Why is Kmart so Nostalgic?

What do you miss most about Kmart?

It's Nostalgic because it's a good childhood memory for many people.

This is the kind of thing we need now. We need this experience back.

My hometown got our first Kmart around 1972. I was 5 years old then. So, I can honestly say, I grew up going to Kmart with my family, and LOVED it every time we went. My mom bought all my school supplies there, every year. Lunch boxes, pencils, pens, notebooks, etc .I spent much of my weekly allowance at Kmart. As a kid, I bought many toys there. Got my first skateboard(of many) from Kmart. Loved the smell of popcorn, and loved the Icees also. I have many fond memories of my grandparents coming to visit on Saturday afternoons, and us going shopping, and us going to Kmart with them. So do I have awesome, fond memories of Kmart, yes I do. Memories I hold close to my heart. Mom is no longer with us, nor are my grandparents, but I do have the great memories of it all. I miss all of them, and I miss Kmart. R.I.P.

I worked at Kmart when I was 18!

I worked at Kmart from 85-87. It was the place to work. We had to wear ties, it paid more than fast food by a dollar/hour (a LOT back then), everyone from my school came in, tons of people my age to socialize with, and as a part time employee, you received paid vacation. I saw my former assistant manager in a restaurant a few year ago, and it was like a reunion. A great place to work. (And I was one of the guys that got to say, "Attention Kmart shoppers..." Always fun.)

I loved K mart. I was a Kmart of the mid 90's and early 2000's. They had something that no big stores had "Lay away". I still have have my Christmas tree I bought in 2007. It was the best and their diner or mini restaurant inside was wonderful too,miss you still 😢

Playing in the store on holidays when it was closed. Dad was a manager for over 35 years. It was a second home for me and my sister.❤

I worked as an assistant manager of housewares, furniture and small appliances, at Kmart when I was in college from about 89-91. Kmart had two big issues: They often forced employees to chase shoplifters and that resulted in injuries and out of court settlements. The other was that the stores were built in the 60s and 70s and packed with asbestos. I remember several co-workers and managers dying of mesothelioma which also resulted in major out of court settlements. The positives were that each store had a little over 100 employees each and it was like a small community into itself. I remember many amazing people that I worked with. The craziest times were running the Moonlight Madness Blue Light specials running around the store with shoppers running behind me waiting for me to stop to the sale location. The other was the massive crowds from Black Friday until Christmas, way beyond anything you will see today.

The cafeteria was the best part as a kid..

As Target and Walmart started arriving in towns that Kmart had been for may years, Kmart failed to update/remodel their stores. Some stores begin to look old and run down. They also failed to keep with eCommerce (online shopping). Then when Eddie Lambert came and merged Kmart with Sears, they continuing going downhill as all he cared about is the real estate side

I wish Walmart would close and Kmart would come back

We love you KMART. Come back to us

I miss the Kmart that was my favorite store

Probably so nostalgic because the way Walmart came in and took over and put Kmart out of business because Walmart had all that “ trust” money.

So many reasons mentioned here, but many of us also have special, personal memories.🔥 My mother worked at our neighborhood location for many years, then after she left, I worked there after high school graduation. It’s a place that’s woven into my childhood and early adulthood, which were some of the best years of my life. Great memories, many friendships made, first boyfriends and dates, first paychecks earned, great sales found, and tons of merchandise bought—lots of fun was had there.🥰♥️ When they closed our neighborhood store and started closing the others in our city back in the late 90s, it was a stab in the heart. I hated to see them go, but the only predictable thing about life is change. Now I’m a ride or die Walmart shopper.🤷🏽‍♀️😂 If you were a Kmart lover, it was the next best thing.

K-Mart was the first retailer that Martha Stewart had a relationship with. I still use my Martha Stewart dish set. 20 plus years old and they still have class. I also have a Martha Stewart Christmas tree and a set of Martha Stewart copper pots and pans which I bought after an article in the Wall Street Journal called them a screaming deal that matched the performance of expensive French cookware. Nobody sold toiletries (soap, shampoo, deodorant) and Mobil-1 Synthetic motor oil for less. But my favorite K-Mart story ties into the K-Mart Auto Center. For many years a mechanic who had retired from a Rolls-Royce dealership some place up north had an arrangement where he worked in the Auto Center 2 or 3 days a week servicing Rolls-Royce cars. Several of these cars lined up at the K-Mart Auto Center is not what one would normally expect.

Kmart lay away was a God send to poor people during Christmas. We shopped there so much when they where closing we had over 500$ of store credit we got from a in store promotion we got a tablet they are missed

I have my memories of Kmart, I have a blue light, cashier's check out light, a scanner, call boxes and 100's more Kmart items. My bedroom looks like a Kmart

Many thanks to Those Wonder Years for this nostalgic video. It stirred many fond memories. My late wife and I always enjoyed our trips to Kmart.