# 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:** 4
**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 30, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/61 "2015-03-30T16:10:45Z")
> [@funky\_little\_lee](#): > > I don’t know where you all live, but the Kmart near me is a nice place to shop. They have good stuff, the prices are reasonable, the store is clean, the employees are helpful, no wait at the checkout–I’ve never had a problem with them. The store I really hate is Kohl’s. Take everything I just said about the Kmart, reverse it, and that is Kohl’s. Pics or it didn’t happen. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/62 "2015-03-30T17:27:36Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > If you fall asleep reading full text explanations I haven’t read the whole thread but the OP is a novel and [ain’t nobody got tie foar dat.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB0TtoO7G-4) ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/63 "2015-03-30T18:46:35Z")
> [@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. Every K-Mart I’ve ever been in, from the 1980’s up to today, has looked exactly like this. It must be a scheme to ensure that anybody with even the smallest amount of pretention will go somewhere else. Actually, all of the K-Marts around me have closed over the last couple of years. The last one finally [del]gave in to despair and committed suicide[/del] closed permanently a few months ago. I figure, K-Mart as a whole has maybe a couple of years left, at most. I’m not worried. I can afford to shop at Target 😛 ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/64 "2015-03-30T21:23:27Z")
[QUOTE=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. [/QUOTE] The one by us is like that and adds the trick of the lights not being dim but not bright enough either. Perpetual twilight. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/65 "2015-04-01T14:46:30Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Reading the post that you’re referring to, it does seem that it addresses the main points and facts of the OP quite accurately. Considering that **russian heel** was wrong on four points out of the five he made, I’d have to disagree. And yeah, **Drunky** , the OP is one of the least concise, most poorly written things I’ve written in awhile, and there’s no way I could object to a TL;DR comment. But the choice is between responding with TL;DR and responding to the content of the post. One can’t really do both. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/66 "2015-04-01T15:50:50Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > 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. Is it so surprising the realize medicines work for different people in different ways? Me, I never take Benadryl because it does put me to sleep but it totally doesn’t wear off by morning. Instead I am loopy and exhausted well into the next day. Even if the OP is totally taking a placebo, let him. Sleep is incredibly important and if the placebo lets him sleep, why is it any skin off our backs? Also Kmart sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/67 "2015-04-01T16:53:14Z")
> [@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… IMO, Sears was a lot better before they merged with Kmart. Sadly, both are now terrible places to attempt to shop. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/68 "2015-04-01T16:56:46Z")
> [@Inna\_Minnit](#): > > Melatonin works well for me. I rarely need to use it, but when I do it is awesome. it doesn’t make me sleep, but it helps me to stay asleep. i do need a full 8 hours or it is hard to wake up. i use the 3 mg tablets. Melatonin can be helpful for me, too, but I can’t take a 3mg tablet unless I want to have nightmares. Cutting one in half seems to get me to a reasonable dose. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2015, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/69 "2015-04-01T21:36:40Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > 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? I making an analogy to reflect the bizarre spectacle of a K-Mart employee trying to figure out what the hell 500mcg of Meltonin is. ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/70 "2015-04-01T22:38:00Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > K-Mart should have been able to run Sam Walton back to his hick town. I believe the reason Walton succeeded is because Walmart is actually a distributor, not a retailer. Therefore, customers don’t have to pay the extra markup. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/71 "2015-04-01T23:05:23Z")
> [@get\_lives](#): > > I believe the reason Walton succeeded is because Walmart is actually a distributor, not a retailer. Therefore, customers don’t have to pay the extra markup. Where the hell did you get that pile of shit? ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/72 "2015-04-01T23:10:09Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Where the hell did you get that pile of shit? Are you seriously getting worked up over this? ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/73 "2015-04-01T23:13:24Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Where the hell did you get that pile of shit? [Here is what I am talking about](https://books.google.com/books?id=r_QwvTAI2pMC&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq=is+walmart+a+distributor+or+a+retailer&source=bl&ots=idgYmZ-VNW&sig=VrlOuPM0ZGzJtngvgi0eFEQxaZQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=AXscVbP4NMKogwSMroC4CQ&ved=0CDUQ6AEwCQ) ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/74 "2015-04-02T01:11:36Z")
> [@get\_lives](#): > > I believe the reason Walton succeeded is because Walmart is actually a distributor, not a retailer. Therefore, customers don’t have to pay the extra markup. I tell my students in our database class that that big store on the edge of town isn’t a store, it’s a big database. That’s why Walmart succeeded - they manage their inventory and distribution system much more efficiently than anyone else. I picked that up from Business Week in the 1980s as Walmart was starting its expansion. ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/75 "2015-04-02T02:26:22Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > I tell my students in our database class that that big store on the edge of town isn’t a store, it’s a big database. That’s why Walmart succeeded - they manage their inventory and distribution system much more efficiently than anyone else. I picked that up from Business Week in the 1980s as Walmart was starting its expansion. Sam Walton was not a bad guy. Too bad about his kids… ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/76 "2015-04-02T16:28:59Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > I making an analogy to reflect the bizarre spectacle of a K-Mart employee trying to figure out what the hell 500mcg of Meltonin is. In what alternate universe does the K-Mart employee have to figure out anything? He just scans the barcode. If K-Mart had advanced to where Wal-Mart was 20 years ago, he could then query the computer to see whether there was any more of that item in the store. I figured that K-Mart’s logistics, while not up to 2015 norms, would at least be up to 1995 state-of-the-art. That’s part of why I was taken by surprise by the second-level manager going to look in the back to see if there was any more of it, because (a) stuff should only be ‘in the back’ very briefly before moving it to the shelves, and (b) if it’s ‘in the back’, it should have been scanned in on delivery, and they should know if it’s there without going there. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/77 "2015-04-02T19:39:27Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And, yes, I will continue to use mcg because having to pull out a Greek alphabet to make a fucking abbreviation is stupid–might as well type the word out. They should have never had 3 M-words as SI prefixes in the first place. In big boy science we use lots of Greek letters and seem to get by just fine. (Seriously, though, the really annoying part is that FDA actually encourages the use of mcg) ---
**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:** [April 2, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/78 "2015-04-02T20:30:53Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > In big boy science we use lots of Greek letters and seem to get by just fine. > (Seriously, though, the really annoying part is that FDA actually encourages the use of mcg) Or do what do, which is to simply use a u as a place holder. 3 ug reads much better than 3 mcg. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/79 "2015-04-02T22:54:01Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > In big boy science we use lots of Greek letters and seem to get by just fine. > (Seriously, though, the really annoying part is that FDA actually encourages the use of mcg) In big boy math we used lots of Greek letters too. But we didn’t expect the rest of the world to manage as easily with that as we did. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075/80 "2015-04-02T23:27:21Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > In big boy math we used lots of Greek letters too. But we didn’t expect the rest of the world to manage as easily with that as we did. Right. Yet another example of the low expectations of mathematicians. I see you’re trying to be kind to BigT, but in the end you’re hurting him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-i-am-reminded-of-how-totally-k-mart-sucks/716075.md?page=5)