Kohl's: Who Would Want To Buy This? | Retail Archaeology
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มิ.ย. 2022
- In this episode we take a look at Kohl's. They're for sale, but why would anyone want to buy them?
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#kohls #jcpenney #sears - บันเทิง
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I've always been amazed that Kohls did as well as it did for as long as it did. I'm a solidly middle class 30-something woman. I should be your target demographic. But I can't stand going there because of the nonstop gimmicks. I don't want to earn Kohl’s Cash and then have to go back certain days to spend it or open a credit card to get your sale price. People want to be able to come in and get a good value without playing a game.
Exactly. And who wants to buy 2 watches- you buy one and the other one 1/2 off
Unfortunately JCPenney tried that several years back and that, along with other strange changes, hurt them big time. Maybe they were a bit ahead of their time as I feel these days, people are less accepting of the 'coupon games'
@@dittohead7044 Who told you that you have to buy the second one at half price. Just buy one it is all about choice.
When you have a business that relies on customers and try to lure them into your store, you will understand. So middle class 30 something with your nose up into the air, there are many who like it. Besides no one is telling you to buy two of anything, so stop complaining, it is all about choices.
I kinda agree on this to a certain point, Millennials don't want to deal with anything. They hate sales reps, they hate real estate agents, they love an app more than they respect people since they like "playing a game" on others instead.
From a financial perspective, I am so surprised that the Kohl's Cash program worked the way they did, because it would likely hurt the company more than the customers.
One virtue of Kohl's is that it carries a wide selection of decent-quality men's clothing. That sets it apart from many of its competitors: Target has a rather small assortment of men's clothing, Walmart's quality isn't as good, and Macy's can be expensive.
What Kohls are you visiting? I've never found decent menswear there. Even as I've had to cross regular to big sizing, theirs is the worst.
I felt bad buying a 50$ hooded flannel shirt from kohls the one time I went... but it's my favorite shirt and I wear the shit out of it.
At least at the 2 story Kohl's at the mall near me, I'd have to agree. At the Kohl's down by my house, I can see where they tried to keep a decent selection, but the shelves are low on stock and sizing is all over the place. That's why, if I know Kohl's has the best price for what I am looking for, I check online to see if one of the 5 Kohl's within a 20 mile radius of my house have what I am looking for. If not, I skip the purchase or get it somewhere else if the price is better.
I go to TJ Maxx
Yes, we shop there all the time for myself and my son. Although I would never buy those pink shorts.
I hope they stay open because that is where I return Amazon packages - lol
Lol I never knew that that was even a thing
@@affoidman123 I don’t know if all Kohl’s do it but the one by me does and it came in super handy when I was building my PC and had to swap from AMD to Intel because NO ONE CAN KEEP THE 5800X IN STOCK!!!
same! 😆
Same!
They also give you a $5 kohls coupon when you return those packages.
I work at a Kohls. This store is bigger than the store I work at. I am impressed with the organization and neatness of this store. Unlike this store, my Kohls location is very busy almost all the time. You would be surprised how fast the graphic tees and Izod fly off the shelves! Shoppers really like that stuff. As an employee, I get treated very well.
This guy doesn't know what he is talking about. I want to see how he dresses lol
@@vintage4563 You can see how he dresses In the reflection during his Video game review here... He was wearing women's capree pants.. I think he is part of the Lgbtqffff haters group.
I have some Izod polo shirts. They are decent
Your name says it all
I used to work at a Kohl's in a college town and this sounds like BS.
I actually kind of like Kohl's. I only buy new clothes when I absolutely have to, and I only ever dress very casually, so Kohl's is my go-to since their t-shirts and jeans are affordable without looking as tacky as stuff you'd see at Sears or Old Navy. Plus they're always giving out those "Kohl's Cash" coupons that you can use to nab an extra shirt or pack of socks or whatever. Can't speak for their prices on anything else though, and they do give off very strong Mervyn's vibes.
When Kohl’s was entering the AZ market in the 2000s I remember telling my friends that it was like a Mervyn’s but better. I grew up in Milwaukee and Chicago, so I had Kohl’s growing up but not Mervyn’s.
Those digital price screens were a good idea HORRIBLY implemented. They'd work well if they had scanners that could display the price of whatever you're looking at.
I remember Walmart or some place like that having stuff like that 20 years ago.
And were better lit...they're as dim as a calculator, lol.
And were better lit...they're as dim as a calculator, lol.
The problem is that they constantly need to be putting out truckloads of stuff. Anything that doesn't fit on the sales floor needs to be put into some catalog system and stored in the back warehouse. So people just fill up any empty spot on the shelf and after a few weeks none of the price signs match up with what is now underneath them.
The last time I went into a Kohl's, it was because I needed something from Sephora and the girl at sephora told me to try there because the sephora inside was brand new and had more stock. She was right, it was there. But afterwords I just wandered around the store because I just don't shop there and it smells like the second floor of a JCP, has target graphic tees on a markup, and the only actual traffic there was to go to the place where you can return and grab Amazon packages. Even the brand new Sephora I went to was empty. Shiny new, too. Like it was less than a week old.
Yeah the last time I went to Kohl's was to do an Amazon return, they gave me a coupon with the return & I was able to use it on a sale item so I got a nice full length satin nightgown for less then $20, but I think regular price was almost $60 which is crazy. Definitely haven't been back, but I would for another return, lol.
Yep, always 3-4 people in line to return Amazon packages there (instead of going to a UPS store or USPS I guess?) and then MAYBE 3-4 others scattered throughout the store.
@@TheCRTProductions it's REALLY easy to do the return there. I don't have to pack it up or print labels or anything. It's probably one of the only reasons I go in. The clothes seem to be "meh" at best. The kids clothes are kind of decent, but slim pickings.
Which kohls were u at that had that Sephora
@@scottrogers5587 Sephora has been opening inside of the stores since I believe April. My experience was two days before I posted this comment. If your local one doesn't have it yet, I'm sure one of the other ones around you might or will soon.
Kohl's has always been a weird store for me since on first impressions, they seem to just be a clothing store with some home goods, but then they also have all those small sections dedicated to toys and electronics or other odd things. But the selection is so abysmal that anyone shopping for those items would never step foot in Kohl's. Mine in particular was located right across from a Target and it makes you wonder why they even bother.
Soooo....you are saying that Kohl's is like EVERY department store?
Our Kohl's is sandwiched between Target and Walmart. I don't see how they've managed to stay open these past 17-18 years.
And their toy department is soooo overpriced.
The Kohl's here is litterally next door to Target. I've always seen Kohl's as kind of a Target wanna'be anyway.
Orlando has a few Kohls. 🛒 I lump them in with the 5-6 other retail places I have no real need for or want. Fashions, home good etc. Kohls is not a real requirement.
I remember when they introduced Kohl's cash and heavy discounting - I had bought a few picture frames and a few weeks later I wanted to buy another one of the same type. I went back and the exact same picture frame had gone from 4.99 to 14.99. There was a "deal" to get it 50% off. Kohl's was off my list after that. I hate coupon games.
J.C. Penney famously stopped playing "coupon games", and that was basically the death blow for them. Turns out, people like the thrill of the hunt.
I hope Kohl's doesn't go out of business. At least in my area the two I have are nice. The clothing at mine have a nicer selection than places like Target. They also take Amazon returns and give out Kohl's coupons when you do that. I've done it and used the coupon, so it serves its purpose. Though, their electronics departments are a joke. I felt like some of their sections like electronics were meant to only exist for Black Friday, lol. It's also a decent place for pillows and such compared to other options like JCPenney.
I've also done that, but the last time I went looking for something to wear to a wedding, I couldn't find a single thing worth buying. Everything was SUPER casual. Not even any business attire which you used to be able to find.
One good thing about Kohl's toy department: It often sells Lego sets earlier than other stores; I found the Mandalorian's speeder bike there ~a month in advance.
Yeah lol that is like the only plus. I have found some retired sets there on clearance as well
legit soyboy tier, stop collecting lego
@@idkanymore3382🤡🤡
I haaaate the pricing at Kohl's. I'd be way more inclined to buy anything from them if they could be clear about what the prices are and get rid of the weird coupons. Those little screens are just not easy to understand.
Exactly it just makes the experience less smooth
I’ve always felt like the digital price screens in kohls are such wasted potential, like you pointed out they rarely have specific prices on them
I'm glad you mentioned the back rooms, because that's exactly the vibe it gives off, although maybe not quite yellow enough. My cousin is addicted to Kohl's and she says it's because between the massive clearances and the Kohl's Cash, it makes it so cheap to buy stuff there. But, like you pointed out, there's nothing really there you'd WANT to buy.
Or need, the only thing our rural household goes out shopping for is grocery store items. Haven't been to a Target, Costco, Wal-Mart or mall in over 5 years. If we need something specific we just point and click vs going out which always leads to more purchases.
Literally just got hired at Kohl's within the past week, can't wait for this.
I work in customer service... Please don't tell the customeres to call us if they have issues with an item that they bought in store XD... We can only fix online orders
@GlobalDataConspirator Lol, yeah, it was really weird to reicive two likes. I think they undestand the struggle );
@@josemiguelcarretoromero7193 I gave you a third, I totally hear you
Are they paying you a living wage? I try not to support companies that can't pay their employees a living wage
@@mlev1111 they don’t
my local kohl’s here seems to always have sales going on, such as lots of apparel, home decor, electronics, etc. on clearance for 40%-75% off. not too sure if that has to do with liquidation to bring in more products, or it’s declining in sales. however, kohl’s is probably the only department store i would choose to shop at, as there are some hidden gems. the amazon returns and sephora openings seem like they could help kohl’s survival, but again, only time can really tell
The Kohl's model is based on artificially elevated prices so they can always have sales.
>the amazon returns and sephora openings seem like they could help kohl’s survival
I'm unsure about Sephora, but Amazon returns were to entice people to shop there. It failed since Amazon's clientele is no different from Walmart these days (read: cheap idiots).
Same with our Kohl's. My husband and I have the Kohl's charge card that we've had for eons and we are CONSTANTLY getting emails about sales and offering 30% for using our Kohl's card. We used to shop there fairly frequently back in the 2000s, but nowadays, we can never find anything that we would actually buy there. This past Christmas, we had $30 in Kohl's rewards to spend and we literally could NOT find anything to spend it on, so we just let it expire. My husband tried to find something to buy with it, but he couldn't find anything, so he told me to look for something and I couldn't find anything either! I feel like their housewares are way overpriced. We can get the same things at Target or Amazon for much less.
Kohl’s has always played the “big sale” that changes constantly and “gotta have the card to get the deal” setup. I think the people are just tired of the game on top of the stores now having a rundown bland Sears feel. I want them to succeed but it’s not looking good.
I like Kohl's because they still offer name brand clothing.Not everyone wants to wear generic stuff. I think that the clothing is better quality.I still like being able to see things in person and not dealing with shipping
I went to Kohl's for the first time last year, prepping for a trip to Africa. I bought my luggage, some Nike's, and several shirts (including an izod!). I liked the Kohl's Cash which brought me back a couple times. But I agree on the "big and empty" feeling. For instance, they had a million pairs of jeans, but no denim shorts--admittedly it was Fall/Winter. And I remember wheeling my luggage across the floor to price check it at the kiosk because the shelf prices were confusing/absent. Also, their tiny cart things are weird..
I totally agree with your comment on the carts. I find them pointless and useless.
Yes I agree their carts are stupid. Changing that alone might help them. You cannot put a vacuum cleaner in one of those and do any other shopping.
I spent an unreasonable time at Kohl's in the 00s doing inventory auditing, and what's true now is what was true back then, other than there was a lot more disposable income. The toy section was always cluttered and small, the electronics they sold never made sense, the outfits were beige even when they were pink. The home decor section was a lot worse than what you showed, and I'm surprised it's actually gone down since then. Random aisles with trendy items like iHome would pop up and disappear and the remainder left to rot in clearance. You're absolutely right in that they don't get rid of a lot of unsold merchandise.
That being said, their cooking and bedding departments rivaled anything I saw outside of an upscale department store like Macy's, and still do. Seeing and feeling the fabric in person is huge in how I decide bedding. It's also a different selection, style-wise, than what I see at Target. I think there's still a place for these kinds of stores, only if they cut the half-hearted toy and electronics sections. This is the perfect "wedding gift" store and also the perfect "I need something to wear for a wedding so I don't want to spend a ton on something I'm only wearing once" store.
Your mention of wedding apparel reminds me of when I worked at Kohl’s in customer service and we would take ANY returns. A guy came in one time with an entire suit, shirt, tie. The shirt literally had a lipstick stain on the collar. The guy straight up told me “I just wore it to a wedding.” He got a full refund.
It would be smart if Kohls became more of a registry store
I feel like kohls Mens department has really declined in recent years. They really eliminated a lot of good brands in favor of more private labels that like you said, give off Sears/ Mervyns vibes. Kohls stores look nice physically, but in my opinion Macys has a much better assortment of brands and things people actually wear.
I’ve gotten $10 in kohls rewards and then walked around and around trying to find something to get with it. Not a good sign
Yep. I'm glad they still have urban pipeline, that brand still makes decent graphics tees or colored shirts. I'm bummed out they don't carry Tony Hawk brand anymore, although perhaps he sold off that long ago. Other than that and some of Kohls Apt. 9 brand, the men's section is wierd, like it can't make up its mind if it's an angsty teenager, a rich young dork, or a depressed 50 year old.
I recently moved from California to the Midwest and was considering picking up a second job at Kohl's until I realized their dismal pay. they literally paid minimum wage and not anything above it so good riddance to them. You going to find poor customer service if you're not going to pay your employees well.
They used to pay better. There were people who made their careers there. I remember seeing the same friendly, helpful people for many years. Then within a couple of years they were gone. I bet Kohl's got rid of them & hired new people at minimum wage.
@@sweetkitty3249 yeah you're probably right!
As someone who currently works at Kohl's, the management there is fantastic and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The pay is crap (however many other big chains also pay minimum wage) and some of the customers can make things difficult but it has been an overall positive experience. That being said, in the last couple months there have been horrendous cutbacks in hours for employees due to Kohl's potentially getting sold and it has forced many good people to quit so it is definitely going down hill. I continue to stick through it because of the fantastic work environment that is hard to find in most other places.
@S. S. There are too many things to count that need to be fixed. We need to have more associates in the store to attend the fitting rooms to make sure people aren't stealing or doing drugs or destroying the fitting rooms. We need people at the doors checking receipts to discourage thefts (my store has high theft rates and anyone who tries to stop it gets fired). Kohl's needs to stop being cheap and hire loss prevention for ALL its stores. I was on price changes last week and we clearanced like 85% of the store--including the items that had just come in. Imagine how much more money Kohl's would have if they stopped selling so much ugly and terrible quality clothing. Or if shipments with seasonal clothing came in well before the season was over. Last Christmas, there was a whole truckload of Christmas clothing that came in like a month after Christmas had ended and Kohl's refused to even put it on clearance.
Although often overlooked, clothes were to the 90's what top 40s music was to the 80's. All of the top brands were at the top of their game - Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Polo. Those brands are just a shell of their former selves now. Even St. John's bay was awesome for a store brand. Kohl's had a great selection back then and their store brand was top notch. Just doesn't seem the same anymore.
This. I shopped there a lot in the mid-90’s, and loved it. By the time I registered there for my wedding in 2000, and shopped there a fair amount with my first son. By the time my next two came along, it had gone way downhill. There was a certain type of kids clothing they had, reasonably priced, but so ugly. I’m so surprised they’re still in business at all. Their coupon scam was well known, and in recent years, they were always dirty and disorganized.
I hate to shop, so I mainly do it online now. Amazon has stepped up their clothing game, so I’ve been getting a lot there. Doing less Target too since Joanna Gaines took it over. Spending less and feeling good about it. :)
Bed and bath linens are a retail albatross. I used to work in a linens department in Belks. The departments themselves take a lot of space, both on the sales floor and in back stock areas. Our sales quotas were super high. The merchandise is impossible to keep tidy. There were entire evenings we did not even see a single customers. The most activity was from employees going from the employee entrance to their own departments. The silence was deafening. And this was back in the 90’s when retail was strong. I know the items are necessary, but may be better suited to online orders.
that and people don't buy linens very often. i bought some sheets and a comforter when i got a ne wbed, haven't bought any more since.
I agree with almost everything you said in the video, and the comments on this video are very good. What I haven't seen mentioned yet is that Koh'ls often sells athletic wear/"casual" athletic wear for FAR cheaper than anywhere else (on a national scale). Brands like Columbia, UnderArmor, Nike, even NorthFace are sold for outrageous prices at sporting goods stores like REI and Dick's, but can be found at Kohl's for usually around a third of their prices. My cousin was complaining about how her son wanted specifically a NorthFace jacket a couple of years ago and how expensive they were everywhere, and told her they were selling what I mentioned and she jumped on it. They also usually have a bra fitter on staff in the women's lingerie area (or used to), which is a very hard thing to find these days.
i work at kohls. mines actually somewhat busy on weekends for some reason. i think there are some decent basic neccessities but yeah a lot of it is ugly, and like you said you can easily find the same things at target or walmart and probably cheaper too. the clearance racks (and sometimes normal racks) are massive and overflowing constantly. so much of the store is clothing when it doesnt need to be and i agree that the non-clothing sections are usually too small. so many of the sections are so random too, like there's a whole section for luggage and greeting cards for some reason? and novelty junk party games that nobody ever buys
oh also the whole beauty section at mine got taken out and replaced with a sephora inside like theyve done at some jc penneys.
I always thought it was weird that Kohl's sells greeting cards. I never even bother to go there for them. You can get a larger section at Target. Target also has lots of wrapping paper & party supplies, which you would also want to purchase along with a greeting card.
@@sweetkitty3249 I've not been in one for a long time(almost 50 min drive for me), but I agree the greeting card stuff is weird for someplace like Kohl's to sale, but if you want to save even more money on that kind of stuff that's going to get tossed out by whomever you give it too, then go to Family Dollar/Dollar Tree to get it cheaper, or what I do, is goto Dollar General, but wait till after the season is done with, and stock up as I've seen that stuff at Dollar General at upwards of 90% off it's original price before they penny it out of the system, and either toss it, or send it back to the distribution warehouse, then I just put it in a sealed locking storage tote, and store it in my attic for when I need it.
I had no idea that Kohl's had greeting cards. I didn't realize they had toys either! Those are just not the sort of items that you would associate with Kohl's! When I think Kohl's, I think of clothing and housewares. That's it.
Any Kohl's I've been in recently is more busy than the one in this video.
I use to work at a Kohls; and I think he hit one of the main things I absolutely hated. The Signing with the electronic signs, would only allow certain things to link to them, but if you had older stuff, it just didn’t. I remember our manager yelling at us over it because he didn’t understand the way they worked. And it was to the point I just gave up; I really enjoyed the people there, but gosh their systems and way they do stuff is aggravating.
Honestly, Kohl's was where my family bought most of their clothes growing up in the Midwest. It was on par with the selection at JC Penney or Sears and their Kohl's cash system meant you could get a lot of clothes for relatively cheap. Their bedding and home goods selection was also pretty good.
I also remember the shelves being neat and the options (barring the as-seen-on-tv electronic junk section) being mostly stuff that people would buy. But the store you went into with random junk thrown haphazard onto the shelves is nothing like the Kohl's I remember from the aughties. Sad to see how far they've fallen.
All of our local department stores closed (Penney’s, Younkers, Sears, Dillards, etc) and all we have left is a Kohl’s. It’s usually always busy, but maybe for that reason only. It’s pretty nice, got a revamp in the last few years.
i currently work at kohls and i love how accurate this video. the main difference is that my store is still busy as hell on weekends so seeing one this dead on a sunday is surreal. we do have some days though where the store is dead but amazon returns is packed lmao, literally just a giant glorified package dropoff.
Thoughts about Kohl’s: I have a stuffed Tigger that my mom got me from there and that’s my most stand out memory of the place.
The e-ink signs are actually really cool. As someone who works retail and throws out a ton of signage daily and weekly, really wish more stores would adopt them
The Amazon thing always seemed a deal with the devil type thing for Kohl’s. If it’s the closest place fine, but I’d find it annoying compared to just dropping it off at a nice, small UPS store. Don’t want to do more shopping when I’m returning something.
Legit bought a similar record player at Dollar General when I worked there. Probably a lot cheaper too. When you’ve stopped to DG levels of product quality, you’re in bad shape
Addendum: went into a Kohl’s to grab a couple of stuffed guys to match my Tigger and see their Big & Tall section. Mine here is clothes only for the most part, and the B&T is so much worse than it used to be. Ended up with that exact bear T-Shirt as a 2XT for like $3 on clearance.
I also now live between 2 45-minute drives to UPS stores, so hopefully they keep the Amazon returns
This is one of my favourite TH-cam channels. I lay in bed at the end of the work day and for some reason these videos are the perfect way to wind down. Keep it up 🎉
Awesome video and some great shots! Thanks for documenting all of these places. People will look back in 20 years and be filled with happy memories, like when we watch videos of the 70s and 80s.
Ikr !
Kohl’s, the store your aunt buys your Christmas presents from. I never became a Kohl’s shopper, I got looped into the JCPenney ecosystem when I worked at my local mall. Penney’s has the same cash back program and similar merchandise.
This is really satisfying for me to see. I worked at Kohl's back in like 2018/19 and it was a fresh hell, I have never been so depressed. The people that did shop there were insufferable, and their pricing model (constant permanent 'sales' to trick you) is just assinine.
Sounds like Staples with me, 2017-20. Overworked, underpaid, overpriced, and miserable workloads. Couldn’t attract any talent all the way back in 2018. Not surprising the location I worked at recently closed.
It really is noteworthy just how generic and pointless that store looks. Well done!
That's a very good description of it. The things Kohl's is selling are just NOT things that people buy these days! It's almost as if they are stuck in the 2000s. Their housewares are way overpriced and their clothing is as boring and generic as it gets. I definitely get Sears vibes when walking through their clothing section. When my husband and I had $30 in Kohl's cash from our Kohl's charge card rewards, we literally could NOT find anything to spend it on, so we let it expire.
My late mom loved shopping at Kohl's. The one closest to me is pretty busy, despite a Burlington and Marshall's in the same plaza. I've always felt their prices were a little high, but the clothes do hold up. They used to do very well when other stores were suffering, now it seems it's their turn to go downhill.
I have a t-shirt I bought from Kohl's for a buck and change about 15 years ago, that I still get use out of!
I will give Kohl’s credit for consistently renovating their buildings-something K.Mart and Sears NEVER did and I think that was very costly for them. Many of them adding a Sephora dept. to replace their fine jewelry. Sephora seems to be transferring a lot of product out of JCP stores and into Kohl’s stores; perhaps they think it’ll move faster there. Other observations I’ve noticed about Kohl’s is that their clearance sections are now so overwhelmingly huge now that I can hardly find anything useful…I admire those who have the patience to sift through all that. Home department is shrinking, Childrens department growing, activewear departments growing…but Kohl’s used to be my go to place for business casual clothes. Lately it’s been tough to find anything that I’d actually wear. And the amount of merchandise I could actually use my charge card discount on has been whittled down to next to nothing.
I order things from Kohls online for my husband because it's one of not many places that carry big & tall men's. Finding multi-x things isn't hard, but finding xTall things is. The local store doesn't have a ton in store usually, but there more online options and there is ALWAYS a sale or kohls cash or whatever.
The consumer is definitely changing. Since I’ve been working from home I don’t buy nearly as much clothes. My biggest complaint about Kohl’s is their cashiers are often VERY aggressive with getting you to sign up for a credit card (not a sign that business is good IMO). Not their fault, it’s higher ups. This makes me not want to go in and buy something.
@S. S. I know it’s not your fault, it’s the brainless people at the corporate level.
@S. S. Put some of the blame on the inconsiderate customers. I work in shoes, and some people have no manners to clean up the mess they made.
Soo true! Just went the other day and the cashier asked me like three times if I wanted to sign up for the credit card, even though I had said no, maybe next time lol
Same, a handful of months back I think I had the displeasure of being checked out by a manager because usually when I check out they might ask once then when I say no they don't push it, but this woman was trying really hard, showed me the money I could save by getting a credit card, and just overall tried to kind of guilt trip me, all for a dress I really didn't need but wanted to wear for a cute date, but could just as well do without. Honestly if she had pushed any further than she did I would've just walked out of there without the dress.
What a disaster who is in charge of these dying department store chains and do they even care or have they just given up? Maybe figure out that what you’re carrying isn’t working for you…big dying Sears vibes for sure.
Speaking of, they’re finally filling the old anchor Sears spot in one of our local malls with…you guessed it, our third Walmart.
The retail apocalypse is happening top-to-bottom; the ultra-exclusive luxury retail "experience" is faring a little better, for the time being at least. I wouldn't even blame Amazon- speaking as a consumer who gouged throughout the 2000-aughts, I think a lot of us have enough stuff as it is.
The backrooms comparison is exactly where my mind went as well. My city has the unholy trifecta of Macy’s, JCPenney, and Kohl’s, but the former two are attached to a well-trafficked mall and still feel pretty active. The Kohl’s, in contrast, has a stand-alone location like this one in the video and is pretty much how I imagine purgatory feels.
I went to Kohl's recently looking for a dress for a wedding. What I found was ugly, casual, dark colored clothing items that were either REALLY small or REALLY big. It was empty of people (this was a Thursday afternoon). I can find those same graphic tees at Target for less. I ended up going to Jc Penney and got several items for considerably less than I could have found one thing at Kohl's.
I love Khols. It's where I primarily buy my clothes. I don't even understand why a clothing store needs to be "fun" and I certainly wouldn't buy all my clothes from Amazon.
Are you over 50?
@@thankthelord4536I am over 50 and I would not buy clothes here. I think OP has got to be 60 plus, at least.
Went to my local Kohls last weekend..hadn't been in there for years....wanted some dress pants for work....prices ranged from around $45 to $85...found same pants( Haggar) on amazon for half the price delivered next day.
I was seasonal at Kohl’s the last two winters. The first year I was always seeing some thing I wanted to buy, especially with the coupons and staff discounts. This past year, they changed to the active wear stuff and there was very little my kids or I actually wanted. Their stuff is overpriced without the coupons and the selection of clothing has gone down hill. I’d have people coming in looking for dressier clothes and nice work stuff, don’t carry that any more. I agree, the electronics are pointless and the key was always at the other end of the store. Sad to see them go downhill, used to be a favorite place to shop, I hate online shopping, so choices are disappearing.
I’ve always generally liked my two closest Kohl’s. They’re nothing special, but they’re neat and clean and I find what I’m looking for, which is only clothing. Smaller stores that drop the peripheral stuff could be a good move.
I want to thank you for giving me a break from the world. Your videos are just so chill and take the stress off...its good for my mental well-being. Thank you, Retail Archaeology.
The Amazon returns are located at the back of the store so the customer sees what is for sale in Kohl's. By doing this, they may make an impulse buy on the way out. Also, Kohl's gives you a coupon to use in the store just about every time you return something to Amazon at Kohl's. This is retail 101 and why it "may" work for them. But I would bet against it.
I can remember being in Kohls during the holidays and Back to School- and it was PACKED! Like, getting there when it opened and waiting in line to buy jewelry. Wow, times have changed.
This was HILARIOUS, excellent video! My parents LOVE this place. They never leave with any merchandise, but every birthday and Christmas come you can bet you'll find my parents at a Kohls. Get your BBQ supplies, giant dominoes and American flag hat. They basically sell the same merchandise that is sold at Goodwill but for 5X the price.
Thanks for this video. I've been working at my local Kohl's for year now and a lot of the complaints we get from customers usually are, "You guys used to have a lot more nicer stuff." I can't help, but silently agree. The apparel selection is sometimes pitiful, especially when you have half the size of the store in this video, then you get the location I work at.
One of my managers once joked that Amazon should just go ahead and buy the chain already since most people who step foot in a Kohl's on a regular day are really just there to return something from Amazon.
Kohl's has gotten a lot odder in the last couple years. That whole toy section I think was a recent addition to capitalize on the death of Toys R Us, and the electronics has always been an afterthought of impulse buy gift junk. Near me the housewares section has been decimated by the pandemic with very little inventory. There's been a lot of shuffling as it seems they removed things that demand for died during the pandemic like luggage and stopped ordering new seasonal fashions and have been unable to resume and are making do with a lot of that all season stuff like those generic T shirts, they always had some of that before but nowhere near that much. Macy's and Kohl's are still the go to stores to find good and simple things like Polo and T shirts and jeans for me
I like Kohl's. I like the store size and layout. And they sell a bit of everything. The best thing is they are independent of malls so you can get in and out easily. There also are never teenagers in there, which is a huge plus. It's all older parents or young parents with toddlers. Again, likely bc they aren't attached to malls. It's a peaceful shopping experience. Was just in one last weekend and it was plenty crowded. You can also return Amazon items there, which is nice.
I have been shopping at Kohls for a while. All along the store has been similar format to Mervyns which is primarily apparel with a few housewares and bedding mostly. They have never been into electronics that much.
I also heard that the investors want people to turn Kohls into a downsize and real estate flip operation from a news article that I read. This sounds like a future potential leveraged buyout kill operation which happened to so many other retailers but I could be wrong.
I last went into a Kohl's when I was shopping for a "secret santa" gift a few years ago. While I remembered Kohl's as a "cleaner" version of Mervyn's, their clothing options disappointed me. They struck me as overpriced considering the quality and styling. That is a big problem for any retailer/department store competing with outlet malls, discount retailers (TJ Maxx/Marshalls), and online shopping.
I think it's smart to have an Amazon return. A lot of people shop on Amazon, and let's be real they need the foot traffic. I went with my brother for such a reason, and even though we didn't buy anything, I always enjoy my tike going to kohl's.
At least two Kohls near me have been given the remodel + addition of Sephora treatment and in all honesty I couldn't be happier. For the longest time, literally until Coviiid, their aisles were so jam packed with tables full of just STUFF nobody wanted. I actually stopped shopping there because the racks were so insanely disorganized, and you couldn't pass another shopper in the main aisles because the tables were so huge. I, for one, am so glad that it seems like they've permanently done away with the overstuffed tables. They've also added a plus size women's clothing area (which I really appreciate, though the styles need some work), and shrank their jewelry offerings. It looks like they got rid of the cheap Claire's looking stuff and kept a lot of the Lauren Conrad line, which I love. I think whomever runs Kohls now is doing it some justice. I'm also there a whole lot more because they've partnered with Amazon to accept/process online returns. So I really like that.
Makes me sad to think Kohl's is dying; it was synonymous with "clothes" when I was growing up in suburban Ohio, and I thought that having that market (one where you prefer to be there in person to try things on) would help hedge its bets against Amazon for longer than this. But maybe a "brand name" clothing store is exactly the kind of uniquely upper-middle-class symptom of bourgeois life that was destined to die this generation. Those awful pink polos are exactly the kind of fashionable clothing I remember associating with Kohl's - maybe they've been stuck in 2010 for the last decade.
I just went to several stores and I think the designers are just making ugly stuff. I just watched a video from Target and people were commenting that it looked liked Liitle House on the Prairie.
You sound like you have a problem with the upper middle class. Rather than complaining about what they can do that you can't focus on learning from them to make a better example of that class. So predictable of these mislead recent generations. I should know from having the misfortune of becoming a Gen Y'er of people fighting to be poor and attacking everything that isn't while glorifying the ills of the impoverished. I come from poverty and I'm a Black Man. It's nothing to be celebrated. Wanting wealthy excess crushed will merely be passed on to you and so on until we're all poor. Hasn't anyone learned from the U.S.S.R. and this is what ended it and millions of lives? I'd rather have a chance at that "bourgeois" lifestyle than having no other options beyond poverty. Be glad that lifestyle exists. You'd likely be homeless if it weren't.
“Kohl’s” sounded like “clothes” 20 years ago. Nowadays “Kohl’s” sounds like “olds” who are their main demographic anymore.
I wear a lot of silver jewelry, and used to buy a lot of it from Kohl's. Then it went to silver plated (yuck) at crazy prices. Then I found etsy, and didn't look back.
I’m a toy collector and the Kohl’s toy section is a hidden gem for toy or doll collectors. I still shop there but not as much as I used to. Target has crap clothes so does Walmart if I want decent underwear or good bras Khols is best because Macys is to expensive and JC Pennys has old lady undergarments 😂. I hope they can last! Great video💖🦄
Big Lots too. They were the only place I could find original Batman Animated Series action figures and the first generation of Bratz before Matel sabotaged them. Bastards.
So, I worked for Kohl's for about 10 years and our store was one of the 'test stores', meaning that any big changes the company wanted to roll out nationwide got tested out in stores like ours first. Kohls has a pretty thriving online shopping department now, and I was among the first people in that department. From the time my shift would start to the moment I left, I would be running around like crazy pulling online orders, bagging them up, and getting them ready for the mail truck.
Kohl's seemed to recognize all the way back in 2013 that online shopping was the way to go, and in my time there, was gearing more and more to selling online than in-store.
Oh, and yes; those stupid little shorts did sell.
Glad to see you back with a new video!
Fantastic presentation. Your observations on the Amazon Return Center are dead-on accurate. It’s by far, the most active area in the entire store at my local Kohl’s.
I would like to add one other observation of the Kohl’s experience which you didn’t mention… The somber almost hopeless attitude the employees share.
The clerks, cashiers and sales assistants at my Kohl’s seem to be struggling. Not with their duties but just with life in general. All of us at one-time-or-another have had a job we didn’t like, but this goes well beyond that. The lack of engagement between employees, the slumped shoulders, the blank stares to nowhere while performing their tasks; it’s like they know something bad is looming in the not-to-distant future. I remember catching the same vibe at my local Bed Bath & Beyond and Shaws (a New England based grocery store) before they went out of business.
Great documentary and keep them coming. Despite the somber content, I learn a lot from your work.
Stay Safe & Stay Strong,
Boston
Unpleasant customers who demand and the small amount of staff who is working. Can never get jobs done.
Kohls is one of my favorite stores. They’re one of the few places that carry larger sizes. The also carry a great selection of Star Wars graphic tees.
The stores here in phoenix seem to be slower than the ones back east. Our local store in Maryland was always packed.
I REALLY, REALLY like KOHL'S clothing stores ! Their clothes are much higher quality than Walmart, TARGET and FredMeyers. Walking on the beautiful white floors in Kohl's reminds me of some scenes in the MATRIX moive. So peaceful and calming.
I gotta say, I really dig the way you present these videos. In a time where these videos are being done by lots of people, I feel you do it best.
If Simon said no to buying them …..damn that’s saying a lot.
Lol Simon says
I feel like Kohl’s overprices stuff. They use to have good deals, but that all went away. Now they remind me of Sears when it was declining, which is funny when you said it. It also reminds me of the old Montgomery Wards.
They also have to do something about that gawd awful fluorescent lighting, one look in one of those scary Kohls mirrors & there goes another lost sale!
I never think of Kohl's unless someone else mentions it or some kind of space time anomaly warps their brain patterns, prompting them to willfully choose to go there for some reason. Someone suggested it once when I needed clothes, so I went in to look at pants and encountered an entire section full of expensive skinny jeans which comprised almost the entirety of the male pants selection. They had very little I would want and nothing I thought was a reasonable price. The rest of the store was similar with a bizarre product assortment, relatively high prices, and no customers.
At least KMart and Sears had basic, cheap options, and KMart in particular seemed to know who they were *trying* to market to. I was always fascinated how KMart stuck around for so long, but Kohl's is just so boring and aimless that I'm kind of disgusted by it. It's the perfect stand in for generic suburbia - generally clean and quiet, large and sprawly, utterly unremarkable and devoid of anything resembling identity, simultaneously everywhere yet invisible, and so bland that its inoffensiveness is itself offensive. Even JC Penney is more interesting, and that's a REALLY hard bar to surpass.
I praise whatever gods exist that we didn't have a Kohl's growing up. I would've dreaded being dragged here by my mom...
I actually like Kohl's. It's got a pleasant atmosphere and I can always find some decent shoes. Kohl's does have necessities, such as jeans and dress shirts. When I need to shop for dress shirts, dress pants or shoes I'll definitely go to Kohls first. Sure, some clothes are silly looking, and I get a bit tired of playing games with getting discounts but as a business I can see why they do it. The toy section is also and has always been TERRIBLE. They used to sell video games at a skyrocketed price over Gamestops or Targets. They need to just get rid of toys and stick to clothes and home goods. I've also always found Kohl's stores very clean with VERY presentable bathrooms. Much more than I can say for Wal-Marts or Targets who seem to always have disgusting bathrooms.
I've generally had a good experience with Kohl's. They can be a little pricey at times, but they have a better selection of what I'm looking for than the nearby J.C. Penny. The Kohl's is generally clean and well kept up, with the exception of the clearance area that takes up most of the center part of the store. My wife has been there a few times and each time she comes back empty, so I'm not confident that they are doing a good job of understanding what their main customer base is looking to buy. It just seems like most of these stores think that only 15 - 22 year olds and the 65+ crowds shop there.
It's like you pointed out - there are more of those generic graphic tees than men's dress shirts. If I go to a Kohl's, JCP, or Belk, I'm going for dress clothing. If I'm going to Walmart or Target, I'm going for casual clothing. I'm not saying that Kohl's shouldn't sell any graphic shirts, but when they outnumber dress shirts then that shows that they are not addressing their core customer group.
Yay!!! A new awesome video! Love them, thanks!!
Your videos are always so good
This is really odd to see because the Kohl's that I work at is always so busy, and recently it's felt that way probably because we are short staffed, like everywhere else, but we do pretty good with the daily sales plan. The women's fitting room is normally a struggle to keep up with because so many people try on a cart full of clothes, and there's many calls for additional cashiers to the register because the line gets long. The foot traffic we get from Amazon returns helps too because it brings in new faces, and by doing an Amazon return here you'd get a coupon to use in store which entices the customer to use and helps drives sales. Sephora also brings in new customers and their sales also helps kohl's. Our store was also updated last year when sephora came in so it doesn't give off the old school department store vibe anymore. I assume my store is this lucky compared to others by its location and the good customer service we have compared to other stores around the country.
The Star Child intro.... Makes me want to watch Evangelion again.
Always appreciate your content!
Some of these failing companies should legit seek out your guidance on how to turn a store around. You have years of researching these types of stores now.
6:35 I can explain some things here. At Kohls we never got shipments for video games, at any of the stores I worked at. All of the ones that we stocked were returns that were bought online. We couldn't put them in WebEx, so they sit on shelves.
Amazon actually brought me into a Khols, to return of course, but I got "Khols cash' and was looking to replace my returned item, it would be smarter for them to be bought by Amazon and then become regional distribution Hubs, while showcasing in a "brick and mortar" popular items, especially the type you would like to / need to "feel' before purchasing. Aside from that it would also do good business maybe being a returns and "seconds" store for Amazon.
I think the amount of traffic a Kohl's gets depends on the location. I happen to live in one that's doing fairly well, which is probably because they don't really have any local competition (no other department stores and both Target and Walmart are a bit of a drive). It may be time for them to start pruning some of the dead locations like the one you visited.
Agree. I live 10 minutes from one. It’s hopping. It’s neat and clean. Decent customer service.
The Sephora is nice. Hope it stays put.
You... live IN a Kohl's?
The Kohl's where my mother lives used to be a Mervyn's and she said other than some company name changes on the product labels it's pretty much the same store.
6:43 I like how the singular Nintendo Switch game there is Paper Mario
I will say that Kohls has become the go-to place for new Lego sets, since they regularly put out sets weeks in advance, while Target and Walmart have been more stringent about that these past few years.
Kohls is a store that seemed like it would fail in the early 2000’s. It’s amazing they’re still around.
Omgosh, Mervyn’s! What a throw back!! I used to take my kids there for clothes.
I saw a Kohl's that added a Sephora make-up store inside. It takes up a lot of floor space right at the front of the store.
Daaaang! That was a savage and brutal takedown of Kohl's. We love Kohl's the one close to us near Burbank, CA is always very busy and yet very clean and organized. And what do you have against pink Men's shorts? I have gotten many, many brightly colored pairs of shorts there at Kohl's. Those yellow ones there looked awesome too! I'd wear them in microsecond.
I’ve been into Khol’s a handful of time over the years. I’ve always left empty handed. It’s WAY too expensive! They don’t carry anything that I couldn’t find cheaper elsewhere.
Yes, if they want to charge more, then they need to have better quality that Walmart. Which they don't.
I used to work at Kohl's in 2019 for seasonal. It was really confusing to work there, as i worked in the "home" and "kids" departments. Alot of the customers we recieved would ask me questions about products they allegedly saw on our website (or at a different location) and i would have a really difficult time finding the actual product or something adjacent. Most of the time customers only came in to spend their kohls cash. I know that the workers who worked the register full time had quotas to get a certain amount of credit card sign ups per week, and not meeting the quota meant possible termination. I haven't really heard of anyone being successful with getting people to sign up. I quit after 2/3 months since i was always confused by working there and the store was so big, and i had no direction in my responsibilities. It wasn't a great place to work at.
I used to manage a large volume kohl's store just before the pandemic, and you are spot on with most. The stores are full of the "what's left" from the stock rooms. All the popular goods are fulfilled through online shoppers and sent out the back door. And Amazon was a flop, kohl's made nothing off of Amazon returns, they would pay for all the supplies and cost to return... it was solely to increase foot traffic in the buildings by giving coupons to use.. And toys lmao toys made no sense, and electronics made zero profits to the company, it was another way to attract other customers in the building. But yeah you are spot on, if any gamer saw the video game collection, they would never come back. Love this video, Kohl's needs major changes, including vision of the future. My career and decisions I have made, have steered me to Amazon, and honestly so much better then retail lol. Keep up the vids my guy!
My cursor was hovering over the thumbs-up icon under your comment, until you had to go and plug Amazon! 😧
I share some of Erik's opinions on Kohl's in so far as their look, selection of products, & pricing. I’ll share my experience recently, while shopping for swimming suits, for my two kids.
The look of the store is very reminiscent of a Sears, JC Penney’s, Bergner’s, Yonkers’s, etc.… It’s a department store that shares the likeness of many department stores of the past. The good, the bad, & the ugly all rolled into one. They’re not terribly interesting, heralding from a time, when people shopped there, while out at the mall. Think of it as a combined trip out of need & entertainment.
Living in the Midwest, we have 4 Kohl’s stores within an hour of our home. Our visit took us to the Kohl’s located at the Eastland Mall in Bloomington, Illinois - the last anchor store, of the original five. Gone are Bergner’s, JC Penney’s, Macy’s, & Sear’s. The store was clean, & well-stocked (Initial impression), but the staff wasn’t terribly helpful. Clueless or disinterested would more aptly describe a number of them.
Like many stores, they’ve consolidated the dressing rooms to unisex, which my wife & I, as parents don’t especially care for, but it seems to be the trend in our crazy world. Anyway, after sifting through their swim suits - the selection was surprisingly limited, we were only able to find a couple that were the correct size for our kids. In years past, it seems like there was a much wider selection to pick from, but the supply chain seems to have messed with every facet of life - department stores included.
We stopped by the toy section just to see what they had. Other than a limited selection of over-priced Legos, the bulk of the toys were geared towards very young children (i.e. under 7-years-old). The toys were sort of thrown together in no real order. Some of them seemed rather dated, and quite out-of-step with current movies & cartoons, which the kids are familiar with & interested in. A few years back, they had some of the flashback game consoles, when they were still popular. I think there were even a handful of the semi-collectable table top arcades (i.e. Pacman, Asteroids, Frogger, etc...). Nothing like that now seemed to be present or available.
Their electronic display price tags were my biggest gripe. When a product didn’t have a price tag on the package, you would think the display tag would indicate the price. Instead they gave wildly large price ranges. A big example was the Legos. My son loves to build Lego sets, so we looked over a few, until he found one he that struck his interest. With no marked price, we attempt to find something on the display. The closest we could find was a price range of $ 40.00 - $ 125.00. That didn’t help, so we went to look for a price scanner on a nearby pillar, similar to those at Target. The one we found was out-of-order. Finally, we managed to locate an employee, with a portable scanner, to determine the product’s actual price - $ 60.00. Since I’ve seen the same set at other locations like Best Buy, Target, & Barn’s & Noble, for $15.00 less, we put it back, & proceed to the checkout with the swim suites.
This is where the employees really failed. My daughter found something she wanted to buy, with her own money. While my wife & I were handling the swimsuits purchase, my daughter was getting the run around with her cashier. She was attempting to pay with some of her dollar coins, which she had gotten at Christmas. Legal tender, so it shouldn’t be a problem - right? Well the older cashier seemed rather fluster, and wasn’t sure if the store accepted them, since she didn’t have a place in the cash drawer specifically for them. She had to get the store manager’s approval, before she would accept them from my frustrated, but very patient little girl. Cash is cash. It wasn’t a $50 or $100, or some foreign currency. Dollar coins are everywhere... in a word, they are ubiquitous.
After that less than charming experience, I don’t know that I’ll be paying Kohl’s a visit anytime soon. And that’s the sad part, since brick & mortar stores are struggling to keep their head above water. Finding good employees is tough, especially with a decent work ethic. Just the same, they are the face of the business, and play a pivotal role in where customers shop. Word of mouth, especially in this day & age is everything.
Wow, I had no idea that Kohl's was up for sale. My husband and I still have our Kohl's charge card that we've had since 2004 or 2005, but we very rarely shop there anymore. We seem to make a trip there about once a year and that's enough for us. I definitely feel like Kohl's has gone way downhill over the years. We used to shop there fairly frequently back in the 2000s, but now I think their prices are way too high for mediocre quality items, especially their housewares. I get so frustrated whenever I'm trying to find the price of something in Kohl's. Those little digital price screens are incredibly confusing! I went there with my mom last year because she wanted to look for a new pair of sneakers and the shoe selection was absolutely terrible. The sneakers that they had were total garbage. I definitely get the Sears vibe whenever I walk through their clothing section these days. While they do have some popular name brands of clothing, they also have a TON of generic brands that nobody has ever even heard of. I actually never even noticed that Kohl's had a toy department. I don't really think most people associate toys with Kohl's! I know that all Kohl's stores are now Amazon return centers. I don't really know how that came about. It will be very interesting to see what happens with them in the future.
I used to work at Kohl's. The holiday season was definitely great, and that's when I did my seasonal time. When it came time for the term to end, a huge chunk of employees were gone (myself included), and from what I heard the store reached the shortest amount of hours in a while. Kinda sad to see these kind of stores I used to get some good stuff from go out. But I also see why it's happening
A Kohl's recently opened up in my town. People were most excited about it because they'd have another Amazon returns location since the local UPS in Safeway had irregular hours and was frequently closed!
The only reason I go to Kohls is for the Amazon return center.
It strikes me as odd how wide the footpaths are, it feels like you are drifting between two galaxies when you are on there. You could probably shop from your car that way, seems like they are missing a trick here.
They used to have small shelves in the aisles before the pandemic.
the eerie fluorescent lighting and the blend walls is giving Backroom vibes
Haven't shopped in this one over at recker and mckellips, but I have hit up the one on Stapley from time to time.
They have had some novelty t-shirts that I've purchased from time to time, but that stuff tends to be genre-specific. With the 'kohls cash' store scrip there have been times I've been able to get a bunch of business-casual clothing for good prices over repeated visits, stuff that's easier to buy in-person on account of trying it on than buying through catalogs only.
Some of the stuff in the bedding/linen area is fairly popular, like those kids' squishy/stuffy pillows, but those are all over, so if the Kohl's isn't close then you're likely already buying them elsewhere before you've gotten here.
Kohls gives me a Target-meets-Ross vibe. The feel is a bit less big-box than Target, but the selection and organization are better than Ross. I actually find the reduced number of shoppers to be more pleasant, but by virtue of taking care of my clothes I don't usually need to buy more stuff frequently. And I guess I don't really think of them for much besides clothes.
When I was living in California, during my visits home to New Jersey my mother would take me there since she had “Kohl’s cash,” and offer to get things for me like clothes and shoes. Well.. aside from not really having anything I ever liked, I couldn’t live letting the woman spend that kind of money on overpriced, generic stuff. Even the athletic clothing was ridiculous… $30 for basic shorts I just bought myself at TJ Maxx, Ross, or Marshall’s for $9.
My local Kohl's slashed the men's clothing section IN HALF in the last three years. It was one of the only stores I could get affordable dress clothes as a man in my area. Anymore, their selection is pitiful and I stopped shopping there. Additionally, the quality of their polo shirts went downhill extremely fast. My cheap $6 Gildan polo shirts run laps around the croft and borrow, which were triple the price.
Ever-shrinking men's clothing assortments is not just at Kohl's. Even Dick's Sporting Goods has a much larger selection of women's workout attire than men's.
My local Kohl's downsized. They cut about 1/3 of the store out and walled it off. That section is now a Gym with an outside entrance.
Kohl’s is actually a well run store. Unfortunately, all retail isn’t doing so well. We are over retailed.