Sears/K-Mart Stores Closing

[GSB92]

How is that greed, though? One company was willing to pay more--it's the way the free market works.

Except that the store was there for over 40 years. And then big tyrant Target comes in and basically forces them out.

The power of greed consumes small businesses. No wonder New Yorkers don't want a Wal-Mart in the city.

[imhomerjay]

Kmart is hardly some little defenseless entity bullied around. They bid, they didn't bid enough, they lost out. That's not being forced out, it's not bidding competitively when the time came.

Target, like Walmart and others before, started out as the small, new kid. Through competitiveness and drive, they built a successful business--not one to everyone's tastes (as no business would be), but successful nonetheless. It wasn't like Walmart or Target magically opened up hundreds of stores out of the blue in one day. They began by offering something consumers wanted, and grew. That's entrepreneurship at work. 

We applaud the mom & pop stores, but do they become evil and greedy if they open a second location? A third? At what point do we abruptly stop supporting businesses that succeed in their efforts? When a coffee shop opens its fifh store? Tenth? When they record $100,000 in profits? A million? Two million?

For several reasons, I don't shop at Walmart, but harbor no ill will simply because they built something from the ground up over many years. And if Target found a way to better compete than Kmart--and thus to be in the position to make the highest bid for some piece of real estate--good for them.

(On a side note, wouldn't the so-called blame rest with the property owner, who chose to open it up to bids instead of re-signing Kmart without seeing who would deliver the best result for THEIR company?)

[rodroddyfan]

We used to have a Big Kmart near my house, then that left and it was replaced by sears essentials, but in april that closed after the lease wasnt renewed, now it is an empty building, except if other organizations use it for their business.

[Macsen]

I too am shocked Kmart still exists. The few still in the area are never anywhere near full, not even in the holidays. Their selection is always pitiful, which doesn't help.

I don't know what they were doing folding Sears in with Kmart, either. Now Kmart is just dragging Sears under with it. They'd be better off if they just let Kmart die and try to save Sears.

Note to Homer: Kmart, Target and Walmart all started virtually the exact same year.

[JerseyBob]

I'm not shocked by the news, but it is kind of sad.  I feel bad for the folks who will lose their jobs as a result of the closings.  I don't know the reasons for Sears' and K-Mart's problems in the marketplace, but I can speculate.  Even though they've updated periodically, Sears is certainly a 20th century store.  Their all-things-to-all-people store model was great years ago, but their lack of being the best in any particular area hurts the whole situation, nowadays.  There's much more (separate) competition for each department now, too (Big Box stores with more electronics, big home improvement stores, clothing stores with more appealing labels, etc.).  They also have lots of salespeople, which is convenient for customers, but is expensive for Sears.

As for K-Mart, I believe (at least with many stores in the northeast) they were asleep at the wheel during the (approx.) mid-to-late 1990s into the 2000s.  Many stores were not as well-kept as competitors' stores.  Some were in not-so-great neighborhoods.  They also weren't offering the great selection stores like Target were.  I must say, however, there are several stores in NJ today that are very nice, and I would miss having a K-Mart or Sears nearby.  I also question K-Mart's long hours, even on holidays.  Again, this is just speculation on my part, but does it really pay to stay open until 10: PM every night?  It must cost them a fortune to keep the stores open all those hours.  I'm not sure they have enough late-night and holiday business for it to make much sense, but I could be wrong.

I think they replaced them across the board.

By "them," you were referring to the Little Caesar's, right?  They didn't replace them across the board.  The OP still works at one, and there's one in my local K-Mart.

Even though we've disagreed a lot, I've agreed with most of what you said, imhomerjay.  Your responses to Gameshowboy92's posts were spot-on, and I, too, miss Clover.

[Reloaden]

I rarely go to Kmart, The stores are old and run down while Target Wal-mart etc is nice and bright and our Wal-mart did a Remodel two years ago, You go to kmart its dingy dark it feels dirty in there. Same with Sears they had a pretty decent concept merging sears as one store i remember reading a few years ago how one sears essentials beat out an Wal-mart for a quarter or something it was interesting. But just like the news said with the economy and having Wal-mart and Target offering lower prices Kmart dint had a leg to stand on.



Also, our town is having a retail boost a lot of new stores is coming down here. The mall here also is 98 percent full also, like it was during the 90s and were getting new shopping centers and restaurants. So if Kmart/Sears close down i don't think people would have trouble finding a job around here.

[someguy23475]

KMart a small business? You have got to me kidding me! Look how many stores they have! You should have seen how large their former HQ in Troy, Michigan was!

Target outbid them for the land, plain a simple. It helps the local government as well- more property tax revenue.

[Alfonzo]

Except that the store was there for over 40 years. And then big tyrant Target comes in and basically forces them out.

The power of greed consumes small businesses. No wonder New Yorkers don't want a Wal-Mart in the city.

You'll forgive me if I don't shed a tear for KMart. In the early 1990s KMart used "eminent domain" to force out people from their homes to build a new store here in Buffalo. Ten years later the store was slated to close, but the city of Buffalo paid KMart to stay open, which they did... for about six months. Their closing left a brand new eyesore in that neighborhood. I pity the neighborhood, but not the corporation.

[imhomerjay]

By "them," you were referring to the Little Caesar's, right?  They didn't replace them across the board.  The OP still works at one, and there's one in my local K-Mart.

Ah, had I not been trying to post and had a child yelling something or another in my ear, I might have realized my thought was incomplete. The sentence should have included "...in my area" (as the half dozen or so stores across several counties that I've visited had former pizza-pizza spots converted to junky-junky displays).

[nowhammies11]

We haven't had a Kmart in Toronto for years now.  According to That Other Wiki, Kmart Canada folded in '98 with all their stores becoming Zellers.  In an odd turn of events, 15 years later most Zellers stores are being rebranded as Target stores with their first venture into Canada.

[bingocaller1]

It has been a few years since our mall Country Club Mall in Lavale, MD. Kmart was shut down and torn down for a Wal-Mart. Now we have a Wal-Mart and a half empty mall. If Sears would close that would be another mall store closed. Very very sad.

[rn]

We haven't had a Kmart in Toronto for years now.  According to That Other Wiki, Kmart Canada folded in '98 with all their stores becoming Zellers.  In an odd turn of events, 15 years later most Zellers stores are being rebranded as Target stores with their first venture into Canada.

Sears isn't closing any stores here in Canada for the time being.    The K-mart closest to my old home is now a Canadian Tire.  And one Zellers store is going to be a Wal-mart express next year in Dorval, Quebec.

[Ronic]

Sears isn't closing any stores here in Canada for the time being.    The K-mart closest to my old home is now a Canadian Tire.  And one Zellers store is going to be a Wal-mart express next year in Dorval, Quebec.

Therein lies a big problem....after Zellers bought out KMart Canada, Zellers got way too big...273 stores for a store brand like Zellers equaled over-saturation for them, causing the reduction in QUALITY service for their stores, and snuffing out any possible 'Made In Canada' competition....that's why Target is coming into Canada, because not many shoppers, outside the loyal elderly demographic, wanted anything to do with Zellers anymore. Zellers became stodgy, and uncool. Which is why a lot of people are happy Target chose to create a chain for Canada, and get a lot of those Zellers stores out of Canadian cities.

[Season36Fan]

Wouldn't bother me if Sears stores started disappearing, but K-Mart is a whole other story. I remember back when I was very young, I'd go to K-Mart regularly and they had some kind of a pizza business inside, their pizza was like Heaven on Earth, one of the greatest things I ever shoved into my mouth. Unfortunately, they replaced it soon after my childhood memories, I loved that place... hopefully K-Mart as a whole doesn't go anytime soon.

 

I wasn't sure at first, but I did some Googling a moment ago and found out it was Little Caesar's. If I had known then that Little Caesar's was not K-Mart exclusive, it would've lessened the pain, but I'll still miss it in the former K-Mart. 

 I say this respectfully, and humorously... 

You need to get out (and eat pizza) way more often.

 

[CBSpromoman]

You'll forgive me if I don't shed a tear for KMart. In the early 1990s KMart used "eminent domain" to force out people from their homes to build a new store here in Buffalo. Ten years later the store was slated to close, but the city of Buffalo paid KMart to stay open, which they did... for about six months. Their closing left a brand new eyesore in that neighborhood. I pity the neighborhood, but not the corporation.

With respect, Alfonzo, your gripe isn't with Kmart, but with the local government.  A retail establishment cannot use eminent domain to force people off their property:  only the government itself can do that, and if it hadn't been Kmart, you can rest assured said government would have found something else to put there.

Kmart was my first job, and I think I witnessed the beginning of the long goodbye for that company.  My first couple of years, at Christmastime, we'd have "midnight madness" sales with mobs of people chasing the blue light from one special to another.  Then we got a new CEO who outlawed Blue Light Specials because in his mind, it was a cheap and degrading way to sell merchandise.  (Even if discounting was what made Kmart what it was.)  It was obvious that he was setting his sights on competing with Target, when the goal should ALWAYS have been to compete -- and undercut -- Walmart. 

He was eventually ousted, Blue Light Specials eventually returned.  But the store was NEVER the same.  The past few times I've set foot inside a Kmart store, it was so disheveled that I was actually shocked by the conditions inside.

It's a shame to see two long-respected giants in the retail industry falling on such hard times.  Hopefully better leadership and a bigger desire to be competitive will turn things around before it really is too late.