When did Walmart Become KMart?

[Kyle]

I remember a time- probably about 25 years ago when there was a tiered system for discount big box stores. At the bottom of that list was Kmart- I mean, it was just terrible. Dirty, poorly stocked, employees that were angry all the time. And at that time, Walmart was a step up from that. It wasn't Pennys or anything fancy- but it wasn't Kmart by a longshot, and it also wasn't an unpleasant experience to go to one.

Now, 25 years later, Kmart is theoretically still in business but I haven't seen one in years. And Walmart is now that same dirty, poorly stocked, angry-employeed place that Kmart used to be.

Am I remembering this wrong? Has Walmart always been "the worst"?

[akiva]

[Phoebe]

I'm sure mileage varies on this but I am a lifelong loyal Kmart shopper. Cannot stand Walmart by comparison - it always seemed like a bad place. However, my Kmarts have always been clean, nice places full of good stuff. I especially loooove the Kmart brands, like Basic Editions clothes, Jacquelyn Smith, Martha Stewart for the home, the brand they have for stuff like garden merchandise, and others. It's good quality stuff and cheap - ultra cheap on clearance! Walmart is like cheap stuff semi-cheap, and Target is way more expensive. I love Shopko too, but not for clothes (expensivo!).

[Kyle]

Okay- and that might be true of Kmart today (I understand they've tried to revitalize their image), but that for sure wasn't true in the 80s and 90s- or at least my experience with Kmarts in half a dozen states and maybe twice as many cities.

But what I'm getting at is- is Walmart declining or is that my imagination?

[Tahlvin]

I think WalMart is declining. The hierarchy I experienced was KMart at the bottom, WalMart in the middle, and Target at the top (leaving out the department stores that were usually more in the indoor mall market, like JC Pennys, Sears, etc.). KMart was purchased by Sears, and while they've tried to improve their image, they're in the same downward financial spiral that Sears is, so a lot of stores are closing. WalMart moves to the bottom by default, but they also are moving down in practice; the quality of service, etc., has declined, rather than remaining the same and having the bottom rise up to meet them. And most Targets, in my experience at least, have remained pretty consistent.

[Kyle]

Yeah- Target's pretty good by comparison.

One of the things I've noticed is that employee satisfaction at Walmart is terrible. They hate their jobs and the structure of the store is set up so that it's okay to make that apparent to customers. It's not like they say it (although sometimes they do). But it's in the frustrated and pissed off looks on everyone's face all the time. It must be a miserable place to work for. On the other hand, my local grocery store has a reputation for being one of the best places to work for- and it shows. Everyone there is nice and chats with you and helps you if you can't find something.

[El Jefe]

Actively building a situation where you pay so little, and then "encourage" (to the point of having staff positions literally there for this purpose) your employees to sign up for various public assistance...that does a lot to explain the decline with Wal-Mart. That and the exclusively short-term strategy they undertook during their late 80's through mid-90's expansion throughout the East Coast. Drop the price so low, drive out the competition, then get back to normal pricing. They're now faced with being the sole (or one of few) sources for groceries in a number of rural-suburban areas. When you're the only game in town, you get all the customer dissatisfaction.

[Kyle]

[Phoebe]

Walmart bad. Kmart good; you should come to one of mine. Right now's the time I should be going there to get snow pants and gear for the kids that will all be super cheap on clearance!

I would rather buy a lot of things at some big-box store before getting them on Amazon. We have Prime but they screw up a lot and send you the wrong thing, and even if you can get free returns and stuff it's a big pain in the rear. I don't think their prices on staple items are generally better. They're good for finding a particular niche item you can't get for cheap anywhere else - for instance, l buy baking powder, fancy dog treats, makeup, and tennis shoes from them. But the vast bulk of my purchases still happen elsewhere. Even books I want are often cheaper if I go straight to the publisher's site.

[Kyle]

Yeah... I went to their website and checked. There's not a Kmart within 100 miles of me, and the closest is a 4 hour drive.

[El Jefe]

[Kyle]

Yeah, but when I shop at my local Amazon warehouse, it's FABULOUS!

[Mike]

In my area, we have only WalMart and Target. WalMart is crappy, but cheap. Target is much nicer.

When we did have a K-Mart, it was the worst... a tiny, dingy little piece of crap. K-Mart forever has that image in my head.

However, I have often been to the Super K-Mart in Lincoln, and it's very reminiscent of a Super-Target. Very nice.

[Phoebe]

I've just never seen one of these bad Kmarts. It's sad to imagine. Seriously, this thread makes me want to go there but I had a cocktail with supper and shouldn't drive. Anyway, the reason I came: Joe Boxer. Nice, comfy, quality sweatpants and pajamas for all the family, super cheap on sale! Nothing beats the baby clothes though. Racks and racks of $2 adorable clearance items, AND the buyers are buying for people with Midwestern oldlady taste exactly like mine. Ruffly baby dresses, $4 two-packs of fuzzy footie sleepers, comfy pants with elastic bottoms so they fit the kids for years! That's my kid wardrobe staple store. Or was, because now my youngest lives almost 100% on hand me downs. It's crazy. I buy his underwear and shoes, that's it.

Since it's been a while, I forgot that this used to be an actual bone of contention between my husband and I. He was under the wrong impression that Kmart was a crummy gross store. He would literally tell me things like, don't let my kids be running around wearing Kmart clothes! He is incapable of telling the difference, maybe because Kmart clothes are awesome!!! He really didn't like my standard navy-blue old man windbreaker with cotton lining. Yes of course that came from Kmart. It was a great jacket - why wouldn't everybody want one of those? I think he eventually talked me into giving it away though. I still miss it, like raw meat misses salt.

[El Jefe]

Any of these stores are kind of foreign territory for me. Not having a household size that makes shopping for bulk bargains, plus having absolutely no chance of fitting into their clothes...they're all just weird places I generally only go to when the maternal units ask me to pick up something on my way home.

And to chorus the rest, the local K-marts were the Mallrats equivalent of the Dirt Mall.