Sears Toy Shop Grand Opening

[Alpha8472]

I got an email from Sears announcing the grand opening of the new Sears Toy Shop in their stores.

I remember a long time ago in the 80s when Sears had a nice Toy Department. Over the years it disappeared for a while. In the 90s, I believe they had a small seasonal toy department during Christmas from time to time. At one time it was branded KB Toys.

Toys were my favorite part of the store when I was a kid. They might actually bring back customers by offering a large toy section.

I also miss the popcorn and Icees that Sears stores use to sell. The smell of freshly popped popcorn was amazing.

[Super S]

I think it had to do with location and store size. I don't remember Sears offering anything other than a seasonal toy department if anything. The line is starting to blur between what Sears and Kmart carry in their stores, toys are the latest thing in addition to tools and appliance departments. What is interesting is how some Kmart stores, which are located very close to some Sears stores, are still open.

[Alpha8472]

Kmart had always been a place for low quality discount store items. Sears has always had high prices, but focused on higher quality department store items.

The people who shop at Kmart fit into a different demographic than those who shop at Sears.

I think that Sears is taking a step towards trying to bring back customers with a Toy Shop. However, both Sears and Kmart really don't seem to be doing well. There is little motivation to bother shopping at Sears or Kmart when you can get similar items at other places for a cheaper price.

Sears needs some sort of new campaign to get people back into their stores. Perhaps some sort of sweepstakes or daily grand prize would work.