I have a confession: I like Kmart. It’s been 2 1 /2 years since our local Kmart closed its doors for good and I miss it.
It’s depressing when I pass the empty, vacant storefront now slowly rotting away into obvilion in my hometown. This photo is of a similar shuttered store in Texas. Lots of meaningless memories at Kmart, but nostalgia nonetheless. One of Kmart’s undoings has been their choice of real-estate holdings (stores were/are often located in kind of…less prime areas..it was corporate strategy to locate stores closer to urban cores, a strategy that backfired when urban cores imploded economically in many cities) . In my city, however, Kmart’s location was convenient.
Kmart has long been supplanted by the more popular Walmart, but no store chain should ever get too big and Kmart has acted as a clumsy counterweight against Walmart run rampant. Some other Kmart thoughts:
1) For me, Kmart evokes a sentimentality. When our family lived in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates there actually was a Kmart, although I am not convinced it was an actual company-owned store. During the early 80s there were a lot of “knock offs” of western companies in Abu Dhabi, including a friendly neighborhood McDonald. Not McDonald’s, but McDonald, complete with golden arches and fries but having it your way meant mystery meat and some other unpalatable dishes. Still, there was a comforting connection seeing the Kmart sign there and then having the stores back home. Even if it wasn’t an actual Kmart, imitation is flattery, so it meant the store had some cachet.
2) When I was a kid, our city’s Kmart was a bustling hive of shopping activity. Saturday mornings all the registers would have lines and you’d always run into someone you knew. Their school supply section was second to none. Over the years, though, the aisles slowly emptied, the store became dingier, the crowds thinner, and the merchandise dumpier.
3) I remember when Dad would pay with his credit card at Kmart the cashier actually looked up the number in a little paperback booklet of stolen credit card numbers. No computer database, a booklet! That was Kmart’s defense against fraud in the mid 80s. It was time-consuming for her to actually thumb through this book each time Dad would check out and its refusal to adopt computer technology early on that contributed to Kmart’s decline.
4) God bless my Grandmother’s no-frills food tastes. Hmmmm, breakfast at Cracker Barrel or the Kmart cafeteria? A no-brainer for her: the $2 egg and pancake special at Kmart. She actually liked it better often boasting that Kmart served the best breakfast in town. Riiiighht.
5) When I was in the grocery business a few years ago, I was doing business with Super Kmart stores (which probably explains why I am no longer in the grocery business). SuperKs (not to be confused with Big K) is the retailer’s attempt to compete with Walmarts and Target stores that offer full lines of groceries. I’ve visited Super Kmarts in Hillsboro, Ohio; Cambridge, Ohio, and Morgantown, West Virginia. The one in Morgantown seemed busy as did the one in Cambridge, but Hillsboro’s store was as empty as church the Sunday after Easter.
6) It was a pitch black night driving in curvy roads on the edge of the Adirondacks. I had just given a talk at a library in Hudson Falls, New York and I think I had made a wrong turn someplace and had lost my way. But then I saw a distant, glittering light and as I got closer it was…a Kmart…the most palatial, crisp, sprawling Kmart I had ever seen with a glass atrium rising from the parking lot and crisp, clean green lettering (an inexplicable contrast to the usual blue and red lettering). Never been to a nicer Kmart than that!
7) If you want lessons in what not to do if you’re in retail, follow Kmart’s lead. They’ve done virtually everything wrong, yet they still are in business (barely), which stands as testimony to what an iconic brand it is. Kmart’s 10 Deadly Sins is a surprisingly breezy, interesting read that walks the reader through all the years of retailing mistakes this chain has made and makes one nostalgic for “what might have been” had they just done a few things differently. I picked up the book a few years ago at my library’s annual used book sale. So after all these negative notions, why do I like Kmart? Nostalgia and an appreciation for the underdog. Do you think Kmart will survive or will it go the way of Woolworth, Montgomery Ward and Hills? Do you have any favorite Kmart memories?
Wendy
Apr 21, 2012 @ 16:05:45
Sorry, no empathy here. The last time I was in K-Mart I was so mad by the time I came out I nearly walked my little daughter in front of a car. That was about 20 years ago. That store is still in business, but I can’t imagine how – the parking lot is always empty. (I know, because I see it whenever I drive by on my way to Walmart, or Target, or just about any other store.)
Joyce
Apr 22, 2012 @ 20:02:15
Kevin, remember when you wanted to write a check at K-Mart and they made you go to the customer service desk to get it approved first before you could get in line to pay? That was so annoying. Our local K-Mart is chugging along. I do like the choice of Walmart or K-Mart when buying things.
Louise
Apr 23, 2012 @ 15:16:04
I like KMart so much better than WalMart or Target. WalMart crams its aisles full of junk so that you can hardly push a shopping cart through. Items are returned and placed back on the shelves. Buyer beware because you might get home to find your box missing an important component. Target is trying too hard to be ritzy. Too many designer this and thats. No, I love Kmart. Bright wide aisles. Basic necessities. Friendly clerks.
Gerilynne
Apr 23, 2012 @ 23:27:28
This is my feeling too, and I consider myself lucky that we have two KMarts here. I do not patronize Walmart – at all, ever. The clerks are rude, the stores are filthy and you can barely navigate the aisles. Target’s okay but the only difference between them, Walmart and KMart is their price tag.
Sylvia Betz
Apr 23, 2012 @ 15:42:05
I love KMart — but in Cincinnati, there are only one or two stores remaining. Not convenient to where I live. Remember KMarts predecessor — Kresges? That was a wonderful store where they had great clothing items for a reasonable price. I also miss Woolworths — it was a treat to get a sandwich lunch at their lunch counter. Woolworths carried all kinds of items — what a great store it was! I’m definitely NOT a fan of Wal-Mart — all they stock is junk.
Heather Dellinger
Apr 23, 2012 @ 15:50:47
I avoid Wal-mart at all costs. Our local K-mart was a pit. Our of all of their registers only two worked (I’m counting the customer service register in with the total.) They rarely had more than the customer service desk open. The store was filthy – dirty is too nice of a term for the store. They would leave pallets on the floor with items on them to put away. Two or three weeks later the same items were still there virtually untouched except for where a customer started to paw through the merchandise.
Their cash registers were slow and the key pads for your debit card/credit card, etc were either broken or missing completely having been ripped out of the counter. If you found an employee in the store they weren’t of any help. They were either too busy standing around gossiping or would walk away and go into the stock room to avoid customers.
I liked Woolworth’s as a kid and ate at their snack bars and restaurants but if you aren’t willing to change with the times the writing is on the wall.
Mala Wiseman
Apr 23, 2012 @ 17:16:17
I still like having K-Marts around, but they used to be much bigger and nicer. Here in central Arkansas, you have to drive an hour to get to one. I am not a fan of Walmart; everything is so mainstream/generic. I like having some alternative choices. It seems the K-Marts are barely hanging on. Doesn’t Sears own them now?
amishcook
Apr 23, 2012 @ 17:42:39
Mala, a Central Arkansan who is NOT a fan of Walmart?:) Yes, you are right, Sears now owns Kmart…Unfortunately, that was like one sinking ship anchoring itself to another….
Nancy LaLiberte
Apr 23, 2012 @ 19:09:09
We don’t ever shop at Walmart or Sam’s Club. I always loved KMart, we shopped there for so many things. Such as a single flat or fitted sheet, not a set, unique toys not found anywhere else, great health & beauty dept. Years ago, all three stores near our city were closed. Occasionally we’ll shop in Indianapolis, or in one of the two remaining MI stores near us in other cities. The stores do seem rather deserted, and that is sad. The Kmarts where we shop are clean, and the employees seem to appreciate that we are there. Last Christmas, we bought two basketsfull, shopping for a charity. We got the best prices on very nice items. Then at the register, we got two complimentary $5.00 gift cards!
Lynn Anys
Apr 23, 2012 @ 20:11:51
I grew up in the Detroit area where we had the mother store Kresge. We lost that in the 80’s. There are 2 stores left in the suberb area that I shop at when I go home. I live in N.Carolina in a 1 horse town, K-Mart was here but closed due to Wal Mart. So I have no choice in shopping for alot of grocery items. I would have to drive an hour to the closest K-Mart. I do on occasion just to get my K-Mart fix.
Heather
Apr 23, 2012 @ 20:34:45
How odd…just yesterday I was at the local KMart shopping for sneakers for my granddaughter. Her last 2 pairs I had bought at Sprawlmart (Walmart) and within weeks they fell apart. She’s rough on clothes and the like, but, that was just plain horrid….the souls literally fell off. Both pairs. When I got my circular in the Sunday paper, there were the shoes I knew would be much better for her. I dragged her *happily* bought her the shoes that she wanted and then checked out some summer clothes for her. I think there is more selections at KMart for kids clothes than Sprawlmart. Fun stuff that I know she’d love to get for her birthday come June. So, that’s where I’ll be headed to KMart to get her some cool summer clothes. (She showed me what she liked) Sadly, there were only 5 cars in the parking mid afternoon. I honestly don’t think its going to stay open much longer. I will miss it. I don’t like Target and try to avoid Sprawlmart at all cost. Note about Sprawlmart…check the expiration dates on dairy items…they don’t remove expired items, but, put them back on the shelves for someone else to hopefully buy.
Jill
Apr 23, 2012 @ 22:34:49
When I was a kid, we always shopped Gold Circle, does anyone else remember that store? They had a great selection and I always left there with a Coke Icee from the snack bar! 🙂 We also shopped Woolworths , Hills and Kmart. I will still stop into our local Kmart, but they are usually deserted and some of the other ones in the Dayton area have closed due to Wallyworld. I really can’t stand Walmart and all of there cheap junk, and will only stop there in an emergency. I also feel the same way about Meijer, I just don’t like the giant generic warehouse stores. I try to shop mom and pop stores whenever possible to support our local businesses!
Judy Witt
Apr 24, 2012 @ 00:22:38
I worked in a Kmart in south Florida for several years. I worked in various departments. This was in the 1980’s. Our store was fairly busy most of the time. I think the downfall was several things. For whatever reason, the store became dirty and even the public bathroom was always lacking toilet paper. It was embarrassing for customers to complain but you had to get a manager’s approval to put t/p in the bathroom. It had to be written off as a loss. We had a really nice eating area back then but that was removed completely when they “upgraded” the store. I remember the ladies who worked there were so sad when they lost their jobs. A few went to work in the main store but most left completely. They took out our layaway which had always been very busy, but have now reinstated it. I am sure they lost some business when it was removed. My son and grandson say many shelves are not replenished when they get low. They have noticed this on a regular basis. We now only have one Kmart in northern Palm Beach County, Florida which seems odd for such a large area. We had many recent closings of both Kmart and Sears. Our remaining Sears is located in a very nice mall here but seems dead most of the time. It just seems sad to me that these stores are closing when they used to be such an important part of our shopping needs.
Nancy LaLiberte
Apr 24, 2012 @ 16:16:57
And PS, Kevin,
One more thing …. your grandma seems like such a dear, I love to watch the pieces with her and Uncle Pat taste-testing. If she said Kmart had the best breakfast in town, I would guess we are not to question, it must have been good!
jodie from MO
Apr 24, 2012 @ 19:28:31
I also like KMart, we have three where I live, I prefer them to WalMart.
I buy all my tops and husbands shirts there. Also towels, bedding, etc.
My first job was with Kresge, when I was 12 years old. In the basement, guess they were trying to hide me. LOL
Dawn
May 05, 2012 @ 01:40:10
Just an odd coinqudink.My niece in Terre Haute spent a few years in Abu Dhabi-she has two kids with a guy from there who came to study in Terre Haute.