Founded in 1892, Sears, Roebuck and Company revolutionized retail in the United States with its mail-order catalogues, bringing consumer goods to rural and small-town customers on an unprecedented scale. This innovation made a wide variety of products accessible to those who might not have had access to traditional stores. Sears played a crucial role in shaping American consumer culture and the retail landscape in the 20th century.

The founding of Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1892 marked a significant shift in consumer culture, influencing literary depictions of aspiration and modernity. Poets began to explore themes of longing and status as mail-order culture brought branded goods into the lives of rural Americans.