Despite the blustery 17 degrees F weather, the crowd began forming early at the Golf Mill shopping center in Niles, Ill. When the doors at the Sears, Roebuck store finally opened at noon, customers were welcomed with coffee, cake and brightly colored balloons. From Waikiki to Watertown, N.Y., crowds poured into Sears' 823 outlets last week to see firsthand the transformation of America's largest retailer. After closing its stores for 42 hours -- the longest weekday shutdown in the retail chain's 103-year history -- Sears permanently slashed prices by as much as 50% on 50,000 products, or about three-fourths of its...
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