K-Mart goes under

In the biggest retail bankruptcy ever, Kmart filed for Chapter 11 protection today, after struggling to make payments to vendors and creditors. The move will protect Kmart from creditors while it reorganizes and works to repay debts. The company said it had secured $2 billion in debtor financing and expects to emerge from the bankruptcy protection next year.



Wow! No more Blue Light Specials........

I saw this on the news this morning....looks like Wal-Mart is just too much for 'em.

personally I can see why - the K-Mart by me is real bad news and dirty to boot dirty and the lines are horrific. When we were in high school
my girlfreind and I used to go on K-Mart runs - now I would not set foot in it unless I was forcec
to.

I heard they were having a lot of trouble. I don't see how they can compete with the new Super Targets and Super Walmarts. Their prices are lower, their merchandise is nicer, and their stores are cleaner. I hope Kmart has a great plan to address all these issues, or they're just wasting their time. I never go to Kmart, even though it's closer to my house than both Walmart and Target. I think a majority of my husband's paycheck goes to Super Target. I LOVE that store!

Where will she sell her housewares? Though it explains how her paint line ended up in Wal*Mart.

K-mart's been around forever! It's like when Woolworth's went under a few years ago, and Zayre's. I know they weren't top quality, but there always used to be a market for the low end department stores. They might have lost customers to Target, but I bet they lost just as many to dollar stores and thrift shops.

Of course I live in sprawling suburbia right now. I think there is more of a customer base for this kind of store in more urban areas. You can't put a Super Target in downtown Chicago and all. It's kind of a shame that there are no regional stores any more, just super national chains, because K-mart lost their niche by trying to outgrow it.

Plus, as big as I am, K-mart was one of the few alternatives to Lane Bryant and the Avenue. I could get 3 outfits for $100, rather than three items. I don't find clothes I like in Wal*Mart, and Target carries only a very small selection in my size. Not to mention that fat ladies clothes seem to be either dark (as if, if I dress in black, someone will mistake my size 24 self for a size 8) or tacky (as if I should just be grateful that somebody made clothes in my size and not worry about what they look like), but K-mart carried stuff that wasn't embarassing or ugly. Kind of boring, but they didn't make me cringe.

I'll miss'em, even if the rest of you won't.

As I've said in a post a long time ago, when I go shopping, I look for good prices, best quality, and most important; CUSTOMER SERVICE!
Kmart does not have good customer service. Many times I go there to the clothes department, and a group of employees are sitting around and talking. Not straightening up their section. When I look for someone to help me with an item, they are nowhere to be found. The little buttons that are used if you need help are of no help because no one comes. I've never been to Walmart or Target, but I hope their customer service is better than Kmart's. I remember when I worked at JCPenny's, my employers told me never to sit around and talk. So, when I wasn't attending customers, I was cleaning up the area. Oh sure, its hard when two or three people ask me for help. If an item was not on the floor and the customer wanted one, I had to go in the back. But the people at Kmart are not helpful. I always get I don't know. WEll, you work here, how can you not know? If the Walmart is what it says in the commercials about having good customer service, then I will spend my money there. And maybe work there. My definition of good customer service is always smiling at the customers and make them feel welcome. IF they have a question, always ready to help them. Always ask is there anything I can help you with? In a polite, not a bored tone. And when not with customers, always look ready to help and keep the section straightened. Only talk to other employees during lunch or breaks. I remember at a groceyr store, I was getting a Western Union money, and I gave the clerk my ID. I almost forgot it but the clerk says, here is your id, I don't want it. And at this same store, the clerk was yelling at the customer because he was trying to send a western union and he didn't really understand. She wouldn't help him. So any of you who has shopped at Walmart or Target, let me know if these places have excellent customer service. I will spend my money there.

I've never liked K-Mart ........ It is too dirty in the store, if you ask me. I don't really like Wal-Mart, either, but will go every now and then. I prefer Target because it is a well-kept store. Plus, it's only 5 minutes away from my house!