logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2017
37m 8s

How did the Sears catalog take over the ...

iHeartPodcasts and Kaleidoscope
About this episode

Both companies started as innovative retailers-- shops without storefronts. But is Amazon unintentionally following Sears' path 100 years later? Will and Mango explore the genius and pitfalls of the early Sears business, while sorting through the weirdest products in the celebrated catalog.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Oct 10
Why did Venus Flytraps Develop a Taste for Meat?
From plants that eat rats and frogs, to the strange reason bats curl up in pitcher plants, Will and Mango explore the eerie world of carnivorous plants. This episode originally aired on November 9, 2018. Got a question you’d like us to answer? A rabbit hole you think we should ex ... Show More
35m 2s
Oct 7
The Mystery of the Missing Tintin Plays
It’s the second episode of our two-part series about Tintin! Today Gabe and Mango look beyond the books to discuss Tintin adaptations, including Steven Spielberg’s hit movie (which was forever changed by a random encounter in a grocery store) and two long-lost stage plays co-auth ... Show More
34m 6s
Oct 3
What’s the Best Day of the Week?
We all know which day Garfield hates. But what’s the best day to avoid a bank robbery? And when can you get the freshest sushi? And why are there seven days in a week, anyway? Will and Mango dive into your calendars, and emerge with some pretty surprising answers. Featuring autho ... Show More
39m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2017
The Circuit City Story Part 2
Once the Wards Company, Circuit City really established its identity decades after it was founded. How did the company grow and ultimately die, and what comes next? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf ... Show More
51m 36s
Aug 2019
How Amazon Charmed Wall Street
When Amazon became a publicly traded company in 1997, it was losing money. And it wouldn’t turn a profit for years. So how did it convince Wall Street to do something unprecedented: Turn a blind eye to profit? And how did that help Amazon become one of the world’s most valuable c ... Show More
37m 27s
Aug 2023
TechStuff Classic: The Circuit City Story Part 2
Once the Wards Company, Circuit City really established its identity decades after it was founded. How did the company grow and ultimately die, and what comes next?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
51m 42s
Apr 2020
Amazon vs Walmart - There’s No Business Like Shoe Business | 4
Walmart finally decides to focus aggressively on its e-commerce division, but struggles with the best way to use the internet to reach consumers. They decide their best strategy is to buy up successful online retailers. Unbeknownst to Walmart, Amazon, which is looking to move int ... Show More
22m 25s
Oct 2021
The House that Came in the Mail Again
The Sears & Roebuck Mail Order Catalog was nearly omnipresent in early 20th century American life. By 1908, one fifth of Americans were subscribers. Anyone anywhere in the country could order a copy for free, look through it, and then have anything their heart desired delivered d ... Show More
33m 6s
Feb 2020
“🎢Baby Yoda’s baby daddy just retired” — Disney’s CEO quits. Shake Shack is behind. Amazon’s 2nd software profit puppy.
Out of nowhere, Disney’s legendary CEO Bob Iger is stepping down — and the new guy isn’t necessarily the right guy. Shake Shack’s shares plummeted 14% because it’s basically given up on innovation and is acting like a teenager. And Amazon will start licensing its human-less groce ... Show More
18m 55s
Jun 2024
JCPenney Sells Out with Joel Kim Booster and Scott Seiss | 39
When JCPenney, the 100-year-old department store, decided to rebrand in 2011, they sought the best in the biz to give them a makeover. Enter Ron Johnson, the affable retail genius behind the Apple Store. Hailed as a techy visionary, Johnson was supposed to reinvent the brand. Ins ... Show More
49m 2s
Sep 2018
The House that Came in the Mail
The Sear & Roebuck Mail Order Catalog was nearly omnipresent in early twentieth century American life. By 1908, one fifth of Americans were subscribers. At its peak, the Sears catalog offered over 100,000 items on 1,400 pages. It weighed four pounds. The Sears catalog tells the t ... Show More
32m 11s
Jun 2020
D'où vient le nom d'Amazon ?
Le fondateur de l'entreprise Jeff Bezos n'a pratiquement rien laissé au hasard. Amazon ne s'appelait pas ainsi lors de sa création en 1994. Le site internet vendait alors uniquement des livres par correspondance et pour les consommateurs cela avait un petit coté "magique", le e-c ... Show More
2m 21s
Jul 2019
The Rise of Amazon
Examine how the biggest tech companies rose to power, and what they're doing with that power. In season one, The Rise of Amazon, Recode's senior commerce correspondent Jason Del Rey traces how Jeff Bezos transformed Amazon from an online bookseller to one of the largest companies ... Show More
2m 42s