Kmart

I love this store and I am sad that it is closing. Yes — it’s K-​Mart so I never expect it to be a Target or a higher-​class styled store. However, it is well-​organized and you can get SICK deals on staples such as laundry detergent, toilet-​paper etc.
In addition they have SWEET deals on kids toys sometimes offering up to 75% off. The staff at check-​out can be slow and seem to be older in age, but if you are patient and have nowhere to rush off to the longer check-​out process is worth it with the deals you get and money saved.
I’ve just recently read that the store is closing which is so sad. The check-​out person told me January 11^th is the closing date. I was able to get even BETTER deals with the store closing and I suspect they’ll continue to slash prices prior to their closure.

Attention Kmart shoppers! This Kmart location on Maple, the last one in Washtenaw County, is scheduled to close during January, 2015. The liquidation sale will begin in early November. So get over there for your Blue Light Specials while you still can!
This was my littlest brother’s fantasy land. He loved the toy department. Picture the five of us kids trailing after my mother like ducklings. Being the youngest, said brother would wander away when nobody was looking, and end up in — you guessed it — his fantasy land. As soon as we realized he was no longer with us, I as the eldest would be sent to find him. After this happened several times, I no longer searched the entire store. I just walked straight to the toy aisle. And there he’d be, safely ensconced, playing with toys.
One time, he had just realized that he was kinda lost. He was on the verge of tears. A fellow shopper spied him. «Oh, you poor little girl. Are you lost?» It was true that he didn’t get haircuts very often then. None of us kids did. So his hair was long and curly. Being mistaken for a girl was just too much for him at this point. He burst into tears. I stepped in, just in time. I grabbed him and led him back into the family fold.
Yes, I have many fond memories of Saturday afternoons spent shopping at Kmart. I remember the Blue Light Specials, with the rolling cart that actually had a flashing blue light on a tall pole. But it’s a thing of the past. Much more savvy retailers have replaced Kmart. We crave online convenience. Maybe it’s for the best. The last time I was in there, everything seemed dusty and the shelves looked sparse.
Goodbye, Kmart. Off to the «Big K» in the sky!
UPDATE
I had to go to the Secretary of State office in the same mall, so why not stop by Kmart for some bargains? I was itching to help them out, but the bargains were not that wonderful. For example, I had just bought some laundry detergent from Meijer. It was eleven something. And it’s eleven something at Target. But at Kmart, it was seventeen something, with a 10% discount. Not enough to make me nibble.
«Consumables» are only 10% off, but books and office supplies are more decent — 25% off. But how do they expect to sell everything off if they seem to be trying to get every penny they can? When ACO Hardware in Saline sold out, everything was 40~70% off right away.
I checked out the artificial Christmas trees. I found one I liked, but all the smaller ones had sold out, and only the store samples were left. I saw a sign that said something about not being able to sell them until after the boxes sold out. I checked with the desk to be sure that they meant that they had to sell out ALL sizes of trees before they could even let the smaller store samples go. Yep.
Gee, I don’t know how they expect to sell all that stuff. The sale prices aren’t all that great. Makes me want to look on Amazon for an artificial tree.

Terrible! I went to buy tights and the tights on the rack were all dusty. I had a coupon that printed at the register for a brand of Christmas ornaments that they don’t carry. The check out process is always sloooooow and tedious. If only Target was closer to my house.

I’ve thought for years this K-​Mart must be a front for drug traffickers. Nothing else could explain why a business with more employees than customers could stay in business. Every time k-​mart goes through a round of store closings I think this is my chance to get a target on this side of town but no. Last time I was in I didn’t see a soul besides me in the store until the checkout, where there was a line up of the only other four people in the store.
One suggestion, when the card reader says slide your card now, don’t do it. It will mess up the checkout lady and you will have to have it all rung up again. And plan 20 for the line. A ghost town has ghost cashiers and they have trouble with computers.

My nighttime select item run was a surprise success. Normally I have to give myself a good 15 minute time gap just to checkout and pay for an item in each hand. This is NOT my «last minute» or «in a hurry» shop.
But last night it took 1 minute and (more impressively) 1 person to ring a box of diapers and 2 boxes of candy.
Was it the lack of customers? Did I just happen to get a gal who knew how to use a cash register? (Not hating. I have broken every cash register I have ever used.) Whatever happened last night was actually acceptable. I didn’t even make my monthly promise to never return… I always return. Convenience talks.

I went in to return a gift and was met with horrible customer service. I waited mid-​return while two of the associates turned their backs to me to discuss (loudly) the customer she had just helped. I received a gift card and headed for the checkout. I was the only one in line, but I had to wait for the three cashiers to finish discussing when they could go on break. After I finally was rung-​up, I was pressured on three instances by the same cashier to sign up for the Kmart rewards card. I was met with sarcasm and rudeness when I forcefully declined the third time… and they wonder why business is bad?

Oh, Kmart. I remember mid 1980s BT (that’s Before Target) when Kmart was the place we went for everything home related. Toilet paper? Kmart. Dish soap? Kmart. Mickey Mouse Colorforms? Kmart. An Icee from the «food court»? Kmart. It was blue light special heaven. FUN FACT: the store we used to shop at (Garden City) was the first ever Kmart! Opened in 1962.
Then the 90s rolled around and a Target came in with all its new shininess, carrying tie-​dye Luke Perry t-​shirts (hip for the kids!), cheaper prices (good for parents!), and a vastly superior food court (pre-​teens!). It was the place I wanted to be, it was the place where my family wanted to shop, and so did every other family in the area, it seems, because Kmart became a sad, ghost town filled with Kathy Ireland and Joe Boxer. Poor little Kmart.
But enough nostalgia.
So – while that location was different than this particular one I’m reviewing they’ve all suffered a similar fate. Not as cool as Target, not as cheap as Wal-​Mart, just kind of there. In fact, that’s the only reason I ever really visit this Kmart – because it’s there. It’s down the street from my house so it’s convenient for when I need something like a jelly roll pan last minute (Christmas baking) or paper towels and I don’t feel like hoofing it to Tar-​jay.
It’s a sad place to be sure. Depressing. The products on the aisles seem dusty. Whether they are or not they just SEEM that way since the store is so run down. It’s easy to get a close parking spot but it’s because no one’s ever there. The doors are often broken, the cashiers are moody, registers are conveyer belt-​less (which is REALLY weird when you’re used to them being everywhere). There is a small grocery selection but nothing fresh. All processed foods and mixes, chips and pop, snacks, etc. And low stock everywhere else. We couldn’t even find Elf on DVD there around Christmas. Seems like stocking Christmas movies around the holidays would be a no brainer but what do I know? It just needs a serious upgrade. But there’s no way they’re going to invest money into a sinking ship so it just gets sadder, dustier, and more desolate.
I hate to say it since K-​Mart started its life here in Michigan but it’s just not a happy place and I avoid it if I can.

Forlorn, little Kmart. The stock sticks around here longer than an average Kmart, so if you are chasing some clearance, come here and you might find it! I bought three pairs of pajamas and a robe for $ 21.15!

Your basic K-​Mart. Cheap prices without (?) that evil empire feeling shopping at Wal-​Mart gives you.
This K-​Mart is kept pretty clean and they have a decent amount of staff if you need help.