Kmart winding down

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941 stores may be "impressive"

but 2,600 are a helluva lot more impressive.

It's a matter of time; there really were so-called "synergies" when Kmart gobbled up sears other than boosting the price of the stock.

The store's (yes even the one in my town) are old, decrepit, staffed by shellshocked zombies that gave up a long time ago, empty shelves, 1 perhaps 2 check out lines open. yep, I'm going to spend my hard earned money and scarce time in there. I think NOT!

Emptying the stockroom as part of P2P is a crock of bullshit at best. I find it amazing the corporate flack hired even said it as such. Even worse is he expects us to believe it.

My old store in Bloomington was BUSY! The garden shop alone was a license to print money yet it was closed. The auto center always had customers. We sold ammo and hunting licenses like no tomorrow.

I'd say 700-800 stores will remain by year end. Come 2017 keep your ears tuned in for another "announcement" from Eddie himself for another turn around plan, another line of credit secured from some hapless bank, more cutbacks, more closings. Eddie does not seem to get that you cannot "cut" your way to profitability. You have to have customers to sustain ANY business model yet that basic fact seems to elude him. If SHLD has yet another crappy holiday season, the end might even come sooner. Right now, imported crap from China should be just about into all the stores in preparation for the upcoming holiday season.

Sad thing is, the more that Kmart requires in terms of investment the less they seem to put into the business. That is a recipe for disaster and ultimately, shutdown.
 
"Damage" control

Of course they are not going to admit if K Mart is going. They don't want a dump on the stock.
My company told us for a year we weren't closing when they knew. One manager got into the portal restricted to executives and found out. Of course he was terminated, but he had a head start on his job hunt many others wish they'd had, because by summer of '07, there were no jobs to be had.
 
If it is true...

I hope they do not string the employees along till the Holiday season.    Seems like there is always word of  a closure or layoff at the end of year.  A one two punch.  "Happy Holiday's, you are fired".  Another ultimate and cruel party foul.
 
Unfortunately KMart really doesn't have an identity anymore, or something unique about it that draws customers in. They really float in between WalMart and Target. It's sad that they haven't been able to stand out so to speak and thrive. They seem to be doing better in areas where the competition is less. In NH for example, WalMart is everywhere...kind of like KMart used to be, but Target is not. So the few K's that we have are not necessarily near both stores. Really they should have focused on this years ago...even opening new stores in more rural areas where maybe customers don't have any stores of this nature. But from what I can tell they are pretty much just focused on surviving at this point, without any real direction.
 
True Joey.

I still shop at Target, although have to watch for low quality. I bought some 800 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets that only lasted a year. Made in India.
Next I bought ones made in Indonesia, and they have lasted two years already.
I never go to K Mart anymore, or Walmart.
The nearest K Mart is seven miles away, Walmart two miles, and they have little I want. Target is a half mile, and a one stop Meijer Michigan based chain for gas, groceries, and hardline is one mile. Saving time, and fuel is also saving money.
Kroger has expanded into hardline in their new larger stores.
 
Tales from a former Blue Light employee

Any of the non teenager people on the sales floor, give them some slack. We are running around with our heads cut off trying to take care of our floor customers, answer calls, unload trucks, get our freight out to the floor, do a layaway or gofer shift, cover someone's lunch or break, and be a backup cashier, all while not having a raise since 2010 and no 401k match since 2008. I still keep in touch with many of my coworkers at the South County and Florissant stores and Mary who was my mentor at SoCo and has been with the Blue Light for 45 years is just ready for them to announce closing - why drag us along for another year?!!

As far as the store count in St. Louis, as of this week there are now only 4 left on the MO side since Bridgeton just closed on Sunday, Marketplace is next to go since Balke Brown Transwestern is advertising their space as "available soon," and my last store 4304 in Florissant is still safe for the time being - after Dunn Rd closed 2 years ago we got their traffic and sales but Eddie sold the store to the Seritage deal so now 4304 is paying rent and Walmart just opened up a new store literally a 10 minute walk down Lindbergh - we shall see what happens...
 
Agreed,

A successful store is all on the help on the floor if the manager has empowered them to care and do a good job.
I used to keep a sign in my back room hung from a cooling fan housing; "If there is dust on this fan unit, we have a dirty store."
Now I never expected my staff to be perfect, only to take an extra five minutes now and then to clean.
Once corporate swung the axe, it was out of my hands.
 
I went to my local KMart last Saturday and I have to say it was not a bad experience AT ALL. Granted the store is old but the shelves were packed with items, it was well stocked. They had everything. The employees were very friendly...especially the cashiers. Very professional. I used $12 in Shop-Your-Way Points and earned another $11...I was very happy. Later that evening I got t-boned and my car was totaled, so the rest of the day didn't go too well. LOL. But my car looked great with new windshield wipers from KMart! hahahahaha
 
Too bad about

your car, and glad you're OK! Joeypete, A T Bone crash is bad, and not sustaining an injury is miraculous.
Was it in the Chrysler? The 200 is all done soon.
 
Thanks...yes it was in the 200. I bought it new in 2012...94K miles as of the accident and not a single repair...for anything! It will be missed. I bought a 2016 Buick Regal Turbo with AWD...it's a nice replacement...beautiful car. I did get injured, I'm out of work a couple weeks but at least nothing terribly serious. Just some bruises and head trauma. I'll be ok :)
 
They're down to 276 million in cash and cash

equivalents.
That's like having 4 dollars in your savings account.

If Sears Holdings has another lousy holiday season this year, watch in 2017 for the beginnings of a close down.

 
Kmart had items that no other retailer would carry in the Atlanta area.  For years, Kmart was the only place I could find Dynamo detergent.  Sadly, we no longer have Kmart stores in the Greater Atlanta area.  The closest store to me is in Peachtree City and Covington, Ga. 

 

I have shopped on Kmart's website.  I have to say that they have had the best prices on Electronics that I have purchased.  When I bought the items the shipping was free if the total price was over $50.  Don't know if they still offer the shipping discount. 

 

 
 
Just checked the Kmart website.  Free Shipping on total of $35!  Not bad at all. They also do online "Layaway". 
 
At one time we had 3 K-Mart stores in the Little Rock area, we now have 1 and it's in a part of town that only those folks that live close by go would have reason to shop there. I did run though one in Nashville Tn about a year ago, only because it was across the street from a hotel I was staying at. It was quite a bit more expensive than Wal Mart, Target and Kroger. I really don't see the word "discount store" applying to K-Mart. When I was growing up my mother shopped K-Mart often, In fact I remember our first color TV came from KM.My favoriate memory of KM was they sold freash carmel popcorn...my mother would always buy me a bag..small size of course..ha!
 
omg joey, see what kmart did to you! LOL ;)

I've been following this S/K news for a while now, and it just seems like that scumbag Lampert wants to liquidate the company so he can sell off all the assets for himself, and then have all that majestic real estate to sell/lease off.
He's gonna make BANK of the carcasses of these once great stores.
:'(
#corporateraiders
 
Our oldest local one just closed. I rescued the lumber yard sign out of the back of the store. I think it's from 1974 when the store opened. They had a garden shop too for a long time, but it went to the dumpster before I could get it. :( It's going to hang in my garage.

classiccaprice-2016082915561009409_1.jpg
 
The former KMart building in my area---GONE!!!Demolished to make way for the Publix grocery store to open beginning of 2017.Breifly watched the demo excavator clawing away at the place before I had to move on as the traffic light changed.
 
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