Iconic discount retailer Kmart will close its last big-box U.S. location tomorrow as shoppers score closing discounts and recall fond memories of the store.
With carts full of discounted items, customers have flocked in recent days to pick up their final purchases at Kmart’s Bridgehampton, New York, location, marking the end of an era.
Two shoppers, Shahlise Cherry and Deborah Arnone, visited to fondly recall their memories of the store and purchase deeply discounted items that were up to 70 percent off the regular price.
Cherry said that although she was once a regular shopper, it had been some time since she had done so, and she told cnn: ‘He was out of my loop for so long. They didn’t have many things I needed.’
Kmart has become one of many once-iconic American chains that have closed in recent years, including Toys ‘R’ Us, RadioShack, Bed Bath & Beyond, as well as Sears.
On Wednesday, the Long Island store was almost completely empty. Stripped not only of stock but also of shelves, what was left was an empty space roughly the size of a football field.
‘This was our option when we were little. Whatever we need, we come back here several times a week, sometimes on the same day. We came to hang out here with our friends,” Shahlise Cherry said.
On Wednesday, the Long Island store was almost completely empty. Stripped not only of stock, but also of their shelves, what was left was an empty space roughly the size of a football field.
Many factors have contributed to the changing scenario for retailers, such as changes in consumer habits, the economic situation, poor management and competition from larger rival companies.
Cherry, who used to buy all of his school supplies at the Bridgehampton Kmart, told the outlet, “This was our go-to when we were little. Whatever we need, we come back here several times a week, sometimes on the same day. We’d come by hanging out here with our friends.
As Cherry walked through the aisles, signs were posted in the front of the store announcing the 70 percent discount and warning customers that all sales were final.
The store was a big part of local life, with the nearest Walmart and Target locations about 25 miles away and catering to the “everyday” crowd rather than the wealthier crowd of the nearby Hamptons area.
Arnone told CNN: “We need a store like this.” There is nothing in the Hamptons where normal people can shop.
The store was a big part of local life, with the nearest Walmart and Target locations about 25 miles away and catering to the “everyday” crowd rather than the wealthier crowd of the nearby Hamptons area.
Arnone told CNN: “We need a store like this.” There is nothing in the Hamptons where normal people can shop.
However, it has been years since Kmart was able to compete with rivals like Walmart and Target.
Shopper Sarah Bullock told the outlet that she remembered buying toys for children and grandchildren at Kmart.
She said: ‘I always liked the prices. I’m sad to see him go. “When I think of Kmart, I think of the deals.”
Another shopper, Jessica Cohan, said: ‘I remember going shopping at Kmart with my dad. We used to buy everything here. But now, like everyone else, I do a lot of my shopping online. “It’s much more convenient.”
The Kmart chain has been in business for 135 years, selling products ranging from clothing and appliances to hardware and electronics. At its peak in 1994, the chain had 2,323 stores.
The Kmart in Bridgehampton, New York, will close permanently on October 20, an employee said
Jessica Cohan said: ‘I remember going shopping at Kmart with my dad. We used to buy everything here. But now, like everyone else, I do a lot of my shopping online. “It’s much more convenient.” (Pictured: a store in Southfield, Michigan, which closed in 2003.)
The chain became known for its “blue light sales,” which would cause a rush of customers to purchase discounted products.
Kmart was founded by Sebastian Spering Kresge as SS Krege Company in 1899 in the Detroit suburb of Garden City, as a dime store where shoppers could find daily necessities such as household goods, clothing, and toys.
It has filed for bankruptcy twice since the turn of the century, as its global profit margins fell from $49 billion in 2005 to just $3.26 billion in 2020.
Their $11 billion merger with Sears in 2005 led to further ruin.
At the time, Kmart still had 1,400 stores and Sears had almost 900. When the retailer emerged from bankruptcy, Sears was left with 231 stores and Kmart was left with 191 stores.
Sears Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018 and later sold 202 stores to Transform Holdco, with the rest liquidated.
In addition to the Bridgehampton store closing this week and the small Miami store, there was another in Westwood, New Jersey, that closed for good on February 2 of this year.
Arnone added: ‘It’s sad. It’s the end of an era. We shop here for Christmas every year. It was a mainstay here.’