The Decline of Kmart...What Happened? 

Hot Cosby Same, at least they can put in a little effort.

i said convenience store, but i know exactly what you mean. bloated up convenience store. they need a remodel and new store smell. cause the smell is what i hate the most.

I worked for both of those companies and there is a good reason it feels depressing. Imagine working at Sears and you get a raise based off evaluation... At a department store! And the best you can get is a Quarter. Yet people hired off the street make more money because the company doesn't bump older employees up in pay if the scale has changed..... Which in turn gets people breaking things or stealing a lot. Or just not caring about their job. And can you really blame them?

Hot Cosby honestly

when Walmart is the sketchy gas station though lol

yes i remember that too

@@coresung5954 bruhhhh you right

Oh yeah I remember Walmart giving kids stickers before they leave

Our Kmart had little cesars pizza

Our Walmarts in North Dakota have Subway's but yeah that's about it

Marshall Mi?

Imagine being like "I'd never buy clothes from KMart, but man, they have the best weed in town!"

Same,My Kmart was surprisingly much well-maintained and didn't have the greentext thing company man said. It's Nathan's Hot Dog store however wasn't open.

They stay open because the rents are surprisingly cheap in most strip malls for the large retailer. You need a big box store in the strip mall to bring in traffic for the liquor store, pizza place etc that they share the strip mall with. They usually charge the big box stores close to nothing and make their money on the smaller stores in the lot It makes sense if you think about it, think about your big big store/super market strip mall. Would you ever go there at all if it wasn’t for the big lot store/supermarket ?

that's how the one in my town was up until they closed in Jan of 2020. Parking lot was borderline destroyed and a car dealership used half of their lot for used cars. Place felt like a capsule of the early 2000s and I remember so many nights going to it when I was a kid.

I worked for Kmart from 1975 until 1996 THAT COMPANY SUCKS, One of the happiest days of my life is when they went belly up . The stories I could tell ! Stayed that long bc they were basically the only game in town and after a certain amount of years I just didn’t want to start over . They treated a lot of people like 💩

@@siriusstar99tell some stories!

This sounds alot like when I worked for Toys R us in 2013

​@@PoorlyDoneGamingI think a lot of companies initially facing a downturn do these knee-jerk reactions that seem like a good short term solution, but just contributes to the downward spiral

It funny when people think they know what they are talking about

Depressed vore

I agree. The last time I went in there was in 2013. It was depressing and obvious that the company was going off the deep end.

it’s been ten years since I been there.

The whale blubber would be in cosmetics💄

i feel like Some would go further and say that being a participant in 21st Century Late-Stage Capitalism is like being inside of the belly of a dying whale. And half of us haven't even accepted or want to accept that the poor damn thing has been pulse-less for a while now.

then jet.com happened to amazon

Gavin Hooker wtf is jet .com

Video Game Montage superior.com happened to k mart😒

Video Game Montage Wal-Mart's personal attempt at fighting off Amazon's shipping competition. I think they coughed up $3Billion to acquire it if I recall correctly. If you order from Wal-Mart, Jet.com will ship it.

Then Gamefly happend to Amazon

Happiness - Depression

K Mart was never depressing. And they had merchandise that Wal Mart and Target still doesn't carry. It's too bad they went out. But Wal Mart and Target will fail eventually since they're always out of anything you'd expect them to have in recent years (2022). Macy's, the old one from the early 20th century on the other hand is gaining ground. Macy's should reopen K Mart. Together, they would put these overrated Wal Marts and Targets out of business..

@@wesleycook7687 K-mart definitely had a better selection of certain things...not everything. I don't even bother with Target or Wal-mart now as they stopped carrying a lot of stuff I used to go there for (I didn't WANT to go there, but everything else was out of business) Now I just get everything on amazon...Target and Wal-mart can go belly up too for all I care.

It’s a shame. I have fond memories of getting an Icee and looking at toys. In the 70’s, Kmart was a giant here. I didn’t even know Walmart existed before about 1984.

Wow, walmart had great& different stuff inside the store, metri detroit we had meijer department store too

I worked at Kmart during highschool and loved my job. Worked in layaway and announced some Blue Light Specials. It was always the best place to get jewelry. I miss Kmart 😔

Thank you for your service :))

Adriane Halaby I announced blue light specials too. It was the highlight of my shift lol

Kmart shutdown here in my area just 1 or 5 months ago. Update: now something else is being constructed there. Probably another small mall or something like that.

My towns Kmart closed like 4 years ago. Rip Kmart :(

it makes me slightly uncomfortable

it upset me deeply

I hear it said like that and say it all the time

It makes more sense than saying two thousand and four or one thousand nine hundred and ninety nine

@@Zoidberg420 If anybody ever says 1999 as one thousand nine hundred ninety nine I'm staying tf away from them

K-Mart killed itself. Walmart and Target were just there to resp the benefits of the demise.

The only direction they were willing to evolve was trying to mimic the competitors. Every time we had a meeting, it was about how Walmart was doing things like this, and Target was doing things like that, they just wanted us to try to copy everything. Even as a teenager working there in 1996 I saw things faltering, as they had given up innovating entirely.

Walmart and Target didnt kill Kmart. Kmart killed itself by not keeping up and evolving.

It's only 3 left now🤦🏾‍♂️

Kmart killed itself by spending too much and too fast to expand, instead of trying to update.

Yep. My local K-Mart closed in late 2013 or 2014 and even then it felt pretty outdated. I don't know why but the few memories I have of it, it always reminded me of an old office that hadn't had much maintenance done in years. I seem to remember everything being yellowish.

All of the Kmart and Sears locations in my area shut down during the 2008 recession except one. It lasted until 2016-2017, but it looked abandoned. It was a ghost town, no one even noticed they were having a going out of business sale. I went in there and the building was literally falling apart. A month after it shut down, it was condemned by the city because it was a collapse risk, and would cost far more than it was worth just to get it up to fire code, let alone restored back to something nice.

The last one in my city shut down in 2017 and the last few years that place looked like it wasn’t even trying anymore. The last K Mart I went to was in Oct 2018 in NYC and now it’s closed.

What happened to K Mart was Sears Holding

Coulda sworn you were talking about the K-Mart near me until you mentioned a new Target. Sad how similar everyone's experiences seem to be. Used to love going to K-Mart for a new Hot Wheel and some Little Caesar's while my parent's shopped.

Wooooow. That's quiet a clever and funny way to gain a customers attention. That's fucked up

Ah I see you're a man of culture as well

Hm. *Press bluelight special button* kmart: ya fired

Your funky fresh frog friend bruh that’s a funny joke. Managers can’t take a joke smh

that's bullshit, buncha uptight-ass managers that can't even handle a Dad Joke. What miserable lives they must lead :/

Little Caesars is trash 🗑

@@frankwest9304 Little Caesars is good when you don’t have someone in your ear telling you it’s bad.

Same. Our Little Caesars had an old Zenith TV on a cart and you could pick over 100 VHS tapes of your choice to watch while you ate your pizza. We always chose between Chicken Run, A Goofy Movie, Great Mouse Detective, Iron Giant and Pokemon the 1st Movie. Good times!

@@frankwest9304 What's you're reasoning?

You are not alone it may not be a popular opinion but I always loved to early 90s look & feel of K-Mart, modern is not always good... It was unique that they didn't modernise the store like every one else. Everytime I visited the store it was like going back in the 90s....

I remember one time in Kmart I saw a Lego set twice Msrp yet someone still bought. Towards the end of its lifetime Kmart pricing was wack. They probably wanted a temporary influx of cash so they could reconsolidate which is why some stores stayed opened toll recently.

Got my vote Kmart chothes& shoes were very bad ; Kmart had great goods toys ; layaway; 🍿 popcorn

When I was little (around 2010), Kmart's clothing section was fire 🔥. It was like barbie/bratz's wardrobe in real life.

What's funny is many companies are starting to do away with their jewelry. Target started it years ago and Meijer (stores around Michigan and surrounding states) is dumping millions into redesigning aging stores and also doing away with jewelry. Guess if you want that bling, you have to go to a real jeweler like you should have to begin with :P

Brandon Keller xD

Brandon Keller Well what if I just want something that looks good but doesn't 5 car payments?

I remember buying my first Xbox 360 from my local Kmart in 2010. I got a job there this month and the gaming consoles are all gone.

Opposite Lock I remember buying Shadow of Mordor on the Xbox one there.... *The case was literally empty....*

LOL In my town when the largest high school was relocated and rebuilt, the area was made into a shopping center with Walmart and Home Depot

In my town, my Big Kmart(yes, a Big Kmart, not a normal Kmart) was replaced by a Coastal.

Gary Wilson never heard of coastal

@@Mischa21xo You can search the term "coastal" or "Coastal" on the internet.

Janet Ge that doesn’t get weird near me they swapped a dine in Pizza Hut and are making it a daycare AND MacDonalds is right next to each other

I’m surprised even that many are still active. No disrespect cuz I love Kmart but I can barely find one in 50 miles of my house and it says it’s permanently closed when I go to google which doesn’t make sense

@@suna9555 there isn't one in an 1,000 mile radius of my home

@@m00nlight73 shit I don't even know if the one I like is open for sure

@@m00nlight73 I wanna go to the one in my area so bad but I'm not sure if it's even open

Kmart is doing well in Australia lol

Fr

The sad thing is the Kmart in our town closed in 2017

I was lucky enough to take business and investment classes as part of my enrichment courses during high school. hearing him mention stuff like the debt-equity ratio, the current ratio, revenue and net income, etc all light up the financial geek in me.

I've learned more from RU-vid than school and that is downright pathetic.

@@alexs5744 Bro, not saying your wrong, but you are comparing the biggest collaboration of human knowledge and ideas to a school. It's not pathetic, but yea sometimes it can feel like maybe you can spend your time better lol. Then again some people have amazing schools that go above and beyond so yunno case by case basis haha!

Sean Flynn Thank you

twenty oh twenty

twenty-oh-fo'

I thought 8 was the only one who caught that and was about to comment on it lol

Drives me nuts.. “two thousand two”.. PLEASE!!!!!

aldo rodriguez really? When?

The Kmart that was in my city had a little Caesars too

Confederate Pride there's one about 10 miles from my house that still has it

Ours still has one, but I think it's been closed a few months now. The whole store will be closed in September, and going inside, it's just half empty shelves everywhere. Got a few packs of black licorice twizzlers for really cheap though. Should go again and see if they still have any left. Really, it's a sad and depressing atmosphere, and I honestly feel bad for them.

Elias Escobar same

Did you ever drive a hour to shop there?

Are there any left to drive to?

I remember going to Kmart growing up. There was one literally within walking distance from my old house in Chicago. I remember it used to be a venture if you remember those stores. Kmart was such a great place to buy things back then. My mom still has a shirt she bought from there a long time ago. Just sad many of these stores are disappearing at such a fast rate. Most of this is because of corporate greed, as well as a giant retailer that we call Amazon. Just wish we could bring these great retail stores back to life

Seek help buddy

I work at a subway inside of aWalmart, and from what I can tell, alot of Walmart's are understaffed and are completely trying to move into a self checkout/automated cashier model. They have maybe 3 people on registers in the entire building.

I remember when super k opened in my town. They had a video rental store and a cafe inside, it was pretty high class for the 90s 😂

The super k in my town was huge. Bigger almost double the near wm duper center. 23 cashier+ full restaurant + deli cafe (no fast food concesionary)

Walmart is the same way

your walmart’s have more than 2 cashiers?

And how many of those will survive COVID?

@@TimmyTickle very few or none

assuming everyone here is american

tried to go to the one in NC, and apparently it was closed. They haven't updated the site, so probably none actually open

@Salvador Cortes ah ok. is it old and dilapidated?

Do you have a Walmart ?

Wow! That shocks me. Good for them.

@@mcbowl58 nah au has no walmart

it's because wesfamers owns the australian kmart

LoL target in Armadale in western Australia is still stuck in the early 2000's

I moved to Indianapolis in 1988 and my first job was working at a Kmart store.. I was there two years... work in the back of the store at receiving. one thing I sure remember was like you said every Friday we would line up in the office and get our pay envelopes, and yes they did pay in cash. I always like that because you didn't have to go somewhere to get a check cashed.

That's pretty darn cool man. Cash sounds a little sketch for a company to do tho.

😮

Oh Yeah!

Was he buying Slim Jims?

Oddly?

Yea cuz it takes u bacc

NKWTI I know right

History is fun

It's like a whole new behind the scenes look at all these places I've known about but never had the know how or time to investigate on.

Damn would love to work there, just goofe around all day woth colegues and get paid

Is that like time, Midnight and seven? Or Midnight and Six........................... duh

@@jimcoulter5877 YEAH

I came to the comments specifically looking for this. Wasn't disappointed.

@@scrollright4015 me too I'm like is anyone else gonna acknowledge how he is saying twenty o - after every year

Kahldria Leighsun and did u hear him say twenty oh four like wth does that mean 🤣

At least spirit is a good store

Dollar Hat the decline occurred when they introduced fortnite items

Spirit Halloween is party city in disguise.

They are, in essence, a component of the vulture (or scavenger) business

There was a spirit which used to be a toys r us... I want to head to New Jersey

Same routine at Kohl's. In a weaker moment I did sign up for the credit card. They rewarded my customer account by billing me a late charge of $27.00 on the first and only purchase that wasn't due for another three weeks. Good luck with the customer service number.

Good observation

My aunt met her husband while both were working there as well

wiiztec i think target looks nicer after their remodel but i would much rather have seen that money invested in the employees sucks working there (i did for awhile) and sucks shopping there because employees are untrained, paid very little and extremely resentful

wiiztec there's a 99¢ store a mile from me. They have a huge sign out front that says "NEWLY REMODELED". I said to myself, "yeah, that's not why people weren't going to your store". If you're not good enough without a remodel, you'll never be good enough with it.

wiiztec your Walmart must be bad than. My walmart looks way batter than Kmart

I care. I've been to a Kmart recently and it was way worse than the Target, Wal-mart, or Meijer in the area.

You can say that, but walking into a place of business that looks disgusting and worn out with damaged flooring affects your perception of not only the store but also the quality of it's content.

I agree. Kmarts had that nostalgic smell and the food in the Kmart eatery was great. Their clothes didn't run small like everywhere else and the lines moved faster than crappy modern Walmart. I always shopped at our local Kmart until it closed in 2017. I was sad to see it go. I still have a popular flea mart near me which has a Kmart vibe but it's only open on weekends. Otherwise I try to stay away from the creeps at Walmart and usually hit a dollar store instead now that Kmart is a memory 😔

To be honest I thought the fact that people might need these stores might keep them in.💛

May I ask if he was properly compensated when they closed? The one here in Springfield Il had a lot of employees upset and disgruntled.

@@Kikibrat2 yes he was compensated but it felt like it wasn't enough. It didn't last long enough for him to find another good paying job.

Thirty ....years..hahahaha

Working retail for over 30 years? Oh that wouldn't have been fun

Yeah I mentioned this in another comment, but I remember when the Kmart closed in my town. It lasted from 1989 until 2002 I believe. In the weeks and months leading up to the closure lots of longtime employees were out front protesting because some of them were making well over $20 an hour and Kmart wouldn't let them transfer to the next closest store which was out of state where the cost of living is much lower so Kmart couldn't really afford to put them on payroll.

Yep the real reason Kmart failed is the C level executives were crooks.

Corruption is a plague that must be purged....

He talks more about the CEO in the Sears video.

Eddie lampert is the biggest crook in all of this.

Why is that allowed? :(

*leased space *All four of *I later worked / Later, I worked *meeting, he told *was to surpass Kmart *know, but I *Kmart's employees ...etc. C'mon, mate! You're old enough to know better. If you're gonna tell a tale, at least make it decent enough to read through. :l

Benedict Arnold...

@@mousermindLooks like you understood exactly what the poster said but for some reason you felt the need to flash your spelling nazi badge. Looks like the poster used their phone to post comment using the swipe method and we’re using an iPhone as well since they’re notorious for autocorrect spelling errors unlike Windows Phones and Android phones using swipe method.

The little horse you ride, or the horse carousel. And a yummy icee. Good times.

The Icee:) back in the 70’s at K Mart was why I loved going there.

Over here too.. Los Angeles.. Slauson and Vermont

No it's cuz they couldn't afford it

@@yoshatabi I know, but I personally like the look of it.

i imagine they'd have sleeper machines if they were still one of the best retailers

@@The4MusketeersYT Aight, I'ma go look

That was actually one of the biggest reasons why I still loved going to K-mart. It felt like I was going back to the 80's and early 90's, and it always reminded me of my early childhood.

Kmart 😎 story 👍🏽 hi

WEEZER PFP?! CAN WE BE FRIENDS?

@@-Teague- I think Rivers Cuomo will allow it!!

@Don Clark @downbadpatrol

Wow perfect name that best fits the store's company

I remember in Target was the store that smelled like popcorn everytime u walked in or out. And walmart was the place you got a happy face sticker 😂

The last time I visited one was in 2017. It was a ghost town and half of their shelves were empty along with like 6 employees in total. Their photo center boarded off and their little caesars completely bare except for their counter and bars separating it from the store.

Dude that game was awesome!

legend of dragoon was awesome

I went to Walmart in another town recently and they had a ps2 snowboarding game on sale for like $20

Also a 2000s kid here. I remember Kmart clothing section had so many collabs with disney and mattel. It felt like I was walking into a bratz wardrobe.

Yeah...thats older than dust.

I'm sure it is

It's funny how we remember our dads' spontaneous jokes, isn't it? My dad would retell a joke he heard on Johnny Carson or wherever: I just flew in from Los Angeles, and boy, are my arms tired!

That's the worst dad joke ever lol

(K)a(M)e ap(ART)

I miss when I was little and I went there with my relatives back in Louisiana.

Treston McBride I know it, me too. I don't like what Walmart has done to kill K-Mart. Even stole part of Kmart's name.

You don't think Kmart is a corporation? They just sucked at making it.

@@jamesgand828 NO

@@beverlywhite5438 I don't even walk into Walmart anymore, completely boycotted...

There was a dollar store right next to my local k mart. And a huuuuuge Walmart about 20 minutes further. We used to shop at K, but eventually all the cheap basic stuff we needed (cleaning supplies, paper towels etc) we got at the dollar store, and food we got at Walmart because it was cheaper (this was 2009ish so money was tight) the Kmart basically was stuck in limbo, not cheaper than Walmart or the dollar store, and when things started going bad, the stores became very run down understaffed and overall kind of ghetto feeling, it almost started to look like a rundown time capsule because everything they sold looked just a little bit out of date, and the parking lot was always filled with old rusty cars like oldsmobiles and plymouth minivans. We only ever got toys there because it had a big toy isle and none of the toys were that expensive.

I agree with you Tony. The Dollar stores such as Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Five & Under, the 99 Cents only stores in Ca,NV,AZ & TX ate away at the low priced end of K Mart stores was what helped bring down K Mart, and K Mart in 1975 & 1976 took over many W.T.Grant stores after W.T.Grant went bankrupt in 1975. In the late 1990’s I called K Mart Junk Mart as they started going downhill.

I rarely, if ever shop at a Wal-Mart store anymore. Too pricey on many items and registers are usually always backed up (remember the scam they had about three in a line we'll open another register? Oh, and the biggest of them all....Buy American? Now Wal-Mart is just a big Chinese front company.)

@@richardcline1337 I only go there to buy grocery and some car stuff like oil and sometimes earbuds, sometimes Publix is my go to place for groceries that's about it since I don't buy games there anymore as the game quality are down the toilet drain and the games Walmart sells are all garbage or shit I'm not looking for so I opt for steam and free downloads for games and old games now

Exactly! Lampert is NOT a well respected name in the retail industry!

Antonini (previous CEO) was hated in the Detroit area. They felt he didn't care about K-Mart enough to make the necessary changes. It's like with Border (RIP), they had strong business universities in the area (UofMich, Wayne State) but refused to consult them. IMHO, K-Mart should have been doing what Target is now, making smaller stores that would fit in downtown spaces (like they did at Michigan State University) and bring back quality merchandise. Trying to be a Meijers/Wal-Mart wasn't the smartest thing to do either. I now walk into a Meijers and weep for what they once were (one stop shopping, now they look like a poor Wal-Mart copy).

Narcissist alert

That sounds exactly like the Kmart I remember.

from what ur saying kmart seems like a backrooms level

Facts

@@eliasmarbina2279 As someone who probably hasn’t went a K mart once I agree with your statement

Not true in MY experience. I LOVED working there. The music was popular top 40 music, playing overhead throughout the store. I was a teen, and I would literally dance and step through the aisle on the main floor to songs like "What have I done to deserve This", ....and while working in the stockroom room upstairs....to swingout sister songs....I was a teen who favored shopping at Hudsons, because I liked lux & popular personal favorites like LeChateau, Bennetton, Nine West for leather shoes, heels, and flats in varying colors. But....Kmart seriously had the BEST shampoo and conditioner ....a strawberry scented Unicure brand...I miss that!!....My hair was SO healthy. I was attending Cosmetology School at the time, and the instructor kept asking me what shampoo I used. SHE had said that my hair looked so great/healthy. I told her Unicure. She couldn't believe it, but it was true!! Lol...She expected me to say Paul Mitchell or whatever but no...it was a keratin shampoo that was on sale for like 2 for $1.00...!!! Now you can only find the blue shampoo (or conditioner) if any is left...and its SO expensive. I remember the blue-light specials! They had those a lot when I was working! The store was typically quite busy. I wonder if Walmart's debut had anything to do with Kmart closings. My personnel manager was amazing. The best!!....She loved to give me extra hours, and I was available to willing to cover for people who needed their days off. The customers were great...I made a speed game of ringing up sales as quick as I could....to empty the line at the front register where I worked....but...lol...customers just moved into MY lane to get rung up.... because it went faster. I had interesting experiences. One lady customer had a really cute short hairstyle. ..I told her so. And she had said that she cut it HERSELF!...It was SO even!....and she wasn't even a hairdressser.. Bluelight specials brought through my line ......that people purchased.... were some really NICE items that cost hardly ANYTHING!!...Items for $1.00, $ .25. , $ .50. Ect....$2.00, $3.00...I wanted to be the shopper at that moment. "Are there any more?"...I'd ask. I had the BEST floor manager who oversaw the floor operations of straightening shelves, when I wasn't at register. He was ALWAYS ALWAYS So positive and encouraging and appreciated the work we did. My brother remembers this, because he began working there, too. We loved getting to know the peers of our generation that we worked with. It was a fun place to work. During that time....it was even our social scene. Times were SO fun. I had dressed up as Mary Poppins, being the doorgreeter....for Halloween. Touching sad memories too....of a sad customer friend of mine, who came through the store door & foyer one day, that was in tears, because her brother had just been found dead, having committed suicide. And where did she go?....Kmart. Her usual Go-To place. She found a hug from me...who felt so bad for her. She had always been so kind and cordial to me. As she felt I was to her. I had met this woman (about my mom's age) at Camera and jewelry dept. where I had worked....she developed her pictures there often...I went to Beauty School where her daughter was a student, also. I felt I was there that day...her sharing her grief with me...on the day she needed that. I met some fun friends working at Kmart. When you're a teen...its common to "pick on' a store like Kmart, working there... ...(to be cool, maybe?)...but we still shopped there for essentials, we had great times working together..... and the memories. One day, I had to go to the stockroom upstairs....to fetch or bring merrchandise to/from camera & jewelry dept. where I worked.....I was up there for the task, and when finished, I locked the "cage" as it was called...as usual....and went back downstairs, returning to my dept. ...tending to film developing files (remember when we had regular cameras to take pictures?.....and people wore wristwatches every day?) So there I was...working at my counter.....and who comes along.....(.lol...).. but one of my friends who worked in neighboring dept.......Without a word...she approached me with .....(lol).....such a serious and no-nonsense infuriated (but not-so -threatening but pretending to be..)....look on her face, and as she approached my clueless face of (what?) ...she took hold of my neck and shook me.......and breaking silence to yell...""You locked me upstairs for 2 HOURS !!!! " (or was it 3? I think it was 2.) I was like..."Wh-at?--What are you talking about?" She said "You left and locked the cage on me!!!!!!.....and I was stuck in there for ! 2 !! hours because of you locking me in!!!....I was like "no....I ..didn't......."...still unsure of what she meant. YES!!!" She insisted..." I was poking a PENCIL through the lock. through the cage.....and yelling....., "Help!!!Help!!!........for TWO HOURS!!!...and no one heard me!! No one came!!!! (Just to picture this makes me laugh every time) Oh my gosh!! lol. It had been SO quiet in that storage "cage" (the size of a quite-small room packed with items) ...that I had seen nor heard Nothing while in there..... I had no reason to think anyone else was in there. When I recovered from my bafflement of why she was literally wringing my neck......I couldn't help but laugh and say "No way!....oh ....(-?)-..(-!-).....I'm sorry!!!.....Oh my gosh.....2 HOURS? !?!! amidst giggles....and said "Are you making this up?"..... "NO!!" She insisted,........(lol)...... still quite exasperated with me..... I honestly thought that I was ONLY one upstairs at the time. And to lock the cage upon leaving was the thing to do....But I had ......LOL.....NO IDEA that she was being locked in. Lolololollol...I guess its a good thing that SOMEONE obviously "rescued" her, because else she would have been in there ALLnight!!!.... Her parents were regular customers and would chat and visit with me, sometimes. They were really nice people. There was an Englishman who had a really perfectly curled mustache (like out of a storybook) that regularly had photos developed at my counter. He was really nice, too. And a couple of high school girls came in .....to regularly develop film. We had such fun!.....They were so nice!.....a couple of years later, I was at an event, and they were in the neighboring room with one of the guys that i had worked with, celebrating a special event!...That was fun to see them again. K-Mart wasn't just a popular place to shop. It was a place where people met, laughed, grieved,shopped and/or worked..... And ....lol....get locked in a cage by me. My experience as an employee there was SO good in So many ways! One day .....upcoming...was a day when the district mgr. was to visit...so naturally most people were on their toes about it. The day arrived...and the manager...and district manager walked through the main aisle. ...In a few hours, I would leave my shift to go home. Getting to my car.....I found that I had car trouble. Bummer...But there, in those moments, ....parked across from me, was the district mgr. !!.....He was leaving , too.....I found a helpful aid in him and his kindness, who assisted me. My car at the time was not cool -looking. But it was fast! A 78Tbird In that job, I was awarded and appreciated.....even a customer got me recognized for help he or she received. In this video, there is mention of Joe Antonini, the kmart CEO.....who signed a poster that I was given years ago, after a photographer came through my line at work one day and asked me to model. (I was like....oh wow!).... "Dress for Success" was the theme.

Nice! Good for you. Dishonest companies that do things like this should be held responsible.

Good job! Hope the manager didn’t try to hunt you down. That’s actually happened in some cases.

Good job, you caused a ton of people to lose their job! I bet that makes you feel really important and proud!

Tom Tobin I love this

@@baxatakbaxatak2014 that actually happened? 0_0

their cafe's had pretty great food and drink

Not to mention they decided to axe all of their department managers. That happened in the one in my town. And they suddenly started using way more temps.

I recently went thru the local JCPenny here, it wasn't pleasant. It was clean, but just seemed... Ehhh... depressing.

ZONEOFEVIL 915 ayyyy that’s diesel patches profile pic

@@roddysboxsinternsbrother ayyy

ZONEOFEVIL 915 One word answer : Amazon.

quinnjim omg I thought my k mart was the only one that did that when it was still open. We'd get our pay in cash and ours pushed for employees to shop there. The only downside was our food court had been closed since 2004 so no one really bought things when they were paid

Lol... I worked there in the mid 80's and mine did the same thing! This video makes me sad actually for some reason. I loved running the blue light specials in sporting goods and automotive! Created such a fun experience for the customers.

quinnjim smart!

quinnjim Did you bougth something on the way out?

Not every time...

onebadlt123 Same here. My mom got me Earthbound at Kmart in 1995 along with a truckload of School Supplies and clothing lots of clothing in Elementary School until the 10th grade. RIP Kmart.

my strech armstrong came from Kmart, it lasted about a month

There's a Kmart near where I live in Miami, FL.

I also thought they closed down! Haven't seen one in years.

Kmart is still a huge store in my country.

@@LordBadenRulez Austraila?

@@SnomxSalt the little brother down south.

I know I rarely bought anything other than Little Caeser's pizza at my local Kmart when it was still there. It was closer to my apartment, but between a smaller selection and higher prices (and that they stopped selling video games a few years before closing), I still drove to walmart rather than going there. Plus Walmart has a full grocery section. The local K-Mart had a grocery store nearby (actually, they were attatched to each other with a couple stores between them until 1992, when Kmart moved to a new building next door), but that grocery store closed down probably 15 years ago, making walmart an even better option. Funny enough, after our Kmart closed, half of it was converted into a Marc's grocery store (the rest became a discount store and a hardware store).

Even AT&T went down the tubes in 1985, they cut the work force and closed company schools. They started cutting costs everywhere downsizing work crews. The old way of doing things went out the window, quality etc.

@EyesInTheDark1 I worked at the Kmart in Ottumwa. We waited over 2 years knowing we would eventually close. Target soon followed and now all we have is Walmart. We save our money for Jordan Creek and also the outlet mall in Altoona.

I mean...that was elebm years ago

I actually saw last year Target had a season of Stranger Things on VHS. I think it was a nostalgia gig since Stranger Things is a show based in the 80s. Like they were thinking people would buy it as a collectors item. Only thing I could conclude as I have not bought a VHS tape in 20 years. Hell I don’t buy DVDs unless I have absolutely no choice (some things are only on DVD). Honestly any movie I somewhat like I am buying on 4K Blu Ray in 2021.

@@lanceheaps581 It was more than likely the Blu-ray set of the show and not an actual VHS tape, that's how they designed the case for the Blu-ray.

@@j.a.5711 yeah but nobody bought vhs in 2010 trust me. I was 21 back then.

@@indiag89 thats true. I was overseas around that time so I dont know what was selling or not though

that's too bad. I bet you could really relate to this video then

😁

That should've been a lawsuit, I mean that probably would've been the final nail in the coffin for Kmart right then and there.

chris why dident you sue them or your mom

You should have sued you would have walked away with a nice settlement.

Wow, you messed up. You could have had a settlement with a nice chunk of money

Unfortunately, by not ordering with your local stores (electronics or retail), there was no proof that there was a demand, in your area, for a product. Without the demand, a company will not ship more product there. Then you will not find the products you need there. It's a downward spiral.

@@bonilla1240 exactly! If they see no demand then there will be no hopes for adding that product to the local store!

Yup! While I'm all for one stop shopping, the thought that a store should fail simply due to not drinking that particular Kool-aid seems a stretch to me. Target is doing fine and their grocery section really isn't that impressive. Walmart basically just moved a Kroger into one half of their store.

Trollblood I found that funny myself, I'm only 30 but I remember shopping with my mom and she would go to KMART for various things and we'll go across the street to Kash- N- Karry for food.

You sound 1000 years old

I don't purchase food at Wal-Mart I go to the grocery store I really don't get it

wtf lmao

wow your grandmother was a kmart dream customer :)

RIP

That's depressing.

@@dirkdiggler8093 you're a fucking loser

That K-Mart probably loved her.

Their Christmas displays were the best honestly...unfortunately near the end they stopped putting the decorations on the trees though, and eventually stopped putting them up all together....just piled up the tree boxes out on the floor and that was it.

Thanks Isaiah.

Wow I did not expect a reply at all

The music is funny. Good video tho

@@slavdog3180 Isaiah Thomas

@@barakobama9743 that’s the person I’m named after lol

Your first name is my middle name. I share the same sentiments 🤗

😞

I relate to everything you said. I grew up with KMart ❤️‍🩹

I always bugged my mom to get an icee and a soft pretzel. She actually gave in once or twice.

the ones near me be came a big lot and Publix

I wonder if the one in my area is around. Haven't even considered it in like 10 years. I hate big box stores.

Now, 23 across the country.

Kmart by me shut down and it looks to be a different business because people are always there but there’s no signs, name of the building, or much of a parking lot

the one by me shut down, i havent seen k mart since

Oh Jesus. I haven't heard the word "Layaway" since 1965.

Joe Kaye during Christmas time, it sure does help!! LOL 😂

Joe Kaye 😂😂😂😂

Eguzzisme layaway is for people who have already proven to credit card company that they are irresponsible with money and can't be trusted to pay back debts. Fuck off with your Bullshit. Man up. Fix your credit. The Fuck is the difference between layaway and actually saving up for what you want? The fact that with layaway you can "finally afford" to buy last year's model at this year's prices? Jesus christ. You make me think Kmart when out of business because consumers got much wiser about spending after the little recession we had. "it helps at Christmas time" the Fuck you mean it helps? What, you sleep all god damn year then wake up like "oh Fuck it's December?" Seriously, what do you do all year that you can't keep track of the fucking date. You have 24 hours to ask yourself what day it is. Every day. And you somehow forget for 300 days CONSECUTIVELY? Nigga that's seven thousand, two hundred hours IN A ROW that you literally have no clue what day it is. Man, I feel for you... I wish you the best of luck

Eguzzisme BTW Walmart has interest free layaway also. From September to January. (and lower prices) 😣😕 But I still fail to see how saving $10 a week is harder than paying $50 a week. If that's your thing, I guess.. Go for it

Say what? I am so confused as to what you are talking about.

He's saying they had an old (still shrink wrapped sealed) packs of Modern Warfare 2, selling at brand new prices but, it's over 7 years old at the time.

Seems legit to me lmao man K mart it’s like a old man forgetful and confused

Sears closed forever in Canada (final store closed this month) .. all stores. What about where you live?

Yes!!! But it’s so far away from everything

Katie Kaboom It still exists in the US.

K-Mart closed in Canada years ago. The stores became Zellers (a Hudson's Bay company), which closed to make way for Target Canada, which closed in less than a year after opening. The store nearest me is now a Walmart.

Hmm, that area seems like it's not very good for businesses, for some reason.

Jesus I almost died laughing my a@# off.....

@@robertallen6710 At the time 16 and mortified.

My mother said the same thing... But with a German accent!

My italian mom also yelled at me in kmart... but more like threats for a slipper or spatula beating upon returning home 😂😂

Tell her no! You want the kind with the sandpaper crotch 😂