Kmart going to pot

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I thought they went bankrupt (or something) couple years ago. In any case, I suprised they're still open.

There's one not far from where I live, I go in there all the time. It's like poking around the deserted hulk of a shipwreck. No lie, it's like being in a garage sale or something. Stuff's piled haphazzardly on the shelves, half the stuff isn't price marked, on the rare occasion you actually DO see an employee, they tend to be surly and avoid your eyes. It's kind of surreal. And that's the good Kmart.

The one on the other side of town where I used to live is far, far worse.

[K245five]

I agree with what has been said about Kmart here.

To me, my local Kmart has the feel anymore of a dollar store. Run on a shoestring budget, if you will.

Plus, the employees hate it so bad due to factors already mentioned here that they just don't care, which accounts for all of the surly behavior.

I bought a video game for my PS2 awhile ago, and the girl overseeing electronics was the rudest sales clerk I've EVER encountered while shopping as a customer in a retail store. Didn't say one word except to tell me the price and my change. No thank you or anything! She acted like opening the case was a huge imposition. I was pissed, and flipped her off right there in the store. Normally, I wouldn't do that, but my grandfather at the time was seriously ill and would pass away shortly after this incident, so I wasn't exactly in the best of moods. Her eyes got wide as saucers and her jaw dropped.

I also worked at that particular store "back in the day". I lasted about a month due to the horrible working conditions and a run-in with a hillbilly Night Crew Manager which had me up in her face screaming at her at full volume because she was a bully and bullied other people in the store incessantly. I wasn't about to take that! Just like the first example, her eyes got wide as saucers and her jaw dropped clear to the floor. I thought for sure I was going to get fired, but nothing at all was said! Looking back, seeing as how disorganized and chaotic that store was, I'm not surprised.

Yeah, I don't see them lasting too far into this century.

[powerboy]

You have described the K marts in my city. One actually went under and the other is still crappy

[MadRocketScientist]

We called it "Kame-Apart" for a reason when I was young.

[EmiOfBrie]

And to make it worse, we can't have any sort of drinks at checkouts or on the sales floor, so we have to stand there dehydrated.

Patently illegal!!! If you ever need water that badly, they can NOT force you to do without! At the very least they need to let you get a drink. Talk to your labor board.

[RammsteinGirl]

I thought they went bankrupt (or something) couple years ago. In any case, I suprised they're still open.

Kmart did file for bankruptcy several years ago. They then bought Sears Roebuck and so Kmart and Sears merged to become what it is today, Sears Holdings Corporation.

LOL, well the Kmart stores with higher customer volume are probably better kept up and cared about than other Kmarts that do not see as much business. Our store is often #1 in sales in our district. I think the main reason a lot of people continue to shop there is because sometimes they have good sales and usually a lot of clearance merchandise.

The surly employees is probably due to what I mentioned. The reason you don't see many employees on the floor because there's often only one person covering hardlines and one covering softlines. However, every employee is supposed to smile, make eye contact and greet every customer that comes within 10 feet of them. Of course this doesn't happen. I try to greet people I walk by (yeah, I was docked points for this on my yearly review, but not even my managers greet every customer they walk by!), but most people just give me weird looks. Probably not used to being greeted by Kmart employees.. they probably think I'm up to no good.

Maybe I should just say "Fuck it," and quit caring so much.

Selling PAs are easy. Pushing the credit cards are a little hard, but I was always able to meet my metrics in both categories. They

Our Smart Plans are such a waste of money. I hate even asking customers if they want to purchase one, but the prompt automatically comes up when we scan an eligible item. The way it works is after the normal 90-day (or 30-day if it's an electronics item) return period is up, you have to call the Smart Plan 1-800 number to get a refund on your item if it breaks. I've heard from a co-worker who purchased a Smart Plan on an expensive item and had to use the warranty to get a refund on it that it was a huge pain in the ass. Most items that are eligible for the Smart Plans already have better manufacturer's warranties.

Maybe that's why I'm getting 12 hours, because I'm not selling enough Smart Plans and Sears Charge cards. I admit I don't ask customers if they want to apply for Sears Charge cards 90% of the time. Why not? Well, if the customer has been waiting in line for 10 minutes, the last thing they want to be asked is to open a credit card account. It's bad customer service to do so, in my opinion. I guess I'm a bad employee, I don't know. With my luck, I'm sure a secret shopper will come through my line someday and I'll get in trouble for not asking them the required question.

One time, we were accepting donations for the March of Dimes, and we had to ask every customer. God I hated doing that. I hate peddling for donations. Customers know they can donate - we had a big sign at the store entrance telling customers about it. Anyway, the DISTRICT MANAGER came through my line. I knew who he was, so I did ask him if he wanted to apply for a Sears Card, but - oh my god - I forgot to ask him about the March of Dimes!! My co-worker piped up and reminded me.. god I was so embarrassed. He then says, "Oh, so you have to be reminded to ask about things, huh?" What an asshole. Of course, it doesn't matter that I never call out sick, I am always perfectly on time for work and I'm always polite to customers and my co-workers. I'd like to see him work in our store for a week. Oh, he might get his nice coat and suit and tie sweaty and dirty.

The videos are annoying. SHC needs to spend less money on producing those videos and use it for more payroll and turn back on the damn air conditioning. It's so easy for those corporate bigwigs to sit there and talk about what we should be doing, but you never see them helping out in stores. We actually had a guy from corporate (I think he was our district manager's manager, whatever title that would be) come in and visit our store. He didn't introduce himself or even say Hi to any of us lowly peasant associates. He and the manager just walked around the store. I didn't see him greeting any customers either. I should have went up to him and reminded him of the 10-foot rule, since he IS a SHC employee. My store manager would have been mortified.

[KellyHabersham]

The only K-Mart store in my area of Phoenix closed awhile back, but I remember seeing half-empty cans/bottles of soda everywhere, packages that had been ripped open (and the contents removed) were left on the shelves....etc. I did find some nice clothes there, though.......really liked the Thalia brand jeans.

[RammsteinGirl]

The only K-Mart store in my area of Phoenix closed awhile back, but I remember seeing half-empty cans/bottles of soda everywhere, packages that had been ripped open (and the contents removed) were left on the shelves....etc. I did find some nice clothes there, though.......really liked the Thalia brand jeans.

Yep, clothing is a really good seller. It's probably what keeps Kmart afloat because they have popular Kmart-exclusive brands like Joe Boxer and Jaclyn Smith. Occasionally I'll see cute clothes or shoes there that I'll buy. One word of advice, don't buy any men's Fruit of the Loom boxers there. For some reason, the crotch in them splits, and it's only with the ones I buy for my boyfriend at Kmart! I can't figure out why all the Kmart boxers split in the crotch like that. Maybe they're old packages or something.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

One word of advice, don't buy any men's Fruit of the Loom boxers there. For some reason, the crotch in them splits, and it's only with the ones I buy for my boyfriend at Kmart! I can't figure out why all the Kmart boxers split in the crotch like that. Maybe they're old packages or something.

I have a pair of Fruit of the Loom boxers that also have developed a crotch rip. I didn't buy them at K-Mart though.

As a very wise man once said, "Boxer shorts. K-Mart."

[Retail Associate]

...and the girl overseeing electronics was the rudest sales clerk I've EVER encountered while shopping as a customer in a retail store. Didn't say one word except to tell me the price and my change...

Outside of answering their questions, I almost never speak to customers because they always seem to find fault in anything that's said. (However, when running a lane I do say hello and thank-you.)

I don't understand why being quiet is rude but I guess a lot of people agree that it is.



.

[LionMan]

There's one K-Mart on this side of town. As soon as the Wal-Mart was announced, it seems they gave up completely. They stopped running the ACs in the summer. When checking out, the line is as long as the lines at Wal-Mart (and this is before the Wal-Mart opened up next door). Only good thing was when I needed some peat pots late in the season, K-Mart had plenty still. Right now their pharmacy is the only thing keeping the store alive, but I figure after the Christmas season, the store will be closing down. With some of the items they have on sale suggest they're not even aiming to be around during the gardening season.

[K245five]

Outside of answering their questions, I almost never speak to customers because they always seem to find fault in anything that's said. (However, when running a lane I do say hello and thank-you.)

I don't understand why being quiet is rude but I guess a lot of people agree that it is.



.

Well, first of all, this girl was standing with her back to me, and when I first said "Excuse me", she ignored me completely. I certaintly said it loud enough, so volume wasn't as issue. When I said it again, she shot around with the dirtiest look on her face. It was like "You mean I gotta wait on your ass!?".

I asked her to get me a game out of the case, and she rolled her eyes and walked to the case in a huff, like it was a huge imposition to her. When we got back to the electronics register, she just scans it w/ the pricing gun, throws the game down on the case in front of me, and mumbles the price on the register.

Sorry for not clarifying earlier. I've also ran into salespeople who were just quiet, but in this case, her body language and actions just screamed "RUDE".

[Tigress]

"I'm sorry you're not getting any hours. But there's just no money in the budget for you to work!"

Bullshit, the execs are just too busy giving themselves bonuses to properly staff the store and give everyone enough hours to live on. Believe it or not, your employees want to work. That's why they applied in the first place!

"Oh, there's just no money to fix that air conditioner and fix the gaping pothole in the parking lot. You'll just have to deal with it."

And if an employee (or, Gods forbid, a customer) passes out from heat stroke or fucks up their car from hitting the pothole, how do you plan on dealing with the lawsuit that is sure to come?

"Smile! Be happy! Don't let on to customers that we're having problems."

The customers aren't stupid. They know that this place is going to hell in its own handbaskets. That's why they are going to Wal-Mart and Target.

____________________________

My K-mart was pretty awesome when I first moved here 6 years ago. It was open 24/7, had a halfway decent mini-arcade, and a great selection of merchandise. Now it's store hours have been slashed, the merchandise sucks and all the employees are surly.

Sears is going the same way. I used to love getting the annual holiday wish book and drool over the new toys coming out, though I know my parents couldn't afford it. My mom working there was heaven, since that meant I could paw the merchandise. Then the wish book was killed, the toys were removed, and all Sears sold any more was clothes, power equipment and a pathetic selection of electronics.

Makes me a sad panda.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

"I'm sorry you're not getting any hours. But there's just no money in the budget for you to work!"

Bullshit, the execs are just too busy giving themselves bonuses to properly staff the store and give everyone enough hours to live on

I do believe the generous perks, salaries and bonuses the K-Mart execs were giving themselves were one of the big reasons K-Mart had to file for bankruptcy.

[protege]

I do believe the generous perks, salaries and bonuses the K-Mart execs were giving themselves were one of the big reasons K-Mart had to file for bankruptcy.

Some of it was because they made some stupid business decisions. They simply expanded into other areas...and neglected their stores. Quite a few (locally) were outdated and/or deteriorating. By the time something was done, it was too late.