It ’s the end of an era .
Bloomberg / Getty Images
attending , Kmart shoppers : The last full - sized Kmart stock , located in quaint beach town Bridgehampton , New York , is closing on October 20 — and the once - mighty mark will formally part of story . One diminished Kmart - branded stock will remain in Florida , with a few more in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands .
Credit:Bloomberg / Getty Images
The store began as S.S. Kresge in Detroit in 1899 and grew into a chain of more than 2,400 locations with 350,000 employee . Known for itssteep discountsand 15 - hour “ down - brightness specials , ” a signature tune in - store packaging from 1965 - 1991 that sent shoppers scuttle down the aisles in lookup of bargains , the retailer was synonymous with value and sensible toll among Americans .
Kmart coalesce with Sears in 2005 , ultimately leading to the demise of both once - dominant retailers , with few Sears computer storage remaining in the body politic now . Despite partnerships with stars likeSelena Gomezand Adam Levine , the party could n’t pull young consumer like other heavy corner computer memory . The 2018 bankruptcy filing by Sears trim the number of store to 422 between the two names , and that number continued to decrease .
rival from supermarket like Walmart and Target , which both expanded their inventory to include grocery , and the shift key to online shopping , particularly Amazon , summate to Kmart ’s struggles to stay a competition in the securities industry .
Kmart was the country ’s largest retailer until 1990 when it was surpassed byWalmart . To vie , it introduce Big Kmart stores but was never able to contend with Walmart ’s trajectory . Though Kmart did introduce a super sum in Medina , Ohio , in the early nineties that included 24 - hr grocery and merchandise shopping , the caller clamber to keep pace with similar companies , and the amalgamation did n’t help to boost business enterprise .
While Walmart and Target saw success with their apparel brands , Kmart ’s wear lines were look at outdated and of poor quality , further add to their troubles . A partnership withMartha Stewart Media , which at first proved to be lucrative , ended when Stewart commented to CNBC that the quality of her products had deteriorated after the Sears and Kmart brands merger .
The fadeout of the once - pop retail merchant has brought up nostalgic touch from shoppers that remember the resplendency day .
" Spent many many many hours in this exact store as a minor , distressing to see so many of those aisles half empty now , " a TikTok user remark on a video taking viewers through the gangway of one of the last stores . " For what it ’s worth : the shelf were very neatly arranged ; the people there seemed like old stager shopper ; and there were some families too , " the Lord reply .
While the stores have close for good , Kmart go forward its business online , witha websitethat declare oneself everything from clothing to garden supplies . low - light specials may be a affair of the past , but straight to its offset , there are still deals to explore .
