Kmart

I used to love shopping at K mart and then here came Wal mart. But now I am kind of burned out on Walmart and Kmart, I like to shop there now and again, I like that they have year round Lay aways! But when it comes to lines they both have pretty long waiting times when checking out. Customer service at k mart isn't that great with the exception of one lady that works at the kmart where I live she is always so friendly and helpful. As for sales don't have too many and their clothing styles are a little out of date, but for some items it is ok, k mart here doesn't have very much to choose from. We don't have very many stores to choose from here where I live, but they are building a Target now, so pretty soon we will have another choice.

 

As a Walmart shopper, I used to talk smack about Kmart but I went to Kmart recently and I have to admit that my local Kmart has improved. My local Kmart has nice paintings and framed wall art, cute throw pillows and home decor and house plants that look fresh and alive. You wouldn't be able to tell that their throw pillows are from Kmart. They have $13 knockoffs of pillows that I saw for $54 on an upscale website. Kmart still has their flaws, like the rewards program not giving a lot of rewards points, but they have really cool and trendy home stuff now.

 

So, after my experiences during the holidays, I actively hate Kmart now. If you see an item for one price online and then you look for it in store, the price is higher because they don't match their own online prices. If you buy something from Kmart's website, you cannot return it a physical store, you have to mail it in. And the cost of shipping gets deducted from your refund.
If you have the wrong size of something , you can't exchange it for another size without the receipt, even if you got it as a gift.
There are tons of complaints on Facebook by people who have been burned by Kmart layaway and Kmart leasing.
Their old, beige cash registers have crashed twice while I was checking out. Their bathrooms are disgusting.

 

There's another post on this forum about Kmart getting behind in the areas of cleanliness and the such. I think that Walmart has Kmart beat because I will purposely go away from the Kmart around here and use Walmart if I need to. This is for my area I suppose, but our Kmart is kind of shady, understocked, dirty etc. Walmart has a lot of capital to keep itself relevant for a long time to come.

 

Wal-Mart does a great job of integrating their online and offline stores. If you buy something online, you can return it in the store. They have a great 90 day return policy and returns are pretty quick and easy. They let you price match and use printed coupons and they have the Savings Catcher app. After the nightmare that I have gone through with Kmart over a return, I appreciate Wal-Mart and how I never have hassles with them apart from the long lines.

 

K-Mart is starting to remind me of what Woolworth's was like in the mid to late 90's, before they finally went out of business. The shelves are either barren, and/or stocked with merchandise that is really old. K-Mart's electronic department is particularly sad these days. Most of what they carry are things like really old chargers and accessories for cell phones that aren't even around anymore, a paltry collection of DVD's and music, a lackluster selection of TV's and stereos, etc...

I do like the Super K's though, since I can get my grocery shopping done without too many people getting in the way, or without waiting in long lines when compared to places like Wal Mart.

 

I agree that the electronics department of Kmart is kind of creepy. They used to have a locked glass case full of slightly out of date video games, and now it's gone and has been replaced with a display of box fans and heaters.
The clothes are chaotic too. Right next to the Adam Levine menswear, there's a display of those housecoats and floral smocks that some old ladies wear.

I never feel like I'm getting a good deal at Kmart. I sometimes buy things and then see them in another store and realize that I overpaid at Kmart. I got kind of sentimental about their underdog story and felt sympathy for them being run out of business by Walmart. But no, Walmart is taking all their business because Walmart does things efficiently and has mostly clean stores and cheap prices. Kmart is failing because they are bad at their job.

 

The strange thing is that Sears, which is owned by the same company, are usually relatively clean and decently stocked, even though they too are hardly getting any business these days. It's just bizarre how they can keep it together at one store but be in shambles at their other store.

Unlike K-Mart though, I think there are still a decent base of customers who still go to Sears for hardware stuff. Maybe they just don't want to be bothered with the big name hardware stores, and prefer to go somewhere that's not as crowded. My dad still goes to Sears for a lot of his tools and other equipment. Personally, I hate walking a mile across some big store like Lowe's just to get something basic, like some wheels for a cabinet, or some some special kind of screws.