Sears: An Island Tradition For 69 Years
Jan Stallings of Sears says one of the company’s strengths is that so many local employees have worked for Sears for decades and they take pride in offering their neighbors great service.
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I remember the great popcorn at 10 cents a bag, the first escalator in the Islands installed at the Beretania store, and the P.A. announcements of lost kids preceded by a three-tone chime. At Christmas time, there was jolly ol’ St. Nick with rosy cheeks and a big opu greeting shoppers from a throne and the town’s most elaborate decorations adorning the store. This was Christmas wonderland for all.
Merchandise manager Asakura recaps other Sears milestones.
Sears opened its first store on Oct. 11, 1939, at the corner of Kapiolani Boulevard and Kamakee Street, where a Public Storage building now stands. It was a catalog store that displayed appliances and automotive products. First store manager was a retired Army colonel, M.C. Mumma, who ended his morning meetings with “Head ‘em up- move ‘em out!”
On Dec. 8, 1941, the week of the Pearl Harbor bombing, Sears opened a retail store on Beretania Street. The 105,615-square-foot parcel cost $100,000, and the building was $500,000. The store featured the island’s first escalator.
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A little-known fact was that there was a “lake” on the roof of the building, 1 acre in size, 6 inches deep. This rooftop lake was used to augment the store’s air conditioning system. It was stocked with tilapia, and any kid who purchased an aquarium was given a couple of fish from the lake.
The Ala Moana store opened on Aug. 13, 1959, with two floors totaling 250,000 square feet, 52 departments, and 1,200 employees. This was an exciting time for Hawaii with a new shopping center, statehood, the arrival of the first jet planes and the resultant tourism boom.
Other key events through the years included opening service centers on Colburn and Paa streets, developing the Pearlridge store in 1974, establishing a massive distribution center in Pearl City; and expanding to the Neighbor Islands. Sears Kaneohe moved from Windward Shopping Center to Windward Mall in 1982 and is a major anchor for this regional center.
Each district staffer started in the retail game as a seasonal or after-school hire. Several continued part-time employment through college and made Sears a full-time career when graduating as business or merchandising majors.
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Wilson states, “The staff here has kept Sears Hawaii relevant.”
Stallings adds, “Having quality products with enduring brand names. Great prices, great value and knowledgeable associates who are focused on the customer ... that’s the Sears tradition.”
Ogata and Ishikawa also point to “catering to local needs,” “being market oriented” and having lasting relationships with 50-60 local vendors from whom Sears buys goods.
Ishikawa observes, “One of the reasons J.C. Penney went out of business here is that it disbanded its district office. It affected market focus.”
Kurano was one of those wandering kids who once got lost at the Beretania store. Now operations manager of Sears, he touts the company’s stability due to product warranties and guarantees.
“And don’t forget the service,” Kawakami chimes in. In the automotive department, he hails Sears’vehicle maintenance and installation services. “Plus we have the largest collection and assortment of name-brand tires in the state.”
Leave it to a car guy to toot his own horn.
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Sears built its reputation on the basic premise of “customer satisfaction or your money back.” Its house brands - Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and now others - have lured customers into the store generation after generation.
Asakura sees that played out in his department almost daily. If dad bought a washer at Sears, it’s likely that his son will come to see the same salesman to make a similar purchase. And that son’s son will be in years later.
Stallings says in a word that’s “trust.” And in business, it is the most precious commodity on the shelf.
And there’s no place for complacency.
Kurano asserts that despite their best efforts, competition is always a factor. It never takes a holiday.
“Competition has changed,” he reflects. “Liberty House has morphed into Macy’s. Penney’s is no longer in the market. Ward’s gone; so is Gem. Now we have big-box discounters.
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“But Sears has stood the test of time. Longevity is our asset,” he says.
It might also help that Sears, while being a “Mainland brand,” has a 360,000-square-foot warehouse in Pearl City just packed with inventory.
“There’s lots of merchandise in stock, and that’s important to customers,” says the group.
Sears has always been around. Over the years, it has been challenged and battered by trendy upstarts, changing demographics in the marketplace, price-conscious consumers with a mixed plate of retail choices, and what some call its own inertia in shaking a time-worn, stodgy image.
But it continues to be a force. Nationally, it is the fourth largest retailer with more than $50 billion in annual revenues. It is the leading home appliance retailer in North America and retail sales leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics, and auto repair and maintenance.
If you haven’t been to Sears in a while, it might be time to rediscover it. There are many changes in product offerings and brands, such as contemporary Land’s End, LL Kool J and Structure.
The holiday season is a fun time to make that store visit, like on Family Night, Sunday, Nov. 16, 6 to 9 p.m. The six stores are dressed in their holiday finest, and advertised and unadvertised specials abound in every aisle.
While there, you can share your holiday spirit with the Heroes at Home program. Through Dec. 25, Sears, in cooperation with Rebuilding Together and the USO, is raising $112,000 to help military families.
Seems like there is a lot at Sears to warm up district manager Stallings this winter. She won’t miss the snow.
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