NPR

Is This The End For Sears?

Once an icon of American consumer culture, Sears has slipped billions of dollars into debt.
A sign announcing the store will be closing hangs above a Sears store on Aug. 24, 2017 in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Sears has slipped billions of dollars into debt, and industry analysts are predicting the end. And Sears Canada is closing all of its remaining stores and laying off 12,000 employees. Sears was once an icon of American consumer culture.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with historian Jerry Hancock about the company’s better days.

Interview Highlights

On the role of Sears in American consumer culture

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min readAmerican Government
Bid To Oust Speaker Johnson Fails But GOP Turmoil Remains
The House voted overwhelmingly to set aside a motion by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to remove Johnson as speaker
NPR4 min read
The Dos And Don'ts Of Lending Money
What do you do if a loved one asks to borrow a big sum of money from you? Experts weigh in on when it's OK to fork over the cash — and when you should probably say no.
NPR3 min read
FTX Says It Will Return Money To Most Of Its Customers
FTX says that nearly all of its customers will receive the money back that they are owed, two years after the cryptocurrency exchange imploded, and some will get more than that.

Related Books & Audiobooks