No Sears delivery job too large or small for mother-daughter team

“Have you got a man to help you?” That’s a question Pat Smith and Crystal Johnson often hear as they deliver kitchen appliances and other items in their Hometown Sears truck. It amuses them, and the answer is no, and no man needed.

They work out of the Rehoboth Beach Sears showroom in Midway Shopping Center, which is fully stocked with appliances and other household items, everything from lawnmowers and refrigerators to beds!

Pat, 71, is the mother of Crystal, 41, and the grandmother of five children (Crystal and Michele’s sons). She is the owner of the business and truck. Her husband, George, took part in deliveries until he had open heart surgery two years ago. Now, he delivers tractors.

Their truck says, “Owned and operated by Pat Smith” on the door. And, “Open 7 days a week to serve you at 645-6277.”

Smith and Johnson are both on duty at Sears most days. Whey they are not delivering, they work in the showroom or shop. Crystal does the billing out of her home.

Last year, the two women had the shop open on Thanksgiving Day from 7 a.m. to noon. Then, they slept in sleeping bags in the shop and opened up again at 4 a.m. on Black Friday for sales. “We hope not to do that again,” says Johnson. “It messes up family time.”

Smith has worked for Sears in other places and started work in Rehoboh Beach as owner in 1993. Johnson has worked for Sears since 1994. They are part of the Sears family of stores and sometimes go to national meetings in as Las Vegas, Tennessee, Texas and other places. One goes to the meeting. The other one minds the store.

What’s challenging about delivering appliances? “Trying to put a 36-inch-wide refrigerator into a 30-inch space means we have to take the doors off the house and appliance to make it work,” says Crystal. “But, we can do it.”

Getting appliances from the truck to the delivery place is made possible with a motorized lift on the truck. Otherwise, “I pull,” says Johnson, “and Mom pushes.” Lifting heavy appliances over a curb is challenging but they do it. They are a team.

Women are not the only ones who can sometimes use extra support and information in buying appliances. “Sometimes, the wife has died and the man of the house is buying appliances,” says Johnson. “For example, he may not have experience in using the washer/dryer, or dealing with today’s ranges, microwaves and refrigerators.”

“We make sure that the men and women who buy our appliances have the information they need before we leave.”

Their deliveries can take them from Ellendale to Bethany Beach with stops in Georgetown, Millsboro, Milton, Lewes, Rehoboth Beach and other places. “We don’t go to Milford,” says Pat. “There’s a Sears store there.”

The two women put in long hours each week. Johnson usually has 35 hours per week. Pat works from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 60-65 hours a week.

Do they sometimes wish they worked for an outside employer? Is a family business with its challenges hard to maintain? What’s the plus side of working for yourself? Smith says, “We are a close-knit family. And, we get to spend more time together.”