Thread regarding Sears layoffs

For some reason, WESTWOOD NJ seems to be getting a lot of attention, but there's another NJ store in AVENEL. Here is the video of that one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrbjCpRtn0U

"Slow liquidation til they are all gone. Way before the end of the year, or end of summer."

Disclaimer: This statement is a prediction, and is not factual. All stores might close by year's end, but that's not proven at this point.

Most kmarts look like this now (I know the one I work at does). Slow liquidation til they are all gone. Way before the end of the year, or end of summer.

There's nothing wrong with the guy that made the video. I am glad he did it and I'm glad this horrid, obsolete company, is finally getting the comeuppance they deserved. I promised them about 20 Years ago this would happen, and their chickens are coming home to roost now. Good riddance. Glad they are closing. Should have happened long ago.

This guy that made the vid talks and sounds like an id–t.Wonder what kind of work he does?His life is so interesting that he drives around filming old kmarts,After 35 years my time came almost 10 years ago.People...try as best you can to keep your heads up.Even with higher paying retail jobs these days it is very scary to know you will be losing your livelyhood soon.Somehow we have to keep moving forward though,But this Andrew guy that shot the video sounds like a total id–t,hell maybe its really Eddie.Its just sad seeing a place you have worked almost your whole adult life go down the tubes,Remember back in the 70's and early 80's it was a fun place to work.My own fault for staying though.Poor old SS Kresge has to be spinning in his grave.

Used to go there all the time as a kid since we lived in town, but I don't remember the roof leaking there, maybe that came in the later years. It not only had a high ceiling, it was an oddly shaped building for a KMart. Must have been something else before KMart. We also used to go to the Grand Union on the other side of that strip mall which was a much better store than Stop N Shop.

Paramus was fun when it rained.
There were buckets and garbage cans everywhere to catch the water as it came through the ceiling. And it was a very high ceiling . . .

I also used to occasionally go to this store too, but the last time I was there had to be in the late 90s/early 00s. For the most part, I stopped shopping at KMart sometime around 2012 when I walked into the Paramus location and thought they really had a poor selection for almost everything. But here we are nearly a decade later and KMart is still in business. Hopefully it will come to and end soon as its sad to see a once great retailer die such a slow and painful death.

@szb+19AFAke2 All true and valid points. Westwood may be around to the end. I expect, though, that the end is just a few months away.

Every few months another batch of closings is announced and there isn't any new hard merchandise coming in.

A few miles away, the Lodi store closed 5 years ago. It's been empty since that time.
They finally announced a new tenant (grocery store) late last year.
Eventually it makes sense just to vacate.

And yes, the parking lot and drainage are atrocious.

@vzd+19AFAke2 If you visit the Westwood store, then you’re well aware of the run-down condition of that entire shopping plaza. The Westwood plaza is stuck in the late 80’s/early 90’s, and is in desperate need of a complete and total renovation. Including completely repaving the parking lot, including addressing drainage issues.

About half (or more) of the store fronts are vacant. Rumor I heard is rents are astronomical, and who’s gonna pay top dollar rent for an old store front in a run down shopping center? So because of that, real estate values might not be as much as we all might think. Bear in mind, nearby towns like Paramus & Closter have great shopping centers and malls, so even tho the Westwood Kmart is up for lease, too much nearby competition, rent is too high, and way too much investment is needed for a “big box” retailer to take over the Kmart space. And remember that Kmart is an “anchor” tenant so no doubt that increases the rent/lease cost.

So for those reasons I think the Westwood Kmart might survive the next round. And remember this, it’s been up for lease for some time now, and clearly no bites.

How much does a store like this do in sales in a day? I remember our fully stocked Kmart did about $15,000 in sales on a good day before we announced that we were closing in 2018. By comparison, the Home Depot that I worked at for a little while after Kmart had a “bad sales day” when we did $180,000 in a day!

Is Kmart closing in Westwood, NJ?

Unfortunately, the Westwood store isn't so much defying odds as its turn simply hasn't come yet.

I shop there too on occasion (although now I visit mostly out of a certain morbid curiosity).

Transformco has a list of stores and the order in which they will be closed. None of us know the exact reasons why one will close before another but we can guess as to real estate value and term of lease.

Check the Kmart website and you can see that the stores aren't getting any new merchandise (perishables aside).

This is not a going concern. (Not happy about it either - but things are what they are.)

And yet somehow despite everything, the Westwood Kmart continues to defy the odds, and remain open. And has made it to the final 23 Kmarts!

Now that said, I am the Westwood Kmart aficionado, and I'll tell you why. I grew up with that store and remember it well during it's heyday. It was my go to store for everything and anything I needed be it for work or home. Whether it was work pants, socks, car batteries, motor oil, drinks, snacks, etc, etc., you name it they had it, and at bargain prices. It once had a Kmart auto center, a garden center, a Kmart cafe, etc. It is/was a big store. I remember the famous blue light specials and customers would flock to see what was "on-sale". I bought the first piece of jewelry, a necklace for my future wife at the jewelry department, at the Westwood Kmart.

So you can say what you want, but for me it's nostalgia. It's sad to see my once "go to store for everything", that I have fond memories of, reduced to a shell of it's former glory. So yes I still root for them to stay open and still go there once in a while. I know the end is close, but they've made it this far so who knows...

Hey, the 1-15 cowboys were winning multiple Super Bowls just a few seasons later. Professionals have pride even when everything around them is sh–, for the fans, for themselves, and because it's what they're paid to do. Don't put that analogy on Sears.

Wow, I just saw the vid. I grew up in this area, although I'm in Another Hemisphere now. Anyway, to use a Boxing analogy, this is a "shot" store. A "shot" Boxer is one that has no defense, and as soon as he's put to any sort of opponent with any minimal amount of resistance, he will be knocked out in a round or 2. That's where this store is. There is literally nothing happening there. It's like the stadium for the 0-15 football team. Yes, they have to play the next game, but the result is a forgone conclusion. The team is going nowhere, and has zero chances of advancing to the playoffs or whatever. This store is beyond "shot". It's literally a DEAD STORE WALKING. Like a chicken with its head cut off. It will run around and cluck for a while, but the end result is a forgone conclusion, obviously. Sorry, because I lived in that area, but it's not only toast, but way way way beyond burnt toast.

Wow, I just saw the vid. I grew up in this area, although I'm in Another Hemisphere now. Anyway, to use a Boxing analogy, this is a "shot" store. A "shot" Boxer is one that has no defense, and as soon as he's put to any sort of opponent with any minimal amount of resistance, he will be knocked out in a round or 2. That's where this store is. There is literally nothing happening there. It's like the stadium for the 0-15 football team. Yes, they have to play the next game, but the result is a forgone conclusion. The team is going nowhere, and has zero chances of advancing to the playoffs or whatever. This store is beyond "shot". It's literally a DEAD STORE WALKING. Like a chicken with its head cut off. It will run around and cluck for a while, but the end result is a forgone conclusion, obviously. Sorry, because I lived in that area, but it's not only toast, but way way way beyond burnt toast.

Cool, abandoned Kmart with power still on!!

Stick a fork in it, this toast is um, toast, LOL. Next. I think Avenel NJ is done too.