Sears Files For Bankrupty

A vanishing middle class, in the States here that I know of, is another large part for lagging sales in many industries. Now, larger purchases from wealthier customers will be more depended on, which is not good. Customers with less income can always be relied on to make necessary shop runs to buy basic commodities, spending most of their paychecks, pumping money back into the economy. Wealthier clients, once accustomed to affording their standard of living, have a lot of extra income that doesn't need to sit, not to say the money needs to be recklessly parted with. This is only an observation, not a critical statement.

Like Kmart, Sears overextended themselves too much in the early 90s, saturating their market and accumulating too much debt which would come back to haunt them for the reason you explain. Their financial forecast may have been too optimistic. I've heard some people say they should have focused more on what they did best, tools and craftsmanship, instead of branching out into other areas like the Martha Stewart clothing line in efforts to diversify their brand. Things have to be well made in Minnesota, with all that snow.

Interesting, I didn't know about Sharp suing to get the name back.

Ouch! Thanks for filling me in about Sharp. Let's hope the same fate doesn't happen to the "Toys R' Us" name, which is undergoing a current revival of sorts. One of my relatives, who grew up in Germany during the 1930s and is now deceased, first-hand experienced the brutality and cruelty you speak of, a Holocaust survivor.

Regarding America's post WWII situation, war-torn Europe and a great deal of the world was in need of reconstruction and the United States could meet the incredible industrial demands with a supply line which stood unmatched against overseas competition. The days of supporting a family of 4, with one spouse at home and the other working for a milk delivery service, are long gone. Another industrial boom needs to happen.