‘I’m sorry to see you go’
Sears shoppers bid farewell to Canadian stores on final day
“Can we get it?”
It was a rhetorical question meant to test their parents. The two young girls had already begun dragging the toddler-sized mannequin out of the former kitchen section.
“There’s so many dead people in here!” one said, referring to the mannequins strewn across the skid-marked floor, some dismembered.
And though there were no real dead people, there were certainly ghosts of Sears past haunting the department store’s brightly lit Promenade Mall location in Thornhill on its final day.
At the end of a three-month liquidation sale, Canadian shoppers bid farewell to Sears on Sunday with bargains of 80 per cent delighting those lucky enough to snag what was left.
Just $6 for a full-length coral dress that would normally run you $89. A wooden dresser topper down to $10.99 from $109.99.
But with boxes torn open and dust floating everywhere, the prospects for coming out with a bag-full of treasures were not so promising. Still, determined shoppers sifted through the racks of leftovers — mostly women’s denim, bras and summer wear.
Ann Petgrave, of Vaughan, visited the Bramalea Sears location Saturday night before deciding to bring her husband along for one last visit Sunday.
“I’m really sentimental for Sears, and I’m really sorry that they’re closing. I like the bargains, but I’m still sad,” she said.
“I thank Sears for what they have done for providing quality stuff and appliances . . . and I wish them all the best.”
While she spoke, two women had attempted to grab the clothes she draped over a rack nearby. Petgrave managed to defend her items, which she called pieces of Sears.
There was a hungry air among the customers eager to scoop up the best of what was left on the upper level. They searched to the rhythms of upbeat music and the periodic screeching of tables on the floor.
One man hit the jackpot, gingerly clutching an apparently unscratched small headboard that couldn’t have cost more than $11 on sale.
On the shelves, a smattering of much examined goods — mismatched shoes, crushed P90X workout boxes, large bras — left behind, perhaps never to be sold.
“It’s somewhat bittersweet. It’s sort of an understandable situation. As a businessman, I felt that Sears wasn’t keeping up with what’s happening online,” shopper David Orgel said.
His goodbye message to Sears? “I’m sorry to see you go.”
While the upstairs shoppers snaked their way through the remaining racks and long checkout line before the store’s 6 p.m. closing time, the atmosphere on the ground floor was much more sullen. Just the odd person strolled by, likely curious to see the remnants of the former appliance and kitchen sections. Brand name displays for home goods, from high-end Dyson vacuum cleaners to German appliance company Miele, adorned the walls, but only shrink-wrapped shelves and an assortment of store fixtures remained in their place.
For shoppers such as Suzan Martin, Sears was a staple for home appliances and furniture.
“It’s a sign of the times. Now I’m switching to, I hate to say it, Amazon,” she said. “I had to come and see it close . . . and say goodbye.”
And reminders of this were everywhere, thanks to large red and yellow signs: “All sales are final.”