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Did Folks Hate Sears Roebuck?


Razors Edge

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39 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

...as much as they do Amazon?

They were the "Amazon" of their time - selling everything from simple household goods all the way up to actual houses!

 

I liked Sears when I was a kid.  Things were reasonably priced and there was a Sears 1 mile from my house.

When we kids were around 12 years-old, we'd carry our 22 rifles (in soft cases) up to Sears, buy boxes of 50 short shells, then go target shooting at an abandoned quarry in the woods.  It was a different time and we had no trouble buying the shells at age 12 or walking in with rifles: there hadn't been a shooting in my 15,000 people, 1960's community since 1906 and the workers knew we'd have the guns unloaded.

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10 minutes ago, bikeman564™ said:

I liked Sears. And craftsman

Your experience, like mine, is with Sears in its post-peak, but still fun stages (and then the eventual collapse as well).  I'm thinking the King of the World, superstore to all America days that were back in the pre-WWII era.  Similar to where Amazon is now.

I just wonder if folks ranted and raved about Sears sending them a broom manufactured in Kansas when the shop down the street got them from the broom manufacturer one town over.

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2 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

The catalog made for great paper people with many options for outfits.

Things today are far different than back then.  Higher corporate tax rate  in the 50's-60's, less income disparities.  People were gruntled.  The American dream was still alive.  Now ...

vote to change the tax code.  Higher rates won't help because 98% of almost no taxable income is nothing.  It's the taxable income and worth that has to be fixed.

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1 minute ago, Razors Edge said:

Do you love Amazon?

Not really.  I prefer brick and mortar for most things, esp. cycling clothing, shoes, helmets, etc.

But you see, I grew up in a relatively small town.  Most of our shopping was done at stores owned by friends and neighbors.  Gene Wynn owned Wynn's IGA, Mr. Stalter, my godfather, owned the Sear's store.  Otis Wynn owned the OTASCO store.  Sears was cool because you could get Dallas Cowboys stuff from the catalog, which was important for a kid from Texas living in Oklahoma.

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13 minutes ago, jsharrwick said:

Sears was cool because you could get Dallas Cowboys stuff from the catalog, which was important for a kid from Texas living in Oklahoma.

I remember in the 70s, you could order the whole football outfit - pads included.  

Wishbook-splash.png

...and I had one of these coats (two, actually - the Jets and the Dolphins):

nfl-jackets-1980-sears-catalog.jpg

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34 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

Things today are far different than back then.  Higher corporate tax rate  in the 50's-60's, less income disparities.  People were gruntled.  The American dream was still alive.  Now ...

Nailed it.

Neither Mr. Sears nor Mr. Roebuck took their $hundreds of billions earned on the backs of often abused worker and built spaceships just because they couldn't figure out how to spend all that money.

Sure, they lived well.  But not Bezos-well.  And the tax rate alone ensured they contributed more to society

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41 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

The catalog made for great paper people with many options for outfits.

Things today are far different than back then.  Higher corporate tax rate  in the 50's-60's, less income disparities.  People were gruntled.  The American dream was still alive.  Now ...

Gruntled is one of those words that was used incorrectly so often that it came a word with a new meaning.  Sort of like nauseous. 

https://www.analyticalgrammar.com/disgruntled-and-gruntled/

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I loved Sears. Back in the 60's. I  could get vinyl albums, clothes then later watches, tools with the ability to see what I'm buying.  

Not keen on Amazon. Buying things blind hoping to get the right stuff. Their spend $25 and get fast shipping is deceiving. Hate them guys.

Plus,  if Sears didn't have it in stocks, then we'd hit the catalogs. 

Plus, when we went to Sears,  Monkey Wards, or Penny's, we got to hit up the candy shop cart thing. Penny's had a sit down cafeteria counter too. 

I miss those times! 😊

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