Sears has closed forever at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The official closure date has been moved up repeatedly, from March to February, and now to January 20. In a last fake-out, signs in the store Sunday evening stated the store was closing in five days. However, all merchandise minus a few rugs and fixtures was gone, and store employees said yesterday was actually the last day. Now watch and listen to the final minutes of this store's life, and the final closing announcement as Sears closed for the final time:
A bin filled with promotional materials included an announcement for the venerable Wish Book, once a Christmas tradition in American mailboxes each fall. Fast Eddie Lampert killed the Wish Book a number of years ago, but brought it back halfheartedly in what would wind up being its final encore i 2018.
Did you take home a mannequin?
ReplyDelete"Sears isn't closing."
ReplyDelete-Robert Dyer, January 13, 2018
5:33: Your comment only makes me sound smart, and you very stupid. Today is January 21, 2019 - I was correct in debunking the totally #FakeNews in January *2018* that Sears was closing in 2018. The year is 2019, moron.
ReplyDelete“Your favorite website posted a fake news story claiming Sears was closing, then had to retract their false report after Sears officials went ballistic.”
DeleteComplete fabrication.
So your report that Smashburger was closing in January 2015 was also #FakeNews?
ReplyDelete5:42: No, because first of all, it wasn't "my report," - I referred to a report from a highly-respected dining critic. Second, Smashburger was closing, but the landlord allowed them to stay until a new tenant could be found. In fact, one of my readers reported that he himself had toured the Smashburger space with a broker. Finally, Smashburger did close once a new tenant was found.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, you sound like an idiot.
I realize you are frustrated about my exclusive on Sears, but don't take it out on the rest of us. #scooped
"Smashburger was closing, but the landlord allowed them to stay until a new tenant could be found."
ReplyDeleteSmashburger was open for two more years after that - a bit more than just "waiting until a new tenant could be found". Sears was only open one additional year.
6:09: Maybe English isn't your first language - tenants were touring the space over that entire period Smashburger was allowed to stay. The landlord couldn't get a tenant, that's all. I know the truth hurts, but these are the facts.
ReplyDeleteFrom your photos, it looks like you visited Sears at around 5 pm yesterday. Why did you wait 16 hours to publish your story?
ReplyDeleteJust deleted a big fat lie comment, who claimed that a tweet by someone saying Sears was closing soon (wrong - it closed yesterday) was somehow the same as actually reporting the actual closure date (yesterday), and having video and photos of the closing minutes. LOL
ReplyDelete7:06: A) The potential audience is very low Sunday night, and B) it takes time to put videos and photos together, moron. I understand you don't get that, as a cowardly "Anonymous" bum trolling in a dark room in exchange for pizza money from the MoCo cartel.
ReplyDeleteDear Mr Dyer,
ReplyDeleteMay I kindly suggest that you simply ignore, and delete, comments like the ones above.
It's obvious that they are simply intended to irritate you. Don't let them! They will wither away if you ignore them, leaving you free to devote your time to the content of this excellent blog.
Those of us who care about Bethesda appreciate your hard work and are bemused by the extraordinary amount of time that some people dedicate to trolling you. They must be exceptional personalities.
None of the thousands -- literally thousands! -- of such comments merit a response. They are totally devoid of useful information. They will not be missed.
Ignore and delete. Know that you are appreciated. Keep up the good work. Deny the trolls what they crave -- your attention.
And to the trolls who are reading this - do you deny that you are exceptional personalities?
Everyone makes mistakes; the idea is to admit them and learn from them. You may see this as a way to save face, or prove you can retain respect. Sadly, it accomplishes the exact opposite.
ReplyDeleteShame it closed. The store was useful for outdoor, seasonal, electronics and clothes.
ReplyDeleteThat was a major entrance to the mall also.
"The store is now closed"
ReplyDeleteI've bought a lot of stuff there.
ReplyDeleteGoodbye Sears!
They were Amazon before Amazon.
ReplyDeleteEven had the auto center on site.
Sears is closed, and Kaldi's and Tastee Diner are still open. Funny how things turned out, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteDyer was witness to Bethesda retail history and brought it to us exclusively.
ReplyDeleteAmazing to hear the emotional farewell by Sears staff. Godspeed!
Robbie, it seems that you don't have a very effective technique for pulling a plastic bag out of its container. Hint - you need more than one finger to do that.
ReplyDeleteRoald/Rugby/Elm/Woodmont/Etc. said: "Amazing to hear the emotional farewell by Sears staff."
ReplyDeleteWhat, you mean those barely intelligible words on the PA system at 0:40?
Goodbye Sears!
ReplyDeleteHate to have to go to Home Depot now.
I remember when they had a huge electronics section- computers, TVs, etc.
ReplyDeleteI remember their electronics section looked like it did yesterday, all the way back in 2017.
ReplyDeleteThey had a better selection of Land's End merchandise. Now I'll have to go up to Frederick if that location hasn't closed yet. Forget the one at Lakeforest Mall...
ReplyDeleteI hope they found my keys I lost in there a couple months back. Friggin disappeared. Robert, did you grab them?
ReplyDeleteAfter my great uncle retired he would spend nearly every day at the Sears store in downtown Oakland. Some days he would go into the break room and have coffee or a sandwich.When new employees started in the hardware department he would show them where the gadgets were stored in the back. He was quite the gadget guy. When they announced they were closing the store one of the young employees him if he was going to get a job somewhere else. He laughed and said he never worked here! I just like their tools!
ReplyDeleteEddie Lampert, the next Warren Buffet said Jim Cramer...
ReplyDelete