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 Blues Murry's Last Fling at His Neighborhood K-MART
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Who could resist specials
on undies & instant coffee?
of TheColumnists.com
Being a sucker for historical moments, I decided to go shopping at K-Mart, "the Big K" as it is now called. Barb and I went on the Sunday BB (before bankrupcy.)
I must say that I am not a regular K-Mart shopper, though I did buy some stock in the company when it was supposed to be making a big turnaround. That was regrettable. There were better K-Mart bargains on their shelves than on Wall Street. (But at least I never bought Enron stock, maybe because they don't have Blue Light specials there. Actually, they don't have any light there anymore.)
Anyway, to get back to K-Mart, the store on Blossom Hill in San Jose was as depressing as K-Mart always seemed to me. K-Mart is the only store which has lots of empty shelves--long, long rows where, either the goods never came in or they were sold out quickly. I had my circular from K-Mart and, according to Barb, there were some spectacular savings to be had. I found about three remaining jars of Folgers Instant Coffee at a few dollars off and bought all three. That left another empty shelf.
Barb grabbed some mineral water at 20 cents a bottle. She said she had bought one of these for $1.50 at the movie theater the other night. The great buys were in underwear. Fruit of the Loom, also bankrupt, was offering incredible specials in T-shirts, boxer shorts and ladies' stuff. We were thrilled.
There is nothing like the K-Mart ambience to go along with the sales. So many of the customers have the look of homelessness. Actually, I hadn't shaved in a few days last Sunday so I guess I looked the same way. We examine prices with an accountant's eye. There are even some who carry boxes of coupons to add to the values. You begin to feel you can fill a shopping cart for about a buck and a half.
The only people who look more destitute than the customers are the clerks. I really feel bad to think that thousands of these people will be losing their jobs in the bankrupcy, because they all look like they really need these jobs, that their recession has lasted all their lives. They hurry about in their tidy red jackets, speaking mostly Spanish in this particular store, happy to offer you advice if you can communicate. I think the feeling of dread was in the air this day, or perhaps at K-Mart, it is always in the air.
I actually saw a camera at a very nice price but in that department there was no clerk. I hunted around for one, couldn't find anybody and gave it up. There was a VCR for sale, a Sylvania, at a remarkably low price, but the box it was in was all torn up and I think someone made off with the booklet of directions. I passed on that, too.
Ah, but the clothes. There the bargains were outstanding, though on this day they seemed to have only Extra Large or 3X large sizes and although the quality was not bad, the styles are not exactly mainstream. Still, for a few bucks, you could warm yourself with a great big fake fur-collar coat that seemed ready for the Yukon.
You have to hunt thoroughly when you shop K-Mart. Lots of items are on the floor. Others are out of place, where a lazy shopper returned them.
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Some of the best bargains do not last long, or else K-mart these days just does not have enough quantity to go around.
Shopping at K-Mart should really last only an hour or two. After a while, the forlorn atmosphere seeps into your pores and you hunger to run over to Nordstrom just for a tonic. I guess it's snobbishness. You will not find any of the K-Mart shoppers at Nordstrom, except for those standing outside the front door with signs saying: "Veteran, Will Work for Food."
I understand that K-mart is only going to shut 200-300 stores and I am hoping my neighborhood spot is not one of them. There is something uniquely American about this place. I remember the old Kresge, which I recall was cheaper and not as depressing. You could buy things at Kresge that I have been unable to find anywhere else after all these years. And you could putter up and down the crowded aisles in private wanderings.
K-Mart, too, is an American original. I do not expect K-Mart shoppers to be happy at Wal-Mart or Target stores which are too upbeat and too well lit. And, anyway, K-Mart is the only place like it in my neighborhood.
OK, so it didn't succeed.
Heck, I haven't done all that well myself. We need each other.
I may run out of Folgers one day.
©
2002 by Murry Frymer. The
Frymer caricature is © 2000 by Jim Hummel. The corporate
logos of K-Mart and Fruit of the Loom are trademarks and are
the sole property of those companies. The Folgers' instant coffee
icon is from the Folgers official website and is the sole property
of that company. The "shoppers" cartoon is from IMSI's
Master Clips Collection, 1895 Francisco Blvd. E., San Rafael,
CA, 94901-5506, USA.
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