Oct 23, 2018 3 min read

The announcement, like the morning air, was chilling yet not unexpected early last week. Sears, the once iconic retail giant, revealed Oct. 15 that it had filed for bankruptcy protection and would be shuttering 142 more stores. Word came down less than two months after the struggling company said it would close 46 locations in November.

Sears Holdings, which operates Sears and Kmart stores, said locations earmarked for closure on this latest list have been unprofitable and would be shuttered near the end of 2018. On the chopping block are 77 Sears and 65 Kmart locations, where liquidation sales are expected to begin soon.

Only two Sears stores remain in Western Pennsylvania, and both are surviving for now. The good news for loyal shoppers from Washington and Greene counties is the location at Washington Crown Center in North Franklin Township has been spared. So has the one at Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield Township.

Lisa Eger, the Sears manager at Crown Center, was buoyant last week when she confirmed that her store would remain open. “We’re here for you to spend money,” she said, laughing.

That store’s status is an indication that it is profitable. Civil Knox, general manager/marketing director of Crown Center, said she had been told that Sears Holdings had done some redistricting of stores and that the North Franklin location “is one of the top performers.”

Lamentably, top performances aren’t the norm in today’s retail climate. And talk about climate change … Sears, Kmart, JC Penney, Macy’s, Toys R Us and Bon Ton – all viable entities in the past – have either filed for bankruptcy, severely downsized or struggled in recent years. Since 2012, Sears Holdings’ number of Sears and Kmart locations have plummeted from 4,000 to a little more than 500.

Fewer people, simply, are patronizing brick-and-mortar retail destinations. Shoppers, in increasing numbers, are buying online from inside their homes, at a lower cost and tax-free. They are saving money and the time needed to drive to a store, park and filter through crowds.

Regionally and nationally, malls are suffering along with individual stores. Washington Mall has been hanging on for the better part of two decades. Crown Center has lost three key anchors in recent years: Macy’s, Bon Ton and Gander Mountain. Century III Mall in West Mifflin has filed for bankruptcy.

Sears, in the meantime, is still operating in North Franklin. The company is like a kind, venerable grandfather to many individuals, a likable companion.

Sears has been in business for 125 years, and people of a certain age fondly remember how they looked forward to receiving its thick catalog every year leading up to the holidays. The stores have changed over time, but are traditionally known for their durable appliances, lawn care equipment and tools and comfortable, durable clothes.

Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail consultancy, told the Associated Press last week that Sears “in the 1950s stood like a colossus over the American retail landscape.”

That landscape is much different today – for many retail outlets.