It all started with a young Richard Warren Sears, who was a Minnesota station agent. One day, a shipment of unwanted gold watches arrived at his station. He saw this as an opportunity and bought the lot at $12 each. He then sold them at $14, pocketing a neat $2 profit per watch.
This ignited the spark of entrepreneurship in him. He soon quit his cushy government job and started a mail-order business in Minneapolis.Sample text. Click to select the Text Element.
Sears joined forces with Alvah Curtis Roebuck, a watch manufacturer, which resulted in a change in the company name to Sears Roebuck and Co.
Around this time, the government introduced free rural delivery to address urban-rural gaps in the economy. Like any good businessman, Sears took advantage of this. From a simple listing of just watches and jewelry, it blew up into a mammoth catalog offering everything under the sun, including low-cost housing. Imagine, you live in a village and the nearest supermarket is a day’s carriage ride away. Then, this giant catalog lands in your hands. A whole collection of products is at your fingertips, from sewing machines and prams to musical instruments to lampshades. All you needed was a letter and a money order.
The catalog was literally a wishbook that brought dreams to life. Kids would spend hours poring over the toys section and adults would compare woodworking, cooking and sewing tools to pursue their interests. Sears and Co. was a mail-order pioneer that kept innovating and expanding to make a wider variety of products available to people.
You could get your own house with Sears. They would ship all the materials and detailed instructions. Over 70,000 of such homes were built between 1908 and 1940, the period when Sears ruled the mail-order domain.
Sears opens its first retail store in Chicago’s Westside. Along with a diverse product range, people could get the gratification of in-store shopping. Over the next few decades, a 100 more of these stores would open, making Sears a retail behemoth across America.
Sears reigned supreme as America’s favorite store. Whether you wanted perfumes, clothing or laundry appliances, the cornucopia of products in each store made it possible for people to live the American dream. But besides the impressive collection, it was the customer service that set Sears apart. The salesmen made sure you got the perfect fit and the Sears satisfaction guarantee was enforced in every purchase.
Sears was home to household brand names like Kenmore and Craftsman. Daughters grew up with mothers who relied on Kenmore kitchen appliances and Sears bakeware, and bought the same for their own families. These were and still are the backbone of many American homes. Men would hand down their Craftsman tools to their kids knowing the lifetime guarantee of the hand tools and tool boxes. Equally popular were DieHard batteries that truly lived up to their name. Starting a car in the deepest snow or the hottest summer was no problem with these batteries.
Then, Sears started sending out the Christmas wishbook every fall. It was a portal into childhood wonder. Kids would circle their favorite toys and parents could get these delivered hassle-free.
As a towering symbol of retail dominance, Sears unveiled the Sears Tower. It was world’s tallest building for 22 years. In 1988, the Willis Group took over the building after Sears sold it and moved out.
Like many enduring companies, Sears faced a pivotal evolution in the business landscape. New players entered the market with energy and fresh ideas, determined to carve out their share. The emergence of the internet and shifting consumer behaviors introduced new dynamics to the industry—but challenges like these are part of every great company’s journey. Sears continued to serve its loyal customer base through its trusted catalog and widespread reach.