History UsefulNotes / KMart

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 214 stores as of the second quarter of 2019 but as part of a string of closings announced in late August 2019 (the last Kmart Super Center - in Warren, Ohio - closed in April 2018); with the chain having completely vacated or being soon to vacate 27 states[[note]]Rhode Island, Alabama, Vermont, Hawaii, Alaska (which saw its last stores close following Kmart's 2003 bankruptcy), Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Louisiana, Nebraska, Mississippi (Arkansas, Georgia and Kansas losing their remaining Kmart locations as a result of Sears Holdings' 2018 bankruptcy filing; while the latter 5 states were added to the list late in 2018 as Sears Holdings flirted with liquidation before a last-minute offer by Eddie Lampert was approved in January 2019), Connecticut[[note]]the Watertown location which until 2018 was one of the last two locations still using the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart#/media/File:Kmart_original_logo.png classic logo[[/note]], Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia (all of these states having been vacated as part of the August 29, 2019 mass closing announcement)[[/note]]. In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 332 stores as of the third quarter of 2018 (the last Kmart Super Center - in Warren, Ohio - closed in April 2018); with the chain having completely vacated or being soon to vacate 13 states[[note]]Rhode Island, Alabama, Vermont, Hawaii, Alaska (which saw its last stores close following Kmart's 2003 bankruptcy), Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Louisiana, Nebraska and Mississippi (Arkansas, Georgia and Kansas losing their remaining Kmart locations as a result of Sears Holdings' 2018 bankruptcy filing; while the latter 5 states were added to the list late in 2018 as Sears Holdings flirted with liquidation before a last-minute offer by Eddie Lampert was approved in January 2019)[[/note]]. In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.

In October 2018, Sears Holdings (Kmart's parent company) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It remains to be seen what, if anything, will arise from the ashes of the brand.

* In an episode of ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', socially awkward station manager Kenny complains that he doesn't like to go to Kmart because the mannequins are too sexy.

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kmart.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[{{Jingle}} "K-Mart is your savings store/Where your dollar buys you more..."]]]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kmart_586.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Jingle}} "K-Mart is your savings store/Where your dollar buys you more..."]]]]

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 360 stores as of the second quarter of 2018 (the last Kmart Super Center - in Warren, Ohio - closed in April 2018); with the chain having completely vacated or being soon to vacate 8 states[[note]]Rhode Island, Alabama, Vermont, Hawaii, Alaska (which saw its last stores close following Kmart's 2003 bankruptcy), Arkansas, Georgia and Kansas; the last three losing their remaining Kmart locations as a result of Sears Holdings' 2018 bankruptcy filing[[/note]]. In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 360 stores as of the second quarter of 2018 (the last Kmart Super Center - in Warren, Ohio - closed in April 2018); with the chain having completely vacated or being soon to vacate 5 states[[note]]Rhode Island, Alabama, Vermont, Hawaii and Alaska; the last of which saw its last stores close following Kmart's 2003 bankruptcy[[/note]]. In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.

-->''Attention, Kmart shoppers! There's a Blue Light Special on tropes in aisle five.''

In October 2018, Sears Holdings (Kmart's parent company) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It remains to be seen what (if anything) will arise from the ashes of the brand.

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 365 stores as of the first quarter of 2018 (the last Kmart Super Center - in Warren, Ohio - closed in April 2018); with the chain having completely vacated or being soon to vacate 5 states[[note]]Rhode Island, Alabama, Vermont, Hawaii and Alaska; the last of which saw its last stores close following Kmart's 2003 bankruptcy[[/note]]. In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.

Kmart has seen a bit of resurgence with its "Shop Your Way Rewards" program, in which membership is free and members receive points on every purchase made good for future purchases. Those who sign up for e-mail receive a number of pretty big discount offers, as well as the chance to enter contests for more points. They also have the option of dispensing with a paper receipt and instead having it all e-mailed.

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 624 stores (the last Kmart Super Center - in Warren, Ohio - closed in April 2018). In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 624 stores and one Kmart Super Center[[note]]which is scheduled to close in early 2018[[/note]]. In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.

The first Kmart (or K-Mart, as it was then known) opened in Garden City, Michigan in 1962. The chain eventually reached a peak of 2,000 stores by 2000, coinciding with their newly-renovated "Big K" stores (which was around the same time they stopped upgrading their equipment -- seriously, it's like stepping into 1993). Unfortunately, Kmart has fallen to a rather distant third place in the discounter race, namely due to being behind on remodeling, poor location build-out, deranged leadership[[note]]Eddie "[[SmallNameBigEgo New Warren Buffett]]" "[[PointyHairedBoss Crazy Eddie]]" "[[ConvenienceStoreGiftShopping Rolex Watch]]" Lampert[[/note]], and general incompetence. It also saw the loss of its Canadian locations in 1998 to rival Zellers (which itself was sold to Kmart rival Target in 2013, only for the now-Target Canada to be so poorly run that it was shut down in 2015).

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 624 stores and one Kmart Super Center. In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.

Kmart is a discount store located in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. In the US, for several decades peaking in UsefulNotes/TheEighties and [[UsefulNotes/TheEighties Early '90s]], it was a staple of [[BoringButPractical reasonably-priced no-nonsense merchandise]] geared toward middle-class shoppers. In the latter two countries, it's a low, low, ''low''-end discount store licensing the name.

Kmart is a discount store located in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. In the US, for several decades peaking in UsefulNotes/TheEighties, it was a staple of [[BoringButPractical reasonably-priced no-nonsense merchandise]] geared toward middle-class shoppers. In the latter two countries, it's a low, low, ''low''-end discount store licensing the name.

Kmart is a discount store located in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. In the US, for several decades peaking in UsefulNotes/TheEighties, it was a staple of reasonably-priced no-nonsense merchandise geared toward middle-class shoppers. In the latter two countries, it's a low, low, ''low''-end discount store licensing the name.

Kmart is a discount store located in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand; in the latter two countries, it's a low, low, ''low''-end discount store licensing the name.

* ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' once had a feature on names turned into acronyms. [=KMart=], according to them, stood for '''K'''eeping '''M'''iddle '''A'''merica '''R'''eally '''T'''acky. It featured a customer buying a matching [=shoes/belt/watchband=] set and another one buying a fake jewel encrusted toilet seat.

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 1,200 stores and maybe a dozen Kmart Super Centers. In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.

-->''"[[TheStinger ...K-Mart is the savings place!]]"''

Kmart used to own several other chains: a supercenter called American Fare[[note]]which failed after only three stores, although the name lives on as one of Kmart's private brands[[/note]]; hardware superstore Builders Square[[note]]sold to Hechinger in 1997, closed in 1999[[/note]]; bookstore chains Borders and Waldenbooks[[note]]spun off into their own company which went under in 2011[[/note]]; office supply chain [=OfficeMax=][[note]]sold off in 1995; continued to hold its own until merging with Office Depot in 2013, though both nameplates are still in use[[/note]]; Pace Warehouse[[note]]a warehouse club similar to Sam's Club, to whom many locations were sold in 1993[[/note]]; Payless Drugs[[note]]sold off in 1994, bought out by Rite Aid in 1999[[/note]]; and Sports Authority[[note]]sold off in 1995 and did well until being saddled with massive debts in a 2007 management buyout; went under in 2016[[/note]].

* In the original airing of the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "Brian in Love", Brian accidentally urinates while at the supermarket, prompting Peter to ask him "Where do you think you are? Kmart?" (Later airings changed it to Payless).

Kmart used to own several other chains: a supercenter called American Fare[[note]]which failed after only three stores, although the name lives on as one of Kmart's private brands[[/note]]; hardware superstore Builders Square[[note]]sold to Hechinger in 1997, closed in 1999[[/note]]; bookstore chains Borders and Waldenbooks[[note]]spun off into their own company which went under in 2011[[/note]]; office supply chain [=OfficeMax=][[note]]sold off in 1995 and continues to hold its own to this day, although it is in the process of merging with Office Depot[[/note]]; Pace Warehouse[[note]]a warehouse club similar to Sam's Club, to whom many locations were sold in 1993[[/note]]; Payless Drugs[[note]]sold off in 1994, bought out by Rite Aid in 1999[[/note]]; and Sports Authority[[note]]sold off in 1995 and did well until being saddled with debt in a 2007 management buyout; went into bankruptcy in 2016 and may end up going under entirely[[/note]].

The first Kmart (or K-Mart, as it was then known) opened in Garden City, Michigan in 1962. The chain eventually reached a peak of 2,000 stores by 2000, coinciding with their newly-renovated "Big K" stores (which was around the same time they stopped upgrading their equipment -- seriously, it's like stepping into 1993). Unfortunately, Kmart has fallen to a rather distant third place in the discounter race, namely due to being behind on remodeling, poor location build-out, deranged leadership[[note]]Eddie "[[SmallNameBigEgo New Warren Buffet]]" "[[PointyHairedBoss Crazy Eddie]]" "[[ConvenienceStoreGiftShopping Rolex Watch]]" Lampert[[/note]], and general incompetence. It also saw the loss of its Canadian locations in 1998 to rival Zellers (which itself was sold to Kmart rival Target in 2013, oh for the now-Target Canada to be so poorly run that it was shut down in 2015).

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 1,200 stores and maybe a dozen Kmart Super Centers. In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the Packers offered a mint to the company for the land.

Kmart used to own several other chains: a supercenter called American Fare[[note]]which failed after only three stores, although the name lives on as one of Kmart's private brands[[/note]]; hardware superstore Builders Square[[note]]sold to Hechinger in 1997, closed in 1999[[/note]]; bookstore chains Borders and Waldenbooks[[note]]spun off into their own company which went under in 2011[[/note]]; office supply chain [=OfficeMax=][[note]]sold off in 1995 and continues to hold its own to this day; although it is in the process of merging with Office Depot[[/note]]; Pace Warehouse[[note]]a warehouse club similar to Sam's Club, to whom many locations were sold in 1993[[/note]]; Payless Drugs[[note]]sold off in 1994, bought out by Rite Aid in 1999[[/note]]; and Sports Authority[[note]]sold off in 1995 and did well until being saddled with debt in a 2007 management buyout; went into bankruptcy in 2016 and may end up going under entirely[[/note]].

Kmart used to own several other chains: a supercenter called American Fare[[note]]which failed after only three stores, although the name lives on as one of Kmart's private brands[[/note]]; hardware superstore Builders Square[[note]]sold to Hechinger in 1997, closed in 1999[[/note]]; bookstore chains Borders and Waldenbooks[[note]]spun off into their own company which went under in 2011[[/note]]; office supply chain [=OfficeMax=][[note]]sold off in 1995 and continues to hold its own to this day; although it is in the process of merging with Office Depot[[/note]]; Pace Warehouse[[note]]a warehouse club similar to Sam's Club, to whom many locations were sold in 1993[[/note]]; Payless Drugs[[note]]sold off in 1994, bought out by Rite Aid in 1999[[/note]]; and Sports Authority[[note]]sold off in 1995, continues to do well to this day[[/note]].