Ironic, too, isn't it, guys? Sears was a big part of my childhood. It and J C Pennies were the "big" stores we went to when Western Auto, Woolworths, and Kresses, etc., or the independent shops downtown, didn't have what we wanted. I must have owned four of five Craftsman lawnmowers, and still have hundreds of their tools, and gobs of their appliances, over the years.
But now, Sears is in so much financial trouble. ((( I promise not to start in about what I think of analytical financial wonks who take over companies and try to solve their problems with "financial engineering" solutions, but the results sort of speqk for themselves, don't they! 
). The Sears nearest me - only one within miles and miles - is closing and having super sales over these holidays. I guess it says something about their situation that I have not even stopped in to see.
There is an amazing similarity to the story or "the rise and fall" of Sears and Amazon: Amazon is the Sears of the 21st century, and in large measure responsible for creating the situation that Sears - and Barnes and Noble, and others - can't deal with effectively.
But I just checked this morning to make sure: you still can't buy houses on Amazon.
But you can buy Mopeds and motor scooters (my wife's younger brother had one way back when, a Vespa of sorts). I was surprised. Probably only a matter of time until Amazon sells houses, too.
