I have a warm place in my heart for Kmart. As a teenager in high school, I worked in the jewelry department at the Kmart off Clairmont Road in Atlanta, Ga. This Kmart along with all the others no longer exist.
My first public speaking experience came from announcing the “Blue Light Specials” at the store. I was good at it, and I got customers excited. My announcements would begin with "Attention, K Mart shoppers...". People came rushing to my department and they bought lots of merchandise. My most popular special was Timex watches.
People are not running to the blue light specials anymore. It was successful for many decades but was phased out in 1991 and then temporarily revived in 2015. In 2022 there were only three stores still open. Even with Martha Stewart’s help Kmart couldn’t avoid bankruptcy. Kmart’s competitive edge was fading as shopping habits changed and customers went to other department stores like Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart.
Forty years ago, Kmart was one of the first stores to place door greeters at the front door who always gave a friendly, “Welcome to Kmart.” Kmart was ahead of Wal-Mart in that respect.
Don’t laugh, but back then all of us wore pocket protectors with “Kmart” emblazoned in bold, red letters. Every Friday morning before the store opened the staff met together in the coffee shop for a customer service class and an update on company business. We had free coffee, soft drinks, and doughnuts. I was popular with the managers because I was good at those blue light specials. The store manager was a Vietnam vet, and he would tell me stories about the war during breaks. It felt good working for Kmart, and I liked my job.
Times have changed. When I was in high school, department stores didn’t face much competition. Life was slower and the Internet did not exist. The only competition in those days was Zayre, which was located a few blocks away. I bought my first calculator at Zayre in 1970 for $19.95. That was a lot of money for a machine that could only add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Today, competition is fierce—Wal-Mart, Sam’s, Amazon, Target, Costco etc. all fighting for the consumer’s buck.
Success in the past is no guarantee for success in the future. While everything else in the world keeps changing, Kmart could not keep up with the changes. I don’t know specifically what killed Kmart. But I know for sure it was a loss of focus . . .a lack of focus on customers and a lack of focus on their employees.
If Kmart called me for advice, my advice would be simple. Have a clear focus on what makes your business better than others. And most importantly, take care of your employees.
Oh yes, do not forget those blue light specials.
