# Update to "K-mart" column

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-to-k-mart-column/594526>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [August 29, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-to-k-mart-column/594526 "2011-08-29T18:34:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\
**Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-to-k-mart-column/594526/1 "2011-08-29T18:34:52Z")

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> **[What does the “K” in K mart stand for?](https://www.straightdope.com/21341727/what-does-the-k-in-k-mart-stand-for)**

The first thing Cecil does in this 1987 column is chastise the questioner for misspelling the name of the store:

> [@](#):
>
> It’s K mart, Ron, not K-Mart. You know what these details mean to me.

But some brief tooling around the internet suggests that [since 1977](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart), the company has been called “kmart” or “Kmart” (i.e. no space). Did Cecil get it wrong, did his editor transcribe his notes incorrectly, or was there a name change at some point since then?

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**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-to-k-mart-column/594526/2 "2011-08-30T19:44:09Z")

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> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#):
>
> The first thing Cecil does in this 1987 column is chastise the questioner for misspelling the name of the store:But some brief tooling around the internet suggests that [since 1977](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart), the company has been called “kmart” or “Kmart” (i.e. no space). Did Cecil get it wrong, did his editor transcribe his notes incorrectly, or was there a name change at some point since then?

Cecil is wrong. The store’s name is Kmart, no space. However, back in the 70s and 80s, the names “K Mart” and “Kmart” were used interchangeably on trademark applications, though “Kmart” was much more common.