It’s becoming a common story across America: the opening of an Amazon ‘fulfilment center’ hastens the end of local department stores, like this Sears in Sacramento

'It's like the death of a loved one': as stores close, retail workers lose out to big tech

'It's like the death of a loved one': as stores close, retail workers lose out to big tech

In the Sacramento area of northern California, an Amazon fulfilment centre came online last year, striking, it would seem, another blow to the local outlets of Sears, one of America’s signature brick and mortar department stores.

The Guardian spoke to Sears workers at the Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights who were told earlier this year the store would be closing down.

That Sears store and another outlet nearby in Roseville are slated to close by 15 July, following announcements by the Sears Holding Company in March and April heralding the closure of more than 100 stores.

Sahibpreet Otal, 21, major appliances

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sahibpreet Otal. Photograph: Robert Gumpert/The Guardian

“Since April, the inventory here is being handled by a liquidation company, so it doesn’t sync with Sears’ website. People might say ‘This cost $63 online’, but we might sell it to them for $53. Or $73.

It’s sad. Customers are coming up to me and saying how they’ve been shopping here for 40 years. Our older employees who’ve been here a while all live nearby. So, yeah, it’s rough.

What will I do when the store closes? I’ll go back to college. And apply to work at Costco.”

Yousif Al Ghazawi, 17, major appliances

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Yousif Al Ghazawi. Photograph: Robert Gumpert/The Guardian

“I got here four months ago and, my first day on the job, they announced the store is closing. I had hoped to make some money, to look after myself, to help my dad with the bills. But all of those hopes went down.

Later this month there will be an expo for other stores to come and interview our employees and see if any of us are a good match for them.

After the initial announcement, a couple of workers quit. One guy had been here 20 years, and they’d never raised his pay. He was earning $11 an hour, like me.

Would I work at the nearby Amazon fulfilment center? I didn’t know there was one. Yeah, I’d be interested in that.”

David Rottler, 58, major appliances

Facebook Twitter Pinterest David Rottler. Photograph: Robert Gumpert/The Guardian

“I got here in 1998 – 20 years ago!

But after 9-11 I was called up by the air force reserves and spent three years in Qatar. So I’ve been here parts of 17 years. I’ve been down here on the bottom floor long enough that I’ve pretty much mastered the art of selling.

This was a day we all kind of saw coming. There was the recession, and we never really bounced back from the real-estate crisis, and Amazon took off in 2011 or so. So I predicted this, but I thought we’d have a little more time. As recently as three years ago, this store was still in tip-top shape. But then the losses to Amazon really began mounting up. These last three-to-five years is when it really began to show.

How did I react when I got the news the store was closing? Well, it was my birthday. I got an email. Thankfully, we had already gone out to eat and I didn’t find out until the end of the night. And I was shocked … but not totally shocked.

I am retired air force, but I’ll still need to work. I will press on, possibly with Sears. Post-9-11, I’ve been thinking of getting into healthcare, so I could help people out. And there are opportunities with Gulfstream (the aerospace company). And I may just take some time off.

I live right here in Citrus Heights. I walk to work. I am going to miss that.”

John Ostermiller, 34, mattress sales associate

Facebook Twitter Pinterest John Ostermiller. Photograph: Robert Gumpert/The Guardian

“The tragedy for the community is a demographic one. People are ageing out. I’ve lived here more than 20 years; I’ve seen all this.

People are going online or going to specialty stores. So Sears is experiencing what every traditional American business is: there’s pressure to either enhance the personal connection, or it’s super-duper price-driven. I understand this because I worked in supermarkets for years, and the trend is either toward Whole Foods or, on the other end of the spectrum, toward Walmart. It’s a real polarisation.

Also, our being in the middle of suburbia is not ideal; we’re 20 or 30 minutes from the freeway, depending on traffic.

I recently completed my master’s in Asia-Pacific studies at the University of San Francisco. This store’s closure was both gradual and sudden – like the death of a loved one. And for me, as an aspiring academic, this is both a gentle push and an abrupt shove.”

Denise Khalidy, 60, optician at Sears Optical

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Denise Khalidy. Photograph: Robert Gumpert/The Guardian

“Our parents shopped at Sears, as did our parents’ parents. So it’s real sad. This is an old store, and most Sears are old.

I’ve been here, I don’t even know how many years. I’ve lost count. More than 20. It’s my home away from home. And it’s hard to find another home, especially when you get older.

This store is closing because of – what do you call it? – Amazon. People shopping online. But this store was in the black! Our lease was not renewed; Sears did not own this building, it sold it and was leasing it back. And now I bet they’re gonna tear it down.

Our last day here is June 23 and our last selling day is the ninth. And, on top of that, we were ripped off the other night. Two guys got our Oakley and Ray-Ban frames, like, 76 of them. They’re worth like $170 to $200 a frame; that’s about $14,000.

It’s just the icing on the cake. What a punch in the gut.

[To her colleague at the watch repair desk across the way] What’s going to happen to your big clock there? [‘It’ll go to another store. Maybe,’ is the response.]

I use that clock for all my clients. After they put on their glasses, I ask them, ‘Can you see that clock? What time is it?’ It’s sad: the kids, they don’t know how to tell time on an analogue clock.”

Rhiannon, 29, home improvement

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Rhiannon (no family name given). Photograph: Robert Gumpert/The Guardian

“I go around the store talking to people about improvements in their home – roofs, bathrooms, kitchens – and set up appointments. I am the only person in the store doing this.

After this store closes, I am going to be reassigned to either the Arden Fair mall or our outlet at McClellan air force base.

How do I feel about that? If they put me at McClellan, it’ll be more convenient for me than it is now.”

Edita Parnell, 65, jewellery counter

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Edita Parnell. Photograph: Robert Gumpert/The Guardian

“I have been here 10 years. I work part-time. I was at the DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles] for 38 years. I love it here.

After this? I got an offer. From Sam’s Jewelers, here in the mall. But I want a break. After 10 years I want a break. I volunteer at Casa Garden, which benefits the Sacramento Children’s Home. My husband is a master gardener at UC Davis. We are going to do some gardening. And I have two sons who are doctors – a surgeon in Texas and an ear-nose-throat specialist in West Virginia. I am going to do some travelling.

Look, I don’t want to shop on the internet; I want to put my hands on the materials. A lot of people are like that. Especially our older customers. They know us. They are our regulars. They don’t like change. They are not computer-literate.

A lot of my colleagues are looking for full-time jobs. So it’s sad for the customers. And it’s sad for us.”

This week Guardian Cities takes a deeper look at the relationship between tech and US cities, asking whether tax giveaways are worth the cost. Join the discussion on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and explore the series here

