K-Mart Mostly Done

[RicInOR]

Once a retail giant, Kmart down to 3 stores
after NJ closing

Once a retail giant, Kmart nears extinction after closure

When the Kmart in Avenel, New Jersey, closes its doors on April 16, it will leave just a handful of remaining locations for the former retail powerhouse.

apnews.com

I blame Tom Cruise & Dustin Hoffman

Anyone have some K-Mart memories?

K-Mart Beaverton closed in the last 3 years.
Now the lot is "West End" apartments and shops.
(and still 35 blocks from the real West End of Beaverton)

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[mrblond]

Bought alot of fishing gear at the one off Portland road back in the day.. Closest it hink it Target, they both had a popcorn smell to the place.

 

[Xaevian]

A K-Mart in Hamilton, MT was still open last time I drove thru (last year, summer?)

 

[pharmseller]

The Big Red K paid my bills for 2 1/2 years. First job out of college.



P

 

[CountryGent]

No good recollections, really, and I can think of one in which made Wally World look like the pinnacle of retail competence by comparison. There is an empty building with a giant K outline on it in Roseburg where one once operated. Someone told me another establishment is going in there, but don't recall what.

But down to three stores? Yikes.

 

[RicInOR]

Growing up without money, clothes shopping was at Mom's favorite - Montgomery Wards, I do not ever remember getting clothes that fit there, and
K-mart, and Sears. Often Catalog.

When feeling Up-scale JCPenney's. Or perhaps when the family might slip mom a few $$.

I do remember that my brother and I would play inside the circular clothes racks - hide and seek.
And they always felt dirty.

When I was between High School and College at the end of Summer, my to be 1st roommate, a couple of girls and I went to the Oregon Coast in his car. At Indian Beach we got in an accident. My roomie, trying to be cost conscious, got an estimate at the K-mart. He ended up marring the girl I was with and had a couple of kids.



I do also, now that @mrblond mentions it, recall that pop-corn smell.

 

[trunner]

I bought my first Rem. 870 at a KMart in Maine in the 80's. I don't remember exactly what I paid, but it was much less than the local gun shops. That particular store had everything you might ever need: food, clothes, cleaning supplies, automotive, sporting goods ... heck, even a small luncheonette. Pretty much an old-school BiMart, but much larger.

Fond memories, indeed!

 

[made in china]

Bummer!

I was fairly poor as a kid, K-mart was actually "upscale" to me.

My mom usually took me to Yellow Front. I do, however recall the "blue light special" hoopla, the food counter and ice cream counter....and yup, the smell of popcorn.

When I was older I bought my first in-dash car CD player there, it was a Sony.

I miss brick and mortar stores, warts and all. Amazon sucks.

 

[titsonritz]

Bummer!

I was fairly poor as a kid, K-mart was actually "upscale" to me.

My mom usually took me to Yellow Front. I do, however recall the "blue light special" hoopla, the food counter and ice cream counter....and yup, the smell of popcorn.

When I was older I bought my first in-dash car CD player there, it was a Sony.

I miss brick and mortar stores, warts and all. Amazon sucks.

Yep, it was a step up from the TG&Y.

 

[Alexx1401]

When very young it was a great thing. Mega type store where you could almost buy anything you wanted or needed. In the late 80's on it got so bad that by about the early 90's it was only a last resort when looking for something. Last trip into one was early or mid 90's where I was standing in line with an armload of stuff that I ended up setting down and walking out in disgust. Telling Wife I will do without before I set foot in here again. Did buy what must have been a literal ton of ammo from them over the years. Mostly .22. First place I was ever buying it by the case from. Used to be a hoot to watch the look on the clerks face when I said I want a case of that. They would try to hand me a brick. I would say no, I want you to go in the back and bring me a case.
The last one here folded so long ago I had no idea there was such a thing anywhere anymore. Prime example of how mismanagement can ruin a place.

 

[made in china]

Yep, it was a step up from the TG&Y.

That's the other one! I was trying to remember that one....TG&Y was a step up over Yellow Front!

 

[Rickenbacher39]

The Kmarts where we used to live in Washington had
just slightly less class than the local Goodwill stores.
There are no Kmarts where we live now.

 

[Jasonanddeonna]

A blue light special while slurping a coke icee.

 

[pharmseller]

A blue light special while slurping a coke icee.

Plied with just the right amount of alcohol I can still do the blue light script.

And as always, thank you for shopping our Kmart.

 

[clanhanson]

It was either KMart or Piggly Wiggly for me, and KMart felt like a major upgrade. I'll miss it.

 

[CountryGent]

Still can't help but think of ...

 

[BrentN]

A blue light special while slurping a coke icee.

Ha! Even the dang icee tasted like a downgraded slurpee, like they only used half the syrup or pumped air into it or something. This is at least 75% of the reason they are going out of business.

 

[BBQ Guy]

I lived with mom until I was 10.
She was terrible with money. If we needed something new it was either Kmart or the 99 cent store.

She'd buy us an icee and ham sandwich. The ham sandwiches were nasty.
I remember looking through the sporting good section dreaming about fishing with all of the shiny lures.
That popcorn smell was on anything you bought and took home.

 

[Ferryman]

K-mart was done when they hired Rosie O'Donnell for the face of their ad campaign back in the day.

Screw K-mart.

 

[TTSX]

Can't tell you the last time I went into a k mart. Probably '99. Was never my thing.