What next store to be closed nationwide?

seb said:
San Jose only had one Super Kmart, it opened in 1997, and closed in 2002. A Super Walmart is there today. It's funny how Walmart took over many of Kmart's policies and is still going strong today.
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Yes, most Super Kmart closed in 2002-2003 rounds.

Not sure about Walmart - they are aggressive anti-union but Kmart isn't friendly, less aggressive.

Walmart has own role since opened in 1962, even Kmart has own role.
 
There was Kmart store in other town that has been there for 30 years and became vacant since 5 years or so. The surrounding stores (including Safeway) by Kmart has since closed/relocated to another place. I suspect the whole area is going to demolish and set up a new building for new business or something.
 
Foxrac said:
Yes, most Super Kmart closed in 2002-2003 rounds.

Not sure about Walmart - they are aggressive anti-union but Kmart isn't friendly, less aggressive.

Walmart has own role since opened in 1962, even Kmart has own role.
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We have a classic tortoise and the hare story here. Both Kmart and Walmart opened in 1962, with Kmart expanding quickly across the country as well as going international and Walmart originally starting off as a regional chain and slowly expanding into other parts of the country and world as Kmart faltered. In the end it looks like the tortoise will win again.
 
seb said:
We have a classic tortoise and the hare story here. Both Kmart and Walmart opened in 1962, with Kmart expanding quickly across the country as well as going international and Walmart originally starting off as a regional chain and slowly expanding into other parts of the country and world as Kmart faltered. In the end it looks like the tortoise will win again.
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Kmart had big problems as I explained above and their mismanagement lead to bankruptcy, so it is too late to save it.

There are discount retail stores, beside Kmart and Walmart, Target is available in most states and it has less stores than Walmart, also there are Meijer and Fred Meyer (limited to some regions). Interesting, Target started same year as Walmart and Kmart.
 
I remember in the 60's our area (CT) had just Woolworth's and Kresge's five-and-dime stores.
 
There is reason about Kmart expanded quickly because they were Kresge's and they already have distribution centers (or warehouse) since Walmart had limited access and it was local store before Walmart created.
 
Foxrac said:
There is reason about Kmart expanded quickly because they were Kresge's and they already have distribution centers (or warehouse) since Walmart had limited access and it was local store before Walmart created.
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In the 70's all of Kmarts merchandise came from Michigan on truck, sorta like Walmart trucks you see on the highways today. In the late 70's they opened a west coast warehouse in Sparks, NV, that supplied all their stores west of the Rockies.
 
seb said:
In the 70's all of Kmarts merchandise came from Michigan on truck, sorta like Walmart trucks you see on the highways today. In the late 70's they opened a west coast warehouse in Sparks, NV, that supplied all their stores west of the Rockies.
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Walmart have many distribution centers nowadays.

There is other reason - Kmart was started as Kresge's earlier over US so that why they were advantage to expand as many people recognize Kresge's and Kmart as valuable brand before.
 
Reba said:
I remember in the 60's our area (CT) had just Woolworth's and Kresge's five-and-dime stores.
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We had both of them in the small Southern Illinois town where I live — even going back much further than that. For many years they were in the middle of downtown next door to each other!
 
Foxrac said:
Walmart have many distribution centers nowadays.

There is other reason - Kmart was started as Kresge's earlier over US so that why they were advantage to expand as many people recognize Kresge's and Kmart as valuable brand before.[/QUOTE
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Jane B. said:
We had both of them in the small Southern Illinois town where I live — even going back much further than that. For many years they were in the middle of downtown next door to each other!
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Interesting article on Sebastian Kresge, founder of SS Kresge, Co. We no longer have businessman like this any more. http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/almanac/hall_of_fame/sebastian_kresge
 
Reba said:
Interesting life story. He lived to almost 100!

Maybe not as many businessmen like him but there are still a few.
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They are a dying breed, last one I remember hearing about was the guy who owned a textile mill that burned to the ground and continued paying his employees until the factory was rebuilt. Todays CEO's and presidents are only interested in one thing and that is their bottom line and how much they are going to make.
 
seb said:
Interesting article on Sebastian Kresge, founder of SS Kresge, Co. We no longer have businessman like this any more. http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/almanac/hall_of_fame/sebastian_kresge
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Oh wow, interesting story and thank you for sharing.

RIP Sebastian Kresge

I'm very sad about Kmart today and it was one of my family's favorite to shopping at Kmart until late 1990s, even my grandma told me that she shopped often at Kresge's and Kmart, along with Kroger. Kroger exited the market in most part of Alabama in 1970s, exception of North Alabama like Decatur and Huntsville metro, also a lot in Atlanta metro.

JCPenney (I referred them as Penney) isn't same today, but they added appliances, so in long time ago, Penney was similar to Sears.
 
Foxrac said:
Oh wow, interesting story and thank you for sharing.

RIP Sebastian Kresge

I'm very sad about Kmart today and it was one of my family's favorite to shopping at Kmart until late 1990s, even my grandma told me that she shopped often at Kresge's and Kmart, along with Kroger. Kroger exited the market in most part of Alabama in 1970s, exception of North Alabama like Decatur and Huntsville metro, also a lot in Atlanta metro.

JCPenney (I referred them as Penney) isn't same today, but they added appliances, so in long time ago, Penney was similar to Sears.
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With Kmart and Sears it just goes to show you that a few mistakes along the way can send you down the long road to oblivion.

I remember in the early to late seventies JC Penney in addition to clothes and kitchenware had fabric and notions, they sold furniture, tools, garden and a toy department. The toys disappeared in the late seventies, the tools and garden went away in the early 80's followed by the fabric and notions a few years later, then the furniture went away in the late 90's. and you were left with what they sell today. Appliances have been a recent addition at least at some stores on the west coast. Another thing that Sears and JC Penney both had in common was a very successful catalog department to order what they didn't have in stock. Both retailers should of done their homework and figured out where Wards went wrong and not gone down the same road, but unfortunately, they both seemed to have missed the off ramp!
 
There was a time when we used Penney's most of the time when exchanging gifts between the part of the family in Tulsa, OK and Centralia, IL because both of us had stores; and, if need be, what was sent could be exchanged in person at the local store.
 
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