Kmart #7410, 6169 Saint Andrews Road: 19 May 2013 37 comments
Well, I finally got by the Saint Andrews Road Kmart, and it looks like whenever the final date is, it is definitely not long for the world.
I don't really understand why Kmart does store closings like this. Kmart a chain. It's not a chain that's in great shape, but there *are* other stores. It seems to me that it would make more sense to have a couple of trucks come in and take stuff either to the warehouse or directly to other stores, especially the small stuff like the jewelry department. Just looking at it cold-bloodedly, that would have to be cheaper than continuing to pay salaries and utilities for an extended closing period..
(Hat tip to lots of people)
UPDATE 20 May 2013 -- Well, Sunday 19 May was the last day of retail operation -- they will be open next week to sell the store fixtures only. I got some $0.19 Jazz CDs and a George Thoroughgood concert DVD for $0.29..
UPDATE 7 October 2019: Add map icon and update tags.
37 Responses to 'Kmart #7410, 6169 Saint Andrews Road: 19 May 2013'
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Homer
17 Apr 13 at 11:07 pm
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The initial hat tip goes to kholler on this one
This is surreal. I knew it was coming but like I said in Have Your Say, I am going to miss this and am not looking forward to another 90,000 square foot vacant space (in this case Seven Oaks Shopping Center)
Andrew
17 Apr 13 at 11:19 pm
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I'm going to have to make one more pass through the store to see what's left. I was in there a couple of weeks ago and (no clue where they found them) they had a bunch of old VHS tapes in a rack trying to get rid of them. Wonder how that worked out??
I'm like you, Andrew. Gonna miss that place. As I've said before, I'd go to K-Mart just so I did not have to go to Wal-Mart and fight that jungle.
Homer
17 Apr 13 at 11:47 pm
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I don't shop Walmart often. Since the 1326 Bush River location opened, I don't enjoy going to Harbison's Walmart often. I think it stems from the fact that I welcomed Bush River's because it meant new life for an ugly piece of property.
Andrew
18 Apr 13 at 12:34 am
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I don't shop Walmart often. Since the 1326 Bush River location opened, I don't enjoy going to Harbison's Walmart. I think it stems from the fact that I welcomed Bush River's because it meant new life for an ugly piece of property.
Andrew
18 Apr 13 at 12:34 am
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I guess I'll have to start going to the Ballentine Wal-Mart after K-mart closes. It's more convenient for me than Bush River.
I do regret not going to the Dutch Square K-mart before it closed. I worked there for a bit right out of high school and would have liked to have walked through that store one more time for old times sake.
Homer
18 Apr 13 at 1:07 am
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I don't know about the last trip, homer.
I made a pilgrimage to the Ft Jckson BLVD Kmart before it closed. Tons of memories tied up with that place. Good memories. The last trip just made me sad because the store wasn't the same. The big glass windows out front were gone, all the gondollas were racked together (the ones left, hat is) and yellow tape roped off a vast lit emptiness.
Sometimes it is best to let your memories suffice.
Heck, I didn't even buy a Matchbox car for old times sake.
tonkatoy
18 Apr 13 at 6:47 am
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I talked to someone that worked in the electronics department she told me that they were not closing until May 15th. I really think they will be closed much sooner than that if she is even correct. Homer said someone told him that it was 30th of this month. I can see that being a much more reasonable date.
The reason they do not ship things to other stores when a store closes is because of the cost of having to pay people to box everything up then they have to send tons of trucks and that cost gas plus ware and tear on a truck plus driver pay then when it gets to the dc someone has to check it in unload it sort it then ship it back out to another store. The store would loose even more money than hiring a liquidation company to come in a slowly sell everything off starting at the highest possible retail price. In retail until you get to 50% or more off your still making a profit on most items. Electronics and appliances there is hardly any mark up over cost so that stuff is the slowest to be marked down at a store closing.
I have worked in retail for a long and know how this kind of thing works.
Thanks! I love this blog!
William
18 Apr 13 at 5:46 pm
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William has me wondering what goes into a store relocation...
I noticed when Staples moved from 281 Park Terrace Drive to 320 Harbison Blvd. about a month ago now that they didn't seem to be doing any type of moving/liquidation sale but they now have cleaned the old store out (makes me wonder if they somehow consolidated inventories behind the scenes of the new vs. old or shipped out to other locations).
Andrew
18 Apr 13 at 7:12 pm
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@Andrew-
I spoke with the DM of Staples before they moved and asked that same question. She told me that that because the move was so short it was worth just moving the inventory up the hill to the new store. Some items were on clearance at the old store but not very many. The new store is smaller so I am not sure of the percentage of items that they took but I would think that they took at least 90% The DM told me that they would not carry any office furniture but it would be available for order at the store. The DM also told me that they closed the old store the night before and moved most of the inventory over night and opened the new store the next day. I am not sure how much if that is true that just seems like to much work to do in like 12 hours but she did say that they had a contractor doing the work so maybe that is true.William
19 Apr 13 at 9:48 am
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I do recall hearing that the old store would close at 9:00 the last night and the new store would open at 8:00 the next day so it sounds like a significant portion of it was relocated in that time frame (though it seems like a massive undertaking for a store of app. 25,000 square feet)
Andrew
19 Apr 13 at 10:45 pm
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@tonkatoy - went by the K-mart today and, yes, they are starting to 'scrunch' things together. There's hardly any rhyme or reason to the way they have consolidated everything so you just have to wander around and hope you stumble across something. I found a few things that I could use around the house but since I had the 'Vette I didn't have any room for them. Gonna take the truck down there tomorrow and pick up a few things that I can use around the house. It is pretty sad to see what the place looks like.
BTW - I checked for Matchbox cars and there were none to be found!! They have a rack of Hot Wheels, but none were Corvettes so I let them stay on the shelf.
BTW too - the cashier I spoke with today said that there is not a set date for closing. It could be Apr. 30th or May 15th. It all depends on when the liquidation company deems that the remaining inventory and sales get to a point where there is no longer any reason to keep the doors open.
Homer
20 Apr 13 at 2:02 am
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Homer, that reminds me. When the Dutch Square location closed, I remember the closing date was originally to be November 15 but it wound up being the 8th. Doing research on the pending closing of that one was how I found this site in October 2009.
I just hope this location can get filled quicker than Dutch Square...
Andrew
20 Apr 13 at 10:36 am
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Ted, William
There is actually a science behind closing a store like this. There are a few companies that run most of the liquidations in the U.S., and they know exactly how to squeeze the inventory and fixtures. A company like K-Mart gives the liquidation company a store inventory and then the close out company buys everything for a discounted amount. From that point on K-Mart no longer has any say in how things are sold off. I know most liquidators use the same staff to close up, but I am not sure if they stay employees of K-Mart of if they are switched over to the liquidator.
Larry
20 Apr 13 at 2:41 pm
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@Larry - if there is a science to liquidation then the company doing Kmart's failed miserably. Here's what I noticed today:
Is the liquidation company also allowed to mark things up before they apply the discount? I wandered through to food aisles and was amazed at the prices they had applied to items before the discount. I could go to the grocery store and buy most of them for less that marked price plus the discount.
There is still merchandise scattered all over the store. There will be two cordoned off aisles followed by an aisle that may have one or two items on a shelf. What has been consolidated is located with no rhyme or reason.
I saw several items on shelves that were in open boxes with obvious missing pieces. They were marked at the same discount as others that were complete. Yeah, I'm sure they are going to sell. They should have been written off and tossed at the onset of the sale.
Attention any big guys out there!! They have some great deals on blue jeans - if your waist size is between 46 and 50!!
I did pick up a couple of deals today. I picked up a clock radio/iPod player that was supposed to be $32.99 minus 30% and it rang up for $12.49 and a lava lamp (haven't had one of those in years) that rang up for $9.00. Looks like the resisters aren't programmed as they should be as well. Check your register receipts!!!
As far as the staff goes, I'm pretty sure they are all Kmart employees. A few are familiar to me from other visits to the store. They are not a happy bunch until you tell them that you are going to miss the store and especially if you tell them that you hate Walmart!!
I was in the checkout and had a Corvette history DVD that had no price on it. The cashier tried to scan it a couple of times to no avail. Then she entered the UPC from the back of the case. Nothing. So she scanned a 15 cent file folder I had in its place. Then she said the classic line, "What are they gonna do, fire me?". Everyone in the checkout line broke out laughing!!!!
Well, that's enough of my diatribe this time around. Bottom line is that they do have some pretty good prices on some things. Just be aware markups and please check your receipts!!!!!!
And Tonkatoy - they still have some more Hot Wheels and track sets that appeared from somewhere since yesterday!!!!!! Still no Matchbox cars thought.....:^(
Homer
21 Apr 13 at 1:49 am
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I used to have a thing for Matchbox cars, back when they were made in England. I had something like 300 at one time.
Since they started making them off shore in the 80s, not so much...plus, I'd moved past the Matchbox years by that time.
Time and tide, Homer.
tonkatoy
22 Apr 13 at 6:50 am
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Homer,
The science of it is that they know human nature and most people act irrationally when you tell them they are getting a good deal, or that they have to act now because the store is closing. The liquidation company owns all the merchandise so yes they reprice everything in the store based on their experience, then mark it down. They are able to turn a good profit liquidating the store by capitalizing on human psychology.
Larry
22 Apr 13 at 8:27 am
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@tonkatoy - I wish I could find my old collection. I know they are somewhere in one of the storage buildings behind the house but I have yet to run across them. I may have pull an 'American Pickers' one day to see if I can track them down. Most of them are probably in pretty rough condition but a few may be worth cleaning up and displaying.
Homer
22 Apr 13 at 9:55 pm
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@Larry - I know what you mean by human nature when it comes to things like this. It's the same way that grocery stores arrange the merchandise so that the items they are pushing or prefer you to purchase are at eye level. Also the way the sell things at 2 for ?, 3 for ?, etc. to trick people into thinking that they have to buy in quantity to get the 'deal'.
I can't remember which grocery chain it was (this was quite a few years ago) but when they held a BOGO free 'sale' you got the same price whether you bought one or two. So unless you bought two you got the shaft and if you didn't really need the second one, well you were stuck with it. If it was perishable you better have a way to preserve it. For some reason I want to say this was done by Winn Dixie or A&P.
Homer
22 Apr 13 at 10:05 pm
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Homer, that reminds me. When Parisian was closing at what was then Midtown at Forest Acres, my dad noted that their prices were marked up and discounted down close to their normal prices during the liquidation and noted how people go crazy when you mention the word "sale."
Andrew
23 Apr 13 at 12:12 am
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I wonder how many people fall into the free shipping 'trap' on sites like Amazon? How many will buy things that do not really need just to get their total up to $25 (or whatever the limit is) so they get free shipping?
Homer
23 Apr 13 at 12:37 am
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I keep items on my wish list that I may need to hit the $25 mark.
tonkatoy
23 Apr 13 at 6:44 am
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I heard that a reason why this one was closing was because its lease was up. I don't know who decided to call it quits, K-Mart or the mall owners.
Tom
23 Apr 13 at 8:19 am
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I guess this will be my final Kmart post. went by there, as well as Food Lion, this afternoon and they, too, are down to the items that will never sell. Just a random array of things in no rhyme or reason in order. Items with missing parts and stuff that was just, plain tacky!!! It's a shame - I'm gonna miss that store!!
Homer
19 May 13 at 1:30 am
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@Tom - there's word going around that the Two Notch store will also close when their lease runs out.
Homer
19 May 13 at 1:31 am
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Homer, What did you like about Kmart on St.Andrews? The store was a dump and the prices were high. I really never thought that they carried quality items such as clothing and electronics. I remember not to many years go they were carrying Curtis Mathes TVs. I had never even heard of that brand before. My dad told me about it. I just feel like Kmart has given up. They could have make a real run at getting back in the game with investing in the stores and and good employees plus lower prices.
william
19 May 13 at 9:13 am
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William, I may not be Homer, but I think I have a certain fondness for this store as I've grown up within 5-10 minutes of it. We always got our prescriptions here. I even got a bunch of film developed here spring 2001 (so glad to be digital now). As I grew to understand the other area Kmarts, I felt Seven Oaks's was the best kept of them.
This is the third Kmart store closing since November 2009. As time has marched on, I've sensed that Kmart hasn't opened a new store since like 1980. I don't think they've invested much since the debut of the Big K logo ca. 1997. I don't think any Kmarts have been overhauled since the renovation to Big K which I remember as I was in 3rd/4th grade at the time. Now that I see the closing pics for it, the logo has a 90s look to it.
Kmart has been slow to adapt to the times and I now suspect to be a dying company.
Last time I was in the Kmart at 7325 Two Notch Road it felt antiquated.
Andrew
19 May 13 at 11:36 am
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Andrew,
I cannot say that I feel the same about the store as you do. I have lived in the Irmo area most of my life. I am glad to see the store close. If Kmart is not willing to keep the stores up to date and maintained well then they should close. There prices were high also.William
19 May 13 at 5:45 pm
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The fixtures of this place are going to be for sale May 20-27, 2013 for anyone interested...
I rode by this place and it hit me "this store is now officially a goner."
This place may have an unkept appearance to William and to me the 7325 Two Notch Road location felt that way to me the last time I made it in that one...
Andrew
19 May 13 at 9:50 pm
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The thing I liked about this store was the ease of getting in and out without the hassles of dealing with the crowds at a store like Walmart. If I wanted something that I knew Kmart had I would be more than willing to pay a bit more for it just to avoid dealing with the insanity of Harbison Blvd.
Like Andrew, the store may have appeared unkept until you go to one like Two Notch or the old Ft. Jackson store. They are and were in much worse shape than this one ever was. I can't attest to the state of the Lexington or W. Cola. stores.
Homer
20 May 13 at 12:04 am
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Homer-
I totally agree with you about Walmart. It is one of my least favorite stores. It is a total disaster area as well and poorly run yet people keep shopping there. There prices are not that much lower of any than a place like Target or nearby grocery stores. They maybe .25 or so less on some items. Target shoppes them and they shop Target to adjust prices as needed.William
20 May 13 at 7:59 am
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Forgot to post this Monday night but I went past the store and it looked like they were getting ready to take the signage off of the building. I'll try to make a run by there today to confirm.
Homer
22 May 13 at 2:41 am
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The Big K signage that I remember being installed as part of an upgrade in the late 90s has now been removed from the building and the roadside signage is gone as well...marking the end of Kmart #7410 at Seven Oaks Shopping Center and creating a large vacancy for whoever owns the center...but I know it can't stay vacant forever
Andrew
22 May 13 at 2:16 pm
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The inside of this place is now down to the bare walls...prompting thoughts wondering what will be next for this space...
Andrew
1 Jun 13 at 11:48 pm
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Liquidation sales are terrible for two reasons. The prices are hardly discount and you can't return an item once purchased. You can get some great deals on x-tra large clothing and off season apparal as well as super cheap cd's on lesser known artists. The art of liquidation is knowing that the buying public loves a bargain and giving that perception of a bargain while still making a profit.
joelc
8 Jun 13 at 11:59 pm
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Sad, They help me set up my first apartment as I bought lamps and dishes for my bachelor pad at Petan Apts. in 1987.
tomseay
14 Jul 13 at 12:37 pm
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Here we have the answer to the ever present question of what was the grocery store named!
http://digital.tcl.sc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/rmaxey/id/528/rec/1203
Kmart Food!
tonkatoy
11 Oct 13 at 9:22 am
The final date is supposed to be April 30th according to one of the cashiers I spoke with.