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6 Months

20 (19.6%)

9 Months

10 (9.8%)

One Year

28 (27.5%)

Two Years

21 (20.6%)

Five Years

13 (12.7%)

Ten Years

1 (1%)

They'll be around forever!

9 (8.8%)

Total Members Voted: 102

[kkt]

I just read that Kmart plans on closing all but 6 remaining stores by the end of the year. Last time I checked there were around 16 Kmarts left so 10 stores. At this point why do they even bother keeping the remaining ones open?

Yeah if there are that few why keep them open? I have no idea where the closest Kmart is to me anymore and don't think I'll ever be in one again.

My guess would be the lease agreement on the stores may not have an early termination clause that applies to this situation and may require the store to stay open.

[Flint1979]

I just read that Kmart plans on closing all but 6 remaining stores by the end of the year. Last time I checked there were around 16 Kmarts left so 10 stores. At this point why do they even bother keeping the remaining ones open?

Yeah if there are that few why keep them open? I have no idea where the closest Kmart is to me anymore and don't think I'll ever be in one again.

My guess would be the lease agreement on the stores may not have an early termination clause that applies to this situation and may require the store to stay open.

That is probably true. I wonder how many of these Kmart stores are actually profitable.

[tolbs17]

Sears is also closed at the Triangle Town Center in Raleigh too. So no more sears in North Carolina!!! (This was posted late)

https://www.wral.com/sears-at-triangle-town-center-closing-in-october-markdowns-have-begun/19851276/

[tchafe1978]

At this point, if you're still working for Kmart, when do you start looking for a new job? Or why wouldn't you have already found a new job? Why would anyone still be working on a sinking ship? Or is it like being part of the orchestra on the Titanic?

[Max Rockatansky]

At this point, if you're still working for Kmart, when do you start looking for a new job? Or why wouldn't you have already found a new job? Why would anyone still be working on a sinking ship? Or is it like being part of the orchestra on the Titanic?

A lot of people this last decade took it Kmart and Sears as an opportunity to get management experience.  Example; one of the guys who used to be an LP investigator for me back when I worked at Sears 2005-2010 couldn't get an opportunity to be a manager when company still had a pulse.  He basically stayed on for close to another decade closing stores down as an LP Manager and came away with solid paper experience he could take to other companies.

I would imagine a lot of hourly people just need jobs or potentially whatever benefits might be available.  The annual turnover rate in normal retail is 40-60% anyways so I can't imagine that the remaining Kmart and Sears stores is viewed much differently to other retailers on that level.     

[Scott5114]

Maybe I should start putting down on my resume that I was a general manager at Sears once they go under. How would anyone check?

[Max Rockatansky]

Maybe I should start putting down on my resume that I was a general manager at Sears once they go under. How would anyone check?

About the best you can do is look up the address referenced.  The store I was at closed a long time ago.  When I was going through my Federal background it was the only item that had a viable reference point.  I suppose it would be pretty easy to fake provided you can easily fabricate some “professional references” also.

[LilianaUwU]

Maybe I should start putting down on my resume that I was a general manager at Sears once they go under. How would anyone check?

That wouldn't work... nobody in their right mind would proudly say on a résumé that they worked at Sears. 

[Max Rockatansky]

Maybe I should start putting down on my resume that I was a general manager at Sears once they go under. How would anyone check?

That wouldn't work... nobody in their right mind would proudly say on a résumé that they worked at Sears. 

Pre-Eddie Lampert dumpster fire with Sears actually used (probably does) to hold some weight for managment positions. 

[epzik8]

I just went into the last remaining Kmart store in the state of Michigan which is located in Marshall. Serious lack of energy, and nothing has changed from the last time I was in a Kmart store. There are a few customers, empty shelf space, dead areas of the store. Talk about a company that is lost in the 90s. They were still using IBM monitors at their checkout lanes too.

I bought a pop on the way out just so I can say I bought something. By the way John was a very strange individual, he talked very loud and wanted me to help out St Jude's which I didn't.

Actually I posted the receipt from my very last trip to the Marshall Kmart.

I think some Targets kept their IBMs until pretty recently.

[Flint1979]

I just went into the last remaining Kmart store in the state of Michigan which is located in Marshall. Serious lack of energy, and nothing has changed from the last time I was in a Kmart store. There are a few customers, empty shelf space, dead areas of the store. Talk about a company that is lost in the 90s. They were still using IBM monitors at their checkout lanes too.

I bought a pop on the way out just so I can say I bought something. By the way John was a very strange individual, he talked very loud and wanted me to help out St Jude's which I didn't.

Actually I posted the receipt from my very last trip to the Marshall Kmart.

I think some Targets kept their IBMs until pretty recently.

The thing that got me was the Sears receipt rolls like they ran out of their own so they probably just started using old ones from Sears that were never used.

[kalvado]

I just went into the last remaining Kmart store in the state of Michigan which is located in Marshall. Serious lack of energy, and nothing has changed from the last time I was in a Kmart store. There are a few customers, empty shelf space, dead areas of the store. Talk about a company that is lost in the 90s. They were still using IBM monitors at their checkout lanes too.

I bought a pop on the way out just so I can say I bought something. By the way John was a very strange individual, he talked very loud and wanted me to help out St Jude's which I didn't.

Actually I posted the receipt from my very last trip to the Marshall Kmart.

I think some Targets kept their IBMs until pretty recently.

The thing that got me was the Sears receipt rolls like they ran out of their own so they probably just started using old ones from Sears that were never used.

Do you think they worry about brand integrity any more?

[Flint1979]

I just went into the last remaining Kmart store in the state of Michigan which is located in Marshall. Serious lack of energy, and nothing has changed from the last time I was in a Kmart store. There are a few customers, empty shelf space, dead areas of the store. Talk about a company that is lost in the 90s. They were still using IBM monitors at their checkout lanes too.

I bought a pop on the way out just so I can say I bought something. By the way John was a very strange individual, he talked very loud and wanted me to help out St Jude's which I didn't.

Actually I posted the receipt from my very last trip to the Marshall Kmart.

I think some Targets kept their IBMs until pretty recently.

The thing that got me was the Sears receipt rolls like they ran out of their own so they probably just started using old ones from Sears that were never used.

Do you think they worry about brand integrity any more?

I think that went out the window years ago.

[DenverBrian]

https://howmanykmartstores.com/

https://howmanysearsstores.com/

17 Kmarts and 23 Sears still open as of November 11.

[Life in Paradise]

https://howmanykmartstores.com/

https://howmanysearsstores.com/

17 Kmarts and 23 Sears still open as of November 11.

Part of me thinks....what's the use of keeping those open, especially since a quarter of that sliver will be closing soon.  It's almost not worth having a home office staff for that small number of stores.  Another thought is that Sears still has its Hometown stores and hardware stores.  I think that may be where this goes, back into the small local town chain.

[Dirt Roads]

https://howmanykmartstores.com/

https://howmanysearsstores.com/

17 Kmarts and 23 Sears still open as of November 11.

Part of me thinks....what's the use of keeping those open, especially since a quarter of that sliver will be closing soon.  It's almost not worth having a home office staff for that small number of stores.  Another thought is that Sears still has its Hometown stores and hardware stores.  I think that may be where this goes, back into the small local town chain.

Being a union shop, Sears can't afford to shut down all of its stores at once.  They have a fairly hefty severance package for their long-term union employees. 

[DenverBrian]

https://howmanykmartstores.com/

https://howmanysearsstores.com/

17 Kmarts and 23 Sears still open as of November 11.

Part of me thinks....what's the use of keeping those open, especially since a quarter of that sliver will be closing soon.  It's almost not worth having a home office staff for that small number of stores.  Another thought is that Sears still has its Hometown stores and hardware stores.  I think that may be where this goes, back into the small local town chain.

Being a union shop, Sears can't afford to shut down all of its stores at once.  They have a fairly hefty severance package for their long-term union employees. 

I don't think that's it; rather, I think the remaining stores are under long-term low-rent leases, so even if the stores are making only a bit of money, they'll keep them open until the leases expire.

[GCrites80s]

Any mall stores left are paying little to no rent. Class B malls are ecstatic to still have a Sears and even some Class A -- or former enclosed malls that have seen partial demo but the Sears still marches on.

[SectorZ]

I happened to go to the Sears in Braintree, MA this afternoon, which I believe is the last full dept. store Sears standing in New England.

A few years ago, half of each floor was turned into a Primark, so it's still two floors but half the size.

The lower entrance there was an auto center at the entrance. It was recently closed, 11/24, per a sign at the desk. Meanwhile though, there was a stand of batteries and a toppled pile of 100+ air filters, maybe for sale, maybe not. Given they were in an alcove at the store entrance with no line of sight to an open register, I imagine anyone could make off with one without worrying about being caught.

The first floor was all hardlines, and not much of it. Like I've seen in other stores before a closing sale, some aisles look filled with merchandise, but then you see the whole aisle is in many cases the same exact item. Just tons of the same single item.

Second floor was softlines. Was a little more filled in and actually seemed like it had a lot of interested shoppers. I guess knowing Sears is biting the dust soon I'd be much less worried buying clothing then some sort of large appliance.

The mall it's in, the South Shore Plaza, was insanely busy and has the fewest vacancies of any mall I have seen around me, so I can see why Sears has stuck around there.

[kkt]

Feel sorry for the Sears headquarters staff.  They're just playing out the cards in a game they've already lost.  It won't be a bright spot on their resumes, no matter how well they play out their losing hands.

[Pete from Boston]

I happened to go to the Sears in Braintree, MA this afternoon, which I believe is the last full dept. store Sears standing in New England.

A few years ago, half of each floor was turned into a Primark, so it's still two floors but half the size.

The lower entrance there was an auto center at the entrance. It was recently closed, 11/24, per a sign at the desk. Meanwhile though, there was a stand of batteries and a toppled pile of 100+ air filters, maybe for sale, maybe not. Given they were in an alcove at the store entrance with no line of sight to an open register, I imagine anyone could make off with one without worrying about being caught.

The first floor was all hardlines, and not much of it. Like I've seen in other stores before a closing sale, some aisles look filled with merchandise, but then you see the whole aisle is in many cases the same exact item. Just tons of the same single item.

Second floor was softlines. Was a little more filled in and actually seemed like it had a lot of interested shoppers. I guess knowing Sears is biting the dust soon I'd be much less worried buying clothing then some sort of large appliance.

The mall it's in, the South Shore Plaza, was insanely busy and has the fewest vacancies of any mall I have seen around me, so I can see why Sears has stuck around there.

I went in there looking for something a few months ago. It was hard to make sense of the fact that the store was open. Maybe 50% of the floor space was being used. Merchandise was spread out unconvincingly to look like the space was filled. The store closes at something like 6 PM. Almost nobody was shopping.

I’m curious what the rationale is here for being open. Maybe it’s something about their lease? It was the closest I’ve ever seen to a store officially going out of business without them officially going out of business.

[SectorZ]

I happened to go to the Sears in Braintree, MA this afternoon, which I believe is the last full dept. store Sears standing in New England.

A few years ago, half of each floor was turned into a Primark, so it's still two floors but half the size.

The lower entrance there was an auto center at the entrance. It was recently closed, 11/24, per a sign at the desk. Meanwhile though, there was a stand of batteries and a toppled pile of 100+ air filters, maybe for sale, maybe not. Given they were in an alcove at the store entrance with no line of sight to an open register, I imagine anyone could make off with one without worrying about being caught.

The first floor was all hardlines, and not much of it. Like I've seen in other stores before a closing sale, some aisles look filled with merchandise, but then you see the whole aisle is in many cases the same exact item. Just tons of the same single item.

Second floor was softlines. Was a little more filled in and actually seemed like it had a lot of interested shoppers. I guess knowing Sears is biting the dust soon I'd be much less worried buying clothing then some sort of large appliance.

The mall it's in, the South Shore Plaza, was insanely busy and has the fewest vacancies of any mall I have seen around me, so I can see why Sears has stuck around there.

I went in there looking for something a few months ago. It was hard to make sense of the fact that the store was open. Maybe 50% of the floor space was being used. Merchandise was spread out unconvincingly to look like the space was filled. The store closes at something like 6 PM. Almost nobody was shopping.

I’m curious what the rationale is here for being open. Maybe it’s something about their lease? It was the closest I’ve ever seen to a store officially going out of business without them officially going out of business.

I imagine all the remaining Sears look like this. Any of the ones I can think of that closed near me (Marlboro, Leominster, Salem NH, Nashua NH) had the same sparse look in the 1-2 years before closing.

I wish they took Diehard and instead of it being a product name make it a motto, because this slow whimper death is just so freakin' sad to watch. Not that I am super nostalgic about it (I was more about Kmart) but it's just so oddly nonsensical to watch.

[GCrites80s]

Even when Die Hard was over Nakatomi Plaza still stood.

[Flint1979]

Before the Sears store closed in Fashion Square Mall in Saginaw in 2019 I would say it started looking sparse around 2016-2017 and I had kept wondering when it would be on the list of store closures for Sears. Well the one in Genesee Valley Mall in Flint closed in 2018 and I knew at that point that Fashion Square Mall was going to be on the next list of closures and sure enough it was. I had been thinking the store was going to close 2-3 year before that though.

I've mentioned it before but the last Kmart store in Saginaw closed not because of low profits but because the roof collapsed during a winter storm where we had several inches of snow the night that it happened. It happened in the middle of the night in January 2014. For awhile they were planning on reopening the store as this was at a time when Kmart still had several stores left in Michigan.

https://www.mlive.com/business/mid-michigan/2014/01/partial_roof_collapse_closes_s.html

[Pete from Boston]

My business trailed off before the stores closed, but most of the ones here leased away half their space (usually to Primark) and ended up crammed to the gills with too much merchandise in too little space. It got to be impossible for them to manage and I gave up. Just awful floor maintenance.

I have said many times that Sears ended up pretty well infected with Kmart’s low-work-ethic culture, but honestly at times at the end it seemed even worse, if that’s possible.