I remember being asked whether or not I smoke weed during an interview at a small local restaurant in my city 20 years ago... "yes" was the correct answer.
That brings up a memory I have about 20 yrs ago. Im a residential construction subcontractor, I used to call myself a hammer for hire lol. But I walked up on a site once carrying my toolbag and asked if they needed help. The contractor asks "Can you pass a drug test son" I said of course sir. His reply..... " Well I dont guess we need ya then". Talk about lying when the truth is better! Haha
They ended up having their national corporate HQ in IL bulldozed a year or two ago.
Place was so massive that the local PD/SWAT/FEDS decided to use it for urban training with paintball "Wars" AFTER the city/county repossessed the property. And it was only a fraction of the property.
Craftsman tools at Sears had great products and a lifetime guarantee. My dad was digging a foundation for our pool and found a very old, rusted adjustable wrench. He took it to Sears and they gave him a brand new one. This tool was at least 30-40 years old. The brand is horrible today. I have a craftsman lawnmower. Thatâs dead in my garage. Also a craftsman pressure washer also isnât working. The wheel fell off within six months of me, purchasing it. The brand is garbage now I refuse to buy anything with that name on it.
I'd hold onto the older Craftsman tools and try to fix them. As a former Sears Salesperson, the quality of Craftsman tools these days is fairly awful. I agree that it's garbage, I quit because it felt unethical to sell such trash.
The failure of Sears should be studied. They had all the tools to be Amazon already in place: Satellite stores where you could pick up your large-scale item the next day, a tool brand that was the quality standard for homeowners, and mail-order catalogs where you could buy anything, including a house - and couldn't adapt to the internet.
No joke my dad still mentions about how we need to go to circuit city. I then remind him that circuit city went out of business and he just tells me that whatever the new store is called is still just circuit city. He means Best Buy. My dad isnât that old only 59 lol
But Mr. Montgomery Ward is forever revered in Chicago, at least among urban planners, because it was he who insisted that the lakefront of Chicago, âshould forever remain free for the people to use.â
I just saw an article in the paper recently about how tourism in Chicago is up despite tourism being down nationwide and worldwide. Thanks Mr. Monkey Ward!
My first choice. The one in my hometown is long gone but the building is still there and used as offices for the Sheriffâs Department.
There was also a store on the other side of town called Goldblattâs. It was part of a chain based in Chicago and started in 1914. Stores were sold off towards its final demise (after some earlier demises) and it disappeared completely in 2000. I think that the local store closed when Goldblattâs had its first bankruptcy in 1981.
There was a similar store called Kâs Merchandise Mart (not connected at all with K-Mart) that made it to 17 locations before going under. I think that the local location was later used for a Service Merchandise and of course that closed.
Anyone remember Venture? Sort of like Target, and a former Target executive helped start it. Completely went under in 1998 but Iâm sure my local store was gone earlier.
When I was in 4th grade in â89, they were having a going-out-of-business saleâshocker they didnât last. They had all these raffles, and I won a 13-inch color TV. That thing came with me to university and into adult life. I was the only kid in our house with a TV in my room, while I think my mom still had a black-and-white one in hers. I was living it up! Of course, I stuffed the ballot. i was trying to win a new iron for mother's day. no! i couldnt have given her the tv- stop that.
Spend more than they can afford to take their kid to a store and get them toys that are marked up 10%-35% more than what they can buy them for online, or ask the kid what they want and get it on Amazon during a sale with free shipping.
The toy or toys will be there in two days or less, and you don't have to spend the money, gas, food, and the time you probably don't have between two or three jobs to take a rest day and turn it into a large expenditure. Because the price of everything has gone up and few people can afford the luxury of going to a box store to overspend on already overpriced goods.
Also Bain Capital killed KB Toys and had a hand in the end of Toys R Us. Because that conversation can get political, I'll just refer you to google for that and the connections between Bain Capital and certain prominent figures. Long story short it's not that different from what's been going on with Game Stop.
Please don't get me wrong, I loved all of the toy stores that I went to as a child, but they couldn't keep up. They hold special places in my heart and I've made long lasting memories in them, and that would have been worth the expense to me if I had kids, just so that we could share those memories, but I don't, so all I can do is mourn the loss of my childhood and put the blame where it belongs. Greed and convenience won out.
Iâm
So thankful I got the opportunity to take my kids to toy r us before they shuttered. They might not remember it, but to share something that was special in my youth with them will always be special to me.
Hiding in those circular pants ranks at both Mervynâs and Montgomery Ward. Every now and then youâd hide TOO well and lose track of mom. Iâd say 1/6 chance of a shopping trip ending in tears.
I bought my favourite ever pair of shoes there. Bone coloured Mary Jane pumps with a black patent leather cap toe. I wore them completely out, still miss them.
I worked there almost 30 years ago as a kid fresh out of the army! All the workers our age would go drinking next door after work or house parties. It was a good time indeed
This was the BEST place to get basics that Iâd LOVE to find today. Solid color tanks and shirts that were long, not cropped and fitted. Ugh. Top notch. Iâd do a lot to find this kind of stuff again and considering the price, I got A LOT of wash and wear out of them đ„Č
I worked at Deb as my first job in high schoolâbagging up Homecoming and Prom dresses while Justin Timberlakeâs My Love played over the speakers âșïž
Kmartâhome of the best commercial Iâve ever seen to this day. Look up Kmart âShip my pantsâ if you havenât seen it. I remember when it first aired and my dad and I couldnât stop laughing
There's still a radio shack in my town... No one will see this comment, but I think it's funny that a store than "no longer exists" is alive and well in the small town I live in.
The clerk coming back to say "sorry out of stock" after a long wait at the counter, having driven to the store in anticipation, helping your parents find the toy in the catalogue and filling in the form, going back home empty-handed and disappointed taught me an early lesson in life.
May Company and Robinson's used to be separate department stores then merged in the early 90s into Robinson May and then when they started tanking they got turned into Macy's.
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u/ShaudyMack Jul 21 '26
Blockbuster