- Only 11 of the more than 700 Sears stores remain open after the chain had to file for bankruptcy in 2018
- The Burbank Town Center branch reopened Sunday after closing late last year
- But visitors have slammed the “stained carpet” and “empty shelves.”
Ailing retail giant Sears has reopened its store in a California mall, but visitors are calling it the “saddest thing I’ve ever seen” with empty shelves and stained carpet.
In the five years since the 130-year-old chain was rescued from bankruptcy, hundreds of its 700 stores have closed, leaving just 11 remaining.
Four closed in May alone and it seemed like there was no turning back for the giant, but this month there was finally a glimmer of hope when they opened their 12,000-square-foot facility in the Burbank Town Center mall, north of Los Angeles , reopened.
But what should have been a phoenix-like moment of glory was dampened by visitors who branded the store ‘depressing’ and complained about its ‘dated and old’ interior.
Sears is known for selling a range of home goods and furniture and at the height of its glory it was the largest retailer in the US – before being overtaken by Walmart.
The Sears store in Burbank Town Center reopened Sunday after closing last November
Visitors called it “depressing” and said it was largely unchanged from before the closure
Rows of shelves stood empty, while some spaces, including tools, were well stocked
But discounters like Walmart created challenges for Sears, and the store faced even more competition from online sellers like Amazon.
Sears began to suffer enormous losses and was eventually forced to join a series of retailers filing for bankruptcy.
Last year, it closed its branch in the Burbank Town Center, leaving a hole the size of an anchor store to fill.
But the signage was never removed, leading locals to suspect it will make a comeback.
Then this week, Sears took to social media to announce its grand reopening, posting a photo on Facebook with the caption “It’s almost time Burbank…” and promising a “new concept” for the store.
But the reception was less than enthusiastic, with one person commenting: ‘I was hoping they were going to make the store a little too new with new carpets etc, but it looks like they’re going to do half as always.’
Another said: ‘Who comes here and why?’
Since the store’s “soft opening” on Sunday, some visitors have left less than satisfied.
Only two of the three floors are used by Sears, while the third is used to store mannequins and empty shelves.
Photos taken inside the store and shared online show rows of shelves standing empty.
One visitor said, “There are a lot of empty shelves, with most of the shelves lining the outside walls of most of the bare Sears, except for a few specific places like bikes and toys.”
Sears uses only two of the three floors for retail, while the third is used for storing mannequins and empty shelves
Another said: ‘Looks like it’s about to close, not like it’s just reopened.’
But not everyone was so negative: One man responded to their post announcing the reopening: “I’m rooting for you, Sears. Do not go softly into that good night, anger, anger against the dying out of the light. Fight for every customer, every dollar.
‘You have to start somewhere. People will predict your failure, interrupt them by exceeding expectations. Make those moments matter. I believe!
Another user said they were coming “just to reminisce.”
Sears began in the 1880s as a mail-order catalog, with items from bicycles to sewing machines to houses.
It began opening retail locations in 1925 and expanded rapidly in suburban shopping centers from the 1950s to the 1970s.