how sears changed america personal finance - health care appliances

In its heyday, it was not just the largest car manufacturer in the United States. S.
Employer or national retailer.
It actually reshapes the country and changes the way ordinary citizens live.
Of course, the company is struggling now.
Sears Holdings (SHLD)
The company, which owns Sears and Kmart, warned investors late Tuesday that it could no longer promise to continue operating.
Although it is not bankrupt, it has lost $10.
The company's share price has fallen since 2010 and its debt has soared 4 billion.
But if its future is uncertain, its past is very impressive.
More than a century before online shopping, Sears's catalogue of goods brought almost unlimited goods to American families. -
People often make their own clothes or furniture or houses they don't make themselves.
Related: Sears has "big doubts" about its ability to survive when most Americans live on farms or small towns, "for many rural Americans, it's a change in life, amanda Nicholson, professor of retail practice at Syracuse University, said.
After World War II, once Americans start moving to thriving suburbs, Sears stores will fix the shopping malls that help these suburbs grow.
"You can argue that the suburbs are going to be developed, first with water pipes and sewers, then with retailers," said Greg Potel, a major partner in the retail business. T. Kearney.
Sears democratized retail in the United States.
"Related: Look at Sears for years, this store offers consumer credit extensively, this is the first time for many customers.
Allow families to buy Labor
Save on appliances and electronic products such as washing machines, sound and television that are already out of reach.
Sears once claimed that 50% of households in the United States owned appliances made by Sears brand Kenmore.
"This is where people go to provide their home," Nicholson said . ".
Sometimes Americans even buy their house directly from Sears.
Sears's iconic artisan house is equipped with all the materials needed for a floor plan and for building a floor plan.
Prefabricated Wood, wall panels and other materials are transported to the buyer by rail and constructed with minimal labor force.
Sears said 75,000 of homes were sold between 1908 and 1940.
Related article: retail bubble--
When Sears arrived at every corner of the country, it also began to develop new businesses, reflecting changes in the US economy.
Start all state insurance (ALL)
On 1931, witwitter brokerage and Coolwell Banker real estate were purchased on 1981.
It is with IBM (IBM)
In order to form the prodigy of one of the first Internet services in 1984, Discover (DFS)
Credit card for 1985
"They have an amazing tradition of doing something very innovative," Nicholson said . ".
Sears has also become huge.
By the 1990s, the company said one of the seven Americans had either worked for Sears or had worked there.
These are not low-wage jobs, and there are very few benefits associated with many retailers today.
"These jobs have health care, benefits and pension plans," said James o'lock, a management professor at Notre . ".
"People want to spend their entire career in Sears Roebuck.
There is no limit to Sears's innovation.
"It is not one thing that led to its downfall.
The rise of discount stores like Wal-Mart (WMT)
Big box shops like Home Depot (HD)
Obviously, the same is true of online shopping.
Sears management also made some bad decisions that they could never make other items as popular as electrical appliances and power tools.
"Like so many things, the market is moving forward.
"The taste has changed," said o'lock.
"People said, 'it was OK at the time, and it's OK now.
When people walk into Sears today, they say, 'I can do better.