I Visit The Last Kmart In The USA.....Almost.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 พ.ย. 2023
- I traveled to Bridgehampton New York to visit one of the last few Kmart's left in the western hemisphere and discuss some of the history of this once great retail giant, enjoy!
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Just wanted to mention that when I recorded the video I was unaware that the original Kmart company owned the locations in the US Virgin Islands and Guam. I had thought the Australian company owned all the locations outside of the US so I was definitely incorrect in saying that this was one of the last two in the US. At the top of the video, I simply misspoke when I said this was one of the last two Kmarts in the world. I did mean to say country, but both statements would have been incorrect anyway. 😂 Either way we can all agree, There used to be a ton of these everywhere and now they're but a few left. Thanks for watching!
The company that owns the Kmart stores in Australia are basically franchisees. They still pay Transform SR Brands/Sears for the Kmart brand Licensing. But I understand what you meant . I just think it's amazing that the largest retailer in the United States basically went out of business because Sam Walton started a dollar store.
@@theylied1776 It is pretty crazy. Of course Kmart and Sears having horrific management running the company into the ground definitely sealed their fate.
@@theylied1776 It wasn't Sam Walton. It was Eddie Lampert and his flavor of private vulture capitalism. He's smoother than Chainsaw Al Dunlap, but he's cut from the same cloth.
@@raygunsforronnie847 It was Sam Walton. The strategy Sam Walton used was opening a Walmart store wherever Kmart refused to. The strategy paid off because counties and small towns actually lobbied their state legislature to give Walmart tax breaks for opening stores. That strategy is actually taught in business school. It's called (go where they ain't). That's what Sam Walton called it.
@@theylied1776 That made WalMart a small town powerhouse, but it wasn't want killed Sears/KMart.
As a former Kmart, department manager, and blue light captain, I hate to see that Kmart is down to its final two stores. Would love to see them, miraculously make some kind of a comeback.
Me too. Wal-Mart needs some competition besides Target, which is no competition at all.
@@StevefromOhio1972Always knew Kmart was tawdry even since 1983 as an eight year old child.
They survive because part of their M.O. was to buy up real estate (I’m told) not simply lease buildings
Me to I used to love shopping at Kmart they sold more different kinds of things than Walmart I would be nice Kmart could make a return an people stop shopping on line an do more shopping at real stores they could help save malls an stores like Kmarts 😊
Same here. Kmart was an amazing place to work. I loved it from the bottom to the top!
This is what Kmart should have strived to be like. Modernizing the store , keeping things relivent with the times , maybe a ceo that cared about the brand
CEOs only care about their own greed no more.
We had a K-Mart here in Raleigh, likely one of the last new ones built. It was a nice store and kept well stocked, I actually went out of my way to shop there.
@@javicr2570 All CEOs aren't like that, but the CEO of Sears/K-Mart certainly is.
lol.. delusional people forever.
@@JeffDeWitt- I remember the *first* Kmart in Raleigh at the corner of Six Forks and Old Wake Forest Road. We moved to Raleigh in early 1968 and went there once or twice a month. My mother preferred it to Woolworth. It had a couple of those mechanical children's rides out front you fed quarters, a horse and a car of some sort. That location also flooded from Crabtree Creek periodically, along with the nearby Buick and Cadillac/Olds dealerships. Thompson Cadillac is still there. Nearby was an early round Hardee's and my favorite fast food joint, the long-gone Red Barn (building is still there, now a Biscuitville). Good memories.
EXCELLENT tour. Wish Kmart and sears would make a come back.
I remember the 80s as a kid going to kmart with my mom 😂
You can thank Eddie Lambert for Kmart's downfall. He sat on his butt for years not allowing the company to do major rebranding.
I liked Sears a lot but never went to Kmart because we had local grocery stores. Sears was everything but groceries almost.
26 years, ran 5 Big Kmarts and 2 Super K’s. So sad to see such a great company fall. Saddest part are the long term dedicated associates that were so dedicated and loyal loose their jobs. Telling those associates we were closing and watching the tears flow to this day was one of the hardest days of my life. Wonderful memories and wonderful associates.
It's kind of ironic that one of the last K-Mart stores is located in such a snobbish area. The Wealthy always looked down on K-Mart as the place where common people shopped. Looks like they're keeping the Sears name alive as well.
I'm old enough to remember all of the extinct stores. Kresge, Woolworths, K-MART, Montgomery Wards..... I miss them all. This does give me hope that K-Mart will rise from the Ashes. Wal-Mart S***s!
You do have a point there because Kmart was always used as a poor person insult when I was growing up and it is kind of ironic It's in one of the richest areas in the country now being one of the last two in the continental US lol. Although I guess it just means the rich people get to take one more thing from the rest of us poors lol
I miss those stores too. For us, a trip to Montgomery Ward or Sears always meant fancier clothes for a special event or needing a new appliance. Everyday clothes or needs came from K Mart or Big K, which had no relationship to K Mart. We got our 1st Walmart when a Big K closed and Walmart moved in. Over the years we got a Ken's and a Magic Mart, but those would eventually close and left Walmart standing.
Ames, Zayre, Basix, Circuit City, Hechinger, Pace, Toys R Us, Service Merchandise, F&M
Dollar stores, thift sores and outlet stores make kmart look like a store for the wealthy, not for the poor
snobbish area lol i live here local for 55 years the snobbish people are all the tourist that come here and act like they own the place its sure not the local people !!! i rember when it was called caldors way back
That is a very well maintained store you can tell it's in a nicer area and the employees actually keep the store stocked and looking very nice
It’s well stocked and looks nice because there is absolutely no one in the store buying anything 😂
@@anthonydefuria9224that's a great point! One thing you notice about all these "last days of KMart" videos on TH-cam is not a single fellow shopper or employee. 🤷🏻♂️
Fuck cellphones and the internet for killing the "store" and the "mall" as places to socially congregate.
The hamptons is one of if not the most expensive place to live in the entire country, it’s amazing that it’s open here because nobody is buying anything from it
Wealth 🤑
Hi! Before I made gaming content I actually made Kmart videos and so I can tell you some facts about this location not everyone knows! Before updating to the current logo you saw at the front of the building, This Kmart actually had a blue Kmart logo! This store is also well known and famous for being the Martha Stewart Kmart which could possibly be the reason it has lasted so long since the top 50 stores in the nation were gone before this went. Also, Kmart is still very big in Australia and some islands. And that is due too ESL Investments selling off those divisions of the company too other companies which actually made the brand last. This store was also a former W.T Grant, Then Woolco and even a Caldor.
And for anyone wondering this location opened on November 14, 1999.
That's awesome, thanks for the info!
@@SetsStreetsEats FYI, KMart Australia, like Target Auatralia are completely separate from the US based corporations.
Kmart in Australia first opened in 1969. The Australian Kmart was a 50:50 joint venture between Kmart USA and Coles. Coles is one of Australia's two major national grocery store chains. Kmart USA sold their 50% to Coles in 1977 and since then it has been entirely separate to the USA Kmart. As a kid I went to the first Kmart in Australia shortly after it opened and remembering it being very different to any shop I had even been in. Surprisingly it also had a cafeteria section with tables and chairs and served cooked meals on a plate with real cutlery. The cafeteria closed after a few years.
Those front doors gave me a serious Caldor flashback.
This store opened 1 day and 10years before I was born
Kmarts blue light special started in 1965. Whenever I was there with my grandmom, she would ask the lady that worked in the cafeteria when the blue light special would go off. Then we’d wait to see if it was something she wanted to buy. Good memories.
Did they have the special until the end?
@@42luke93 Not sure as I, like most people, stopped going long ago as other stores passed K Mart in the retail segment. But I do remember going to the Tulsa location in 2016 and they still had the special.
I have to say, that store looks much cleaner and well organized than any of my local stores were for the last decade of their existence. Still kind of depressing that there's hardly anyone in the place
You don't know what you've got till it's gone. I miss Kmart.
The store looks very clean and well stocked!
When you only have two stores to stock they can have allot of inventory.
I love your content style! Feels like I’m in that fun History class when the teacher makes the lectures fun and entertaining! ☺️❤
Thank you for that awesome compliment!
They still have the iconic large round HVAC vents on the ceiling. Every KMART had them. I still have vivid images in my mind of the way our KMART looked, from the orange seats and dark wood tables in the cafeteria to the snack bar in the front.
Yes, but this building was built for Caldor discount dept store, so the this is purely coincidental.
@@Mrs.Doubtfire007yes thanks for the update. Zayres had them, too!!
Jc Penney also has those big round HVAC vent hoods in many of their stores too.
As others have said, absolutely insane being an Aussie and seeing a Kmart that empty….ours look more like when it first opened in the US; people falling on top of each other to find the last $1.00 Tupperware 😂
Your kmarts are owned by a different company. No connection between them.
But that name still lives on.
@@Steve.Cutler you are correct, however looking at the POS and store aesthetic they look the same + the name, hence I would say there is a lot connecting the 2, just not ownership.
@@stevensx4 I want to visit yours so bad!!! Totally one of the reasons I want to move there :)
Kmart in Australia selling anything brand name let alone Tupperware? 😂 maybe in 2005
I’ve never been inside one of these for a decade almost, the interior still looks exactly how I remembered it. Just amazing
I’m shocked as I didn’t think there were any Kmarts left at all. This one is actually well stocked and decently kept up. Although I see no customers besides you! And Walmart didn’t end Kmart. Eddie Lampert, the current CEO did. He merged Kmart and Sears and then proceeded to strip them and take the tax losses. A shame.
What you said. The Eddie Lampert take over is a textbook example of private equity extracting the "value" from the assets of a company - the real estate, pension plan, finance division, cherished brands - and leaving the empty husk. Where did KMart and Sears go? Into the pockets of Lampert's companies and cronies.
That's a total shame and a horrible thing to do to a great American company like that and I'm sure it's sadly not an uncommon story 😢
Correct, but Kmart was beaten in the marketplace long before Lampert merged it. Walmart was instrumental in killing it off.
@@GDuncan8002 I agree. They sat on their hands for years while Walmart and target came in with fresher stores. Lampert finished it off. I hated watching it fall.
Sad that POS lampert put Thousands of people out of work to make millions typical hedge fund trash. Would be great for someone to buy the KMart name and bring it back I have no doubt folks tired of Wally world would flock back. That store was actually impressive as the last one that closed in Georgia a few years back took a slow death. So sad..
This store actually looks pretty nice, all things considered. It is neatly stocked and decorated nicely for the holidays. Looks like it does a good job serving the local population. It does have the usual oddities, like an entire rack of luggage, but still, it looks clean overall. This is definitely the go-to versus Miami, which has apparently been cut down to be just a dollar store-sized area within the former regular-sized store.
It's in Bridgehampton so its also located in a wealthy area which also helps
Yeah I cut it out of the video but they actually have a two aisle section in the back corner of just beach items as well. So definitely services the local community for sure.
Going all the way back to the late 70s I've never seen such a fully stocked and clean Kmart.
I still remember our location having a bin that always had sub sandwiches sitting out ALL DAY with no refrigeration and flies landing on them.
@@bruceh4180Our K Mart had the subs back in the 70's and 80's, but they were refrigerated and sometimes made while you waited. They were so good too. When the store moved and became a Super K Mart the subs went away and a small "eatery" moved in, but never caught on, so it closed after a year or two and became storage. They should've stuck with the subs. Lol.😊
@@bruceh4180
There’s a 99¢ store near me that has tons of produce out of refrigeration that should be refrigerated, like cauliflower and such. The few times I’ve been there, it’s impossible to buy any of it because it’s already getting moldy. What is the point of stocking food that they don’t have the proper equipment to store it in?!
Thanks for sharing your visit to KMART. I loved the KMART in Woodbridge Virginia and still miss it. Safe Traveling Mercies as you continue to your next Adventure. 🙏🏽💙🇺🇲
The name Kmart continues on in other countries run by other operations….the Kmart in Kendall Florida is no longer in the full building. They have consolidated it into a much smaller location that has taken over the old home and garden center….so basically this location you visited is the last full size location.
That store will probably close before the New York location.
Man I miss how kind of BIG and number one Kmart was back in the 90's and early 00's. ❤
A city that's not yet infested with dollar stores sounds like a paradise.
Life's lesson: Don't ever get use to a good thing! Loved kmart!
It actually is a well-stocked store! It looks nice!❤
If all Kmarts were as clean, well stocked, as this location, there's no doubt that they'll be competing with Walmart. But every time I ever went to Kmart which I love them over Walmart, it was never well stopped organized
The prices were higher than Walmart and sometimes even higher than Target.
Circa 2004, I shopped at a Super Kmart. I bought groceries there. It was actually clean, fairly modern, and well-maintained. But I had to stop shopping there because the grocery prices were too high. They didn't have anything special or unique.
People say trying to compete with Walmart on price was a bad decision, and it was, but what else were they going to do to get people to come? If they had gone a little upmarket, they would have run into the buzzsaw of Target. It was a no-win situation for Kmart.
Our Kmart in western NC was always unkept and the stores seemed to vary in this regard during the years. A bit odd the management of an individual store would vary noticeably.
@@danieldougan269 Yes, there were headwinds from both directions. But some people truly preferred K Mart. They could have e retained a decent amount of customers by simply keeping their stores neat and clean. The fact that so many of their stores were unkempt gave the impression that they no longer cared. That didn’t help.
I remember when Sears started buying out some of The K-Mart Stores here in The United States and Than Sears closed down we were one of The Last Sears Store to close down here in Greensboro North Carolina
During my childhood in Puerto Rico, both Kmart and Kresge coexisted until 1986. In that year, all Kresge stores either transitioned into Kmart locations or adopted a different retail identity.
I wish I can go back to 1980 and relive the 80s and 90s it was a wonderful time to be alive.
Great video, thank you! So nice to see the store well maintained and stocked! It breaks my heart to see what happened to K Mart and Sears. The CEO ruined both companies, it's criminal. There were talks of them combing both names under one roof like a super center type setup but that never happened. All he cared about was milking them dry with their real estate holdings. Very sad.
Thank you, I appreciate you watching! And yes I agree. What he did was completely criminal to those great companies.
My local Kmart closed years ago. The store was an empty looking dying mess during its last years of operation. I still shopped there because their rewards program was so ridiculously good.
You can tell the mangers and employees really care about this store. They really did a great job keeping it looking stocked and clean.
What was the rewards program like?
@@anti-ethniccleansing465 I remember the reward points could almost equal what I was spending in dollars. It's not like they marked prices up to make up for that either! I remember thinking at the time that this couldn't possibly help their bottom line. I continued to shop there until they closed.
The Bridgehampton store used to be a Caldor and became a Kmart a few years after it closed. It remains because it's one of few stores in the eastern part of the Hamptons that's not targeted towards the upper class. Nearest Walmart and Target and a Tanger Outlet are 30 miles away in Riverhead. Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and most of the nearest department stores are 40-something miles away.
When this finally goes, I have a gut feeling it'll become a Target.
There's already a Target in Riverhead. No need for anther one
@@cornkiller534 yes, but as mentioned, thats 30 miles away. this has survived because even the rich gotta sneak in some discount shopping once in a while
I have a feeling the landlord is going to increase the rent substantially.
Going to Kmart in our station wagon with my siblings sitting backward and flipping off the other drivers. While my chained smoked with all the windows up. With no seatbelts we would go to Kmart every Saturday afternoon. I would always have popcorn and a red ice slushy. Mom would follow around the blue light special. Oh the memories!
The eastern end of Long Island makes for an interesting refuge for some stores. Due to it being a somewhat remote, out of the way location, with limited competition, the few stores that are out there can hang on for a long time. Long after almost all Woolco's were gone, there was one that hung on out east, as well as a very tired A&P in Southampton.
Kresge's was originally what was commonly called a "dime store." These were similar to dollar stores but had a product line similar to a Kmart (usually not quite as extensive). When Kresge took this product line and put it into big box locations and expanded it, they called it Kmart.
Woolworth's did this with Woolco, G.C. Murphy's did this with Murphy's Mart, and Sam Walton did this with...wait for it...Walmart.
This makes me so emotional to see this. I used to work for Kmart and I was there when my store closed in Florissant mo. It was last one in our area. I wish they would come back and be better than ever but they won’t and as far as I’m concerned Kmart is out of business and it will be another sad victim that will forever be known as only a bitter sweet memory that could have lived on. I will never get over it. this amazing retailer was killed by incompetence and deliberate bad intentions brought on by the sleaze bag hedge fund owner that ruined the company. Sure we were in bad shape before the Sears merger but we were still salvageable and could have been saved and we were better off without Sears who dragged us down even further. Thanks Eddie!
Did you ever shop at Walmart? Blame the people that did. I never did in my entire life (I’m 48). Those of us with an lQ above room temperature knew from day one that it was evil company who was intent on destroying every city/county it put a store in, by clearing out all the competition and mom and pop stores. And it wasn’t surprising when it came out in news story after news story how wickedly they treated their employees. They never saw one single red cent from my wallet because they are such a heinous company.
The people who didn’t care about anything besides saving a buck are to blame for shopping there and making Walmart so prosperous.
Wow that store has some really great prices and definitely looks very well put together❤🥳
What’s funny is that the Kmart sign there was BLUE until recently to fit in with all the other blue signs in the shopping center.
I use to always go to Kmart, this looks like a really clean, store. I miss them. It was Kmart,Shopko and Piggly Wiggly for me.
Used to go to Kmart as a kid. Just 10-12 years ago, there were like 5 within a 20 mile radius of me. Last time I saw one was probably 2019. When I did go to these stores, I remember it looking extremely outdated but it was still nice. I got the vibe they couldn’t afford the newer technology.
If the one by me was still open, I would be a regular shopper there.
The end of Kmart is saddening for me. My first out of college job was as a manager. I met my wife there (married 45 years +2 kids and 6 grandkids). Holds special memories.
Those are special memories. That's very nice to have memories tied in with the legacy of a company like that. That means every time you'll see a Kmart branded item at an antique store, you'll always smile and maybe even pick it up and take it home and it's something to pass on. I like that a lot.
A US Kmart that is thriving! It is so nostalgic to see!
You are wrong about only 2 Kmarts in the world. Australian Kmart has over 250 locations and is doing very well.
The u.s. has 3 locations in the u.s. Virgin Islands and 1 in Guam as well.
5:32. "Thriving" . 😂 They don't have a single customer.
The Australian Kmarts are a completely different company they just bought the name.
@@tylermills79 Kmart Australia Limited was created out of a joint venture between G.J Coles & Coy Limited (Coles) and the S.S. Kresge Company which was the company that operated Kmart stores in the United States. Kresge owned 51% of the common stock in the company and Coles owned the remaining 49%; together they began to develop Kmart stores in Australia in 1968
From Wikipedia.
@dougrembowski5003 There is also a Kmart in Guam and 3 in the United States Virgin Islands that are owned by Tansforco. Yes, there more than "2" Kmart in the United States 🇺🇸 😂
There used to be a Big Kmart near me and it had a cafe, it was then converted to a clearance isle a couple years before closure. A Burlington sits there now.
At one point Springfield Illinois had 3 Kmarts - Wabash Across From White Oaks Mall - Eastside either Cook St or Jefferson - and downtown near "the square." About a year ago I went to the Guam Kmart, it was huge, well stocked and fairly busy.
Funny, because I’m in Springfield and my family has roots to Guam!
My wife and I met when we both worked at a Kmart in high school and college. 25 years, 20 years of marriage, and 2 kids later, that Kmart is long gone, but we're still going. Maybe for our 25th wedding anniversary we should take a trip to the Hamptons and visit a Kmart store!
That sounds like a great anniversary trip!
This is the kind of stuff I’ve been hoping you’d make Chris! You gotta do more of these! There’s a ton of old Walmarts and former Kmart stores scattered around the country, both abandoned and still in use that you have to check out soon some day. Keep up the great work brother! 💪🏻
Yeah, I'll be looking for some old Walmarts for sure. There are only 2 Kmarts left, this location in NY and a Miami location that may not last much longer.
@@SetsStreetsEats I've been to the Miami one recently! Unfortunately it's now a shell of it's former self. I believe they'll be closing up soon. If you ever head out to that area be sure to hit me up! I'd love to see it again one more time🤙
This Kmart he just walked through likely won't last either. Did you notice that inspite of a ton of merchandise for sale, where were the customers? With no customers, no sales. With no sales, no profits.
I was expecting it to look pathetic inside, but it looks nice, clean, and well-stocked. I didn't see any customers, but I don't know what time of day you were there.
The last time I was in Kmart was one that was about two miles from my house. It was New Year's Eve (I don't remember what year) and I was just going to run in for something really basic (I'm thinking duct tape, but I'm not sure) and the lines were insane. I regretted going and never ended up going back.
This is the most beautiful K-Mart I've ever seen. Spotless.
Wow...the memories came flooding back! I remember blue light specials from early 70s. My mom would buy clothes and toys for Christmas on lay-a-way. I thought K Mart was the best store ever!
The last Kmart in the general vicinity where I live closed down around four or five years ago. The location closest to me closed down about twelve years ago and was renovated into a Walmart. I would think this last Kmart would not be able to offer the kind of pricing they had back in its heyday because they used to be able to buy in large quantities back then when they had hundreds of stores to stock. II hope this last Kmart stays around for a very long time in its current state as a full-sized well-stocked store. For some reason, this store looks like it might have been a W.T. Grant, which Kmart had taken over many of their locations when they closed down many years ago.
I miss visiting Kmart as a child.
I live on the Eastern End of Long Island. The only reason this K-Mart is still in business is because Walmart and Costco is 25 miles away in Riverhead. Also its in a pretty busy shopping center near a Walgreens and other stores so its not by itself and forces other people to shop here with the surrounding traffic of other stores.
That's the best looking Kmart Store I have ever seen. They need to make a comeback.
This video reminds me of a K-mart I used to go to in Van Nuys, CA, and I hadn't been to it in about 10 years. About 5 years I went there and I was the only one in the store. It was bizarre. It closed not long after that, and just sits there now fenced off like a one-store ghost town! Also, that is the store where I used a credit card to purchase items in the mid-90s, they barely had credit card equipment there which shocked me. I had to be taken to a different station to use it.
That has to be the cleanest, neatest, most organized KMart I have ever seen in my life. Who even runs those two stores if both Kmart and Sears are out of business?
I worked for Kmart wow do I miss that store sadly we still have a vacant store in Oscoda Mi. I worked in Novi mi shipping and receiving . The one in Union lake is a Kroger. But dang Walmart is everywhere…….Grandma and me went to the first one in Michigan all the time great memories. ❤
Growing up in the 70's back home in Savannah, Kmart was the go to store for my parents as a kid. It was on Victory Drive in Savannah. It's now a Home Depot store. It was always fun going to Kmart as a kid, they had an awesome toy department. Thanks for the video, I never knew there were any Kmarts left and this brought back some great memories.
I'm very glad you enjoyed it!
Well, you can always call this Kmart “the last full-sized Kmart” :)
i took the train back in september down to miami for a tattoo appointment. the train goes by the kmart; i didn't even know there were any still around! i was so shocked. just about broke my neck looking at it as we went by lol. hopefully i can visit it sometime soon!!!
Thanks for the walk down memory lane! Worked for Kmart in a small rural town in southeast Kentucky (store 9783 lol) from 1993-2002. Some of the best memories and years of my young life, believe it or not. I announced many blue light specials during my time there! Worked every department in the store besides the Eatery (deli)! No doubt the 2 remaining Kmart stores don’t have the renamed version: the cafe. Worked with some great people that were like family!
A lot of reasons the chain failed: embezzlement from a CEO, failure to update and change with the times, just to name a few. Once upon a time, it was the number 1 retail chain in the US, eventually dethroned by the up and comer Walmart. Sure miss having a Kmart in our town!
Excellent! I worked at K Mart in the mid eighties. It was a great company with great employees.
Although nowadays they are two different companies, Australia's Kmart was originally created by S.S. Kresge Company in 1969. Our's is still thriving massively here in Australia. So technically, you're in the second last store in America, not the world.
There is a KMart in Guam and three in the Virgin Islands as well that are owned by Lampert's outfit.
It's a shame. If I remember correctly K-Mart bought Sears out and things started to decline they closed a lot of stores. At one point they were in good financial shape, it looked like they weathered the storm so to speak.
Thanks for the nostalgia trip. The last thing I bought at my Kmart was my PlayStation 4 back in 2014. Then, the store closed in 2019 with its last few years of existence being pretty pitiful. I remember going there in the 80s with my grandma. We'd eat at the cafe while she waited on Blue Light Specials. She'd get elementary school me excited about it too
Yesss finally an update on the last full US kmart 👍
What's crazy is that you could be at Target or Walmart and nobody would know the difference even though Kmart did it first!
Awwwww this video really made me miss K Mart! One of the only places I didn’t go kicking and screaming when my folks dragged me there. Usually because I knew I’d be getting an Icee at the check out after 🤣 Great Video!
Thanks, I actually got myself an icee or two back in the day from checkout, I totally forgot about that until you mentioned it. White cherry was always my flavor!
Now that's a blast from the past! Thanks for the tour. Loved the retro clips and audio too.
I went to the first Kmart before it closed, it was the nicest one I had ever seen until this video, haven't seen a Kmart so well stocked and clean in decades.
Not surprised that not a soul is in one of the last stores, but one whole employee. They lost the bulk of their customer base over 20 years ago to Walmart, Target and now I guess online shopping sealed their fate. Their prices were never quite as low as other stores, and most didn't offer grocery. It looks just like it did when I used to go as a kid in the 90s, except the store would be packed with shoppers and I would be glued to the video game department. Count your blessings, because nothing lasts forever. That's ringing true more and more, the older I get.
It was nice to see a K Mart location that was decently stocked and well organized. All of the locations near me died as empty retail shells that looked more like a weekend flea market than a national retailer. I am not sure what time of day you were visiting this store, but I think I only saw two other customers besides yourself and the once cashier that checked you out. That fact concerns me for the long term survival of this store. I want to say I really enjoy your approach to your video's. You make them very enjoyable to watch. Safe travels....
I really appreciate you watching the video and enjoying it! And I was in there at about noon on a Tuesday. And yeah I only saw one or two customers come in during the 30 minutes I was there and saw one or two employees working the store. So I guess they don't have to worry about a huge payroll lol
I saw a functioning KMART in St. Thomas back in May of this year (2023) 😊
I worked for K-Mart for 14 years in the Miami, FL area. Your video brought back a *lot* of memories for me! I even remember that song you played ("K-Mart is all the things a great store should be..."). That store, however, was a lot cleaner than the normal condition of my store. Parents would abandon their children in the toy department while they went shopping. An employee who thought the company was there to do what he wanted (think a male Karen) was finally transferred from appliances manager to straightening up that messy toy department all day. One of the just three remaining stores in the US is about 12 miles away from where I live. The store manager there worked in the photo department of the store where I worked in the ladies' and girl's department. That store is so empty and has so little merchandise that it makes me sad when I think back on what the company used to be like. I used to joke about that back then, but nowadays people would take that joke seriously. But, for your information, Sears Holdings is beginning to reopen some old Sears stores located in malls. I only hope that they do the same for some of the more popular K-Mart stores they also closed. Thanks for a bittersweet walk down memory lane! I enjoyed it.
There's a Kmart in Guam (U.S. territory) and it's doing pretty well.
My understanding is it's the only department store civilians have access to. Just like the NY one, lack of competition saved its neck - for now.
@@JohnWilson-hc5wq Yes, your right!
As a former Kmart HQ employee, I wonder how many employees are left to maintain these 2 locations. Recently saw online the old Troy, MI location where I worked, and seeing it abandoned was so sad and creepy.
They are tearing it down now
@@BrianWismer-mn7yd when exactly? I’ve been hearing that for a very long time now.
Kmarts old world headquarters in Troy Michigan is being torn down right now. The sumerset collection (mall) across the street bought it. Doesn't say what is going in to replace it
Thank you for letting me walk down memory lane with you hope u do more videos
Please bring KMart back. I miss those days going there as a youth and would love to take my kids there.
Blame Eddie lampert for purposely nose-diving both Kmart and Sears for their real estate.
Edit: Walmart actually borrowed their store model from Two Guys and not Kmart.
Yes the store looks very clean and with the exception of some discolored ceiling tiles, looks very welcoming. However I can' help but notice nobody was in there in shopping. I"m assuming business picks up later in the day? I used to work at K-Mart many years ago in High school and having worked at both Wal-Mart and K-Mart I can tell you that back when K-Mart was big, they were way more organized than Walmart was when it came to managing stock room (Red Dot), returns and even cashier tills.
Yeah I was there for about 30 minutes around noon on a Tuesday afternoon and only one or two other customers came in the whole time I was there 😬
Wow! That is a clean, organized, well stocked store! I miss K mart.
There are 6K Marts still open. 3 in the US Virgin Islands , 1 in New York , 1 in Florida, and 1 on Guam.
Guam being the site of a major military base the K mart is open 24 hrs.
With how dead this store looked in the video it maybe closed soon. Great to see how clean and organized it was. How was the toy and electronics section there?
It won't be because there's no other department store nearby for 25 miles
Just as well stocked as the rest of the store. Honestly. I honestly haven't seen a Kmart look this nice since I was a child. And I was in there around noon on a Tuesday and there was only one or two customers that came into the store during that time. But with it being one of the only stores out there, I think it will keep surviving, especially because during the summer time it's probably packed.
@@SetsStreetsEats here in long beach California there was a k mart super store that was very clean and well stocked. It was called the White people K-mart. I think it closed 6 years ago. I was sad to see it go.
Many of us miss Kmart. The last one I went to was in Detroit. I wonder if they still have the Kmart rewards ?
What’s the reward?
@@johnkeating362 they had points just a few years back. Certain discounts and the likes. I’m highly doubtful they remain. Retail has taken a death spiral for the worst in recent years. A catastrophe at best.
I’d give anything back to relive the late 90’s..those were some special times 🥹🥹
As a former Kmart employee I used to do stock, I still have my Kmart shirt and keychain with the logo they gave us to wear our name tags. Wish Kmart was still going strong but glad I have the memories.
looks pretty well put together and I think if the other ones would have stayed like that a lot of them would have survived
The Kmarts in my area never looked like this. This looks more like a Sears.
There's a K-mart in Miami. And it's still open.
Sorta... they moved all merchandise onto garden shop & lease out the retail Salesfloor for other use. In essence it doesn't really count
My mom loved this store. As a kid I was excited to go there. Great memories.😢
Hello. I just discovered your channel. WE LOVE ❤️ IT!! THANK YOU ❤❤❤❤❤❤😊
Thats so cool, thank you and welcome!
My first job was K-Mart stocker from 10-6am. I remember the holiday time one of us spent almost the whole shift just cleaning up from the mess customers made in the aisles.
You could go into any K-Mart and they all felt the same, had the same smell.
Sign of the times. I bet in another 20 years, maybe even less department stores will be a thing of the past. Amazon destroyed all.
No Amazon did not.....Wal Mart did! Wal Mart's sole purpose was to put Kmart, mom and pop stores, and other retailers OUT of business. They succeded. Amazon just jumped on the bandwagon.
@@lisah935 The truly sad damn shame about Sears is. . .they COULD have been Amazon long before Amazon was a twinkle in Jeff Bezos' eye. They had the brick and mortar stores but more importantly, they had the catalogs to sell their products across America. As a youngster, we waited anxiously for Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs to show up pre Christmas. They were divine spectacles. Sears sold virtually everything one could imagine. . inclucing a complete HOUSE from a kit. Sears overwhelmed Montgomery Ward and Spiegels (their other catalog competition). They owned the day and might have owned the future but IMO, foolish decisions about the future and complacency made the fat cats comfortable. They didn't think Sears would ever fail. Then, the internet came along. . .Sears ignored the op to jump into the new sales arna. Jeff Bezos didn't. Look who's sorry now.
Kmart is thriving in Australia and Guam
Yeah, a few years ago another company bought the name that's running those stores. They're basically an offshoot of the original company from the way I understand it. As far as original company stores go in the US though, these are the last two.
@@SetsStreetsEats Yeah, well, that basically explains the reason why then
@@SetsStreetsEats The Guam and Virgin Islands stores are part of the original US chain.
Hey man thank you so much for doing this. I grew up going to K mart as well. Really enjoyed listening to you as you walked through the store. Great photos and music!
You're welcome!
Sears is still in Mexico, over 90 stores.
K-Mart still in Australia, over 300 stores.
Both doing great currently.
I would want to take a trip down there to check their Pokémon card section and toy section in particular. I used to get all my Pokémon, Digimon, Giga Pets, Nano Pets, and other virtual pets there. But then again, I also got those virtual pets at KB Toys as well. They still hold up today and actually made a comeback. Giga Pets are back by the original creators. And Bandai is still putting out the original Tamagotchis with the same programming but they are constantly coming out with new shell designs.
Aww, this was bittersweet & nostalgic. I miss the local Kmart and Sears that I grew up with. Walmart is Fie! to me.
There used to be two Kmart stores nearby. Both buildings are gone. Condo apartments sit in one area and the interstate and state highway go through the other area
Wow the last Kmart in my city 15 years ago looked like hell inside and that is amazingly nice. The last Sears lasted til about 4 years ago but looked just as bad as the Kmart. I saw Kmarts and Sears when I traveled the past 5 years that looked ok so it's amazing some were maintained and others not
And that store was pretty clean. Man all those photos brought me back. Thanks for all that❤
When I was a kid me and my sisters would get so hyped anytime our mom or dad said we were going to Kmart. Not because of Kmart but for the Toys R Us right across from it😂 We always knew we would get to go look at cool toys and stuff😂😂
I worked at the Palatka,FL Kmart in the early 80's in the Electronics Dept and helped out in the Layaway Dept when needed. We even had a cafeteria in the store during that time. And the Blue Light Specials were a blast.
That was cool. Sometimes the past seems so simple compared to today in 2023. "I want to go back."-Huey Lewis