The demise of former retail giant Sears, has been well documented. At one time the nation’s largest store, market forces (think online shopping and competition from other retailers like Walmart) left it decimated, falling from 700 stores in 2018 to 16 and, this week with the closing of four more stores, down to 12 in the whole country.

Sears went through bankruptcy in 2018 in an effort to avoid totally disappearing but it turned out to be just a matter of time before it got caught up in what’s become known as the “retail apocalypse.”

Sears was once the largest retailer in the United States, with over 4,000 stores and 350,000 employees; now there are just 12, with only one of them in New Jersey. Sears has been called the “first Amazon.”

Sears
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"Part of the Sears problem was they made the adjustment to the world of the shopping mall, and could not figure out what to do next when that world began to disappear," Steve Horwitz, distinguished professor of free enterprise at Ball State University in Indiana, told NorthJersey.com in 2018.

According to the Sears website, the only Sears store left in New Jersey is at the Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City.

When I was growing up (which, admittedly, was a long time ago), Sears stood for quality, with their famous motto, “Satisfaction Guaranteed or your Money Back” emblazoned over the door of each store. They made Kenmore appliances and Craftsman tools, guaranteed for life.

I guess it’s just a matter of time before the Jersey City Sears store closes and the retail landscape will be diminished even more.

LOOK: Here are 50 of your favorite retail chains that no longer exist

Are you ready to see the top 50 major retailers that no longer exist? Keep reading to see if your favorites made the list.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

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