# In which I am reminded of how totally K-Mart sucks **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 27, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075 "2015-03-27T00:27:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/21 "2015-03-27T14:18:49Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Of _course_ Kmart sucks. They’re owned by [Sears Holdings](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears_Holdings). I have talked about my problems with Sears Outlet in another thread. > > … If we keep at this long enough, we can point out that we’ve warned everyone on the SDMB about SEARS and KMART. I’d rather be a Wallmartian than shop at either of those places. Take heed fellow dopers…it’s for your own good. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/22 "2015-03-27T14:20:54Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Of _course_ Kmart sucks. They’re owned by [Sears Holdings](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears_Holdings). I have talked about my problems with Sears Outlet in another thread. > > Kmart sucked long before they merged with Sears, though. Maybe they suck even more now. I don’t think I’ve been to a Kmart since 2005, and if they’re worse than Walmart, I don’t see why I would want to… Note that K-Mart actually bought Sears, but thought the Sears name had more value so converted to that (similarly, Southwestern Bell bought AT&T, but converted the corporation to the more widely known AT&T brand). So Sears likely sucks (more) now than before because it has been infected with the K-mart mentality. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/23 "2015-03-27T14:26:22Z")
At a minimum you should have gotten a rain check out of the deal. KMart does indeed suck. I think the mismanagement has drained all of the life out of anyone working there. It happens to be, by a long shot, the closest department store to my home, and I only go there when absolutely necessary, or when I’m basically 100% sure they have what I want at the price I want, and I need it right away. I still walk in with a nervousness that the trip will go wrong somehow. The one that killed me, that made me personally furious was around their rewards card. Long, slow moving lines, was on line at least 15-20 min already, and I was finally on deck. Cashier asks the person in front of me if they have a rewards card. Answer “no”. Cashier - “would you like to sign up for one?” Answer “no”. Cashier - “Can I check to see if you’re already in the system?” Answer “ok, here’s my phone #”. Cashier “You’re not in, but since it’s already started, can we finish the application?” Answer “Sigh… ok” and another 5 minutes is spent with Ms. Hunt&Peck sloooowly entering the name and address… ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/24 "2015-03-27T14:29:51Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > The one that killed me, that made me personally furious was around their rewards card. Long, slow moving lines, was on line at least 15-20 min already, and I was finally on deck. Cashier asks the person in front of me if they have a rewards card. Answer “no”. Cashier - “would you like to sign up for one?” Answer “no”. Cashier - “Can I check to see if you’re already in the system?” Answer “ok, here’s my phone #”. Cashier “You’re not in, but since it’s already started, can we finish the application?” Answer “Sigh… ok” and another 5 minutes is spent with Ms. Hunt&Peck sloooowly entering the name and address… Was the person in front of you also buying uber small amounts of a homepathic placebo? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/25 "2015-03-27T14:40:54Z")
I have very few opportunities to say “awww, it’s too bad you don’t live in South Carolina where we don’t have this problem because we do something awesome”, so allow me to do it here. In South Carolina you always get the BOGO price even if you just buy one item. Mmm-hmm. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/26 "2015-03-27T14:40:56Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Note that K-Mart actually bought Sears, but thought the Sears name had more value so converted to that (similarly, Southwestern Bell bought AT&T, but converted the corporation to the more widely known AT&T brand). > > So Sears likely sucks (more) now than before because it has been infected with the K-mart mentality. Well, I know from recent experience that Sears (more precisely, Sears Outlet) sucks. I don’t have recent experience of Kmart, so I can’t comment on whether they suck more or less than they did before 2005. Sears Holdings is now run by a [Randian libertarian nut whose background is in real estate investing, and who seems determined to drive the company into the ground](http://crooksandliars.com/2014/10/how-ayn-rand-loving-ceo-tanked-sears). I suspect this is the cause of at least some of the current suckage. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/27 "2015-03-27T15:10:07Z")
> [@FuriousGeorge](#): > > Was the person in front of you also buying uber small amounts of a homepathic placebo? [This MIT Guy](http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20050303/melatonin-modestly-effective-for-sleep?page=3) would disagree. > [@](#): > > “If the FDA were regulating melatonin as a drug, as I believe it should be, then it would be sold in its highest fully effective dose, which is 0.3 mg,” Wurtman says. “But that isn’t happening.” The rest of the article suggests that Melatonin is “modestly” effective at inducing sleep. I despise homeopathy as much as the next guy, but Melatonin isn’t part of that particular game. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/28 "2015-03-27T18:44:08Z")
> [@FuriousGeorge](#): > > 1. K-Mart sucks as a given. > > 2. OP is being a bitchy little prig worthy of all the staring judgmental hateful eyes of those stuck in the queue behind him. Call me a bitchy little prig if you like, but you’d better have video before you go accusing me of holding up the people behind me. To quote part of my response to **russian heel** : > [@](#): > > when I got to the register, I asked if I could have the last remaining bottle at half the price they were charging for two bottles. The first-level manager was there in less than a minute, and then **I was out of the line** and headed for the door. When the second-level manager came over, the cashier was already serving the next customer, and he continued to serve other customers while I waited on the second-level manager to come back from the back of the store. Reading: still a useful skill in our electronic age. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/29 "2015-03-28T01:18:40Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > The rest of the article suggests that Melatonin is “modestly” effective at inducing sleep. Why doesn’t the OP just use generic Benadryl, which my booby hatch uses to help even the most, er, _nervous_ get to sleep? It’s cheaper, wears off by morning, stops the snot machine so he and his spouse snore less, and he won’t care if anybody snores (or if there’s a small earthquake) because he’s asleep. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/30 "2015-03-28T04:37:31Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > At a minimum you should have gotten a rain check out of the deal. > > KMart does indeed suck. I think the mismanagement has drained all of the life out of anyone working there. It happens to be, by a long shot, the closest department store to my home, and I only go there when absolutely necessary, or when I’m basically 100% sure they have what I want at the price I want, and I need it right away. I still walk in with a nervousness that the trip will go wrong somehow. > > The one that killed me, that made me personally furious was around their rewards card. Long, slow moving lines, was on line at least 15-20 min already, and I was finally on deck. Cashier asks the person in front of me if they have a rewards card. Answer “no”. Cashier - “would you like to sign up for one?” Answer “no”. Cashier - “Can I check to see if you’re already in the system?” Answer “ok, here’s my phone #”. Cashier “You’re not in, but since it’s already started, can we finish the application?” Answer “Sigh… ok” and another 5 minutes is spent with Ms. Hunt&Peck sloooowly entering the name and address… I worked at KMart a few years ago. We were hounded every minute of every day, about rewards cards. They kept track of how many we did per hour, and if it was less than they wanted they would humiliate us about it. What a horrible place to work. I still shop at the one where I use to work, and I occasionally see the HR person who hired me. She always asks me if I’ll come back to work. Um. No thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/31 "2015-03-28T04:44:45Z")
Missed the edit. I also worked there Black Friday once for 9 hours straight, without being allowed to leave my register once. Yeah, KMart sucks. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/32 "2015-03-28T04:46:49Z")
> [@seal\_cleaner](#): > > There’s a Kmart about 2 miles from my house. It’s never empty but never busy; never clean but not that dirty; shelves are under stocked but never denuded; employees rarely helpful but never rude. It think it will be there for eons, just in a dreary stasis. It’s really quite Kafaesque isn’t it? As bizarre as walking into K-Mart is, everyone there just seems to accept it. ---
**Author:** ![lel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@lel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lel)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/33 "2015-03-28T04:53:48Z")
Now friends, what would the world be like without Kmart? But honestly, I wouldn’t expect half off a bottle if it was a BOGO offer and they only had one in the dosage I wanted. Also, anyone else wonder if Lampert’s in it for the real estate value of the stores? ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/34 "2015-03-28T08:42:45Z")
I read the OPs response and appreciate the fair responses. It just reminds me of people that complain about McDonalds, who cannot understand why they cannot get 5 star service out of an entity that offers $1 cheeseburgers and pays their employs minimum wage. As for the Melatonin, I’m reminded of being stuck behind the the lispy, bespectacled zipped-up turtlenecked customer at Subway that starts asking the hapless South Asian behind the counter to describe what various species of lettuce they are going to put on his carb and red meat loaded hoagie, because after all, he has an allergy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/35 "2015-03-28T10:11:27Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > As for the Melatonin, I’m reminded of being stuck behind the the lispy, bespectacled zipped-up turtlenecked customer at Subway that starts asking the hapless South Asian behind the counter to describe what various species of lettuce they are going to put on his carb and red meat loaded hoagie, because after all, he has an allergy. 🙂 The mind is a weird place, and why one thing reminds us of another isn’t always readily apparent to oneself. But since you felt the desire to share this, could you perhaps make the connection more evident to the rest of us? ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/36 "2015-03-28T10:35:18Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > It’s 3:30 on a Thursday afternoon, but there’s a serious line at each of the two open registers. (Don’t ask me where these people come from at this time of day, or why they’re shopping in K-Mart.) Maybe they’d come to haggle over placebos too. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/37 "2015-03-28T14:11:16Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > I think that’s the general look of K-marts. The K-mart outside Jacksonville, Florida is the exact same model of drear as the K-mart near my town outside of Boston. > > They may even ship the employees to the store along with the fixtures. I came in here to mention what I suspect is the same K-mart (B-tree?) Also, the idea of a big truck filled with racks and lighting fixtures and slack-jawed employees is amusing and yet completely realistic-sounding. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/38 "2015-03-28T14:16:53Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > I came in here to mention what I suspect is the same K-mart (B-tree?) Also, the idea of a big truck filled with racks and lighting fixtures and slack-jawed employees is amusing and yet **completely realistic-sounding.** That’s Radio Shack. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/39 "2015-03-28T14:31:17Z")
Hmm… I wonder how those stores like K-Mart manage to have low prices? Do they cut back on service? No, because I am sure once people had a bad experience they’d realize paying slightly more elsewhere was worth it and never go back, right? And K-Mart has been around for decades. Got to be a lot of repeat customers. How do they do it? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/40 "2015-03-28T14:38:10Z")
> [@FuriousGeorge](#): > > Was the person in front of you also buying uber small amounts of a homepathic placebo? There are actually clinical trials that verify the efficacy of melatonin to help with sleep disturbances. > **[Clinical uses of melatonin: evaluation of human trials - PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20423309/)** > > During the last 20 years, numerous clinical trials have examined the therapeutic usefulness of melatonin in different fields of medicine. The objective of this article is to review, in depth, the science regarding clinical trials performed to date.... > **[A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover... : Psychosomatic...](https://journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/Abstract/2001/01000/A_Randomized,_Double_Blind,_Placebo_Controlled.5.aspx)** > > o-controlled crossover trial. Subjects received either placebo or melatonin (5 mg) daily for 4 weeks, underwent a 1-week washout period, and then were given the other treatment for an additional 4 weeks. Patients could take the melatonin between... [http://jcn.sagepub.com/content/early/2008/01/08/0883073807309783.short](http://jcn.sagepub.com/content/early/2008/01/08/0883073807309783.short) [http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/292/6529/1170.1.full.pdf](http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/292/6529/1170.1.full.pdf) (PDF) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075.md?page=3)