Kmart Misery Grows

New York Post ^ | January 21, 2002 | Christopher Byron

[Timesink]

January 21, 2002 -- WE'VE all heard a lot lately about the impending bankruptcy reorgani zation of Kmart. The company's stock has collapsed, its bonds have collapsed, and now the century-old discount retailing chain itself may be facing collapse.

But any such reorganization seems unlikely to do more than postpone the day of reckoning for a while longer - and maybe not a whole lot longer at that. Sooner or later, this company is going to close its doors and go out of business.

[Eagle Eye]

Don't forget when their spokes person(s) said that Bob Dole sucked.

Or how they refused to sell rifles and ammo in the wake of 9-11.

[finnman69]

I never understood how Martha Stewart appeals to the immigrants who frequent the K-Mart in NYC. I wish we had a Wal-Mart here instead.

[Dixielander]

I too quit shopping at Kmart when Rosie the Pig became its spokesman. Wonder how many others did the same?

[Lessismore]

According to Mapquest driving directions, its about 19 miles from the Holland Tunnel entrance to the Union, NJ WalMart.

[usmom]

It's not Martha Stewart that brought K-Mart to her knees, but the the abject stupidity of sponsoring Rosie O'Donald. The first day they announced her as a spokesperson was the last day I shopped at K-Mart. Since then, I've driven four miles out of my way to patronize Wal-mart.

My sentiments exactly. I have not stepped foot in a K-Mart in years. Not to mention the stores give me the heebie-jeebies. Totally scuzzy.

[TightSqueeze]

I agree, the article used Rockefeller Center so I used ZIP Code 10020 on my Walmart search.

[theoutsideman]

If this will kill Martha Steward, by all means let everyone boycott Kmart so Martha will die.

[boris]

"It's not Martha Stewart that brought K-Mart to her knees"

This conjures an image that I cannot bear to think upon.

Sorry.

--Boris

[Whilom]

Byron may be right, but his method is like examining each pine needle with a microscope to conclude that there's a forest. Everyone I know knew K-Mart was finished when Rosie was hired.

[ZeitgeistSurfer]

"ATTENTION K-MART SHOPPERS. LAST ONE OUT PLEASE TURN OFF THE LIGHTS."

[SAMWolf]

Include me in the list of people who quit shopping at K-Mart when Rosie showed up. K-Mart is closer but I now go to Freddies or drive to the next town.

[verity]

"I for one would not buy a toilet plunger from K-Mart, even if my toilet was stopped up and I had to drive 50 miles to get to another store."

Some may call you principled; some may call you stupid. Perhaps you answer to both!

[TightSqueeze]

this will kill Martha Steward (sp)...

I seriously doubt that, since Martha has quite a following, Walmart would jump-through-a-hoop to attract her and why not she would generate big money for them.

[LibKill]

Not overly principled, nor terminally stupid, just stubborn. :)

[Maelstrom]

Kmart's basic problem is this: its stores are in all the wrong places - the end result of generation upon generation of focusing on lower middle class neighborhoods on the fringes of deteriorating urban markets.

K-marts most fundamental problem is this: its managers and workers are almost universally rude and unpleasant. When they have a choice to appeal to conservatives or liberals (gun sales, Rosie O'Donnell, location choice, demographic appeal in commercials) they nearly invariable appeal to liberals.

I advocated to cease shopping there after their take on guns and ammunition. However, my boycott was subverted by my wife until they treated her as a 2nd class citizen when she attempted to return equipment that was faulty at the store, and when she pointed out clearly damaged goods on the shelves that were being sold to the ignorant.

I do feel bad for jobs of people who do not fit the K-Mart mold (pun intended) who will suffer from the removal of this blot in America's merchandising, but it has to be done.

[TankerKC]

Do you mean if I go to work at Wal Mart, I could earn $170,000 a year?

Sure. $170K minus all of the costs of operating the business and employing you: utilities, liability insurance, social security, healthcare, taxes, building maintenance, etc.

[Equality 7-2521]

"K-Mart sucks."
~Raymond Babbitt, Rain Man

[verity]

In the final analysis, it's your "terlet." lol!

[rejoicing]

I think the demise goes back even further than that. About ten years ago, The American Family Association (I believe) formally asked Kmart to stop selling some pretty hard-core pornography which was being marketed in Waldenbooks, a Kmart-owned chain. The reasoning was that Kmart made a huge amount of money off families and that pornography was a destroyer of those same families. The CEO laughed at the AFA and said that he'd market anything he pleased (can't recall his name). When that happened, the AFA called for a boycott of Kmart by anyone who agreed with their request. Almost from the day that boycott began, Kmart's fortunes began to go downhill. I believe they eventually divested themselves of Waldenbooks (Somebody help me here!), but it was too little too late. I totally agree that Rosie and the gun debacle was the icing on the cake. Hmmmmmmmmmm, she's a real kiss of death, isn't she?