K-Mart

[retailisking]

One small wrinkle: Walgreens no longer accepts Express Scripts...
http://supermarketnews.com/latest-news/walgreens-acquires-kmart-prescriptions?cid=upd

[dmx10101]

Awesome pics, that store sure is a disaster though. You can definitely tell it's a former Kmart.

[jason83080]

That hole in the wall (and, consequently, that "Procter & Gamble" panel on the floor) is definitely newer, because the last time I was in there, that panel was on the wall. I also don't remember the store ever looking THIS terrible. Still, with the lax security that seemed to be there (read: both employees were up at the registers), I could have probably snuck into the 'inventory' landfill and gotten some more pictures.

This time around, they've pretty much stopped using the jewelry counter (the blue "America's Value Jeweler" one that Kmarts used to have), but have repurposed two of the old "Blue-Light Special" tables for 'impulse buys' at the register. Hopefully, those poor people get some heat in that store soon. Who knows how cold it'd be in there if we'd been having an ACTUAL Winter season with temperatures in the 20's and lower?

[ynkeesfn82]

The KMART in Waterbury, CT seems to have been cleaned up a little bit. It seemed much nicer than the last time I was there. They have lots of nice furniture for sale. It doesn't so much business however. I didn't see too many customers in the store and there was only one register open. They didn't need any of the others open.

[Kmart4life]

The Lakeland Fl. store just recieved an award for best customer service so the management must be doing something right. They are always real nice in that store and always want to help. Business is picking up a little bit because everytime I go in there they always have atleast 3 registers open and people shopping.

[AmesNewington]

I sure hope the Cromwell, CT store doesn't go anywhere. It is a perfect alternative to Walmart and Target. It is the best of both worlds. The store is very old, but it's kept up by management pretty well. It's neat, clean and organized as best as can be done with the age of the place. Corporate should remodel this store. It always has between 4-5 registers of the 8 they have open. Most of the employees are very friendly and helpful. They have good sales and the quality of their products are great. They must have done something right here because they are still open in a highly competitive area.

[jason83080]

Sears Grand now looks mostly like a Kmart, except for the still-rather-large "store closing" area at the front of the store. The wall shelving will have a faux-wood finish on the back, the department signs are red with white lettering (and a shadowed "K" for the larger department signs), and the store looks as though it's going to be CLEAN.

Some things I've noticed, from it being set up mid-remodel:
* Customer Service is now on the left side of the entrance when you walk in. Sears had it next to the registers a good distance away from the doors, and the last Kmart had it on the right side of the entrance. I think they're keeping the same counter from when it was Sears, but that could be because the new counter hasn't arrived yet. I know that two of the 'new' register counters are already installed, and they look like they were brought in from an old Kmart.
* HBA is along the front wall to the left of the entrance, behind where the ladies' clothing was when it was Sears and the last Kmart. I don't think this one will have a Pharmacy, but I think Cosmetics is also going to be over there.
* Layaway and the Restrooms look to be moved from where they were when it was the last Kmart.
* Furniture will have its own section in the center-back of the store.

I'll have to try to snap some pictures of the mid-remodel this week, before Sears closes. The new Kmart looks very promising!

[Kmart4life]

Let's hope they make it because I hate walmart!

[Kmart4life]

My favorite Kmart logo.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Here's my favorite Kmart logo:


Here's a neon sign featuring that logo, lit up at night in all its neon glory:

[nims57]

I know this has probably been asked a million times before, but what exactly is a "big" Kmart? That name was a stupid idea because most people probably confused it with Super Kmart. Not all Kmarts were "big" (or super) though.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

I know this has probably been asked a million times before, but what exactly is a "big" Kmart? That name was a stupid idea because most people probably confused it with Super Kmart. Not all Kmarts were "big" (or super) though.

Big Kmart - Just like a regular Kmart, but with a focus on home decor, childrens' apparel, and pantry.

Super Kmart - Focuses on groceries and general merchandise.

[TRJ_22487]

Yeah I was gonna say when all of the Kmart's that became Big Kmart around me happened around 1997, the only real difference was a pantry section was added.

[Zayre88]

A must-read article about Kmart:

Why Kmart Lost the Attention of Discount Shoppers

http://adage.com/article/news/kmart-lost-attention-discount-shoppers/233369/

I realli laughed when they said:   (Kmart) "They really are a slow-motion train wreck"

[jason83080]

The 'new' Kmart in Westlake, OH - formerly a Sears Grand - is now open, but is a little bit unusual to walk into. You enter to a very open space (a holdover from the Sears Grand days), with the new Customer Service counter a good ways to your left, and five cash registers a good ways to your right. Straight in front of you is a rounded portion of the floor (again, a holdover from the Sears Grand pattern), with ELECTRONICS. There's a wall built with a shelf that has about a dozen or so TVs of various sizes on it, and the short aisles have various electronics in them. I didn't look through the whole department, but it's a half-circle shape (there's another department on the backside of the 'wall'), and didn't look like they stocked movies/games.

You can tell that not everything's finished yet (despite having a promoted grand opening in the weekly circular) because layaway is still a darkened counter. Oddly, it's down the hall from the restrooms, so I don't think it will be a very popular feature. There's a very small appliance area next to that, going to a cavernous section that used to be where Electronics was in the original Kmart days, but is now Furniture.

While it's nice to have a Kmart back, it's *very* new and clean, which isn't like most of the Kmarts that I've been to. The shelves are all very low, which does give the store a nice open feeling. Also, the receipts say "Big Kmart" on them underneath the new Kmart logo, so I think they dusted off the old POS software. Gone, however, are the days of Sears Grand giving you a metric ton of receipt for that one thing you bought.

[AmesNewington]

If only the company can give Kmart stores a simple remodel; nothing fancy. Just clean the stores up and make everything new again and more organized. It wouldn't turn customers away. The Kmart I shop at in Cromwell, CT is VERY neat and organized and very clean, but frankly, there is only so much you can do with an old, worn out interior. They painted the outside to a tan color. I'm convinced the general interior dates back to the 80s (maybe back when it opened in 1973). Aside from a few paint jobs, everything looks retro. I do like shopping there though. Beats Walmart.

[Zayre88]

If only the company can give Kmart stores a simple remodel; nothing fancy. Just clean the stores up and make everything new again and more organized. It wouldn't turn customers away. The Kmart I shop at in Cromwell, CT is VERY neat and organized and very clean, but frankly, there is only so much you can do with an old, worn out interior. They painted the outside to a tan color. I'm convinced the general interior dates back to the 80s (maybe back when it opened in 1973). Aside from a few paint jobs, everything looks retro. I do like shopping there though. Beats Walmart.

Some stores have been updated like you describe, yet most of the feel old and have old fixtures, old ceilings and although a paint job is nice, it's not enough.

What's even worse is that Kmart has closed hundreds of stores in the last 15 years and many of them were newer locations. 

When you compare, around here, almost every Walmart store has been renovated/expanded or relocated to a new building in the past 10 years.  Most Target and Kohl's stores are modern and have opened during the past decade.  Kmart stores meanwhile are slightly freshened up but they are in no way up to the standards of the competition.

[TRJ_22487]

Something is happening in my childhood stomping grounds of West Lebanon, NH that I did not think was every going to happen again....
K-Mart is slated to reopen next month! It is not a new Kmart, but quite an old one, built in 1976, and never a Sears. Logo was changed in 1990 and 1997. I can remember as a small child in the mid 90's I happened to be there when they were remaking the front facade, adding in the line-grid to the front facade. Before it had the typical facade of any 70's Kmart, it wasn't rounded at the top, but you can tell the facade in structure is primarily still vintage. Since 1997 the store has moved some of its departments, such as electronics, to different spaces, but this store has looked worn out for a long, long time. We used to shop this store every single weekend. I asked my Dad if he ever shops here anymore and he said it had been years since he'd even set foot in it. I took a peek inside tonight and bless their hearts it looks like they are trying, but this still looks like the same Kmart I've known all my life. Still, being a Keene resident, I couldn't help but feel intrigued and nostalgic as it's been years since our Kmart converted to Sears, and there are none anywhere in my area anymore.....I notice the overhead department signs seem to be new. It looks like they are trying to use the hiatus to their advantage and try to update the store a bit. Still you cannot help but immediately draw your eyes to the decrepit, ancient floor that gives Kmart its familiar cruddy "who cares!" look. Who knows if it will be enough. I couldn't get a look at the corner with the Kmart Cafe to see if it would still be open, last time I visited it was still in service..... I just have a hard time believing people really eat at Department Stores in this day and age

On Page 68 of this thread is a set of photos I took last decade when it was still open. (2009)

It closed in early 2011 from Hurricane Irene when the Connecticut River flooded and destroyed the entire Kmart and JCPenney plazas.

(2011 JC Penney plaza on opposite side of I-89 from Kmart Plaza - The Kohl's is the former Rich's/Ames)


At this point everything in the Kmart plaza is now reopened other than the Kmart. I talked to the girl at the counter of Newbury Comics (strip next to Kmart) and she said they reopened around last Thanksgiving. To my knowledge JCPenney is still intended to open one day, but is still too damaged structurally, and might never reopen.

This store has been HIDEOUSLY outdated since the late 90's. Walmart opened in West Lebanon in 1999 and I was always waiting for the year to come soon when the Kmart would close. The Ames that opened in Lebanon in 1997 and closed in 2002 was much nicer than this Kmart has ever been, I might dare to say it was the nicest Ames of all the ones I ever saw. I hope this Kmart can last. They have become harder and harder to find in New Hampshire

3/21/2012

[TRJ_22487]

Also, I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere in this thread, maybe it has, but there was still a vintage K-Mart in Glenwood Springs, Colorado at the Glenwood Springs Mall. It sadly was part of Sears/Kmart 2012 list of closures. Definitely a shame. Photos are from 2010 by Flickr user Andrew Turnbull.








Here it was back in 2004, still with crooked "r" by Flickriver user Roadsidepictures











It really was a beautiful location, and Colorado is gorgeous! Do they HAVE to close this one??

[dmx10101]

I just posted an article on my site Kmartworld.com about a newly remodeled Kmart, including about 50 pictures of it. This isn't some cheap orange and brown remodel from the last couple years, it's a whole new looking Kmart.

Here's a teaser photo of the store's electronics-

[TRJ_22487]

1964 Detroit, MI 7th K-Mart







1967 14th K-Mart













1975 Duluth, MN (store is a 2012 closure)







1988 Baltimore, MD
(location still exists)







1991 Sanatoga, PA

(location still exists - windows tiled up /old facade peeking under)

[JimSawhill]

Did anyone know if the Spencer Street K Mart in Manchester got a new tenant?? When I moved in 2004, it was empty....I think PepBoys and a woodworking place was the only thing in that shopping center..

[Ames#1171]

I don't know if any one has seen this yet, but all of the Super Kmart's that are still open are going to stop being open 24 hours on April 22nd.  The new hours will be 6 AM to !2 Midnight.  I work at the Super K in Brooklyn, OH which also has a Kmart Express Gas Station on the property.  I work in the Gas Station.  I was surprised, because they get pretty decent business over night, especially on the 1st of the month when food stamps kick in.

[JimSawhill]

The KMart here on Florida Ave and Waters got an new landlord and the store is nice. A few years ago, the police got a report of a car left for 2 weeks in the parking lot. There was a body in the trunk. Now, the landlord tows cars after hours.

[Zayre88]

Can you believe that in 1981, the 2,000th Kmart store opened!

Kmart had 2,300 stores in 1994!  This means that 1,000 Kmart stores have closed since then!!!!!!

------------------
One more Kmart bites the dust:

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_20468947/broomfield-kmart-abruptly-closed-sunday

[JimSawhill]

I sure hope the Cromwell, CT store doesn't go anywhere. It is a perfect alternative to Walmart and Target. It is the best of both worlds. The store is very old, but it's kept up by management pretty well. It's neat, clean and organized as best as can be done with the age of the place. Corporate should remodel this store. It always has between 4-5 registers of the 8 they have open. Most of the employees are very friendly and helpful. They have good sales and the quality of their products are great. They must have done something right here because they are still open in a highly competitive area.

The Cromwell KMart had Grand Union next to it when it opened... I think the Grand Union is Xpect Discount now and it is in a strip mall...

[TRJ_22487]

1977 Chicago, Illinois K-Mart at Brickyard Shopping Center


1990, May 2nd unknown K-Mart listed in historic archive as "man with mullet outside K-Mart"

[vwnut13]

The Kmart in West Lebanon, NH has reopened (4/16/12)

They have the registers where everyone waits in one line and you are "called to the next available register"

I haven't seen that outside of TJ Maxx and Black Friday Sales.

[Zayre88]

The Kmart in West Lebanon, NH has reopened (4/16/12)

They have the registers where everyone waits in one line and you are "called to the next available register"

I haven't seen that outside of TJ Maxx and Black Friday Sales.

Great news!

[TRU7536]

Was watching the news and looks like the former Kmart in Manchester CT is coming down soon!