Kmart--Another one bites the dust?

[TresCrows]

Perhaps using government grants some small locally owned buisnesses will spring up to take their place and keep the money within the local economy. I think locally owned and run buisnesses have a larger multiplier factor than outside concerns like mass discount stores provide. These are after all minimum wage employers. Ever notice how a X-mart will attach itself to a small town with a vibrant downtown and many local buisnesses and then like a giant parasite suck them dry. Soon all the once gainfully emplyed and happy shop keepers are trudging across diaper littered asphalt parking lots to their new Associate jobs at the blue light special counter.
J

 

[ddl]

<font color=orange>Well, sort of . . .. I don't know about other places, but our local Kmart has, for many years, been notorious for ringing up prices that were higher than those posted</font color=orange>

may be the reason for going broke???

Dan L

 

[cowboydoc]

They're quitting mostly Terry because they honestly can't pay the bills. Walmart has two things going for it that is killing all other retail. 1. Service and 2. Prices. Every try to take anything back at anything other than Wal-mart? Like has already been mentioned is K-Mart's overpricing. That was real and it hurt them badly. It was also like trying to get through Fort Know to return items. Although I do not like Wal-Mart they do make it extremely easy to be a consumer there. They don't question returns, you don't have to have a receipt for every little thing, and the do a better job of service than other big names. I don't know why it was so hard for other companies to copy their success, but they do put the customer first, unlike other stores.

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Cowboydoc

Taken anything back to walmart recently? Most of the stores changed return policies right after Christmas. We took back a $10 cookie jar we'd gotten 2 of. No receipt since we got it as a gift. Took almost 15 mintues to negotiate all the paper work and required a drivers license. Kmart also changed return policy and was handing out pamphlets at the check outs.

SHF

 

[cowboydoc]

SHF,
Well once again I stand corrected. I didn't like their business practices but I did like the ease of business. I guess now that they have everyone about out of business they are going to get nasty like everyone else was. Well who's the next superstore then...

 

[pdxman]

"Well who's the next superstore then..."

It should be Fred Meyer which is now owned by Kroger. Fred Meyer was doing the one stop shopping (general merch, food, jewelry) concept way before Wal Mart got into the grocery business. Wal Marts size and leverage just catapulted it to the fore-front of the business. Kroger, which is primarily grocery, just hasn't fully adopted the general merchandise concept and still concentrates on grocery.

Fred Meyer is about 150 stores mostly in the northwest.

 

[PitbullMidwest]

Gotta disagree about WM vs KM when it comes to service here in my town. The "associates" at WalMart act as if I am inconveniencing them by coming to the counter and it takes them 2x as long to do ANYTHING. Just the opposite at KMart.

No. 1 expence in business is labor, if the self check out catches on, it will save KMart a lot of money. I like using it.

 

[jyoutz]

At least the marts have good selection at good prices. The local small retailers never have anything in stock and charge about 25% higher. The only thing that they do have in their favor is that they do (usually) provide better service when they tell me that they'll have to order that item I'm looking for.

 

[ddl]

Here in the KCMO area, the super target stores are nice. Bright lights, wide spaces and very nice clerks. What a change from walmart or kmart. Better prices if you watch the sells. Great meats in the food department. Well worth a visit.

Dan L

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

cowboydoc

The reason for the change in return policies (at least the official reason) is that too many people are using the Holdiay season to shop for the highest return prices. It works this way-- you go to Walmart on December 26th and purchase something on close out that you know is also carried at Kmart, Target, Meijer or some other chain retailer. You leave the store peel off the price tag and immediately go to the competitor's store and return the item, pocketing the difference. Walmart now no longer gives cash discounts, instead they give you a Walmart credit card thingy that has your refund on it so you can swap for something else. Seems like a lot of hard work to make 50 cents on a scam, but I guess there's a lot of people with time on their hands. Maybe it's another expression of the economic slowdown?

I understand that all of the major retailers have made similar policies.

A side question would be: Is Walmart going to be the Microsoft of retail? When will we see Walmart antitrust suits?


SHF