Kmart

Kmart is a discount store located in the United States and Australia, the latter a low-end discount store licensing the name.

The first Kmart opened in Garden City, Michigan and eventually reached a peak of 2,000 stores by the year 2000. Unfortunately, Kmart has fallen to a rather distant third place in the discounter race, namely due to being behind on remodeling, poor location build-out, and general incompetence. Today, of course, Kmart is still around (but going nowhere) with around 1,200 stores and maybe a dozen Kmart Super Centers.

References to Kmart in media include...


 * An old Calvin and Hobbes comic strip has Calvin's dad telling him he was a Blue Light Special from Kmart (cheaper than Sears, ironically from the same company nowadays)
 * Rain Man: "Kmart sucks."
 * The Book of Eli reveals that Eli once worked in a Kmart.
 * Somewhere in IT, Kmart is mentioned.