Episode 18: SEARS
Imagine a place, regardless of your physical location, where you could browse or buy just about every conceivable product you would need for your household, and even more products you don't need, but just want. The internet, you say? Amazon, you say? Well, before the internet and Amazon, there was the railway and the Sears catalog! Sears and their catalog became a mainstay in American life starting in the tail end of the 19th Century all the way until 1993 when publication of the main Sears catalog was discontinued, and now their once dominate catalog is all but forgotten, replaced by the electronically ubiquitous Amazon. Sears was the Amazon of their day, but lagging sales are forcing the retailer to close stores nationwide, but should it be this way? Did Sears have the internal structure and knowledge to be what Amazon is today? Should Sears be dominating the internet sales landscape with everything from tools, to boy's husky pants (Brian wore these in his carb filled childhood), to washing machines? Find this out and more, as Brian regales about his time working at Sears where he learned about tools and anatomy, and as Rodrigo Wikipedia's the mess out of the history of Sears (along with some other highly regarded sources). Come check out the softer side of Sears, because....you know...gotta do it!
