Sears/Kmart quickly disappearing

[EddieWalker]

Several times per year, late at night, I'll get a call from my youngest daughter. She'll ask something like, "Dad, do we have a router?" And I say yes. We have three routers. And then I'll hear her yell in the background "HA! I told you he'd have a router. He has three of them!" and I hear the guys groan and "No Way!"

Then she comes back on the phone and tells me "the guys" didn't think you'd have one of those. I ask if they need to borrow one, and they say no, they just were talking about them and they don't know anyone that has one, and I said I bet my dad does and they said no way, so I called you......... :laughing:

When I first read this, I though it was funny, but then thought about it for a second and now I'm thinking that it might be kind of sad. Growing up as a kid in the 70's, when Sears was the main tool store, it seemed like every dad had a garage full of tools, and a special place on their shelf for their router and router bits. Maybe it was just me, but I couldn't wait to get my first router and start collecting router bits. Of all the tools that the Dad's had out there, that's the one that impressed me the most!!!

 

[ultrarunner]

Even Moms... it was Mom the farm girl who built a workbench in the garage and shopped Sears at Southland ;-)

Mom wanted a Chainsaw and they were kind of pricey and big around 1970... she told Dad they were getting a chainsaw for Christmas... it was both their presents to each other and Dad said OK...

The Saber Saw, Chain Saw, Circular Saw, Hand Tools all belonged to Mom and she built all of our kid bedroom furniture with them... with tools all from Sears.

As I got older... I started receiving Craftsman tools for birthday and Christmas... even an Air Compressor which was a combined gift... painted cars and sand blasted with it...

 

[EddieWalker]

One Christmas me and my two brothers both received saber saws from Santa. I might have been in the 6 th grade, and they where younger. They where from Sears and the speed was controlled by a round dial next to the trigger. We also got a selection of blades that you installed by righting a flat head screw. We cut up my dads wood supply to build fort, tree houses and even dug a tunnel behind our house on land owned by the state that really freaked my mom out when she figured out where we where disappearing to. We also cut out 2x4's and 2x6's into toy guns that we would use to play war. I think we spent more time on trying to make them look as real as possible then anything else. I'm still proud of the Thompson that I created with a half inch piece of pipe as the barrel!!!

 

[MossRoad]

When I first read this, I though it was funny, but then thought about it for a second and now I'm thinking that it might be kind of sad. Growing up as a kid in the 70's, when Sears was the main tool store, it seemed like every dad had a garage full of tools, and a special place on their shelf for their router and router bits. Maybe it was just me, but I couldn't wait to get my first router and start collecting router bits. Of all the tools that the Dad's had out there, that's the one that impressed me the most!!!

Yeah, it is sad. None of those kids' fathers had ANY power tools of ANY use. Heck, they rarely had the correct screwdriver. I remember my daughter's first boyfriend's car died in our driveway. No click with the starter. He showed me the battery terminal cable that he and his father tried to re-tighten the cable into the clamp. All corroded and nasty. I took him in the garage and we got the wrenches and battery terminal brush and I showed him how to remove it, cut off the nasty wires at the end, clean everything up. We went to autozone and bought a new terminal and installed it. He was wide-eyed the whole time. But we got it done. I made sure NOT to disparage the work, as it was his dad doing something with him. I just said "There's a problem." And we took care of it.

 

[ultrarunner]

Mom's Craftsman power tools were metal housed... it was before plastic took over.

I was given a "Gold" Craftsman table saw with planer attachment circa 1960...

Not a lot to it but is super quiet and cuts straight...

 

[dragoneggs]

I'm thinking there are several contributing factors that are 'teaching' kids to not be DIYers. But it is sad because with the internet and YouTube there is so much more info out there than the last generation had.

1. Much more of a disposable society here in the US
2. People moving from houses/garages to apartment living
3. TVs, computers, gaming, and other stuff that promotes sedentary lifestyle
4. Desire for instant gratification and lack of patience to learn
5. Less job stability so more likely to have to move your residence (pack light?)

Just my :2cents:

 

[ultrarunner]

Many see processions as a burden and combined with a throwaway mentality the esteem for those that can fix and repair has fallen.

Lately... I have helped a few transition to retirement homes... basically, no one in their family wants anything they have... maybe a few things your could carry but that is about it.

The 12 piece expensive China... NO... Furniture NO... Aunt Sally's Crown Vic... NO same for electronics, appliances, collections of all kinds from Hummel to Cabbage Patch...

About the only thing in demand is jewelry, gold and silver and money in all it's forms... and Real Estate as long as the person doesn't have to get their hands dirty...

Tools go begging... often a neighbor holds a yard sale and what is left is hauled off.

Growing up all we had was hand me downs... including appliances... my parents never bought a new car their 40 years of married life... etc.

 

[Doofy]

Sweet Wife has her very own chainsaw and uses it quite often. Shot her own Moose, Bear and Caribou using her own 30.06. Now she uses a camera to shoot things. She mushed dogs years ago and repaired and maintained her own sled. She will probably get more use out of my tools than my kids ever would.

 

[dragoneggs]

Many see processions as a burden and combined with a throwaway mentality the esteem for those that can fix and repair has fallen.

Lately... I have helped a few transition to retirement homes... basically, no one in their family wants anything they have... maybe a few things your could carry but that is about it.

The 12 piece expensive China... NO... Furniture NO... Aunt Sally's Crown Vic... NO same for electronics, appliances, collections of all kinds from Hummel to Cabbage Patch...

About the only thing in demand is jewelry, gold and silver and money in all it's forms... and Real Estate as long as the person doesn't have to get their hands dirty...

Tools go begging... often a neighbor holds a yard sale and what is left is hauled off.

Growing up all we had was hand me downs... including appliances... my parents never bought a new car their 40 years of married life... etc.

The sad reality... and I got a lot of crap that someone is going to have to deal with!

 

[Diggin It]

I'm thinking about some sort of clause in the estate to order everything incinerated and buried on site. Nobody gets anything.