Remember the days of the iconic Blue Light Specials at Kmart? Well, it’s time to bid farewell as the last full-scale Kmart store in mainland United States is closing its doors.
Located in Bridgehampton, New York, the store is set to close on October 20, marking the end of an era for the retail giant. With only a small Kmart store remaining in Miami and a handful in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the once-thriving chain has dwindled in numbers.
In its prime, there were over 2,000 Kmarts across the U.S. However, fierce competition from retail giants like Walmart and Target, along with the rise of online shopping platforms such as Amazon, led to Kmart’s decline.
After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2002 and closing hundreds of stores, hopes were high when hedge fund executive Edward Lampert combined Sears and Kmart. Unfortunately, the 2008 recession and the increasing dominance of e-commerce dashed those hopes.
Now, with Sears also facing its own struggles and only a handful of stores left in the U.S., it’s a bittersweet moment for loyal Kmart shoppers as they say goodbye to an era of retail history.
