End of a retail era: Sears Canada closes remaining stores

Sears stores close for the last time From CTV Kitchener's Maleeha Sheikh: Shoppers snagged some deep discounts on Sears' last day.

Sears Canada stores closed for the last time Sunday.

All of the retailer’s remaining locations offered shoppers deep discounts for leftover merchandise and store fixtures.

“I got a dress for a $1.70,” said Kitchener shopper Barbara Amorim. “We got comforters for $1.99, notebooks for 80 cents. So pretty good.”

Others found bare shelves.

“There wasn’t really anything left,” said Dowain Whitely.

Many talked about a sense of loss.

Doreen Olienick has been shopping at Sears for forty years.

“I’m really sad about it all. That it has to close.”

Former employees were also feeling emotional.

“We had regular people that would come on a regular basis and shop with us and ask for us by name,” said Karen Wells.

Sears declared bankruptcy last year and announced its plan to liquidate all remaining stores and lay off thousands of employees.

Store sales began in October.

Some stores, including the one at the Cambridge Centre, closed before the end of the year.

Kitchener and Stratford’s stores were just two of the 130 that stayed open until the end.

Some shoppers said they weren’t surprised the former retail giant closed its doors.

“They just weren’t up to certain shopping sites like Amazon,” said Whitely.

“A lot of the online shopping is catered to the younger population,” said Amorim. “Sears caters to the older population with the furniture, and the home accessories and the clothing.”

Sears opened its first Canadian store in Stratford in 1953.