Kmart shuttering its last full-scale US store

[TBoneTX 45,222]

(I thought we had a thread on this... )  And so it ends.

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Kmart shuttering its last full-scale US store

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Attention, Kmart shoppers, the end is near!

The erstwhile retail giant renowned for its Blue Light Specials — featuring a flashing blue orb affixed to a pole enticing shoppers to a flash sale — is shuttering its last full-scale store in mainland United States.

The store, located in swank Bridgehampton, New York, on Long Island, is slated to close Oct. 20, according to Denise Rivera, an employee who answered the phone at the store late Monday.  The manager wasn't available, she said.

That will leave only a small Kmart store in Miami.  It has a handful of stores in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  [...]

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/kmart-shuttering-last-full-scale-001525613.html

 

[TBoneTX 45,222]

A heartfelt column.

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Attention, Kmart Shoppers:  You're About to Become a Thing of the Past

 

[...] the gold standard — or the blue-light special standard — was Kmart.  That was the store that had it all!  Going to Kmart as a kid was almost an adventure.  Our Kmart initially sat in the heart of town, and it was where everybody would go for a bargain.

 

When you were at Kmart, you never knew when the next announcement of "Attention, Kmart Shoppers" would alert you to the next blue-light special, designed to draw your attention to a specific department where even more special deals awaited.  Kmart had food, clothing, and electronics, all at prices that were hard to beat.

I can still sing the jingle the store used to play over the PA system. "Kmart is your savings store / Where your dollar buys you more."  [...]

 

https://pjmedia.com/chris-queen/2024/09/24/attention-kmart-shoppers-n4932789

[Dashinka 24,466]

I thought they were already closed.  Regardless, KMart and Sears missed the boat as retail moved to a more online presence.  Sears especially could have been bigger than Amazon if they had continued to evolve.

[TBoneTX 45,222]

What bugs me is that we had a whole thread here awhile back that discussed Sears & Kmart, and I can't find it.  If someone finds a link, we can merge this thread with it.

13 hours ago, Dashinka said:

Sears especially could have been bigger than Amazon

They already had the gigantic catalogue, name recognition, and goodwill.  A crying shame.

[seekingthetruth 1,246]

Strangely, Kmart Australia and New Zealand are doing alright.  I've been to a few stores and they were busy, but that was Christmas time.  The stores I saw were in major malls.  They have a unique self checkout system where everyone ques in a rectangle in the middle of the store, but there are a lot of assistants.  Seems to work well and the line moves along quickly.

 

I assume Kmart U.S. licensed the name to them years ago and there are no financial ties to the U.S.

[TBoneTX 45,222]

5 hours ago, seekingthetruth said:

I assume Kmart U.S. licensed the name to them years ago

Perhaps so -- worth some research or asking ChatGPT.

 

I saw a store called Woolworth's in Matamoros, Mexico in approx. 2006.  It was somewhat similar to those in the U.S. that I dimly remembered.  However, next time I went, it was named something else.

[seekingthetruth 1,246]

On 9/27/2024 at 4:55 AM, TBoneTX said:

Perhaps so -- worth some research or asking ChatGPT.

 

I saw a store called Woolworth's in Matamoros, Mexico in approx. 2006.  It was somewhat similar to those in the U.S. that I dimly remembered.  However, next time I went, it was named something else.

 

They have Woolworth's in AU and NZ!  They also had Woolworth in Germany when I lived there.

[Dashinka 24,466]

3 hours ago, seekingthetruth said:

 

They have Woolworth's in AU and NZ!  They also had Woolworth in Germany when I lived there.

What is the name of Burger Kings in Australia?  I remember seeing those when I was there many years ago.  Same signage etc., but different name.

[seekingthetruth 1,246]

8 hours ago, Dashinka said:

What is the name of Burger Kings in Australia?  I remember seeing those when I was there many years ago.  Same signage etc., but different name.

Hungry Jack.  When I was there I think I looked into it and if I recall correctly, when they started years ago it was done illegally and BK sued, but they worked it out.

[Dashinka 24,466]

28 minutes ago, seekingthetruth said:

Hungry Jack.  When I was there I think I looked into it and if I recall correctly, when they started years ago it was done illegally and BK sued, but they worked it out.

That’s was it,Hungry Jack.

[TBoneTX 45,222]

41 minutes ago, seekingthetruth said:

Hungry Jack.

And there, along similar lines, is Jack In The Box called "King In The Box"?   

Edited September 29 by TBoneTX

[seekingthetruth 1,246]

2 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

And there, along similar lines, is Jack In The Box called "King In The Box"?   

I don't think this one would ever get made today!  A few unwoke lines in there!

 

 

[TBoneTX 45,222]

I will greatly miss Kmart.