Sears Craftsman Display walls

[rktinc]

Does anyone remember the 1980 and 1990's Sears Craftsman tool display boards. They would mount the entire kits on display walls and show all the tools included in the sets. they would place them side by side so you could see the difference in size as you stepped up in price. The box would also be next to the display. They were incredible. I almost bought one but held off because my fiance' threw a fit and her family sold S&K tools. That worked out in the long run to my benefit but I wish I could find photos of those aisle of tools back in the day.

 

[Brandon_Lutz]

I remember those walls! As a kid/teenager, I would go with my father to Sears and just stare at those display walls and lust over the chrome goodness. I also remember all of the toolboxes being displayed right in front those wall displays.

At our store, you would walk into the door of the hardware section and you would see a wall with all of the home and garden stuff. On the other side of that wall was where the tool section started and that is where all of the tool displays were. When you would walk around the corner to look at the displays, you first saw the tool boxes in neat and tidy rows and then you spun around and there was the wall of tool goodness.

 

[Formula]

Back in the day, Sears really did things the right way with Craftsman. It's a shame they didn't evolve with the times.

 

[gearhead1]

Yes, I remember those! I always enjoyed looking at them.

 

[4xdog]

Those don't ring a bell, although I must have seen them many times. Any pix anyone?

The merchandising display I remember well was about ten years earlier -- late 1960s - late 1970s. The Sears in my small Ohio town had metal shelves with wire dividers, sort of like pegboard, with al the different tools on the shelves inside the bins those wire frames created. They were just about little-kid height. Great fun going in there.

 

[Brandon_Lutz]

If I remember right, didn't those wall of tools displays have drawers near the bottom that contained the tool bundle modules? I seem to remember if you saw a large set that you liked, you either got it out of the drawer or you told a sales associate and they got the module for you from beneath the display.

 

[MarvinBerry]

Hmmm... I worked at Sears hardware in the mid 90s & wound up assistant manager... I don't remember those.

Display board with the actual tools? Like the 300-400 piece box sets? Not ringing any bells.

We had rows of tool boxes stacked up on the floor yes... maybe posters like a flip catalog for the boxed tool kits? Honestly they were never a big seller in store. Moved a few here & there...

If someone wanted one of those they were never on the floor, we'd have to pull it from the back or package pickup. Only thing we had out that anyone could grab were blowmold sets.

Probably 1995 - 1999? Those were about my years.

 

[Finance Guy]

Hmmm... I worked at Sears hardware in the mid 90s & wound up assistant manager... I don't remember those.

Display board with the actual tools? Like the 300-400 piece box sets? Not ringing any bells.

I too worked at Sears hardware in the late-90s ... and no, I have no knowledge of the boards to which the OP is referring.

 

[Big Bad Dad]

Oh, I remember going to Sears in the early and mid 70's as a teenager and lusting after all the Craftsman tools displayed in those glass front display cabinets. Now, I probably have most, or all, of those tools stashed in my tool boxes or scattered around somewhere. Good memories, and still good tools. The newer Craftsman junk being sold, not so much. Last socket set I looked at, I ended up much happier with what I bought at HF....

 

[Kzoo_John]

I remember those, they were great displays. I think they phased them out in the early nineties. When they would change them they would sell the boards for a dollar a tool but you had to know when they were doing it since us employees would have them mostly claimed be the time the store opened. I remember one I got had a bunch of 3/4 ratchet accessories and a hacksaw. I argued that the blades shouldn’t count as tools and got 6 bucks more off. Still my go to hacksaw…

 

[Jim C.]

I very clearly remember them.………Macomb Mall Sears, just north of Detroit. You’d see the sets in the Sears catalog and then could go to the store and see each set of tools, side by side, mounted on boards under clear, custom contoured/molded, plastic covers. The largest set was always included and if you liked tools, it was a sight to behold.

Jim C.

 

[Kscardsfan]

I too worked at Sears hardware in the late-90s ... and no, I have no knowledge of the boards to which the OP is referring.

I started training at our local Sears the week of 9/11 and can remember the displays the OP is talking about. They had all the tools in a given kit mounted under plastic/acetate to show the customer what came in it and what it looked like etc. They basically did that to show all the modules, systems, building blocks, whatever you wanted to call it of the Craftsman kits that were sold in the store to let the consumer mix and match to fit their needs. The kids coming in heading to tech school and the GI's getting out or starting their GI Bill at the votech were the ones I remember looking at them most. As I recall they got away from using those not too long after I started there and we were told to cut the tools out of them and sell the kits on employee appreciation night or as open box on the floor. I wish I would've had enough money to buy a couple of them at once, but I got enough tools working there to where I had almost everything I needed by the time I hit college.

 

[ecotec]

You should look for some SK boards.

 

[Brandon_Lutz]

Hmmm... I worked at Sears hardware in the mid 90s & wound up assistant manager... I don't remember those.

Display board with the actual tools? Like the 300-400 piece box sets? Not ringing any bells.

This was in the 80's. I don't recall seeing them in the store in the 90's at all. So as someone else mentioned, they were probably phased out very late 80's to early 90's.

 

[Jesrf]

I very clearly remember them.………Macomb Mall Sears, just north of Detroit. You’d see the sets in the Sears catalog and then could go to the store and see each set of tools, side by side, mounted on boards under clear, custom contoured/molded, plastic covers. The largest set was always included and if you liked tools, it was a sight to behold.

Jim C.

Old thread I know, but Macomb mall Sears was my goto also. Sad to see it close. Even went the last day. I remember those display sets- I thought they were in the late 70’s and early to mid 80’s though.

 

[ecotec]

Old thread I know, but Macomb mall Sears was my goto also. Sad to see it close. Even went the last day. I remember those display sets- I thought they were in the late 70’s and early to mid 80’s though.

It was really depressing near the end… as was the Sears at Oakland Mall.

I remember buying a damaged bolt remover set for really cheap at Macomb Mall near the end.

 

[milkovich]

I worked at Sears and feel like I remember them in the 90's. The displays had a thick plastic cover vacuum formed over them and they were for the 200-400 piece mechanics type kits. They weighed a ton and were awkward as hell but you did get to see what you were getting vs. a poster of a beauty shot that made no sense. I don't think I've been to a tool store that's been that well merchandised ever since Sears shut down. It was just really well executed. Stores now are about as pleasant as your local jail.