The American Experience - Sears Catalog

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Title	:	The American Experience - Sears Catalog
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Wait, what? Fixing 6 meals a day? What is this woman talking about? @ 28:42 What madhouse did she live in?
Comment from : Karen McCarrell

Before Amazon there was Sears
Comment from : NIGHTFLIGHT VIDEO

The Christmas catalog with all the toys! My cousin I and spent hours making very detailed lists; page number, item number, description It was magic
Comment from : MotleyMiss

It was an amazing and magical book I spent many a day gazing into it Me and my siblings would argue over who’s turn it was with it My grandad actually ordered a two bedroom home from it and put it together where it still stands in Dalton Kentucky today We usually kept it in our living room but if I saw it in the bathroom it meant we was out of the good toilet paper 😂
Comment from : US Militia

and no ken burns no job pos
Comment from : Mark K

Every once in a while YouTube tosses me something "new" that I didn't know existed This is one of them Thanks for uploading
Comment from : Jason Womack

the sort roomlooks like Amazon sort center still today
Comment from : Jenna Johnson

Such a great video, thank you for posting this!
Comment from : A Ivey

Sears was the model Amazon copied except Sears paid for it with his own earned money while Amazon got FREE taxpayer funds
Comment from : Doree Kaplan

The illustrations were out of this world, check out the early ones
Comment from : Roberta Fierro

How wonderful it was to look thru that catalog You could get everything from a thimble to a house I grew up in the 50s near a small town in the country with a brother and two sisters Our greatest joy was getting the Sears Christmas catalogue Our gifts would most always come from Sears Most of our clothing too My sisters would cut out pictures of clothing for their paper dolls And visiting the Sears store in a city not too far away was always a thrill Especially at ChristmasbrI bought a lot of things from Sears over the years And even today 90 of my tools are Craftsman, my lawn mowers (3) and refrigerator are Sears It's such a shame it was allowed to fail
Comment from : fideau one

Great documentary miss these American Experience productionsback when PBS was really high quality WGBH a thing to be proud of
Comment from : Yod Iamyod

Lovely documentary Miss the Christmas catalogs In the early 1980’s I couldn’t wait to see the annual Christmas catalog My sister and I were given the catalog, crisp and brand new, a notebook and pen and told to write down the page and item number of everything we wanted Santa to bring us We cut out things in older books to make school projects and posters with throughout the year and dreamed about having this or that We’d look at our grandparents old catalogs and ask questions or hear a few stories about how this or that worked and how they used to love getting their catalogs or about items they saved up for and used “If you ever see one of those pick it up”…my grandparents were retiring when I was born so they had a lifetime behind them They always told me that they were too poor for more than dreaming while looking through the Sears catalogs
Comment from : Jessica

I miss the tool catalog as well 😢
Comment from : DDXY2K

My brother and I sprawled on the linoleum floor with a Christmas wish book, and with each quick flip of a page we excitedly chose our favorite item We went to a one room country school with a total of 18 kids, half of whom came from one family Most of the area high school valedictorians came from various one room grade schools, including two from my family
Comment from : Judy Fargo

Sear catalog was Basically the first Amazon
Comment from : Randy Morgan

I was a poor boy growing up in the70s me and my sister would spend hours looking at the Sears Catalog that was our internet
Comment from : Randy Morgan

When I was a little kid we couldn't wait for the Sears, Wards, JC Penny Christmas catalogs to pick out our toys These were the harbingers of Amazon The warehouses are gigantic spanning entire city blocks They're mostly condos now
Comment from : M B

I raised my 2 boys in the country in Ontario Canada , One year at Christmas time about 25 years ago I wasnt able to get to the city to get my kids Christmas presents so about 3 weeks before Christmas they spent days looking through the Sears Wish Book making a list of what they wanted When they had finally decided I ordered it all and picked it up at the local post office Christmas was saved because of Sears and even years after they were grown my boys talked about that year picking their gifts from the Wish Book
Comment from : shari

Amazing marketing Horrible morality Selling opiates Electric belt solved all problems I guess sears was laughing all the way to the bank even when children were dieing from opiates overdose He prayed on ignorance
Comment from : Mark B

The loud "background" makes it difficult to focus on the storyline
Comment from : Johnne Kochheiser

Jeff brezos stole the sears catalogue and digitized it into Amazon !!!
Comment from : ed serembus

fascinating
Comment from : maha77

This excellent video would be enhancement for a College communications coursebrAnd side note - I miss looking through Sears catalogs
Comment from : Cherloe

In its variety and offerings, it was the "Amazon" of the day, but ohoh so much better, and for so many reasons
Comment from : funwithFred

What an extraordinary program I'm old enough to have seen some of this part of America
Comment from : Hal T

52:58
Comment from : Aaron Ladner

0:36
Comment from : Aaron Ladner

Original air date: November 1989 per Wikipedia Thanks for sharing
Comment from : Gertrude Gerapopoliousness

As a plumber I remember in the 90s when I first came across a Sears wall mount kitchen faucet, I believe the actual brand name was Hobart They were nothing fancy to say the least, but those damn things were absolutely bulletproof, very rebuildable I'm sure they're all but gone now, nothing is repaired anymore Their kitchen and tub faucets were very popular on mid to lower end housing during the boom after world war II There's your worthless tidbit for the daybrRIP Sears
Comment from : Gertrude Gerapopoliousness

I've read more than once that the Sears catalog allowed Black consumers to purchase products that local jim crow practices made either impossible or dangerously difficult
Comment from : José Pérez

Great video but I cannot help but notice the overwhelming whiteness of this documentary There’s not a single image of anyone Black, Latino or Asian This celebrated catalog was so important to poor families of color in middle America like mine who felt judged and were often treated poorly in the shops in small-town America - and this was in the 1970s! The Sears catalog was where our family shopped for Christmas
Comment from : TED ZEPEDA

Wrapped a Christmas present with it on time 🎉
Comment from : Ronnie LaForge

Wonder if you could also return stuff you purchased through the catalog if you were unsatisfied with craftsmanship
Comment from : BHARGAV GAJJAR

I am trying to remember a friend had a Sears Catalog 1936 It was incredible what you could buy Over the years you could get a car; a house; a machine gun; just about anything except a boat I think
Comment from : grunt forever

I grew up in the,70s , my sister and I couldn't wait for that catalog ! We spent hours going through it! Good times!!
Comment from : Mary Ellen Shock

My aunt worked for Sears for 25-30 years in the Chicago office, she was a saleswoman, she loved it - at least that's the impression I got
Comment from : Mary Ellen Shock

The sears catalog is the Amazon of the olden days
Comment from : Kangaroo Funo

My cousin George was a Sears model for several years when he was a child
Comment from : Kate Van Houten

I recall those old Sears catalogs well Thick, heavy and so much cool stuff for a young boy to dream about Remember Montgomery Ward stores and catalogs too Anyone remember Lafayette Radio Electronics? An electronics specific company, that had stores and a catalog that I loved seeing as a kid, competitor to Radio Shack years ago And Radio Shack Sad that those places are all gone now Part of America now receding into memories and myth Kind of tragic really
Comment from : DeepForrest

Early 80s memories: The wishbook & Cheryl Tiegs modeling underwear Good times
Comment from : RW SCOTT

I like the letter to the catalog for them to pick her maid of honor 😏🤡
Comment from : Sue Dinkfeld

Christmas 🎄
Comment from : Sue Dinkfeld

it is interesting to look at the parallels of Sears and Amazon origins I wonder if Sears had considered expanding into online shopping I think of Amazon as a Sears of the 21st century
Comment from : M A#np

As kids we couldn't wait for the Sears Christmas "Wish Book" to come out We'd have the pages dog eared and marked so we could show my mother what we'd like for Christmas Different days
Comment from : Frozen Canuck

I remember a good catalogue up to the late 1950s was a text book, an eduction was often offered as descriptions of product With very few exceptions if you did not know about a process or product you would learn in a well written catalog
Comment from : Mik Mik

Could we or can we bring something back from the past ?
Comment from : JR Pacer

There is a railroad stop in Dodge City called SEARS The Sears store finally closed for good earlier this year
Comment from : Nathan Adamson

He was the original Amazon
Comment from : kelli coffman

This was lovely but the “music” was pretty nerve-jangling
Comment from : cruisepaige

The Christmas Book was the mail of the year😊
Comment from : Wendy Thompson

I bought my son the majority of his Star Wars figures from the Sears Catalog
Comment from : Margo

It’s sad that Sears is gone What a great introduction by McCullough
Comment from : Jennifer H20

Eat your heart out Amazon try doing it without computersbrI grew up in Papua New Guinea long before the internet in the mid 70searly 80s Not only would Sears send us a catalog, they'd send the goods Took about six months in those days, via ship but the wait was always worth itbrVery neat, thank you
Comment from : scofab

Sears sent us a catalog every christmas season and it didn't cost us anything
Comment from : How old are we anyway yipes

A sign over our old toilet paper dispenserhandle this with special careseems we ain't got none to spareif everyone is paperhogswell havetago back ta catalogues
Comment from : Ross Watson

When I was a kid in the late 80s and early 90s, the Sears catalog was still a big dealbrbrLoved that thing
Comment from : Onyx1916

I live in Canada My friend and l loved our Sears catalogues She and her husband would come over every Saturday The men would go off and talk about their ham radios while my friend and l sat at the dining room table and we would leaf through the pages of our catalogues with ohs and ahs We would buy bedspreads and Christmas gifts from the Christmas Wish catalogue Now, in Canada, Sears is NO MORE And my friend died in 2020
Comment from : Heidibee

When I was a young child, I witnessed some of our furniture being repossessed by Sears My mom was furious because they wouldn't work with her She told them that she would never shop at Sears again for the rest of her life, and she never did If only she could see now how the mighty has fallen!
Comment from : BK

The Sear's & Roebuck catalog was our wish book for ChristmasbrI'd spend hour after hour viewing the toys, boats, trains and such brtrying to decide what I could get for what Mama said was my limit
Comment from : Jerry Callender

This video, and everyone's comments here are so enjoyable and informative brThank you!
Comment from : Cheryl Campbell

Remember the man on page 602 Summer '75?
Comment from : MummyBundles Nichols

The Sears Catalog is were young boys went to see beautiful women in underwear if your dad did not have Playboy
Comment from : Blair Simpkins

I remember the wish book during my childhood!
Comment from : Teresa Kelton

Long before Playboy or Penthouse, there was the Sears Catalog it helped to have a Penneys catalog and a Montgomery Ward too Shame on me!
Comment from : Mister Whipple

We had an American family come to New Zealand and became family friends in the early 1960's I recall the wonder I had at seeing a Sears Roebuck catalogue that they had brought with them - absolutely amazing! They also had some things they had bought from Montgomery Ward, one was a 22LR Marlin bolt action 7 shot rifle I fell in love with that rifle and was lucky enough for them to offer to sell it to me along with a carton of 500 rounds of Montgomery Ward 22LR HP ammunition As a young fellow, that got me many, many rabbits, possums and even goats [head shot] The ammunition is now long gone but the rifle has passed to my middle son as a family heirloom What memories this has brought back of great times
Comment from : Donald Duck

The first thing you did in my family when you went to visit grandma's house was to flip through the latest Sears catalog as everyone catches up!
Comment from : Sara Haney

The parallels to Amazon are striking Both companies were revolutionary and wildly popular Send an order and get it in the mail Unlimited variety and even payment plans Bogus products offered but eventually weeded out Giant warehouses Both resulted n the demise of brick and mortar stores On and on And both were a part of the American culture and lexicon Will people someday feel a nostalgia for Amazon as they did for the S&R catalogue?
Comment from : Jim Krieger

Yes make me proud to be an American
Comment from : tycoon whibbey

I miss Sears where all my clothes and toys came from Sears sold quality made in USA and replaced anything that failed
Comment from : Ronald Schultenover

ANd now everyone in this is calledracist
Comment from : Kelp Farming

thanks for this amazing video
Comment from : Luis Hoffstadt

A TRULY WONDERFUL STORY/VIDEO AMAZING,,,,,, CONSUMER MACHINE, THKS CFW !
Comment from : James anonymous

I loved sears for so many years, between catalog shopping with the farm catalog, fabric, Christmas and regular catalogs, besides going to Sears stores Back in 1974 when I got my first job, I wanted a sewing machine so my dad took me to sears I was just starting to build my credit, and they refused me a credit card, cuz I was female That is what they said! My dad talked to them for a bit, and they agreed I could have one I have lots of good memories of Sears, as did my dad too, buying many things there
Comment from : Night Stargazer

Amazon is the modern Sears catalog
Comment from : Monica Fiore

Amazon, much?
Comment from : Aqua chonk

Amazon 2022 this is what Jeff Bezos is doing today:))
Comment from : Lamar Porter

What year was this produced?
Comment from : Ohlen Greystone

Hi I am from India And i love your work man to put this wonderful story on youtube to people like me to watch it How fast usa had changed and become very modern society today from Farm
Comment from : Arimart Akshit

When you think about it, Amazon has become the Sears Catalog of the internet age
Comment from : JW Rogers

I smile just remembering my grandmother always keep a book on the coffee table at her cottage I remember thinking how cool it was when we would go to postoffic3 to pick up the orders from the Sears and Roebuck
Comment from : Cecilia Villalobos

Sears catalog in the out house
Comment from : paul chamberlain

My grandmother tore all the pages of 'ladies unmentionables' from the Sears and Roebuck catalog before placing it in the outhouse for the men folksnope, no toilet paper back in those days!!
Comment from : PattiAnn

My stepdad worked for Sears as the manager of shipping and receiving for 40 plus years Growing up in the 1970’s, there were my 2 brothers and 3 step siblings, along with my mom and stepdad all under one roof Every fall, my siblings and I waited with anticipation for a copy of the latest Sears Christmas catalog that my stepdad would bring home We usually always got ours before any of our friends and neighbors We had so much fun flipping through those pages and dreaming of what we all wanted for Christmas🤗🥰 brDuring my college years, in the early 80’s, my stepdad helped get me a job in the Sears credit department, located in Jackson, Ms I worked summers, Christmas break and Spring break throughout most of my college years Eventually, the credit department was closed in Jackson and relocated to the Sears Tower in Chicago, IL when they added the Discover credit card I enjoyed working there and made enough money to cover the cost of my books at Mississippi State University every year, and to buy a few new outfits for the coming Fall Semester🥰
Comment from : Girl Paints Art

Sears and Kmart was my childhoodbrDamn I miss those days so badbrI tell my kids to slow down an enjoy life , please slow down
Comment from : dewalt 459

“But once the Victoria’s Secret catalog was circulated, they were put out of business” /jk
Comment from : E Nigma

It really was a wish book cause we never could afford to buy anything,but it was still fun to dream if that's all you had
Comment from : Linda Hollander

That background music is annoying ah
Comment from : Patti

One thing I will say, the Sears catalog was still going strong in the 1960’s when I was a child It was anticipated every year It was still a wish book, a window of dreams into the rest of the world My grandmother ordered from it frequently And last year’s catalog went to the outhouse to serve as toilet paper It’s the Gods truth
Comment from : Paul Ring