[Morzilla]

Heard this story yesterday on NPR and read it here. I've checked the Sears link that shows which stores will close but it has not updated its list as of late. This means no more Kmart exclusives nor an alternative to find figures that don't show up in places like Walmart, Target, or TRU.

Some economical rebound we're in.....

What's your take?

[FancyPants]

Most of the K-Mart stores around here in phoenix closed down already.

[DogFashionDisco]

K-Mart should have shut down ages ago. I'm not saying places like Walmart or Target are better (they're not), but K-Mart always managed to be somehow worse. Retail stores are sketchy at best, and to make an honest assessment so are the consumers. We, the people, kind of suck. Some of us are worse than others, but let's face it, this whole "free market" ploy is a joke.

[D00MTR0N]

no big lose,k mart's a dump with high prices anyway and sears is useless for figures.

[Crazy Jetty]

There hasn't been any K-Marts in my area for ten years. The last one closed down in 2001. So I been pretty much screwed for K-Mart exclusives since then.
Aside from them getting neat minicons, I've been in this boat so long that if more closed down, I can't say I'd notice.
And Sears, I never go into one. But I can't see my local sears closing, it's a cornerstone of the local mall (Unlike Foleys, and then Macey's that replaced it)

[wolverine2281]

my kmarts and sears shut down years ago

[cainraw]

Good riddance, every time I go to K-mart I always feel like there's a 50-50 chance I might get raped in the parking lot, no matter the time of day.

[wolverine2281]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cainraw

Good riddance, every time I go to K-mart I always feel like there's a 50-50 chance I might get raped in the parking lot, no matter the time of day.

those aren't very good odds if you go more than once!

[Dark Archangel]

more than 80 to be shut down in Cali, sucks for all those who lose their jobs.

[cainraw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolverine2281

those aren't very good odds if you go more than once!

Exactly, Thats why I go once a year, just in case.

[Peteparker]

I was amazed when I lived in San Diego and K-Marts ruled the area. Walmarts are HARD TO FIND! Targets are here and there, but the K-Marts are new, clean, and all over the place. Totally weird.

[Tiberius]

Doesn't effect me one bit. BRING ON THE TARGETS!

[behindthemask]

We used to have a k-mart here years ago like 10-15 years ago, but it closed down due to uncleanliness and shire lack of shoppers. I loved their toy isle, was a bit pricey, but golden selections. I have a sears here, and the toy isle is garbage, 95 kid stuff and some transformers and lego. I wouldn't have a problem with both chains dissapearing. Zellers is doing the same thing, the Owners of Target own Zellers and there's like 300 stores of Zellers left, the profitable ones are being converted into Targets while the others get tore down all together. I expect this to be a similar operation for k-mart, wallmart, both probably have shareholders , and if your market value is based on revenue which is based on number of income/store/year x all the stores. if that number is low, then kill the stores making the least, to give yourself a better overall number. then once the company thrives again you can look at expansion. It also is to be said that we the people have the final say, you want a store to exist, shop at it, if you don't boycott it all together the more people that do this will keep the stores they want in place and get rid of the unwanted. simliar to toys you buy 1 figure every 6 months and they may not be 2 quick to restock, but you buy 10-30 figures a month and they'll have fresh cases coming in, they want produects that move and give them $$.

[perrych]

It is easy to dismiss Kmart, but a few things to consider:
1) People are losing their jobs. And they likely won't be able to find a new one very quickly or pay as well.
2) Exclusives. Just this year, Kmart had several exclusive Star Wars ships and figures, not to mention a nice Captain America exclusive set.
I remember buying my first Star Wars figure at a Kmart store. As the article explains, they have made some really bad business decisions that have led to this. But remember when you say, "Good riddance" that it means thousands of people are losing their jobs. Even in toy terms, it is one less outlet for exclusives that were usually easy to get at Kmart.

[warmachine6]

o.o wait is the only k mart not walmart or both if so , i will be upset

[flipwilson]

I think Kmart should go through a re-inventing of itself. Right now, it's more or less a parody of a store than an actual store. Lower prices on everything and clean the damned places up.

Right now, it's like their slogan is "Kmart, why the hell not pay 2 extra bucks?"

[ToyAddict]

It's an inevitable and expected part of capitalism. Companies come and companies go, so just last longer than others. Kmart probably won't exist in another 15 years, Sears will probably last a little longer. And then you'll see a lot of those people working at some new company that will find ways of retailing that will combat Walmart or Target.

Sad to see them go though. . .I still say the best shopping experience I ever had was at Sears about 2 years ago.

[KingLouie731]

I direct my statements about Kmart because I don't really shop Sears but I truly believe that if Kmart employees would offer better customer service that they could make a turn around to be able to update the stores. I saw an article on Yahoo about this story yesterday and one of the sources quoted said that Kmart is failing is because Sears Holding won't invest in better service and renovations.

Case in point: Yesterday I saw a lady, who by her own admission has been with Kmart for 30+ years, direct a customer to the electronics counter for help with something in furniture rather than help out herself or make a call to get some help. She was only straightening from what I could see and any retailer will tell you customers come first but that appears to be the case only rarely, and not just at kmart. I know the guy in electronics and lp measures limit how far/long he can be out of electronics and he kind of snapped at her and made her make the page as he was presently with a customer and she got a little bit of an attitude. needless to say I wasn't in the store long yesterday but that seems to be the case across the board. I go into Target or Walmart or Kmart and I can make it around the store and not be greeted by anyone including the 'greeters', which blows my mind.

*Background* I love Kmart. In the area where I grew up there was no such thing as Walmart until I was a teenager, I'm 30 now, and Kmart was a big deal. I also think it must be said that I never truly went to the mall until I was able to drive :embarrassed: we had family dollar stores, roses, & maxway within <5 miles of the house and they were more frequented but at Christmas it was Kmart Layaway and maybe JC Penny's. I hope they turn their act around because I love to shop at the same store I've been going to for most of my 30 years and it kills me to see these lazy folks who are the 'gatekeepers' now. Pricing sucks on some things but they bogo sales and clearance gold mine makes up for that, as does the Shop Your Way Reward Card program they have in place where it kinda pays you to shop @ kmart. I believe they can make a turn around but it will be gradual and only if they are willing to make the investments necessary.

my

[Saint Phe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by perrych

It is easy to dismiss Kmart, but a few things to consider:
1) People are losing their jobs. And they likely won't be able to find a new one very quickly or pay as well.
2) Exclusives. Just this year, Kmart had several exclusive Star Wars ships and figures, not to mention a nice Captain America exclusive set.
I remember buying my first Star Wars figure at a Kmart store. As the article explains, they have made some really bad business decisions that have led to this. But remember when you say, "Good riddance" that it means thousands of people are losing their jobs. Even in toy terms, it is one less outlet for exclusives that were usually easy to get at Kmart.

Good points. It's sad for so many people to be losing their jobs, whether you like the store or not.

My local Kmart closed about 10 years ago, and I miss it. They had the best toy selection in town. I walked in one day and found a huge bin of the old Irwin Dragonball Z figures (the ones with no leg articulation) for like 2 bucks a piece. And they always got the new stuff first. Now the closest Kmarts are about 95 miles away. My wife and I always look forward to going. Even if they are a little dirty and understaffed.

[bmorr]

i only have one kmart in my area. its outright horrible. but since im from the suburbs its an island in a sea of targets and walmarts anyways. not like they ever restock the toy isle. they havent carried MU since...I bought silver surfer when it came out new.

[trebleshot]

First, this belongs in the General Discussion forum. Second, one thread is enough, I think. Merged and moved.

As to the topic at hand, we still have a couple of K-Marts kicking around here, but most closed when they went through bankruptcy some years ago (before they bought Sears). I'm sad for those who will lose their jobs, but hopefully they will get hired by Walmart, Target or some other retail store.

[CLASSIFIED]

If Sears is closing, then I guess I won't be able to go in there and feel up the bras in the ladies intimates section anymore.

I'm glad K Mart and Sears are closing stores. They both suck and deserve to close.

Stores like Wal Mart and Target are better and deserve the business they've siphoned off of K Mart and Sears.

Better they close than someone bail them out and they continue to fail.

[behindthemask]

It sucks people will lose their jobs, having said that if they get let go, they can draw ei/unemployment benifits until they find a new job. And there are tons of retail locations aside from big box stores that they could work at, and maybe have a better work experience then before.

[DogFashionDisco]

Stores like K-Mart are failing because they can't keep up with the expansion that Walmart and Target have accomplished in the last decade. K-Mart refuses to change the way it operates and that has made it an obsolete place to buy things. Walmart is tacky and siphons off of our commercial needs but they are good at exploiting society's weakness for cheap crap. Target is doing so well because they present themselves as a cleaner, less tacky alternative to Walmart, though they are just the same thing to me with a different color scheme. K-Mart has failed to identify itself as a place that people even want to shop at, due to the uncleanliness and overpriced merchandise. They could have found different ways to work around that but so far have failed to, so they're going to crash hard.

[Morzilla]

Trebleshot sorry for posting this where it doesn't belong, I figured that people would talk about this more if on the DC/MRVL forums as we only go to Kmart/Wally/TRGT for toys alone.....and may be pick up something else.
I too agree with the majority, Kmart has been a complete disgrace to go to as it looks like no one cares to keep up with the place (mgnt/owners). I won't complain bout the service for I work at Trgt and I am able to find prices, know the lingo, etc., etc.
And now if there a re a few Kmarts around it will make exclusives more elusive and scalpers even more bastards than before by jacking up the prices two to three fold, just so they can compensate for their time/gas.
I never knew that Sears actually carried toys at all.....!!!