Kmart has gone bankrupt. They’re under Chapter 11 protection. They are hoping to recover by this time next year. I, for one, hope they won’t go under. I shop at Kmart. I like it because 1) it is not crowded; I can get in and out without having to wait in long lines and 2) Photo processing gets done in 1 day. On the other hand Walmart is always crowded and photo processing takes at least 2 days. Ironically one of the things that I like about Kmart is the thing that is bringing it down: No one is shopping there. The Hermitage Kmart is never crowded.
During the summers of 1994-1996 I worked retail. I worked as a cashier at Walmart during 1994; and as a Sporting Goods Worker at Kmart duing 1995 and 1996. I can honestly say that I enjoyed working at Kmart over Walmart. Walmart was pretty strict with the proceedures. Before even going out in the store, I had to take a 2 week training course and watch all these proceedure videos. Kmart was more laid back. I can remember one rainy Sunday night when no customers were in the store….I got on the intercom and said “Severed heads on sale in sporting goods!”
Since Walmart was much busier than Kmart, I have alot more interesting experiences. These include:

• Watching security personel wrestle a shoplifter to the floor. He was trying to steal a $5 stereo wire.
• The whole store being evacuated because of a bomb threat. The police actually had the nerve to ask Walmart employees to go in there with them and look for a bomb. Does employee comp cover this?
• A lady buying the entire shelf of deodorants to sell at her own store.
• Someone trying to pass a brand new $10 bill with the series of 1910. It was an obvious fake.
• Doing the Walmart cheer during training class. Give me a “double-U!” Give me and “A!” etc….
• Regularly seeing customers throw a fit because Walmart didn’t accept out of state checks.

I have much less weirder experiences while working at Kmart. Usually it was something like a customer trying to switch UPC symbols in order to get an item cheaper than what it really was. Then there was the people who would buy a stick of gum with a $100 bill at the beginning of the day. I never had enough change in my drawer. Don’t these people have checking accounts????