Remembering Kmart....

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Yes, I picked this section of the forums to post this as I figured that we in our forties remember Kmart when it was in its prime between the mid '70s to mid '90s (with our childhoods/teen years/young adulthood spanning that basic time frame, with some overlapping). Otherwise known (or what used to be known) as "the savings place", it seems to have been frozen in time, and started a process of rapid decline since the mid-2000s. I've been watching videos on Youtube lately about Kmart dying (along with other well-known companies), and expected to be completely extinct (no more in existence) by next year, and vloggers' commentaries on declining Kmarts in their own localities as they record virtual "tours" through these "ghost towns" of the retail world. I myself haven't been in a Kmart of any kind for I don't know how long (in fact, the one in my town closed down several years ago, and the space where it was is still vacant to this day), so what I viewed in these videos is quite shocking. There is a really somber and dead feeling as these vloggers point out how dated the general atmosphere is, yet I still can't help but feel a bit nostalgic for this store which has definitely seen better times, knowing that I (and many others) was there to witness it.

Here is a thread for us to share what we remember about Kmart and discuss our thoughts regarding its current condition in contrast with the past.

So, here you go!

I am in Australia and Kmart here seems to be still going strong.. The local store is still open and trading ok.. I think it might be your US stores that are in decline and closing down? I don't know if Kmart is in other countries but they probably are..

 

[GeorgeJ]

As an adult, after they went bankrupt, and after Sears bought them out, the quality began to improve significantly.

It's the other way around.....Kmart bought out Sears:
Kmart Takeover of Sears Is Set; $11 Billion Deal

Kmart bought it, but kept the Sears name. In my area all Kmart stores have been closed and Sears is quickly going down the tubes.

 

[Neostarwcc]

Target is a slightly upscaled wal-mart. Not as wide a variety of items but you can still find pretty much almost anything there. Many of the items are slightly better quality, prices a little higher. The clothes seem to follow fashion better.

I used to LOVE Target in Texas about 20-25 years ago. They would put things on clearance at about 90% off as soon as the season ended. You could fill a cart with all kinds of stuff for $10 or so. I remember 10-cent gardening tools.

I see. Target sounds like a good store. It sucks that we don't have one around here. I think the closest Target to here is probably NYC (I live in New York state) and that's at least 300 miles away.

 

[Living Soul]

I'm still a Big K-mart shopper since I'm lucky enough to have one near me. Unfortunately, the state of that K-mart is fairly sad. The shelving looks really old. The floors are in disrepair and the products are all priced far over that of Walmart or Amazon. I usually only go there for bargains on discontinued items and to get away from the crowds at the other stores, since it's usually empty.

 

[WannaWitness]

Man, this thread is really hopping! I wasn't expecting this. I'm just enjoying reading about everyone's experiences and looking forward to seeing the links and info as I have time.

I myself enjoyed Kmart as a kid... of course, I had toys, games, and storybooks on my mind at the time and that's mostly where my toys came from (with the exception of a few dolls my grandmother handmade).

Taking off for now... in the meantime, please feel free to play this vintage "store music". It's an hour-and-a-half long, so you may want to bookmark it!

 

[~Anastasia~]

I see. Target sounds like a good store. It sucks that we don't have one around here. I think the closest Target to here is probably NYC (I live in New York state) and that's at least 300 miles away.

Ah, well they are fairly nice for that kind of store, but not worth driving 300 miles for lol.

I'm surprised there's such a large area they don't cover, unless you have something comparable. Maybe they will come nearer you.


I know I wish we had a Costco here, and I miss Trader Joe's. We had just gotten TJ and See's Candy (two places I really liked in Cali) in Texas, then I moved to Florida.

I'm not a big shopper (I actually do most of my shopping at Goodwill-type stores, looking for quality things for cheap I can use for sewing or making other things), but I miss having grocery sources. We can get cheap-but-not-good at Wal-Mart, or good-but-outrageously-expensive at Publix. Though a small bright spot - there is a cheapy store here that is very run-down but I think it must source a good bit of produce and meat from local and other good sources, since the quality is much better than Wal-mart and still cheaper. Selection is very limited though.

I think I retain the "gatherer" genes from hunter-gatherer. I tend to want to know WHERE to get things, even if I don't actually buy them lol.

 

[HereIStand]

It's sad to see so many of the old stores go by the wayside. They are victims of Amazon and Walmart. Movie theaters are probably next to go.

 

[GeorgeJ]

Movie theaters are probably next to go.

....as much as they charge nowadays, that may be good news!

 

[~Anastasia~]

I read an article and tons of comments on a local mall that used to be pretty cool, the dynamic fountains were a work of art. After a hurricane caused some water damage they just never repaired it and it cleared out slowly and was demolished a few years ago. There was much talk of many stores closed in the comments, which continued for years. Much nostalgia.

It makes me wonder though, what will exist on the roads? What will people do outside their homes?

We seem to have 10x (maybe honestly much more) of medical establishments, and lots of restaurants and fast-food places. Several main roads in the city have not much else besides.


We are a popular retirement area which could explain the high number of medical facilities. But ... it seems like a bad trend.

 

[Neostarwcc]

Ah, well they are fairly nice for that kind of store, but not worth driving 300 miles for lol.

I'm surprised there's such a large area they don't cover, unless you have something comparable. Maybe they will come nearer you.


I know I wish we had a Costco here, and I miss Trader Joe's. We had just gotten TJ and See's Candy (two places I really liked in Cali) in Texas, then I moved to Florida.

I'm not a big shopper (I actually do most of my shopping at Goodwill-type stores, looking for quality things for cheap I can use for sewing or making other things), but I miss having grocery sources. We can get cheap-but-not-good at Wal-Mart, or good-but-outrageously-expensive at Publix. Though a small bright spot - there is a cheapy store here that is very run-down but I think it must source a good bit of produce and meat from local and other good sources, since the quality is much better than Wal-mart and still cheaper. Selection is very limited though.

I think I retain the "gatherer" genes from hunter-gatherer. I tend to want to know WHERE to get things, even if I don't actually buy them lol.

Yeah, it's definitely not worth driving 300 miles for, I've never been to NYC nor do I have a car right now. Our mayor will probably never let a Target (Or any other store) come in if they wanted to come here. Now that Kmart is gone and we only have Walmart I don't see another store opening soon. We keep getting fast food places though. We just got a Dairy Queen last year and Dunkin Doughnuts has been here since the 50's. It took 15 years for us to get a Walmart. I've heard of Trader Joes are they a good store? I know they have a few in NYC.

 

[HereIStand]

I read an article and tons of comments on a local mall that used to be pretty cool, the dynamic fountains were a work of art. After a hurricane caused some water damage they just never repaired it and it cleared out slowly and was demolished a few years ago. There was much talk of many stores closed in the comments, which continued for years. Much nostalgia.

It makes me wonder though, what will exist on the roads? What will people do outside their homes?

We seem to have 10x (maybe honestly much more) of medical establishments, and lots of restaurants and fast-food places. Several main roads in the city have not much else besides.


We are a popular retirement area which could explain the high number of medical facilities. But ... it seems like a bad trend.

My sister and her husband have lived in Hong Kong. There the second floor of the malls offer all sorts of programs for young people. Whatever they're interested in or have talent for, whether it's art, music, or some technical pursuit, there are programs available. And it's all paid for by the government. Sounds like a good idea.

 

[~Anastasia~]

My sister and her husband have lived in Hong Kong. There the second floor of the malls offer all sorts of programs for young people. Whatever they're interested in or have talent for, whether it's art, music, or some technical pursuit, there are programs available. And it's all paid for by the government. Sounds like a good idea.

Wow that sounds very cool. So potentially the kids can attend something like that while the parents shop? All they need now is a third floor for the men. But seriously, I think that's a great idea.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Yeah, it's definitely not worth driving 300 miles for, I've never been to NYC nor do I have a car right now. Our mayor will probably never let a Target (Or any other store) come in if they wanted to come here. Now that Kmart is gone and we only have Walmart I don't see another store opening soon. We keep getting fast food places though. We just got a Dairy Queen last year and Dunkin Doughnuts has been here since the 50's. It took 15 years for us to get a Walmart. I've heard of Trader Joes are they a good store? I know they have a few in NYC.

Trader Joe's is a mostly-natural food type store, but they carry lots of brands and items at great prices (or did, it's been a while since I've been in one). I used to like the great variety of stuff they ordered in bulk and sold in small packages. IIRC they used to run really good specials on meats. They used to get a great variety of produce, sometimes for a good price. Ours had large florist/garden and wine sections too (I'm not sure if all do.)

But their greatest strength to me is that there are so many healthful foods out there made by some more obscure brands that are very affordable, plus their own in-store brand. Their label salsa was AWESOME and only about $2 a jar.

 

[Neostarwcc]

In order for growth to occur, the cells that were have to die for the multiplication of cells to increase the life form that is. For humans, it takes an average of 7 years for all the cells to die and be replaced. Of course there are organs that take longer, but as an average. This regeneration is why babies become children, children adolescents, and adolescents adults. Once the age of 21 is reached the changes of maturation cease, and maintenance through cell replacements continues in this average 7 year cycle. So a 21 changes to a 28 year old, a 28 year old becomes middle aged at 35, and so on. Because sin remains in the physical body, the maintenance in regeneration is slightly off, thus producing the old age changes in the skin sags, eyes dim, organs malfunction, etc. Eventually, if no other death occurs, natural causes of death means that organs failed because they regenerated incorrectly and no longer function correctly.

If Jesus never went to the cross, then his cells would have been perfectly re-created with no aging, and he would have lived forever as a perfect human.

Trader Joe's is a mostly-natural food type store, but they carry lots of brands and items at great prices (or did, it's been a while since I've been in one). I used to like the great variety of stuff they ordered in bulk and sold in small packages. IIRC they used to run really good specials on meats. They used to get a great variety of produce, sometimes for a good price. Ours had large florist/garden and wine sections too (I'm not sure if all do.)

But their greatest strength to me is that there are so many healthful foods out there made by some more obscure brands that are very affordable, plus their own in-store brand. Their label salsa was AWESOME and only about $2 a jar.

Sounds like an awesome store wish we had one. My wife said they only have them in big cities.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Sounds like an awesome store wish we had one. My wife said they only have them in big cities.

Outside Cali that's probably true.

The one in TX served DFW. In Cali we only had to drive down to Redlands.

 

[Neostarwcc]

Outside Cali that's probably true.

The one in TX served DFW. In Cali we only had to drive down to Redlands.

I see.

 

[Kenny'sID]

As a kid we did a lot of shopping at K-Mart.

I lifted my first clothing article, a pair of pants, from a K-mart, or was it Fields? Why? I have no idea, but a first and only time. Plaid bell bottoms... now gaudy as all get out..

They did/do have staying power though....Pic-n-save, all but gone, and JM fields didn't last long at all.

At the onset of Walmart, there were all the claims about how mean they were to run others out of business, but if they can do a better job and the proof is in the pudding...so be it. If nothing else, it's what keeps the prices down.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Our K-mart used to have an Icee machine. When the Pak-a-Saks went out of business, it was the only place to get one for some years.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

It's the other way around.....Kmart bought out Sears:

Wow, you're right. Sears bought out several Kmart stores. Then Kmart bought Sears. Then Sears Holdings took control over both Sears and Kmart. That's too convoluted for me. I'm no business man.

 

[JAM2b]

I loved Kmart when I was a kid. I got all my cassette tapes, makeup, and hair products there. I could browse the whole store for hours if my mother would let me. It closed down in the earlier 2000's.

I live in another state now, and there is one in a city about half an hour from where I live. I have only been in it twice. It does seem very retro, and the style and layout is very 1990's. It's odd because it has new and current things on the shelves. It's kind of a twilight zone type of experience. Also, as mentioned in the youtube video, the prices weren't that great. I can get better deals closer to where I live.