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More Kmart stores closing

Started by LM117, September 19, 2016, 06:00:32 PM

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jeffandnicole

Quote from: Life in Paradise on May 30, 2018, 11:29:02 AM
I don't think I've stopped in at any K-Mart or Sears in the past decade in which I didn't feel that I was in a way outdated store at the time (70s or 80s style).  How did anyone ever think they were going to convince anyone that they were trying to update their stores and model to be relevant?  Even the smoke and mirrors were poisonous and cracked.

This is how my local Kmart had tried 'updating' their store.  https://goo.gl/images/p1r1T8   I found the pic on the internet, but it doesn't do it justice.  If you walked into the store you would've seen this color scheme throughout the entire store.  It was loud.  It was bright.  And it was definitely not what someone walking into a store this decade wanted.  Of course, the bright walls clashed with a ceiling that hadn't been cleaned, much less replaced, for decades. 

I could only best describe it as "A 14 year old painting their bedroom in some hideous fashion that mom and dad would grimace at, but not so bad that they would go in and repaint the walls themselves".


slorydn1

Quote from: Flint1979 on May 30, 2018, 02:00:02 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 29, 2018, 11:59:23 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on May 29, 2018, 11:38:52 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on May 29, 2018, 11:08:16 AM
Every time I pass the Kmart in Somerset, Ky., it seems to be doing a pretty good business. I'm surprised that one hasn't gone under yet, but I guess it still draws enough of a crowd to remain profitable.

I remember stopping at one somewhere in Indiana in 2013, along US 41 somewhere between Evansville and northwest Indiana, and it was also thriving.

I'm not terrible sure if there's much rhyme or reason as to when they decide which stores to close.  Maybe it's something well beyond what is in the public eye, such as lease or mortgage agreements, or negotiations with landlords.
I know this isn't Kmart but a Kroger store in my town closed due to the landlord not wanting to do the updates that Kroger wanted to do and now the shopping plaza that the Kroger store was located in (use to have a Kmart in the same plaza) only has a thrift store and a baseball batting cage. Kroger closed the store last November and last year put money into expanding another location about 2 miles away. Kmart on the other end of the plaza about 4 years ago in the middle of the winter the roof collapsed and Kmart closed the store for good, it happened when the store was closed in the middle of the night and the abandoned Kmart sits behind an abandoned bank building that hasn't been used in over 30 years and just sits there and continues to rot right on M-46.

We had the same issue with a Food Lion here in my town 20-plus years ago. The landlord raised the rent so high and really didn't want to do any updates to the shopping center that Food Lion built a brand new store (and convinced their new landlord to build out the rest of the shopping center) right next door to the old one. The old center is still there but most of the tenants that had been there moved out, either to the new shopping center or to other stand alone buildings in the area.

Our K-Mart closed in the late 90's-early 2000's. It was one of the anchor stores for our mall (along with Belks and JC Penny's).
Please Note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of any governmental agency, non-governmental agency, quasi-governmental agency or wanna be governmental agency

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Flint1979

Quote from: slorydn1 on May 30, 2018, 03:34:46 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on May 30, 2018, 02:00:02 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 29, 2018, 11:59:23 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on May 29, 2018, 11:38:52 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on May 29, 2018, 11:08:16 AM
Every time I pass the Kmart in Somerset, Ky., it seems to be doing a pretty good business. I'm surprised that one hasn't gone under yet, but I guess it still draws enough of a crowd to remain profitable.

I remember stopping at one somewhere in Indiana in 2013, along US 41 somewhere between Evansville and northwest Indiana, and it was also thriving.

I'm not terrible sure if there's much rhyme or reason as to when they decide which stores to close.  Maybe it's something well beyond what is in the public eye, such as lease or mortgage agreements, or negotiations with landlords.
I know this isn't Kmart but a Kroger store in my town closed due to the landlord not wanting to do the updates that Kroger wanted to do and now the shopping plaza that the Kroger store was located in (use to have a Kmart in the same plaza) only has a thrift store and a baseball batting cage. Kroger closed the store last November and last year put money into expanding another location about 2 miles away. Kmart on the other end of the plaza about 4 years ago in the middle of the winter the roof collapsed and Kmart closed the store for good, it happened when the store was closed in the middle of the night and the abandoned Kmart sits behind an abandoned bank building that hasn't been used in over 30 years and just sits there and continues to rot right on M-46.

We had the same issue with a Food Lion here in my town 20-plus years ago. The landlord raised the rent so high and really didn't want to do any updates to the shopping center that Food Lion built a brand new store (and convinced their new landlord to build out the rest of the shopping center) right next door to the old one. The old center is still there but most of the tenants that had been there moved out, either to the new shopping center or to other stand alone buildings in the area.

Our K-Mart closed in the late 90's-early 2000's. It was one of the anchor stores for our mall (along with Belks and JC Penny's).
The Kroger store that's about 2 miles away from that store replaced two stores in 2008 they built one store in between the two stores that closed, this one stayed open until 2017 and there was another Kroger across town that closed in 2016.

Hampton Towne Centre had a Kmart as an anchor but the whole mall has closed now and Kmart was gone years before the mall closed. There are only two Kmart stores within a radius of about 60 miles from me, one in Midland and one in Clio. Flint's Kmart stores have all closed and they are down to 13 left in the state of Michigan, 1 in the Upper Peninsula and 12 in the Lower Peninsula.

LM117

#678
Another 72 stores just got canned. Sears is expected to announce which locations later today.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/31/sears-plans-to-close-72-more-stores-closing-sales-to-start-in-near-future.html
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

busman_49

Quote from: Flint1979 on May 30, 2018, 01:54:35 PM
That's how I felt when I walked into the Kmart in Waterford, Michigan. I knew it was an outdated store just from looking at the outside of the building but once I got inside I thought seriously this is a Kmart? It looked like I was in a building out of the 1940's that hasn't been updated since and I'm not making this up. Next time I get in that area if I'm looking for something to do I'll take pics of this Kmart if it's not on the chopping block of the next round of Kmart's to close. I'm with you too every Kmart I've been in over the course of the last decade or so has been very outdated and every Kmart seems to be the same way too unless they took over for another store but the buildings that were built to be Kmart's the typical Kmart looking building is very outdated. My closest Kmart is in Midland and there is also one in Clio and the reason the Waterford store hangs on is because it's quite a distance from the nearest Walmart, Meijer and Target, the one in Clio is right next to I-75 across I-75 from a Walmart and there's a Meijer in Birch Run about 5 miles north so I don't see how this Kmart hangs on with a Walmart across I-75 from there.

Waterford Twp. Kmart, you say?  I've got you covered!  Full album:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/busman_49/albums/72157694144109302

briantroutman

^ I must say from a quick glance that the place looks pretty tidy and well stocked for a Kmart (at least in comparison to the few others I've seen in the past decade). Of course the mishmash of signage, fixtures, and flooring from various eras and the half-hearted renovations and repairs over the years don't help appearances any.

And honestly, the disconnect between Kmart's scant attempts at marketing and the stores' grim reality is quite depressing. Like the sign display near the entrance: "We. Hire. Happy. Apply for some FUN today"  In what world does working a dead-end minimum wage job at an understaffed store that's likely to be shuttered within months qualify as "FUN" ?

I had a few déjà vu moments looking at those pictures–some of the store interior looks very much like the Kmart in my hometown (Williamsport, PA) which coincidentally was also formerly a Grants. Particularly this shot of the customer service counter...looks exactly like it.

I assume that the '80s-looking solarium area was once a restaurant...right? The Williamsport Kmart had a full-service restaurant with table service–something along the lines of a Denny's–which I understand was typical at Grants stores but somewhat novel for Kmarts (which were typically limited to a counter service snack bar).

Flint1979

Quote from: busman_49 on May 31, 2018, 08:40:43 AM
Quote from: Flint1979 on May 30, 2018, 01:54:35 PM
That's how I felt when I walked into the Kmart in Waterford, Michigan. I knew it was an outdated store just from looking at the outside of the building but once I got inside I thought seriously this is a Kmart? It looked like I was in a building out of the 1940's that hasn't been updated since and I'm not making this up. Next time I get in that area if I'm looking for something to do I'll take pics of this Kmart if it's not on the chopping block of the next round of Kmart's to close. I'm with you too every Kmart I've been in over the course of the last decade or so has been very outdated and every Kmart seems to be the same way too unless they took over for another store but the buildings that were built to be Kmart's the typical Kmart looking building is very outdated. My closest Kmart is in Midland and there is also one in Clio and the reason the Waterford store hangs on is because it's quite a distance from the nearest Walmart, Meijer and Target, the one in Clio is right next to I-75 across I-75 from a Walmart and there's a Meijer in Birch Run about 5 miles north so I don't see how this Kmart hangs on with a Walmart across I-75 from there.

Waterford Twp. Kmart, you say?  I've got you covered!  Full album:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/busman_49/albums/72157694144109302
Yeah that's it. I guess you might have to see it in person to know what I'm talking about. The flooring and lighting were two things I thought were pretty outdated. It isn't laid out too bad but it is outdated just like every Kmart I've been into during the last 15 or so years. It seems like Kmart's are never remodeled and take over for other department stores in some locations that they never remodel either. I just don't get how you can go with the same looking buildings today that might of been ok in the 1970's.

catch22


thenetwork

#683
Must be getting close to the ultimate end if they are shutting down the Sears at SouthPark Mall in Strongsville/Cleveland, OH -- the youngest Sears in NEOH.  That will leave only ONE full-sized Sears in Cleveland (Great Northern Mall).

OMG, they killed SouthPark Sears...You Bastard!!!


And yet,  the Sears in my neck of the world (GJ, CO) survives the cut.  What the Mesa Mall Sears gets in foot traffic in a week is probably what SouthPark had been getting in an hour (or in a  half-day).

Only 2 Kmarts to remain in all of Colorado...for now.

abefroman329

Good Lord, Hawthorn, Fox Valley, and Gurnee Mills are all losing their Sears stores.

inkyatari

Quote from: abefroman329 on May 31, 2018, 04:14:33 PM
Good Lord, Hawthorn, Fox Valley, and Gurnee Mills are all losing their Sears stores.

I don't get that the Louis JOliet Mall location is staying open.  I would have thought they would have closed that before Orland and Fox Valley.
I'm never wrong, just wildly inaccurate.

TheHighwayMan3561

Duluth/Superior will officially be a Kmart/Sears-less market as the other two Kmarts in the metro had closed previously.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

Flint1979

I see Genesee Valley Mall is losing it's Sears. I was just in that Sears last week and it didn't really look as dead as the one in Saginaw's Fashion Square Mall looks every time I'm in that Sears store. Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights is losing their Sears, as is Fairlane and Traverse City. Lakeside is the largest shopping mall in the state of Michigan by Gross Leasable Area and it's usually pretty busy when I'm there.

Brandon

Quote from: inkyatari on May 31, 2018, 04:51:57 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on May 31, 2018, 04:14:33 PM
Good Lord, Hawthorn, Fox Valley, and Gurnee Mills are all losing their Sears stores.

I don't get that the Louis Joliet Mall location is staying open.  I would have thought they would have closed that before Orland and Fox Valley.

And the Louis location is owned by Seritage, not Sears.  Thus, my only guess is that the location must be profitable enough.  Hell, I would've though Sears to be the first anchor to go at Louis, not Carson's.  At least it buys the owners time to deal with the soon-to-be-former Carson's store (a Von Maur would be nice) before Sears kicks the proverbial bucket.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

Flint1979

Michigan is down to 13 Kmart stores and none of the closings from this round are in Michigan.

There's a Kmart in Belleville, Charlevoix, Clio, Grayling, Hastings, Lake Orion, Marine City, Marshall, Menominee, Midland, Oscoda, Warren and Waterford. Out of those I can see the Clio and Lake Orion stores closing soon. Menominee's is the only one left in the U.P. and there are only 4 left in the Metro Detroit area where about half the state's population resides.

abefroman329

Quote from: Brandon on May 31, 2018, 05:03:13 PM
Quote from: inkyatari on May 31, 2018, 04:51:57 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on May 31, 2018, 04:14:33 PM
Good Lord, Hawthorn, Fox Valley, and Gurnee Mills are all losing their Sears stores.

I don't get that the Louis Joliet Mall location is staying open.  I would have thought they would have closed that before Orland and Fox Valley.

And the Louis location is owned by Seritage, not Sears.  Thus, my only guess is that the location must be profitable enough.  Hell, I would've though Sears to be the first anchor to go at Louis, not Carson's.  At least it buys the owners time to deal with the soon-to-be-former Carson's store (a Von Maur would be nice) before Sears kicks the proverbial bucket.

Considering the fact that the only time I've ever set foot in a Carson's since moving back 5 years ago was for the liquidation sale, I wasn't surprised at Carson's going away.

Brandon

Quote from: abefroman329 on May 31, 2018, 05:27:11 PM
Quote from: Brandon on May 31, 2018, 05:03:13 PM
Quote from: inkyatari on May 31, 2018, 04:51:57 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on May 31, 2018, 04:14:33 PM
Good Lord, Hawthorn, Fox Valley, and Gurnee Mills are all losing their Sears stores.

I don't get that the Louis Joliet Mall location is staying open.  I would have thought they would have closed that before Orland and Fox Valley.

And the Louis location is owned by Seritage, not Sears.  Thus, my only guess is that the location must be profitable enough.  Hell, I would've though Sears to be the first anchor to go at Louis, not Carson's.  At least it buys the owners time to deal with the soon-to-be-former Carson's store (a Von Maur would be nice) before Sears kicks the proverbial bucket.

Considering the fact that the only time I've ever set foot in a Carson's since moving back 5 years ago was for the liquidation sale, I wasn't surprised at Carson's going away.

Just because you don't set foot in a store doesn't mean anything about how well or not well it is doing.  I haven't stepped foot in a Kohl's for years (as an example) to buy anything there.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

thenetwork

Isn't Robinson Town Center near Pittsburgh the strongest mall in the Steel City area?  That one is a shocker as well. 

PHLBOS

Quote from: catch22 on May 31, 2018, 03:36:16 PM
Here is the latest closing list, cut down to 63 stores (48 Sears, 15 Kmarts).

http://www.businessinsider.com/sears-closes-72-stores-as-sales-tumble-2018-5
Wow, so the Peabody, MA (Rt. 114 & 128) Sears is on that list.  My brother first worked at that location circa 1980.  Such was the beginning of his 25-year career with Sears.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

ftballfan

Quote from: Flint1979 on May 31, 2018, 04:59:50 PM
I see Genesee Valley Mall is losing it's Sears. I was just in that Sears last week and it didn't really look as dead as the one in Saginaw's Fashion Square Mall looks every time I'm in that Sears store. Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights is losing their Sears, as is Fairlane and Traverse City. Lakeside is the largest shopping mall in the state of Michigan by Gross Leasable Area and it's usually pretty busy when I'm there.
The only one I expected to see on the list was Traverse City as that location is in a dead mall that is also losing Younkers due to Bon-Ton's Chapter 7 liquidation

inkyatari

Quote from: abefroman329 on May 31, 2018, 05:27:11 PM


Considering the fact that the only time I've ever set foot in a Carson's since moving back 5 years ago was for the liquidation sale, I wasn't surprised at Carson's going away.

I remember when Bergner * Weise opened at the Louis.  I was..10-12 at the time and it was my first experience in a glass elevator.  Architecturally, it was my favorite looking anchor at the Louis.
I'm never wrong, just wildly inaccurate.

abefroman329

Quote from: Brandon on May 31, 2018, 05:49:20 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on May 31, 2018, 05:27:11 PM
Quote from: Brandon on May 31, 2018, 05:03:13 PM
Quote from: inkyatari on May 31, 2018, 04:51:57 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on May 31, 2018, 04:14:33 PM
Good Lord, Hawthorn, Fox Valley, and Gurnee Mills are all losing their Sears stores.

I don't get that the Louis Joliet Mall location is staying open.  I would have thought they would have closed that before Orland and Fox Valley.

And the Louis location is owned by Seritage, not Sears.  Thus, my only guess is that the location must be profitable enough.  Hell, I would've though Sears to be the first anchor to go at Louis, not Carson's.  At least it buys the owners time to deal with the soon-to-be-former Carson's store (a Von Maur would be nice) before Sears kicks the proverbial bucket.

Considering the fact that the only time I've ever set foot in a Carson's since moving back 5 years ago was for the liquidation sale, I wasn't surprised at Carson's going away.

Just because you don't set foot in a store doesn't mean anything about how well or not well it is doing.  I haven't stepped foot in a Kohl's for years (as an example) to buy anything there.

I don't know how Kohl's is still in business, either.  They seem to subscribe to the old Penney's approach of "give an item an overinflated price tag, then have a perpetual 30% off sale."

SectorZ

Quote from: PHLBOS on June 01, 2018, 09:14:39 AM
Quote from: catch22 on May 31, 2018, 03:36:16 PM
Here is the latest closing list, cut down to 63 stores (48 Sears, 15 Kmarts).

http://www.businessinsider.com/sears-closes-72-stores-as-sales-tumble-2018-5
Wow, so the Peabody, MA (Rt. 114 & 128) Sears is on that list.  My brother first worked at that location circa 1980.  Such was the beginning of his 25-year career with Sears.

Per a local story I read that I cannot currently find to link here, a developer already wanted to put a three-story gym where the Sears is, so that Sears was going away soon regardless of their current plight. They had already filed with the city the paperwork for the plans in March.

jeffandnicole

Quote from: abefroman329 on June 01, 2018, 12:43:05 PM
Quote from: Brandon on May 31, 2018, 05:49:20 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on May 31, 2018, 05:27:11 PM
Quote from: Brandon on May 31, 2018, 05:03:13 PM
Quote from: inkyatari on May 31, 2018, 04:51:57 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on May 31, 2018, 04:14:33 PM
Good Lord, Hawthorn, Fox Valley, and Gurnee Mills are all losing their Sears stores.

I don't get that the Louis Joliet Mall location is staying open.  I would have thought they would have closed that before Orland and Fox Valley.

And the Louis location is owned by Seritage, not Sears.  Thus, my only guess is that the location must be profitable enough.  Hell, I would've though Sears to be the first anchor to go at Louis, not Carson's.  At least it buys the owners time to deal with the soon-to-be-former Carson's store (a Von Maur would be nice) before Sears kicks the proverbial bucket.

Considering the fact that the only time I've ever set foot in a Carson's since moving back 5 years ago was for the liquidation sale, I wasn't surprised at Carson's going away.

Just because you don't set foot in a store doesn't mean anything about how well or not well it is doing.  I haven't stepped foot in a Kohl's for years (as an example) to buy anything there.

I don't know how Kohl's is still in business, either.  They seem to subscribe to the old Penney's approach of "give an item an overinflated price tag, then have a perpetual 30% off sale."

Unlike Penney's, they're not changing their store every 5 years to try to appeal to a trend that's not happening yet. 

Flint1979

Quote from: ftballfan on June 01, 2018, 09:23:54 AM
Quote from: Flint1979 on May 31, 2018, 04:59:50 PM
I see Genesee Valley Mall is losing it's Sears. I was just in that Sears last week and it didn't really look as dead as the one in Saginaw's Fashion Square Mall looks every time I'm in that Sears store. Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights is losing their Sears, as is Fairlane and Traverse City. Lakeside is the largest shopping mall in the state of Michigan by Gross Leasable Area and it's usually pretty busy when I'm there.
The only one I expected to see on the list was Traverse City as that location is in a dead mall that is also losing Younkers due to Bon-Ton's Chapter 7 liquidation
I can't even remember and without even looking I'm assuming it's in Cherryland. I have no idea how anyone thought Traverse City was going to succeed with two shopping malls.



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