Kmart in the 70s & 80s - Why We LOVED IT

[@BB..........]

I'm almost 53, and it blows my mind how many stores no longer exist, like K Mart, Sears, Montgomery Ward, Radio Shack, and many others. =/

[@lorraine9320]

Many of them on now online. & last week I received a catalog from Montgomery Ward!!

[@amantedelcane420]

I am 53 & remember Radio Shack as a staple of my youth. Sigh 😞

[@BB..........]

@@amantedelcane420 Being a kid that was interested in electronics from a very young age, it was one of my favorite stores. I spent hours and hours flipping through their catalogs and dreaming. My dad worked at Collins/Rockwell his entire adult life, I can blame most of it on him.

[@GinaR21212]

And Kresge is now only in the UK.😅

[@jeprusan]

Same feeling.♥️ I’m the same age, a Gen-Xer, and I think we’ve lived just long enough to see many of our childhood landmarks, trends, and popular culture we saw as kids die out. I love watching nostalgic clips like this about the 70s and 80s. I miss those times.🥰

[@valgeir80]

Oh the nostalgia. Truely better times. Take me back please. The future sux.

[@letsmakemoney8027]

I agree with you, no more Good Times

[@MrWittyBanter]

what future?

[@cjmacq-vg8um]

all i can say is - the 60s and 70s really sucked. who could've imagined it could get EVEN WORSE! common sense, common decency, enforcing the law and the middle class were all there and now - POOF - they're all gone. as bad as things were back then reaganomics, digitization, the internet, cellphones and MASS PSYCHOSIS over the last 40 years has made things 1000 times worse!

[@MichaelBerry-yr9ev]

@@valgeir80 Don't you wish to go back in time?

[@colossusforbin5484]

Grew up in the 70's and 80's. I never realized at the time how good we had it. You took it for granted that it'll always be like it was.

[@markgordon5387]

I miss Kmart. I remember sitting in the diner with my grandparents, while my parents shopped in the ealy-1970s.

[@alfonsoalfonso647]

The workers at Kmart were always friendly, unlike many Walmarts.

[@AnthonyDiDomenico-yo5ju]

Yes, Kmart has nicer sales staff unlike walmart, where they seem to have gotten way rude since they created their bloated ego balloon trip. As consumers I feel guilty for not supporting Kmart ever enough, and when I did it was too late! I lost 2 Kmart area stores by my house in 2015 ( technically lost 4 in total when I lived in Elwood, IL.)

[@Adrian-op5ni]

Such beautiful memories. Would give anything to be that 8 year old kid again, tagging along with his mom at Kmart. Having some popcorn.

[@ChazR25]

America was a much simpler place when Kmart was thriving. Those were the good days and we just didn't realize how lucky we were at the time.

[@ronaldcarmony3068]

Yes for sure the good ole days are gone and never see them again

[@aaronpotter7025]

Damn! Tearing up watching this. I'm 54 and KMart was a big part of my childhood.

[@21372745]

@@aaronpotter7025 I miss those days as well I’m 54 this generation has no idea.

[@nj3474]

I miss the America i grew up in

[@willyboy6126]

Or the Canada for me...😐

[@cathysomers4389]

Amen! 😢

[@eesmith69]

Same here

[@MrWittyBanter]

It was wonderful really and we had no idea

[@peteb1823]

Me too I’m 40 now and it’s completely different now :( also miss Jamesway too :(

[@joeyricci3796]

I remember buying car models, with Testor’s glue and paints at K-Mart! They always had a great selection of models to choose from!

[@bobbybarnes1652]

Heck yeah! Did you join the Revell club?

[@thecolorgreen7046]

Get rid of Walmart and bring back KMART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!💔

[@m42037]

I know F Walmart! Target too. The old Kmart not the updated red sign big K. The 60s to early 90s

[@thecolorgreen7046]

I miss the Luncheon counter! Those burgs and hot dogs were great! I used to shop the Kmart $1.99 cutout bins regularly for LP albums and tapes - I really, really miss that.....and the BLUE LIGHT SPECIALS!!!

[@TheOneAndOnlyWisCali]

Facts

[@annraines3573]

Yessss

[@MelywoodMedia]

Walmart has no magic

[@danielleeclingansr6032]

K Mart is where I met my wife of 45 years ! She worked in the delicatessen and gave me a large helping of macaroni and cheese I knew she liked me after that and the rest is history my three kids and my wife and myself have worked for k marts at one time or another so they are a big part of our life! Thank you K marts you were there when we needed you!

[@peterstrains4339]

That's nice to hear, very nice story , thanks for sharing !

[@LawrenceLong-l2v]

Kmart the only place of value shopping at the time Walmart ain't got nothing on you when Kmart had it all may the Blue light special reigh.I missed getting there on time to catch the specials😮when you got there everything would be gone 😢

[@Itsuki_Gamer]

Oh my god! That is so sweet! 🥹 like all the happiness to your family! Thanks for sharing:-)

[@hellodolly9879]

I miss it. I miss the 70s. Take me back.

[@acb9896]

Go to Idaho. Pretty much still in the 70's

[@adamgriffith6750]

80's into the 90's too.....k mart and the culture and society at thaat time went thru the 80's into the 90's toooooo and really k mart florished into the 2000's. the k mart where i live made it and managed to stay open till bout 2011 or 2012.... but by the the 70's 80's and into te 90's vibe was pretty much gone.

[@zwayer2112]

No shit !

[@hellodolly9879]

@@adamgriffith6750 so sad.

[@Jeepboy]

I’m with you there even tho I was born in 76 I well remember the 80’s and I would definitely go back to the 70’s and break that Time Machine

[@INFJparadox]

I would love to go back in time!

[@letsmakemoney8027]

You're not alone, I hate what this world has to offer now which is nothing good

[@TW-vl4wj]

K-mart During Halloween and Christmas....Omg what a time to be a kid 78 to 84❤

[@sharonh2991]

When my youngest daughter (born in 2000) was a preschooler, around Christmas time I would take her and her friends to the garden center at Kmart where they’d turn the garden center into a Christmas wonderland. Little bridges, Christmas trees, inflatables. It was like looking at Christmas lights inside of a nice warm store. I was surprised that Kmart went to that effort because by that time they had so few customers. I remember seeing boxes of un-opened inventory throughout the store, like they were getting ready to stock up for Christmas, but the inventory was never even put out on the shelves. It remained in boxes pretty much in the same place all season because they had no customers. I guess it was easier to just leave it in boxes so when Christmas was over they could just ship it off. Eddie Lampert ran Kmart directly into the ground.

[@stephenrogers9664]

Kmart over here in Australia is going from strength to strength. They are as popular now as ever.

[@gregdean8441]

Probably because more people are feeling poor due to our pathetic albo labour government running the place into the ground!

[@bestiefswlady5251]

I looked on the Australia Kmart Website and they don’t have any of the same types of clothing that I miss unfortunately….They did have some pretty unique items though - and yes I heard they are doing well over there - are they considered a discount or a medium priced store now?

[@dianavais3361]

@@bestiefswlady5251 Definitely discount store but still reasonable quality ☺️

[@iofthetiger67]

@@stephenrogers9664 that's cool!

[@MassiveTrackHunter]

The 70's through 80's was a cool time to be a kid. Kmart was definitely a good part of that.

[@kingchrisworld4468]

Makes me a little teary eye those were the good old days

[@guebaradelivery769]

Grew up in the 80s and damn i wish my kids could have gotten to experience the freedom we had back then. So much fun

[@happyjack880]

The Kmart era represented some of THE best years in American history. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

[@barryw8011]

Never will forget the smell of KMart….freshly popped popcorn!

[@KiraLou06]

🤮

[@gwenrowan2466]

Clothes and shoes that fit proper and last. Excellent store in all other items, and friendly.

[@geraldmcmahon1880]

When i was 4 years old in 1975 at a kmart with my dad, i was following my dad and probly got distracted by the hot wheels cars, my dad didn't notice and we got separated, I was running in the aisles looking for him and crying and a little old lady in her 70s wearing a long dress and horn rimmed glasses brought me up to the front counter to an employee who announced over the intercom that there was a lost kid looking for his dad, i was so happy when I saw him. I can still picture that old lady..... good times.... lol

[@drewali7]

so sad what the world has become!!!!!

[@jamesbranham2217]

@@drewali7 true but people have allowed it because they are afraid to speak up.. liberals call you names to shut you up and they keep pushing their insanity and perversions .. it won't stop until people draw the line

[@JuliaShalomJordan]

It’s nice to go to KZbin and be transported back to childhood.🤍

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Yes!!! (I love this comment!)

[@0159ralph]

My mother in-law worked and retired from Kmart in Albuquerque. She passed away in 2019 at 95. God bless you Syria we miss you.

[@mikevogler5455]

Really sorry to hear that. To make it to 95...that just really, and truly, blows my mind. I really, and honestly, and sincerely, too, hope she had a great Life. I have 1, of 4, Grandparents left, and not one of them, so far, have made it to their 90's. Wish you the very best, though. Take care of yourself. 🙋

[@Nicky986]

I worked at Kmart while in highschool in layaway, making store signs, taking care of the fish and birds and occasionally announcing Blue Light specials. I loved working there and was sad to see it close.

[@sassysue6472]

Boy do I miss Kmart. School clothes shopping, Saturdays with my grandma shopping, then as a mom then a grandma. I also shopped at kresgees as a child. The wooden floors, and all the fun stuff you could buy. Sure miss those days.

[@kevinedwards6093]

I worked at Kmart in 1987-1990 while going to college. It was fun because they hired a bunch of us college students and we basically ran the floor. ‘The blue light is now flashing in our appliance department; where we are featuring the Proctor/Silex 4 slice toaster, normally selling for $14.99, now while the blue light is flashing you can buy this toaster for the incredibly low price of $9.99; so come on over to our appliance department and take advantage of this great savings. And as always, Thank You for shopping at Kmart.’ 🙂

[@MasaCheez]

I miss this version of America.

[@Miohunter444]

Kmarts cafeteria was the best. My friends and I would always walk or ride our bikes to Kmart and have lunch.

[@MrDan11422]

My parents were to cheap to go to the cafeteria.

[@SWITCHMASHER]

I loved going there with my parents for good shopping and the hot dogs and chocolate shakes. I can still hear and smell the popcorn.

[@billybrad204]

Once a month my family would drive to K-Mart in the early 70s, to Green Bay, WI. They had vinyl records, model kits, and a small dining area. Kmart had everything! Good memories!

[@JR-dr2up]

I worked as a teenager for Kmart in about 1983 as a cashier. TYFSOK (Thank you for shopping our kmart) - ahhh, memories!

[@teresaswift8999]

This makes me sad and nostalgic. Thanks for sharing!

[@capuchinmonkeytales2784]

I really miss Kmart. This video brings back fond memories.

[@dianequick8033]

The stores always smelled like popcorn. Those were the good ol' days. 😊

[@MichaelBerry-yr9ev]

@@dianequick8033 Yes!! I'm 49 yrs oId and I remember my mother pushing me in the cart back in 1979 and she would go to the concession stand and I remember seeing all the candy displayed, the smell of popping corn and the Coke slurpees. Sure miss them days.

[@gstar7686]

I spent many days browsing my local K-Mart in Miami in the 1970s and very early 80s. It's where my dad bought me my first .22 rifle and my first Atari 2600. Incredible memories.

[@enigmathegrayman2953]

This video is a snapshot of the America we’ll NEVER get back! I’m a child of the 1980s, this brings back many memories of a Saturday spent with my mother at a K-Mart store…

[@kc3450]

I always felt like we won the lottery when they did a blue light special when we were in the store. Us kids would say we needed to use the bath and race to see who could get to the blue light first. We had rules: no running, can’t bug adults, must be stealthy as possible. Thank you for reminding me of being a kid. I feel sad for kids now that don’t get to use their imagination to make boring things fun.

[@dontblameme6328]

Why can it never come back? Is it not worth fighting for?

[@geneschweiss4872]

@dontblameme6328 Well, you have to understand that Kmart, aka THE SS Kresge Co., was founded in 1899 it was a dime store in Michigan The type of people that started Kmart as we knew it, Don't exist anymore They had drive and desire to work hard. A moral compass. This generation was the parents of the greatest generation these years 1901 to 1927. These individuals thought about success in a different light. And by the way, Loved their country!!

[@travelwithtonyg]

This brought back a lot of memories from my childhood. ❤️

[@MarieAlvarez-r5g]

I miss Kmart it helped so much during Christmas time I use to put a layaway. Everything not overpriced. Just a really nice place to shop.

[@bellavis]

I worked in their Layaway dept!

[@hermanhelfrich1747]

Loved it ,looking back i just did not apprecite as much as i do now. We have had so many great blessings in this country. And we still do! Be thankful❤

[@darlenegattus8190]

Sure glad I experienced Kmart in its glory days.

[@raffinataonline]

I still have a couple things I bought there in the 1980s. Really miss that store. ♥️

[@DePalma.]

I remember hiding from my mom in the middle of the round, lady’s clothes rack, seeing the ozzy osbourne album where he’s eating a bat on the cover & sitting in the tent display of the camping section, playing camping with my mom…good times lol

[@marywegrzyn506]

I grew up loving K -Mart and I miss it terribly.

[@situated4]

What a huge hit of nostalgia. Was a loyal K-Mart shopper into the early 2000s. You know, seriously, I never once dreaded driving over and going into K-Mart. I absolutely dread parking and shopping at our local Walmart today.

[@jameswood231]

Absolutely a nightmare Everytime I shop there. Which is next to none. Can't stand the place personally.

[@JamalGood-l1r]

I’m 62 now and I loved Kmart! Especially the sub sandwiches from the deli!

[@MsTaco85]

Please take me back to where there was no internet

[@ashantib4027]

Golden days

[@metalogre1]

Golden Age returning!

[@wdashwor]

Loved the trip down memory lane. I still miss K-mart!

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Hey Donnie - Thanks so much to the contribution, I really appreciate it. I have a lot of good memories from Kmart too. This was probably my favorite video to make. I’m glad you liked it!

[@Nan-59]

Me, too! 😢😢

[@GregSr]

Back in 1971, the day before I graduated from high school, I asked the manager in Sporting Goods for a job application. He handed it to me and I started to walk away. He said I should fill it out right there so he can take a look at it. Before I knew it, he hired me. My first day on the job was the day after graduation. I was making $1.85 / hour. My two least favorite tasks was announcing the Blue Light Specials on the intercom and drilling holes in bowling balls. I was only 17 at the time. My boss thought I was 18. Back then, you could buy a handgun right there in sporting goods. So, here I was selling handguns to buyers that had to be at least 18 when I was only 17. I worked that entire summer before leaving for college. Great memories!

[@amandaf4720]

I had no idea that drilling holes in bowling balls was an in-store service lol. I didn't even realize chain stores sold bowling balls! Now I'm gonna have to look next time I go to the local Kroger's.

[@brandearnofineart]

Which Kmart? I worked in SG in Glenville, NY. Manager’s name was Steve Sautin. The best boss ever!

[@GregSr]

@@brandearnofineart I worked in a California K-Mart in the city of Westminster. It was on Highway 39 (AKA Beach Blvd).

[@richmiller8615]

@@GregSr I remember buying a bowling ball from KMart when I was younger. The guy who drilled it said to wait 24 hours before using it. Otherwise, it would swell up in the ball return and get stuck. It was a plastic ball, nothing like you would get at a pro shop, but it was a good ball for throwing spares. I still have it as a matter of fact!

[@GregSr]

@@richmiller8615 That's cool that you still have it. My boss usually drilled the bowling balls but he was always pushing me to do it. The smell was really strong.

[@bluecasey270]

As a kid I always loved looking at the fish in the aquariums in the back of the store 🐟

[@erikpate1697]

It's nice to be able to say I lived it.

[@samfrancisco8095]

I enjoyed the smell of popcorn when walking into the store.

[@lryland]

Australia and NZ have 325 Kmart stores and they're fantastic.

[@S.E.C-R]

I LOVED K-Mart… I worked there when I was 16 in 1984 in the deli. I had full control over the blue light special for the deli. I could create any special I wanted and write the script I would announce over the loud speaker. It was such a blast. BUT… I wanted to get my ear pierced and had to get it approved with my manager because of the strict dress code. With manager approval in hand I got my ear pierced and promptly got fired by the store because of it, even after taking it out right in front of them to keep my job. The deli manager apparently didn’t have the power to approve such a controversial thing and was also fired. My mom told me I would get fired if I did it, but I had deli manager approval, I showed her!! I couldn’t bare to walk I the door when I was supposed to be at work and tell her I was fired. She was absolutely livid with me! Those were the good old days! 😂😂

[@lorraine9320]

What kind of piercing??

[@UneducatedGeologist]

Great Story

[@MichelleKumler]

Wow 😮What a story!😂

[@justsuzy321]

😂😂😂I love a Gen X'r! We just had to push it a little too far. Such silly things to make a fuss over but rules were rules. 😅I have a similar story. Definitely good times.

[@S.E.C-R]

@@lorraine9320 Just a regular plain metal stud in my ear lobe.

[@jammergirl6897]

Im 55. Still have some lawn chairs from Kmart.. bought them yrs ago for around 10.00. 🎉🎉

[@campbellmarty36]

I pity the generations of people that did NOT get to see this wonderful time in life!!!

[@davidb2206]

Back when it was still a majority whyte country. Not anymore. Under 60% now and declining fast. For the group 18 to 30, they are already in a minority. Just as planned by Ted Kennedy in 1965; the Immigration Act of 1965. Ted lied.

[@letsmakemoney8027]

Oh yeah there will be nothing like it ever again. What a shame it's only going to get worse. It reminds me of Pompano Beach Florida 40 years ago it was a true vacation Paradise now they destroyed it by Over building and putting up big Condominiums. Like the song says they tore down Paradise to put up a parking lot

[@FarmerFpv]

Working at Kmart as a teenager bought me my first car. A used 68 Camaro. Was able to drive it for my Senior year in high school. I miss that place. Still have the Camaro in red.

[@joebudi5136]

Bitchin' !!!

[@dianaf1669]

I worked there the first three years after high school graduation. We employees were like a family. Good times!

[@LucilleStewart-un6tc]

Layaways at Kmart for Christmas. Those were the good old days

[@debs46805]

I started working for K-Mart in 1977. We now call it the "good ole days". After 26 yrs. with the company my store closed in 2003. It was sad but many of us made life long friendships that we still share to this day.

[@tigritsa74]

Good old times when America was normal

[@Mike-Twins-lover-d2h]

Not like now.

[@bethanyhanna9464]

I worked at Kmart for 5 years in the 90s. 💜 I was paid in cash until my final check, when they switched to actual checks, which we took from the cash window at the back, to the service desk to cash. 🤣 (The cash envelopes included a slip spelling out hours, pay rate, deductions, PTO available and used, etc) I loved shopping there and working there.

[@MotleySioux-bw6qn]

Popcorn and Icees; the grill with those delicious hamburgers; the plastic Halloween costumes hanging from the ceiling; the 45 records you had to ask for at the cashier; the goldfish and hamsters. Good memories!!

[@memyself3275]

I loved Kmart as a kid in the 70s. Ours had the cafeteria, but right next to it there was ten cent Skee Ball! I was a hyperactive child so it was either money for Skee Ball or I would hide inside those round clothes racks and make my mom try and find me. Then there was setting all of the kitchen timers to go off in one minute increments and putting random items in peoples carts. I really should have been beat more as a child.

[@jameswood231]

Sounds like you were a handful. Lol 😂 More Kool Aid, Red Dye, Sugar and Corn Pops & Super Sugar Crisp...

[@tomservo5347]

Kmart back in the 80's had a good selection of toys and models that other places simply didn't have.

[@csj9619]

1/25 scale plastic model cars were around $5.00 when I waa a lad.

[@humantacos9800]

Almost nothing today has the charm of the 20th century.

[@JDDees]

All the charm went away when corporations chose money over everything else, including their patrons!

[@reyvaldes611]

Fond memories of Kmart. I was 15 years old in 1977 when I got my first job at a Kmart in Miami. I worked in the shoe department and remembered doing “blue light specials” on ladies slippers for $2.99 and jogging shoes for $7.99. What simpler times we had back then. How I wished my now adult children could have experienced those days as teenagers.

[@sebastiankinnunen5549]

❤We bought our wedding rings from KMart Lantana year 1984.❤Wonderful memories.❤Sadly my wife passed 2010.❤Love from Finland

[@crustyoldoffroader7436]

My wife and I met, both working at Kmart, she in advertising and I in automotive. That was 44 years ago. The manager said if a Walmart ever came to town, we would be finished. He was right.

[@jchapman8248]

"Attention K-MART shoppers! For the next 15 minutes, we have ______ on sale. Look for the Blue Light. And thank you for shopping your neighborhood K-MART!" I remember K-MART very well.

[@pathough2100]

Yes bring back K Mart!!!

[@kenmckinnell8153]

Shoppers would gasp in disbelief at the bargains available.

[@BillKurn]

Shop smart! Shop, S-Mart!

[@scottsinger273]

My mom took my brothers and I there all the time for it seems like just about everything, I can also remember my dad never wanted to go! That was in the 70s, a great time as a kid!

[@dhart28]

I high school, during the Christmas season of my senior year, I worked in the shoe department of our local K-Mart. I can STILL quote word-for-word some of the ads I had to declare over the store loudspeaker when I did those "Blue Light Specials"... 45 years ago.

[@TammyLeetzow]

My first job over 35 years ago! I loved that job! I moved my way up from a checker, to the cash office, layaway, to courtesy booth making the announcements…. Attention KMart shoppers ❤ Great memories ❤

[@robertveronese4405]

I still have a box fan my father bought there in the early 60's. It still works great, made in the USA!

[@minimalist2036]

Cool ❤

[@robertt.4368]

With much work and effort and against my mother's wishes, my father bought me a Nintendo back in 1988 from Kmart. My father passed away six years ago, wherever you are dad, I love you and think of you every day.

[@nicolewooldridge9683]

Western Australian here, we have Kmart and love it. No Walmart anywhere in Australia

[@MGAHall]

I'm so glad you posted this. I visit AU frequently and love going to Kmart.

[@peacearchwa5103]

Interesting, Walmart operates in 25 countries but not in Australia.

[@paulsmith8510]

I am 35. Our local K Mart closed in 2019. I have some memories of the Café as a kid, but they closed it down when I was little. However I had so many friends work there, we shopped there all of the time. It didn't change at all from when I was a kid. I LOVED it.

[@thecajunphoenix]

I am 48 years old and I still miss the old K Marts because of their Cafés' eats, drinks, and treats and so much else to buy. K Mart is still in business as an online retailer, but it's just not the same.

[@coreygonzalez6890]

I remember going the Kmart as a kid never knew how much I would miss it. Sears as well🥲

[@keithdaniels5918]

Home of the blue light special

[@franqueroz6027]

We had a nice Kmart here in Farmington, NM! I miss Kmart and I miss my grandma!!!

[@jameswood231]

I miss Kmart. And I miss My Aunt Betty who worked at Kmart for over 30 years... In Flint Michigan.😢

[@HilaryPea]

I was born in 1980 and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. My brother (18 months older than I am) and I were raised by a poor and broke single mother. She couldn't always afford the popcorn, and less so, the frozen drink, but we did enjoy the toy section, the imulse buys, the food court, and the low prices. In fact, K-Mart was one of the few reasons my brother and I were able to get numerous Christmas presents (besides Toys for Tots), each year. It it weren't for layaway, my mother would have been able to afford far less. Layaway was the poor man's credit card and it worked! I got teased by classmates for going there (then, I learned that some of their parents went there, too), but I didn't care because they had what I needed and wanted. When I got pregnant in 2006, and living in Reno, NV, I went straight to K-Mart and bought some maternity wear, before going to other stores. I remember buying swimwear, there, a year later. Wal*Mart's maternity dept is barely a rack, at most locations, and that rack is usually hidden somewhere. I think Mr. K. would have been ashamed at what had happened to it after he had died, according to how to was described in this video. An enterpreneur with a unique way of thinking. Maybe he had a mother or a wife who gave him ideas of how to get mothers into the store, but whatever happened, it worked! Great video, thanks for making it!

[@jeffshoup5742]

I grew up in the K-Marts. My dad was a store manager for 30 years. The Kresges were even at my parents wedding. My grandfather was a manager of the Kresges store as well, so my dad grew up there as well. It was the best times! My sister and I got to play in the stores on the holidays when they were closed. We'd ride bikes, skateboards and rollerskate. We'd play with all the toys, get on the store microphone and play hide and seek in the stockrooms. We'd eat the leftover popcorn and help ourselves to the ice cream at the deli. We would even play at the service desk and pretend to be a recording saying the store was closed but would reopen the next day. Twice a week we would go to the store after dinner with my dad and play in the offices and help the cashiers roll coins with a huge counting machine which were brought back at the close of the night. The entire store was our playground! We were very fortunate to have experienced such a wonderful childhood there. I miss those carefree times when we ruled the K-Mart.

[@veiledallegory]

Love your story!

[@tammyboykin5285]

Sounds amazing 😊

[@bethknight4436]

I miss Kmart 😢

[@stacythompson9562]

I worked for Kmart back in the eighties in the Toy department. Fun fact, Kmart paid you in cash, no pay check. The ressson for this was you would spend your money before you left the store. Now that was smart thinking back then. We also got our first pet Tigger, the cat, some one giving away kittens in front of the store. That cat lived to 17 yrs old also a big part of my childhood and teen years

[@Nicky986]

Yep .. you clocked in at the start of your shift and clocked out at the end. On payday you got paid in cash in a little envelope. Spent a good bit of that cash on record albums in the store😊

[@Thedrisin155]

Miss K-mart. Layaways were how I got new school clothes and new toys. Occasionally, my Dad would get my little brother and I a coke or cherry Icee. Our closest K-mart didn’t close until the 2000’s. We were lucky. 🥰

[@sacredstarclairvoyantkat]

Kmart offered the best lay away program allowing many families to buy back to school clothes for their kids especially since many larger families with several kids would struggle to make such a large and needed purchase elsewhere. ❤Kmart

[@david37376]

As a child, I used to go to K mart on Saturdays for their $1.99 full breakfast.

[@gregoryh9442]

The popcorn smell when you walked in the door❤️

[@TuckerUp]

Thai is what I was looking for. Many memories of getting the popcorn then going to electronics to play the Nintendo that was set up to try.

[@dcpoolsvc]

That’s the truth! Sooo miss stores having snack bars with popcorn and icees. That was as much a treat as going back to play the Atari, Intellivision, and Commodore displays back in the day!

[@hardystamper7592]

I was a cashier at Kmart in 1990. Good memories!

[@SusanHolbert]

A dear friend, Janet Mason, was a cashier at K Mart in the 1990's. She loved it. Janet, RIP my friend.

[@AussieBearHug]

Kmart is still all over Australia! There are 325 stores in Australia and New Zealand.

[@saltandsun76]

Getting an icee there is one of my favorite 80s memory😊

[@j_filippo]

When I was in high school in the mid 70’s I worked at Kmart. It was my first job at 16 and I absolutely loved working there. I felt like a grown up wearing my turquoise smock. Back then we got paid in cash if you can imagine that. We received a pay envelope every Friday afternoon about 4:00 and inside was our net pay in cash with a stub showing all the deductions withheld. It was a smart move because we could spend it that day in the store. I have so many fond memories of working there.

[@caronhopkins7924]

I live in Australia and there is basically a Kmart in every town or if not one within 30 minutes drive! We LOVE Kmart❤❤

[@zerogrey3798]

Found out the hard way it's not the same company lol. When I worked for Kmart many years back right as chat rooms were getting big and before the company failed I met an aussie girl and became pretty good friends. She was probably catfishing me at the time but said she needed some help, didn't ask me for it but I figured since she mentioned Kmart that I'd do what I could and sent her a couple of gift cards that were good at any Kmart but just not her stores because they're not the same company.

[@bonniemoerdyk9809]

I was THE shyest kid in my large high school of 2000 kids, but guess who announced all those Blue Light Specials?...Me! 😂😂 I did so well, that the other departments wanted me to announce theirs. Doing those got me out of my shyness, and at my next job was doing 2 min. commercials! I miss those days!! I miss K-Mart and Service Merchandise And Carson Pirie Scott.... oh, and Woolco too! I miss the 60's, 70s, and 80's!! THANKS for this Video! ☺ ps...the pic of the one w/the water tower in the back (@ 11:18) looks identical to the Terre Haute, IN store w/a water tower behind it. 25th & Wabash.

[@charleskrueger7328]

Blue Light Specials really were something. Like a traffic light.

[@creativequince]

When I see a Kmart store photo, I automatically smell popcorn and have strong urge to buy a kiddie pool and a Barbie.

[@shaneclinger5888]

Who remembers the Kmart blue light specials?

[@Nonconformistwilderbeastman]

@@shaneclinger5888 I do, Michael Jackson had a blue light special, Boys Shorts half off 😉

[@gardeniagirl1374]

@shaneclinger5888 Attention K Mart shoppers... I listened attentively to hear the next blue light special. Often, it was a sale on submarine sandwiches. My mom liked the popcorn 🍿 and I liked the fried chicken 🍗

[@SavedByTheBloodOfJesus.]

I miss the old America!!!!!

[@CatalinaFOIA]

I miss Kmart! We went there every other weekend! My grandma would always secure the latest most popular Cabbage Patch Dolls there for my birthdays and Christmas' for several years ❤ Miss Ya Grandma! 😢 She was like a mom to me 💔

[@ManabiLT]

One Christmas while I was working there I was in charge of rain-checks and helped many parents get the hot toy of the season for their kids. (I think it was some Power Rangers toy.) I figured out that if a customer was thrilled about my assistance and wanted to do something to repay me I would hand them a card with the corporate phone number and my name on it. Then I'd tell them that if they called that number and told them I'd helped them out, it would help me. Kmart made the cards for us to hand out to customers, it wasn't something I made myself, I just utilized it. Most of them called. Having a customer do that earned a chairman's award (I think that's the right name) which came with a 50 point K-note. (You could redeem those for gift certificates once you had enough.) I ended up receiving multiple of those awards every week for a good six weeks straight thanks to that!

[@marthaperdew]

I miss KMART

[@lorraine9320]

I just said that to my daughter last week. She's 45 and said she hears a lot of people say that.

[@MissCharlene1986]

Kmart is HUGE in Australia! We absolutely love it here!!!