I worked for Kmart for 35 years, miss the old times when it was busy and everyone was happy 💞

@callawaydianne

3 жыл бұрын

I worked in Ladieswear, right after high school and through college. Employees were a family. Retail is hard work, but I have fond memories of Kmart.

@berthay8955

3 жыл бұрын

am retired worked at 9555 and 4753 for 35 and 1/2 years,it changed very much, less pride in work at the end,that's when i said its time to retire

@lynetteeaster7729

3 жыл бұрын

Our K mart closed and the building sat empty for many years ! It has just opened againg with a Roses store in it now ! I do miss our Kmart soooo much and our Winn Dixie !!!!

@mo5383

3 жыл бұрын

I worked for kresges in Waterbury Connecticut in the early eighties!!! Amazing times!

@johndolejsch5102

3 жыл бұрын

Kmart to this day is still a lot better than Walmart. Walmart service is horrible they have lousy management and a bunch of lazy kids that don't want to work

In the 70s I would go to Kmart each Dec with $20 I had earned cutting lawns and buy mom, dad & my brother a Christmas gift. Dad always offered to throw in a couple bucks but I always refused the offer. I was so proud I was able to pay with my own money.

@WhitneyAbrina

3 жыл бұрын

Just curious but what could you buy with 20$ for 3 people in the 70's? And wow $20 and more than 1 lawn mowed?

@misterhot9163

3 жыл бұрын

Hey when I got a five dollar bill im my birthday card, I thought I hit the jackpot 🎰!!

@michael9052

3 жыл бұрын

@@WhitneyAbrina Depending on what they wanted done and my age at the time I was paid 5 to 12 dollars a lawn. I would get dad aftershave or shaving cream and razor blades or a record album. Mom a small silk flower arrangement, pantyhose or skin cream, a tonka truck, something Spiderman or Batman for my brother. It wasn't difficult. Especially if I selected items on sale. I was 12 and younger in the 70s

@a.j.patron9214

3 жыл бұрын

@@WhitneyAbrina $20 was a lot of money even in the early 90's when I went off to college . That was food and beer money for almost a week. lol

@wingatemose1182

3 жыл бұрын

In 1970 Candy bars , a bag of chips and a Coke in a returnable glass bottle cost 10¢ each. I bought many 45 records at Kmart in the mid 1970's to the late 1970's for 97¢. $20.00 was like having $10.00 or more now. A ticket to the movie theater was .75 ¢ for a kid and $ 1.50 for an adult. Gasoline was 32.9¢ or less a gallon until it more than doubled in 1979.

"Service is needed in layaway... Service is needed in layaway".

@michaelbelmontes4046

3 жыл бұрын

Wow talk about time travel 🤣🤣

@frankrizzo4460

3 жыл бұрын

Wow sadly something you'll ears will probably never hear again. I truly believe that we were blessed to have experienced those days. Rip Kmart thanks for all the great memories 🤔

@lloydkline6946

3 жыл бұрын

❤Kmart layaway

@heathertea2704

3 жыл бұрын

As an adult, MY 1st ever Stereo system & Chinon 35mm camera was bought through Kmart's layaway system.🤗

@clips65

3 жыл бұрын

Many a Christmas gifts purchased on Layaway!

Boy do i remember these days people were so different store neat cashiers respectful always a smole look how nice the cars parked courtious no drama like today very enjoyable back then not today awful what goes on today sure miss those days😰

@paulym5814

3 жыл бұрын

We were brought up to respect others which we don’t see anymore. It’s all “What’s in it for me”. Very few people have any courtesy these days. We grew up in the last of the great generation.

@wakeup6910

2 жыл бұрын

Thank the government f oil r making everybody feel entitled and putting money in their pockets just for being "different" and held down,, and not responsible for their actions

@freddythamesblack8479

2 жыл бұрын

They made you feel...."welcome"...

@floydsemlow8253

2 жыл бұрын

Walmart and Target can shove it straight up their ass! I refuse to give business to those stores at all costs 💯🤷 breeding grounds for Bullshit?!

@lotsoftorque3632

Жыл бұрын

You are so right. Society has gone down the tubes hard for sure. I believe smart phones, social media, and the transformation to the digital economy have a lot to do with it. I am glad I was brought up at least before kids had smart phones (27 now). At least my friends and I would go out and ride bikes all day long, and came home as late as we all possibly could every night. No one was "staying in" on a Saturday night to stare at the latest captivating trend on an LED screen.

I used to enjoy going to their little cafeteria with my grandmother...she would always buy me a little dish of chocolate pudding and we would sit there until my mother finished shopping.

@misterhot9163

3 жыл бұрын

I loved the chocolate pudding, and the cubed jello with with little dollop of whipped cream on top!!

@VideoSaySo

3 жыл бұрын

@@misterhot9163 As a young child, Jello in perfect little cubes was magical! And the whipped cream was real...not Cool Whip!

@khunopie9159

3 жыл бұрын

was it yummy?

@jayvissers5301

3 жыл бұрын

The food in store cafeterias was often surprisingly good. Eating there made a day of shopping really special for a kid.

@joecrackers3770

3 жыл бұрын

I use to work in 1 of those cafeterias in kmart back in the 80s. It was call the grill and the Food was good.

Those flashing blue light specials were good in that day.

@WhitneyAbrina

3 жыл бұрын

What did they do?

@anthonychihuahua

3 жыл бұрын

@@WhitneyAbrina They had this blue siren light on top of a long pole that they rolled around on a little cart that would flash blue siren, no sound, that you could see above the aisles that would direct you to the "blue light special". Usually a large percentage off the regular price of that "Blue Light Special" item. And they would have several a day, too!

@alanstrong3295

3 жыл бұрын

Those blue light specials gave you a bargain with roughly 15 minutes to get the special price.

@glennso47

3 жыл бұрын

I first thought the blue lights were a police car in the store. In the 80s Kmart had a promotion with Chrysler where they were giving away a K-Car. A Dodge Aries or a Plymouth Reliant.

@_kass3939

3 жыл бұрын

My dad used to tell me and my brother that we were blue light specials when we were little. Lol!

I remember Kresge's and Woolworth, too. The dime stores where a child could buy his mother a birthday present, or get her to buy him a parakeet.

@debrahelmlinger6256

3 жыл бұрын

Or a turtle

@jipfluffy2143

2 жыл бұрын

Does anyone remember the little turtles you could buy with the little plastic container that was shaped like a island with a little palm tree?

@dvidclapperton

Жыл бұрын

@Robert Schwartz That would have been the same Woolworth that used to trade in the UK. Originated in the US.

Every time I hear “Merry Christmas Darling” by the Carpenters, I am transported back to the late 70s & in our local K-mart buying my boyfriend’s (now husband) present. I was so proud spending my own money for a complete outfit for him! Sweet memories!

@martina21953

Жыл бұрын

Wonderful song, BTW.

16yo I ran to Kmart to get 5qts oil and filter to change the oil in my car. I had the oil and was picking out the filer when over the loudspeaker came the Blue light special, Oil change and filter at their in house automotive center for just 1.00 for the first 2 customers, I was the first one there. 1980

@bossbwana5946

3 жыл бұрын

That was a good deal !

@bobbymissthe80s31

3 жыл бұрын

Hey, that was you that was first??? I was the second customer!!!

@bobcostner2238

3 жыл бұрын

@@bobbymissthe80s31 for real? what Kmart

@bobbymissthe80s31

3 жыл бұрын

@@bobcostner2238 Nah, I was just kidding. 😜 Loved your nostalgic recollection of K-Mart though. Cheers! 🍻

@oldcountryman2795

3 жыл бұрын

It was that kind of gimmick, scammy business practices that made us avoid Kmart.

It was fun while it lasted

@user-qb1cw4tc7p

3 жыл бұрын

Hey folks the store didnt DIE try this thing called Looking online OK before y'all have a funeral awe bohooo poor KMart 😭😭😭😭😭My fave too BUT ya know WHat I'm not afraid to use this thing g called a smart phone Any look online you assholes .

@mara435

3 жыл бұрын

True..but all they’re doing is selling whatever they have left over, there’s nothing new in the website....no new shoes, no new clothing, no new appliances, NO new nothing...they have to sell to make amends of what they lost on closing all the stores, whoever bought this chain of stores did not realize the impact on their customers and employees was going to be on just closing for good and this people have not talked about a come back, but if you look at Payless Shoes, they have come back after they filed for bankruptcy, because they realized they were making a big mistake on just closing...slowly but shortly according to the news, Payless will start opening stores, so far, they have the same website, I believe it has been on since August of 2020 for shoe shopping..hopefully they will remain open.

@-elchoya9832

3 жыл бұрын

like the runs

@davidporter7051

3 жыл бұрын

@@user-qb1cw4tc7p such a foul mouth. You must be challenged. K-Mart is D-O-N-E it's primary stockholder is slowly liquidating it's product along with Sears. Then he will sale the real estate for a nice profit.

@christinarichie6171

3 жыл бұрын

@@user-qb1cw4tc7p Stupid is as stupid does...

As children, we always went straight to the slushy counter!

@ragnarragnarsson3128

3 жыл бұрын

Not me, Mother didn't want us to have all that sugar and artificial colors.

@wingatemose1182

3 жыл бұрын

Bought my Icees from our neighborhood store not at Kmart. But I do remember the thinly sliced ham they'd slice weigh up and wrap in white deli paper as you watched. My Mom and Dad bought that wonderfully delicious ham every week for years too. Never had better tasting ham since. Now this was from around 1963 to the late 1970's. Loved shopping at Kmart up until the late 1980's before they built their new huge store and moved from their old location. Never was the same and it just went downhill from there. I really miss the Kmart of my youth and Sears as well. We are not a better Nation without them.

@Annascuriosity

3 жыл бұрын

I worked there and loved it.

@realluser-smore-2519

2 жыл бұрын

I tried to do that at target when I was young at the end of the day we pass the cafe I been trying to run to the slushy counter and my mom kept pulling my hand and it didn't end so well I cried all the way out and the last kmart store near me that I used to go to got the slushy machine right a month or a few right before liquidation and it stopped working

@Kelle0284

2 жыл бұрын

I'd rather go to the Kwik E Mart and get a squishy.

I remember standing in line at Kmart for my girls baby pictures. Those were the good ole days.

I've been watching your videos for a few weeks now, and I enjoy them immensely. I clicked on this one because I used to work at Kmart when I was a much younger person. I was watching and listening to the video when lo and behold at 4:22 there's a photo of a grand opening. I was in shock. It was the grand opening of the Kmart in my hometown, and not only that, I'm in the photo. I'm the sort of tall kid on the left with his hair parted in the middle standing behind the guy with his thumbs in his pockets. I remember the photo being in the local paper, but I didn't think it existed online anywhere. Thanks for the blast from the past.

3 for $3.69 sub sandwiches on a round bun, cafeteria inside their stores on par or cheaper than fast food places, roving blue light specials... Ahhh the good memories 💭 K💙❤️MART!

@appleforever6664

3 жыл бұрын

Yes! I remember the round subs too!

@anthonychihuahua

3 жыл бұрын

@@appleforever6664 ..with their finely shredded lettuce and tasty American cheese and just the right amount of mustard.. I wish I had one right now! 🤤

@hellsbellez

3 жыл бұрын

*nom nom nom* 😄😋

@squirrelsarepeopletoo6678

3 жыл бұрын

@@anthonychihuahua Just before closing they were 4 for $ 1.00 . Every night was a trip to Kmart at 9:45. That was around 1972.

@jenpaulhome1

3 жыл бұрын

Good lord you had $3.69 for sandwiches? You must have been mega rich my Dad would have said. Isn’t that funny what people used to think, coffee and sandwiches would run $28.00 at Starbucks. And what’s more we do it all the time.

Remember when k marts had lunch counters where you could get a burger or grilled cheese.

@kateyare4708

3 жыл бұрын

I had forgotten the lunch counters until I watched this video.

@lenakokomo2078

3 жыл бұрын

Lol sadly no I was born in 1985

@The_OneManCrowd

3 жыл бұрын

Patty melt

@kingforaday8725

3 жыл бұрын

@Electronic Adventures While in college I worked a 3PM to 9PM shift at Kmart. If there were any of those subs that didn't sell the manager would pass those out to any employee that wanted one. Agree they were not a "Subway" but as a poor college kid they were a welcome late night snack before hitting the books when you got home.

@02chevyguy

3 жыл бұрын

@@The_OneManCrowd What you say when your snowwoman named Patricia has been disintegrated by the sun.

Our K-Mart had a slew of little rides in the front of the store you put a penny in and had a ride! We had a miniature carousel, a rocking horse, and a little rocket that would jig you all around (again, FOR A PENNY!) 😃😄 right after you ate your yummy K-Mart lunch counter food! *Ahhhh the good ol days*

@WhitneyAbrina

3 жыл бұрын

What?! A penny?!!! I never see rides in front of stores now.

@mattgiguere5638

3 жыл бұрын

My K mart had a carousel also it was free to ride by turning it...free rides for my boys...ah...the memories. The K Mart Grille 🤗

@hellsbellez

3 жыл бұрын

@@WhitneyAbrina Can you imagine the "liability" these would have nowadays 😂😄 If you happened to fall off or get hurt...you jumped right back on and right back to having fun! Nobody was worried about suing like EVERYONE does now lol. Just having good ol' fun, you'd bemoan Aah man I got a scrape....but we'd be right back at it. And that's with any fun times back in the day. Not just K-Mart rides. Kids seem very fragile compared to when I grew up.

@_kass3939

3 жыл бұрын

Not a penny, but I remember those little carousel rides. Some old grocery store (which hasn’t been updated since 60’s) has one out front of it for .25. Told my dad I wish I was a kid again to just ride that one more time lol!

@frankrizzo4460

3 жыл бұрын

Yes I do remember going on those little rides in front of the store. Before leaving my parents would let me ride the rocking horse. It's small things like that I always seem to remember as I get older. I'm so glad I was able to experience those days Rip Kmart thanks for the memories 🤔

After Kmart merged with Sears, their stores were never updated and begin to look run downed. It's been the world's slowest going of business in retail history

@peacefuldaizy5717

3 жыл бұрын

We're down to 28 Sears and 23 Kmart stores after the current liquidating stores close in mid-April. I think all of them will be gone by the end of this year at the latest.

@wingatemose1182

3 жыл бұрын

So very sad too ! Being born in 1959 Sears and Kmart was it in Florence ,Alabama. Until Wal- Mart. I'll believe until the day I die Wal Mart destroyed those one wonderful American retail giants from within. I once was a huge Wal Mart, fan but now I can't stand them. What Wal Mart started ,Amazon . Scum and EBay along with the rest have completely destroyed brick and mortar businesses along with the towns that relied on them for jobs and a sales tax collector. We as a nation are not better off as a result of this madness. Of course we are to blame too for falling for it.

@kimmartin8760

3 жыл бұрын

When Eddy bought k-mart he was going to pull cash out and close all stores but did count on the down turn that happened which took him longer to do. My husband worked for K-mart for years as a DBA and when fast eddy came in they all knew there days where numbered. When eddy moved the k-mart headquarters to Hoffman Estates in Illinois from Troy Michigan that was a big move for us. K-marts computers were 99% up and running all the time and if something happened he and one other guy fixed them right away and being on call didn’t mean you had to stay home from going out to dinner or even shop on the weekends that week, but, one he got to Sears/K-mart with now 4 people on call you would think that being on call would be nothing. I sure you that it was not the case. Call after call about stupid stuff and the pager going off every 5 minutes. Day or night. After 2 years of living in pager hell he got laid off, which all of the K-mart DBAs did, We were so happy to be heading back to Michigan

@abutts02

3 жыл бұрын

That just made things worse

@johnbockelie3899

3 жыл бұрын

My oldest sister worked for K mart from 1973, until the store ran out of business.

I can still picture the lady's literally running down the aisle to The Blue Light Special 😁👍🏻

Kmart Kafeteria's meatloaf dinner couldn't be beat, served with toasted bun and butter, whipped potatoes and coleslaw....washed down with a Frozen Coke

@QuintTheSharker

3 жыл бұрын

Those were the days!

@glenkilgore1524

3 жыл бұрын

Fried chicken dinner $2,99

@jiggsh54

3 жыл бұрын

I ate a Kmart cafe for almost 16 years everyday for lunch. All of us managers used our break time in the cafe to plan for the day. Some stores had food so good at lunch you couldn't find a seat.

Blue Light Special! Another childhood staple forever gone.

Loved the bags of popcorn you could buy and eat as you shopped. Smelled so good. I miss K mart.

My first job was as a cashier at my local Kmart during high school. It’s closed now sadly, such a shame we are losing such an iconic chain as Sears/Kmart.

@jamesslick4790

2 жыл бұрын

I grew up in the 1960s/70s. My Mother worked for Sears, and years later I worked for KMart. (Weird that they would eventually merge!) They were great companies in those days. Everything in our house was Kenmore, Craftsman ETC. (my sister STILL has a house FULL of "Martha Stewart" stuff that was/is QUALITY. ) People had LOYALTY (on both sides). Now it's Meh, Whatever... Now we have "George" from Wally*World. Who IS "George" anyhow?

I remember that was mom's favorite store when we were kids. She would buy us the subs that were 4 for $1 back then so we would eat while she did her shopping & run to the blue light specials 😉 💙

@jamesslick4790

2 жыл бұрын

Yes! Hanging out at the "K Cafe" with my father and grandfather (having ciggs!) was weekly thing, While "Mum" and "Grandma" RAN to whatever Blue Light Special was going off. It was fun to watch. Going to "Wally World" is not NEARLY as fun. KMart was an EXPERIENCE. LOL.

@samanthadrennan

Жыл бұрын

No lie those Kmart subs were amazing.

K-mart was one of my favorite places to visit as a child. It had an inside diner where you can order foods such as meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and gravy. It had a ice cream parlor where you can get bubble gum, rocky road, chocolate, and other varieties of ice cream. It had a pet store inside, with an assortment of goldfishes, dogs, cats,etc. It had a wide selection of your favorite toys, mine being G.I. Joe, Transformers, M.A.S.K, He-Man and Masters of the Universe, ThunderCats, and SilverHawks. K-mart had just about everything that you wanted! Those were the days of yesteryears! Bring them back now!

"Will Security please report to Section 3, Security to Section 3, please" broadcast throughout the day over the Kmart Music channel to discourage shoplifting

@khunopie9159

3 жыл бұрын

Dude, what were you sticking down your pants in section 3?

@acgillespie

3 жыл бұрын

Don't be giving away all the loss prevention tricks of the trade

@wingatemose1182

3 жыл бұрын

Our Kmart in Florence ,Alabama was the only store in town that had an actual security guard that worked for them and this was in 1963 to 1978. His name was Mr Moon and he wore an outfit. No where else had an real security guard in full uniform working at the front desk at the entrance of their store back then. Not Sears ! Not J.C.Penny's ! Hell ! none of our banks had a uniformed security guard in them either back then. Rough neighborhood lol !

@zabadazidit

3 жыл бұрын

We used to have an old joke in Texas. Q: "What's the first line of the Mexican national anthem?" A: "Attention K-Mart Shoppers!" Heck, I'm Hispanic and I found it funny!

@kingforaday8725

3 жыл бұрын

Yep. And they did have someone manning those two way mirrors that were spaced around the ceiling. They made great observation posts! There was always a pair of binoculars by the window. Hey!!!! I was just helping out the security guy! I was a stock clerk in the ladies dept!

One of my most vivid recollections of KMart is to have someone in line protest a price while in the check-out line, claiming the item was said to be on sale in a Kmart ad. The clerk would pull out the ad from under the register and for 5 minutes leaf through it to find the item said to be on sale. Meanwhile, the rest of the people in line were left cursing under their breath.

@martina21953

Жыл бұрын

Sorry, but I did that once. They mistakenly placed some plush socks in the wrong display. They had to give them to me at the discounted price. Maybe that's why they went out of business! LOL! I miss Kmart...

@GalileoSmith

Жыл бұрын

@@martina21953 I recognize you in the tiny KZread icon photo. Now I'm mumbling to myself, "It's not Martina's fault, it's Kmart's fault."

@bettycollins3914

Жыл бұрын

Bless your heart, did you live through it.

@GalileoSmith

Жыл бұрын

@@bettycollins3914 I lived through it, Kmart did not.

In the mid 60's there was such a positive "fresh and new" vibe in America suburbia. I remember when K-Mart opened in the Bellevue Crossroads are (Seattle suburb). I was about 14 or so. Had never seen a super box store like that before (no Target or WalMart yet). They had EVERYTHING. Now crossroads is yet another area where you don't walk at night. Kmart is of course...long gone (1968 to 2002). Best of all in the late 60's most of the merchandise was still made in America.

@dwlopez57

3 жыл бұрын

One of my sisters worked at the K Mart in Kent, and another worked at the one in Renton, the one in Renton she was only there a few months when they closed it and she got laid off. I believe the Kent site sits vacant

@tackyman2011

3 жыл бұрын

I was a vendor and have worked in every store from Bellingham to Chehalis. And Aberdeen, Yakima and Spokane. Watching business go from incredibly busy and too much to do, to the pathetic end of the era, was heartbreaking. It was caused by a small cadre of people at the top, who got rich by destroying the company. Go figure how that works, but it happened.

@dwlopez57

3 жыл бұрын

@@tackyman2011 that's almost everything that closed. The people on the bottom worked hard, but the ones on the top made stupid or greedy (or both) decisions and ruined everything

@YAMISOOLD2009

3 жыл бұрын

@@dwlopez57 and that is late stage capitalism. We have watched it grow and loved the side benefits but ultimately it eats itself. I think we are at that point.

@dwlopez57

3 жыл бұрын

@@YAMISOOLD2009 it's up to the consumers. I never order on line. I go to the store, yeah it might be easier to sit on my butt, maybe even a little cheaper, try to go to the stores that treat 1 their customers and 2 their employees right. Maybe I cant stop the owners from running their companies out of business, but I'll be damned if I'll help them run anyone else out of business. Of course, I'm one guy I'm probably not going to make a difference, but enough "one persons" could

My grandmother was a mngr. At a Kmart and she had thousands of the collector cups the slushees came in.........thanks for the memories, I miss you Valeria!!!

In my small city, we had Ames, Hills, and Kmart. We didn’t get Walmart until the late 1990’s, I believe. I don’t have to tell you which is the only one that has survived… But I have fond memories of each. The smells, the glare of the fluorescent signage, the layout of the parking lot…. Pure nostalgia. If you walked me to the front door of each, right now, I could navigate to each toy section while blindfolded. :)

@MarcoORVISINI

2 ай бұрын

Ames was a junk store

As a kid I can remember riding the mechanical pony outside the store for a quarter and then inside getting a cherry slurpee. My mom would always get our school clothes from Kmart and just about everything else I can think of.

Loved Kmart here in Australia nearly 40 years ago. Most stores were setup a lot like the ones in the US and as well having a lot of what they sold today you could buy your guns and ammunition and even fireworks. Really miss those days before the world went stupid.

I was born literally 2 blocks away from where the very first Kmart would be built. And 1 mile away from the very first Little Caesars. The Garden City Kmart was a staple for my family when it came to shopping. Great video.

@markfortin421

3 жыл бұрын

I was the assistant manager of automotive at the Garden City K-Mart, '66-67, really fun as a graduating teen...I was on top of the world! Back then, all the different departments (automotive, sporting goods, etc) were owned by outside companies who were brought in to fill the store with everything to make it complete. Not like Wal-Mart today, where everything is owned by China!

@nancysanders2398

3 жыл бұрын

Mark Fortin Yes,Mr.Fortin,I agree with you.Did you know,that before Wal-Mart was"allowed" to build one of its stores in China,that the company had to agree,that its workers had some form of" unions to support the workers?" Think of how workers bringing up that subject in U.S.get treated when unions are mentioned? Wal-Mart has several hundreds of stores in Communist China,which is the reason most items,a lot of food is made,created in China. China's developing a Middle Class,while United States is loosing its Middle Class! Realistically,speaking,America's Middle Class is NO longer in existence,from what I observe,and have seen for the past two- three decades!!

@BrandyTexas214

2 жыл бұрын

Haha I grew up close to garden city. Had no idea that’s where they were

@SisterShirley

2 жыл бұрын

Well, here we are in January of 2022 and I am sad to report that the original KMart in Garden City Michigan was torn down in March of 2020, just 3 years after it closed for business in March of 2017. The month of March has been bittersweet for KMart in Garden City; the opening, closing, and demolition all happened in that month. Planet Fitness was supposed to build and open within a year, and as of yet, it has not. Perhaps the delay is pandemic related.

My Granny worked as a greeter at Kmart for years. When I was a kid, we loved going to the Kmart deli for their sub sandwiches. They were (in our opinion) SO much better than Subway. I didn’t even try Subway until I was 15, and I remember thinking it was good, but not as good as Kmart.

I still miss doing my christmas lay aways at K mart

I bought most of my maternity clothes at Kmart. I pretty much bought everything at Kmart. I miss it so much! My mom and daughter agree, we all miss the Kmart. Walmart and Target just don't do it for me.

My mom bought two tiger motif blankets from Kmart in 1978. I was born in 1980. I still have one of those blankets.

K-Mart had a great Pet Department! I used to buy my tropical fish there for my aquarium, plus all the supplies. They had healthy parakeets, too, and I got my very first bird from there. It was great to be able to save up my allowance or chore money so I could have Dad take me to K-Mart to buy clothes, too.

@jamesslick4790

2 жыл бұрын

They had a heck of a photography department too. (Way more "Prosumer" gear than Wally World has today!).

Kmart was always my go to place. the employees helped you and they weren't disrespectful like Walmart employees. it's sad to see them gone . I enjoyed visiting them

@diamond6719

Жыл бұрын

WhenI was a kid in the 70s my family were big Kmart shoppers .

Never saw Blue Lights again until I was pulled over for speeding.

@zabadazidit

3 жыл бұрын

Now that's funny, I don't care who you are!

I worked at Kmart through my sophomore, junior and senior years of high school, it was like a family. I remember we got paid with an envelope of cash once a week. I loved doing the blue light specials. I have very fond memories of Christmas and Easter --- back then everyone got a new outfit for Easter Sunday, so it was a crazy week leading up to the holiday. We had a Jupiter store in our downtown shopping plaza which was also part of Kresge.

@wingatemose1182

3 жыл бұрын

Being born in 1959 and growing up in the 1960's and 1970's. I remember very well the Easter outfits very well. I also remember the chocolate covered big eggs made by Frankfort. They came in coconut and fruit flavored. I always go the coconut one. People made a big deal out of Easter back then. Halloween too ! If I said I didn't miss that time and all those people who are now long gone I'd be a complete liar. America was a much better place back then. We need to find away back to something very similar soon.

@juliemarchese-temple7749

3 жыл бұрын

Whoa scout! I had a friend in High school, in Santa Ana, California, who worked at Kmart, and I remember she got her envelope of cash!!!

@debkski6084

3 жыл бұрын

@@juliemarchese-temple7749 Was Kmart paying their employees under the table then?? Sounds risky for a big retailer...

@kingforaday8725

3 жыл бұрын

@@debkski6084 I dont think so but I can verify that is how we were paid. A manila colored envelope about the size of paper money. The date, amount, deductions, rate of pay, etc were written on the outside of the envelope. You had to count it and sign that everything was correct. Any problems were noted and taken care of by the dept manager.

@bonniemoerdyk9809

3 жыл бұрын

@@kingforaday8725 Wish I had kept one for memories sake. At the time I didn't realize that that was rare, guess I thought lots of businesses did it that way.

The phrase, "Attention Kmart shoppers," should be mentioned and kept in the Smithsonian Institute. As well as in our hearts.

Thank you for the videos and nostalgia memories. I forgot they had a cafeteria in the back of Kmart when I was a little kid

@tashmoobabe8704

3 жыл бұрын

Grilled cheese and a root beer!

@wingatemose1182

3 жыл бұрын

They made a wonderful hamburger. As a kid I'd walk to our Kmart and get a hamburger plate and a fountain Coke. Really very good !

I remember in the early 80's eating their sub sandwiches. They were so good!!!

@elviscobb5922

3 жыл бұрын

That was what I thought when the video started. I honestly can't remember why I liked them so much.

Back inn1968 I bought my first baseball glove at K Mart and I remember I came up short by less than a dollar and a kind gentleman in the line came up with the remainder and I was able to purchase an American made baseball glove that we still have . I never forgot that experience . Years later , on the other side of the country, I bought a fishing tackle box and two fishing poles that we still have and my children used . It was a great store .

When I worked at KMart, I ate two submarine sandwiches from the deli every day. I loved them!

Before Walmart, there was K Mart. My parents did their Christmas shopping there for years up until they closed shop in Chicago.

It is sad that a piece of American is dying, but the memories are still there. I remember the Toy Section as a Kid shopping with my Late Grandparents, My Brother and my Mom as well as the Clothing and Jewelry as a Teenager shopping with my Friends:)!! As an Adult, before the Kmart closed in my Neighborhood, I bought a Sweater that was on sale for "end of the Season" for $3.00 it has a turtle neck with beautiful purple, pink, baby blue, and mint green horizontal stripes:)!! I still wear that Sweater today and it is my Boyfriend's favorite of all my Sweaters:)!! And if you search You Tube, you can get a recording of Kmart during Christmas of the music it played along with "smoking is not allowed on the floor, but smoking is permitted in the dining area":)!!

@martina21953

Жыл бұрын

I've listened to the Kmart Christmas video. The only disappointment I had was that they didn't mention a Blue Light Special!

My mother retired from Kmart. I remember Kresge’s and McCrory’s. I also remember Woolworths, Zayers, Ames, Montgomery Wards, Jordan Marsh, Gimbals, Bradley’s and Two Guys. To name a few. Are Bob stores still open?

@a.j.patron9214

3 жыл бұрын

KRESS'S , JOSLINS, MAY D & F,

@annchendorain5693

3 жыл бұрын

Loved K mart

@etacbro7031

3 жыл бұрын

@unarmed blackman lol built to last.

@ES-mc3cc

3 жыл бұрын

@unarmed blackman I remember the one in Kalamazoo, Michigan, from the 1960's.

@mikesaler1038

3 жыл бұрын

We also had Arlens and Miracle Mart and Meijer. Kmart was the biggest, less than a mile from them. This was near GR MI.

Attention K-Mart shoppers: "Will the owner of the Unicorn Wizard van please check your van, its rockin'"

@sshza2143

3 жыл бұрын

😀🤘✌😎

Thanks for preserving the memory!

In 1977 I was 7 years old and my mom and I would go to the kresges at the Sunray Shopping Center just outside of st. Paul, mn. a little strip mall and she would do our shopping and we would stop at their Cafe in the store and have a little lunch. good memories!

@ericdraven7185

2 жыл бұрын

I was about 5 then.. I have great memories of Kmart then.. eating in the cafe.. buying star wars action figures.

@lastguyminn2324

2 жыл бұрын

I don't remember the Kresge's at that location, but my grandmother was the first female merchandise manager in JCPenney history at their Sun Ray store.

K-Mart closings are such a recent thing that I am sure most people have some vivid memories of shopping in one. So sad. :~(

@hellsbellez

3 жыл бұрын

Not in Colorado. They've been closed A LONG TIME

@runrafarunthebestintheworld

3 жыл бұрын

Yep this video almost made me cry. Sad they couldn't compete with Target and Wal-Mart. They should revive it to take down Target at least but I don't think they will..

@juanserrano5629

3 жыл бұрын

No¡¡¡

@butcharmstrong9645

3 жыл бұрын

@@hellsbellez The last K-Mart in the U.P. of Michigan closed a year or 2 ago. So pretty recent here.

@danielleporter1829

3 жыл бұрын

For as far as I know, they've been closed in southern California since 2019 after first starting to close in 2008-2010

My mom worked in the cafeteria at the East Anaheim, CA location. Once a year they would have a family night. As an immigrant kid in the mid 1980s, many middle class kids would make fun if your family were Kmart shoppers.

@Chuck-e7d

3 жыл бұрын

I remember being made fun of for wearing blue light specials, is what the rich preppies at school would say.

@lightningblue648

3 жыл бұрын

I too experienced that even though I lived in a rural area. It was Kmart and Hills for my family.

@robbchastain3036

3 жыл бұрын

Sorry to hear about your bad Kmart experience in California, where I spent half my childhood and we were Kmart shoppers and I always thought it fit in perfectly with the vibe of cheap and casual and no shame in that California game. And I do recall the occasional foray to the Gap as being upscale, for sure. But I always loved Kmart and it was a popular place to shop for us, nothing but normal, really.

@happygirl7258

2 жыл бұрын

I understand this completely. If we wore their jeans brand “toughskins” , then the kids would laugh at us.

@diatribe5

Жыл бұрын

We weren’t even foreigners, but I caught the same teasing. It was a sign of the greed and social climbing of the 1980s. Before that, I never saw anything wrong with Kmart. Maybe all the ridicule from the snobby wannabes is what pushed Kmarts decline. The 1970s were simpler, less materialistic and were Kmarts best decade.

Ray Nagin (former mayor of New Orleans) once was a cook at a Kmart in-store restaurant! And Mitch Landrieu (mayor of New Orleans after Nagin) once was a cashier at the historic A&P store (now a Rouses Market) in the heart of the French Quarter!

It was a family tradition to go out to eat every Friday and then go to Kmart. 1980s life

I remember my mom used to buy 3 submarine sandwiches located near their snack area ,all three were in a bag, they had bologna, salami, cheese, mayo mustard,and thin onions and pickles. They were a good snack.

@bonniemoerdyk9809

3 жыл бұрын

Since I'm allergic, I would pull my onions off so I wouldn't get a migraine, and yet I would still get one. But they were yummy!

@brianbalyeat3577

3 жыл бұрын

I loved loved loved those subs!!!#

I really miss KMart. Somehow, it always seems like the places I like go under while the ones I don't care for stick around.

@ES-mc3cc

3 жыл бұрын

Seems like every chain has it's time to flourish, then it's on to something newer (but not necessarily better).

@golden.lights.twinkle2329

3 жыл бұрын

Very true!

Even growing up in the 80s and 90s, it quickly occurred to me that Kmart was behind the times. As Walmart and Target muscled in, Kmart didn’t even stock current things in many cases.

It's been a pleasure shopping at Kmart stores many years ago. And I remember the times when I went to Kmart very well.

I'm 56 and Kmart is the first store I can remember going to

@zabadazidit

3 жыл бұрын

I'm 53 and I feel ya, honey!

@lonnybush5612

3 жыл бұрын

No Walmart then either.

I have a lot of good memories about K-mart, child to adulthood. Unfortunately though I tried to keep supporting them, after 2000 the selection was poor, prices fairly high, and the employees acted like they were all contemplating suicide and just didn’t give a rip. Walmart may have punched them hard, but they didn’t help themselves much towards the end.

Eddie Lambert ruined Kmart after merging Kmart with Sears. As of April 1, 2021, their will be less than 30 Kmarts left opened in the USA

@misterhat5823

3 жыл бұрын

It's amazing that a video on Kmart doesn't go deeper into this. Fast Eddie is converting the assets of both Sears and Kmart into his own personal profit and destroying both companies.

@peacefuldaizy5717

3 жыл бұрын

@@misterhat5823 It's refreshing to see a comment about what's really happening. We will be down to 28 Sears (and I think 23 Kmart) stores after the current round of liquidations end in mid-April.

@paulat6622

3 жыл бұрын

So true

@wingatemose1182

3 жыл бұрын

I truly believe everyone involved with the deliberate destruction and profit stealing of Kmart and Sears should be changed with treason a face military firing squads. This was and is a mass crime against two of Americans greatest retail giants. People need to pay !

@ES-mc3cc

3 жыл бұрын

There are still a few here in Florida. I've seen them in St. Pete and the Ellenton area. I also remember seeing one in Key West in 2004!

My Grandmother went to SS Kresges&McCrorys called them "dime or 5&Dime store"...They had amazing things for under a quarter...Sure miss those and K Mart.😪

@ES-mc3cc

3 жыл бұрын

If I remember right, Kresge's also had a diner-style place to eat and a soda fountain. That was way back in the 1960's, I think.

@packingten

3 жыл бұрын

@@ES-mc3cc Don't mention a lunch counter the sno flakes will start on how the blacks were wronged..I guess they felt these peaceful folks were wronged....

@hewitc

3 жыл бұрын

@@packingten Huh? WTF?

@AZHITW

2 жыл бұрын

@@hewitc Amazing how a bigot who cannot be spotted in a crowd will raise his hand and wave like crazy to bring attention to himself. 🤪

Our local K-Mart closed its doors several years ago. Their products were superior compared to other retail discount stores. This was the go to place for electronics. My TV lasted over 20 years. Same with the microwave oven, VCR.

@ES-mc3cc

3 жыл бұрын

Bought a Sony tv at a Tampa K-mart at the end of 2008. I still have it. The store closed within a couple of years later as I recall. They had the best price in town on the tv.

@bradleymccreary2223

2 жыл бұрын

My parents bought me a little transistor radio (kmart branded) back in 1972 ( I was 7 years old) and it has travelled all over the world with me. It still works and I'm now approaching 56 years! Also still use the telescope for watching the stars and moon etc that I received on my 8th birthday- another Kmart branded item. Still in it's carry case and works perfectly.

@BL-no7jp

2 жыл бұрын

@@bradleymccreary2223 I still have electronic I purchased from KMart from back in the 90’s in perfect working order.

I love Kmart clothes Basic Edition was my favorite brand and were so comfortable.

@golden.lights.twinkle2329

3 жыл бұрын

Cheap but well made. I still have a couple of pairs of Basic Edition shorts.

@58jharris

Жыл бұрын

I agree the Basic Edition brand was pretty good for cheap clothing. I liked their men's cargo pants especially.

Oh man I had forgotten about those short clothes racks and old bins. Everything was so cheap, including the storefront. Kids loved the refreshment stand and coin-op rides and candy/toy dispensers. Legendary status. Still have the Fingermath book I bought there in the early 80s I guess.

I work in the industry. Kmart just gave up. They were fantastic in the 70s and 80s.

@golden.lights.twinkle2329

3 жыл бұрын

The last stores near me became places where only Hispanic customers shopped. The cashiers were all Hispanic too.

Today is my 18th Birthday, and as a Kmart Enthusiast this really seems like a birthday present to me. Thanks for posting this.

@jackiehoward7300

3 жыл бұрын

Happy belated birthday

@frankachino5563

3 жыл бұрын

@@jackiehoward7300 thank you

Bought all my school clothes there in the 70's. There would actually be lines outside the week before school started. Fondly remember the popcorn, icees & apple dumplings from the cafe. If it was a big ticket item, used layaway & paid $5.00 a week till it was paid off. No credit cards for my parents.

I remember all of the Martha Stewart stuff!

@betsyross1621

3 жыл бұрын

Me too!

@marionkillion911

3 жыл бұрын

Ja, when she moved in the prices went up on everything

@chrischampagne9217

3 жыл бұрын

Then she went to jail

@golden.lights.twinkle2329

3 жыл бұрын

I wouldn't buy her stuff on principle.

Before a Kmart opened near me in the early 80's they had about 400 people show up for 50 jobs.

@nonamegame9857

3 жыл бұрын

That's when I decided a few years prior to go into the military. Not to get Rich mind you but it was a steady income and no rent or utilities and free food 😁😁

@acgillespie

3 жыл бұрын

@@nonamegame9857 .Nothing is free trust me.. It was paid for many times around

@nonamegame9857

3 жыл бұрын

@@acgillespie first off are you in your 60s and secondly I know this very well 🤣🤣👍

@acgillespie

3 жыл бұрын

@@nonamegame9857 .Yes sir I am in my 60s... I was a cook in the army

@wingatemose1182

3 жыл бұрын

@acgillespie , Like your responses my friend. And thank you for your service.🙏👍

This probably sounds insane, but at our Kmart in the 70s you had to pay 10 cents to use the bathroom. There were little machines on the bathroom stall doors that would unlock when you inserted a dime. I remember people used to crawl under.

@jfiorello68

3 жыл бұрын

Very common at that time...I remember too!

@nonamegame9857

3 жыл бұрын

I remember that as well but we would always crawl under the door to the stall 🤣🤣🤣

@JMan-jj8ic

3 жыл бұрын

Howard Johnson Restaurants did the same thing on the Pennsylvania turnpike when they were the only ones at the rest stops. Capitalism at its best.

@misterhat5823

3 жыл бұрын

I'm surprised people didn't just whiz in the sink.

@nonamegame9857

3 жыл бұрын

@@misterhat5823 Who says they didn't 🤣🤣

they once sold just about everything and awesome diner, deli ect....then went downhill when they took it out and it looked more like a thrift shop...

I miss K Mart. I remember as a lil kid in the 90s I went there with my baby sitter and the kids she was baby sitting to do back to school shopping with her grandsons. I remember seeing a folder with a cool NBA basketball design on it, big packs of Crayola, scented markers etc. RIP grandma Ima 🙏😢

When KMart merged with Sears, I was able to use my reward points and ended up buying two Candyland games for my nieces and nephews. I do miss the chopped ham sandwiches and the smell of popcorn from KMart.

@jamesmiller4184

3 жыл бұрын

This all sounds quite familiar, JL! Still, even tho, we can make chopped ham sandwiches AND popcorn. (Hmm, I wonder if "Kay-Mar -- The Cut-rate Magician -- Magic On The Cheap!" is here on KZread for viewing? Remember him? His equipment was all bought at K-Mart and converted to mystical use! For a while, I think he was a regular on Carson's show.)

I remember back in the 90's Kmart was still very popular. I had one around the corner from me and it was packed with people and they really did have good stuff in there. Then the one around the corner from me closed in 2000 and after that Walmart suddenly became this uncontrollable force that just took over the nation. In the 2000's I saw Walmart being built everywhere and the obsession with this chain was insane. Now they have been humbled a bit by Amazon. Kmart was a good store and never got as arrogant as Walmart.

In the 50's my mom would take me for lunch and a Vernors cooler at the Kresge store on Schaefer Rd. in Dearborn Michigan. My Aunt and Uncle lived the block behind the first Kmart in Garden City. Thanks for this.

Always had to get a bag of popcorn 🍿 when we went to K Mart.

For several years Kmart was the only store my family went to except for grocery stores. They sold appliances in the 70s. Nearly everything in our house from Kmart.

@happygirl7258

3 жыл бұрын

We still have Kmart in my area. They sell appliances and mattresses.

I miss the old Kmart before it became the new and then all hell broke down and closed for good. Sad to see all the major stores closing, now we see Amazon ruling this party. The return is horrible! Those were the good old days!

I loved Kmart, sad to see so many old staples going away! I still say I got my license at a kmart blue light special, sadly not many understand anymoe!

Worked for Kmart from '77 to '93 as a store manager. Kmart failed to join the drive toward automation. After moving stores to scanning items at checkout, they didn't embrace technology as it developed. They also failed to recognize Wal-mart as real competition. The philosophy of building different sizes of stores in cities of smaller populations didn't stave off Wal-mart's change of smaller stores to larger stores no matter the size of the city. Those of us managers in the South tried to warn the corporate office of the encroachment on our business. Some officers felt they were to big to fail. Retail was changing and they failed to see it coming. Someone at the corporate office sold a major portion of the company to corporate raiders, who bought it for real estate holdings, they immediately stopped marketing and supplying the stores. The same thing seems to be happening to Wal-mart. Their stores have empty shelves and no employees at the checkout. American workers are not going to work for barely livable wages with no benefits. I visited our local store earlier this week and the over the counter medicines were almost completely out of stock. There was only one register open (out of 20). Our new Kroger Marketplace is larger, better stocked, better staffed, cleaner, and rarely out of stock.

I worked at Kmart in the mid 80’s. Trained as a server, cashier and then customer service. I actually loved the job. Even before working there I remember as a kid going to the midnight madness sales. All the parents would be shopping and us kids, because it was a special goings on in the town, were allowed to come. So we would get to hang out with our friends while our parents shopped.

I loved Kmart went there right up until the end.

@guyhardwick7339

3 жыл бұрын

Me too 🙂👍

@Randy-jb4un

3 жыл бұрын

So did l Walmart sucks 🖕

@hellsbellez

3 жыл бұрын

Me too 😣😣😣 I loved K-Mart!

@evilclowntra

3 жыл бұрын

I sill love K Mart w have one an hour away 😉

At 6:51 is that the Donald and one of his wives ? The Donald at Kmart, really !!!

The music is similar to Fred Rogers’ “It’s You I Like”.

Perfect musical accompaniment for a pleasant trip down memory lane.

Both my wife and mother worked at the Kmart in Westland, Mi. They both worked together there when the store first opened in 1967. That's how I met my wife. My mother worked there for a number of years, then my wife went back there after my mother left. Used to be a rule that relatives could not work in the same store.

I vividly remember going to Kmart in the 90s with my parents and aunt, coming home, unpacking all our new stuff and watching Home Improvement on TV.

I remember when I lived in Riverside California. My dad would eat breakfast at Kresges. Loved Kmart. RIP dad!

I worked at Kmart for a few months in 1975. $2.50 an hr/ $100 a week before takeouts. Got paid every Fri. in cash. . Stock clerk in women's wear. What an adventure.

Made me think of Pic n Save and Zody's days

I remember seeing a notice at the checkouts that said “TYFSAK”. It took me a few visits before I figured out it was a reminder to cashiers to say “thank you for shopping at K-Mart!

@02chevyguy

3 жыл бұрын

Oh yes. I worked at an El Paso K Mart from '93 to mid-'97. They weren't giving me enough hours, and I hated the store manager we had at the time. My exit interview with the personnel manager was good, and on my exit sheet, I really let the manager have it. I didn't hold back. The personnel mgr. and I were buds. She was a great lady and a very nice person. Turns out when I started working somewhere else, 6 weeks after my exit, the store manager was fired due to too many complaints against her.

@tashmoobabe8704

3 жыл бұрын

I remember sorting these stickers as a manager's kid.

@ShadowsegaExaid

3 жыл бұрын

@@02chevyguy No way! You were working at a El Paso Kmart?! My late Father, my Mother, my Sister, myself included and my brother went to the El Paso Kmart in the summer of '96. I had a Doctor's appointment in Juarez as I brought Summer Toys there. I usually shop at a Carlsbad Kmart with my Mom and my late Dad as they brought me school clothes, games like Earthbound on the SNES and A Bug's Life. It's too bad the Carlsbad Kmart closed down and now it's a Ashley Furniture Homestore right by La Cueva 6 and the now bankrupt and defunct Beall's.

I remember Kmart as my go-to when I needed a long dress for choir recitals at my high school in the early-mid 70s. Not the best selection, but the price was right.

I remember buying my school clothes there in the early 70s. I used to love the Jaclyn Smith things. The Martha Steward Christmas items were great too. It is so sad. I went into one last in the Fall of 2019 in The Dalles, Oregon. I think that one closed down too. The quality just got worse and worse.

@diannelavoie5385

3 жыл бұрын

I loved the Jaclyn Smith line of clothes, too. Miss being able to get them.

@a.j.patron9214

3 жыл бұрын

Poor quality, old cash registers that were slow as hell, and pretty expensive compared to Target and Wal-Mart. Just poorly managed and dated.

@danielleporter1829

3 жыл бұрын

@@diannelavoie5385 my mom had some pretty pieces from the Jaclyn Smith line. Sofia Vergara had a clothing line in Kmart , it's still probably in the stores that still opened

@Randy-jb4un

3 жыл бұрын

Kmart always had better items than Walmart clothes tools ect.....

@gregorycyr9272

3 жыл бұрын

I bought my shiny polyester shirts from Kmart in the 70's.

Loved K Mart in Huntington Beach, got my hot wheels there and ice cream in little baseball Helmets at the Grill in back of the store

@clydeferguson519

2 жыл бұрын

Great Hobby Dept.,too!

So great seeing photos from when Kmart first opened. It’s sad what it’s become today.

I have great memories of Kmart. When I was younger we used to go to Kmart almost every weekend. Walking in you could smell the popcorn. Once we did our shopping, we'd stop by the Little Ceasar's connected to the Kmart for lunch.

Kmart was the place to be! It was where my family and I would go for essentially everything. Back in the 80's, Kmart had clothing, electronics, a pet shop (i.e. goldfish, hamsters), a jewelry corner, an ice cream counter (my favorites being bubble gum, pistachio, and chocolate), a cafeteria (They had the best Salsbury steak with mushroom gravy!), and, of course, my favorite toys around (i.e. G.I. Joe, Transformers, M.A.S.K, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, ThunderCats, and Silverhawks)! Bring Kmart back now! Christmas is here! We need you now!

They also had fresh roasted cashews that were so good!!!

@misterhat5823

3 жыл бұрын

Hills had better nuts.