy Pearl City, Hawaii 96782Walked into the outlet store 20 minutes before closing. CK greeted us right away and made our shopping experience very satisfying. He answered all our questions and staye ... more
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7415 S Cass Avenue Darien, Illinois 60561Angela was extremely helpful and made my sisters purchase an enjoyable experience!
Sears Hometown Store
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220 Center St. Taft, California 93268Love this little hometown location. I have bought almost every appliance in my home from this store. In the era of online shopping, locations like this will always win! ... more
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5900 Sugarloaf Parkway, Suite 171 Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043Maxine is a great seller is nice and explains very well everything
Dutch Bros Coffee
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796 Antelope Blvd Red Bluff, California 96080Last two coffees were disappointing, especially at their prices. Coffee flavors were weak and temperatures were not very hot.
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49 University Plaza Newark, Delaware 19702Great prices staff really helpful. Ed was my sales person and he was great. He helped me out with what I needed.
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1936 West 140th Ave San Leandro, California 94577Clarence was very good, he sold on the financing and protection plans
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8245B North Florida Avenue Tampa, Florida 33604Roman was great very friendly and helpful. This selections are great. Definitely come check them out
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1000 Boston Turnpike Shrewsbury, Massachusetts 01545We've had an awesome experience from shopping to loading! Highly recommended!
American Freight - Appliance, Furniture, Mattress
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133 Mariano S Bishop Boulevard Fall River, Massachusetts 02721I visited American Freight to purchase a dishwasher. Upon entering a very nice gentlemen helped my fiance and I natrow down which dishwasher to purchase. He then took the ... more
Sears Hometown Store - Closed
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977 South 1st Street Jesup, Georgia 31545Unsure how they remain open. RTO pricing (although we were planning on paying cash) are preditory. Shameful business model.
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11111 San Jose Boulevard., Suite 1 Jacksonville, Florida 32223bad
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2401 S Vineyard Avenue Ontario, California 91761Check prices online before purchasing
