That blue light is looking pretty dim from here
By Clint Engel, Senior retail editor -- Furniture Today, February 3, 2002
By now you've probably heard more about Kmart's bankruptcy filing than you ever heard about their branding program or competitive pricing or even the return of the blue-light special.
And I imagine there are a number of retailers (and manufacturers) out there thinking, Thank goodness that's not me!
It's so easy to pick on Kmart. At this late stage of the game it had so little left going for it outside of, say, Martha Stewart.
It got beat on price by Wal-Mart — not by a lot, but by just enough to make it clear to any bargain hunter that the best deals are at the big W, which is often just down the street from the Super K.
It got beat on looks by Target, for those consumers willing to shell out a little more money for a little more style, and for those not so loyal to a Kmart brand like Martha.
Even the help seemed second (or third) best, which is scary considering how many times I've wanted to strangle my local Wal-Mart's "associates" for their general I'm-on-break attitude. (I've always thought the Wal-Mart greeter should be growling something like, "You're on your own, punk!" instead of that phony "We're glad to have you" stuff as he slaps a smiley-face sticker on my kid's shirt.)
But I was talking about Kmart. And that's the problem. It's hard to talk about Kmart without mentioning its better competitors. There's got to be a lesson here for our industry. Instead of being thankful that we're not Kmart, we ought to be asking if there is anything about our business that is like Kmart, and what can we do to change it immediately.
If you're not as good or better than your competitors at whatever it is you're trying to be, you're like Kmart. If your history is far richer than your present, you're like Kmart.
There's nothing wrong with selling for less. But don't pretend to be the low-price leader if you're not. That's what Kmart did. Don't pretend to be the brand or style leader if you're not. Don't convince yourself that your service is superior or that your store is cleaner or friendlier if it's not. Don't confuse the consumer with mission statements that you don't live up to. That's what Kmart did.
And don't wait for the consumer to tell you to your face that you're not worth their time.
Like many, I throw an occasional dollar to Kmart, but it's becoming more and more occasional. I bought a Martha Stewart superduper, spring-loaded bundt cake pan for my wife there, and that turned out to be a good thing.
Then late last year, I received some Kmart khakis for Christmas, and after one wash the cuffs developed a mind of their own. Now it takes two people to hold down the pants and iron the things back into something resembling cuff-like form. I never had that problem with Wal-Mart or Target khakis.
I should stop buying cheap pants, you say. I should return them. But you know I won't.
I just won't return to Kmart.
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