Fittingly, 'a whole lot of awesome' has apparently been made to a Kmart in Des Plaines, IL. What I mean by that is that Sears Holdings actually remodeled the interior of this store to attract customers. While the interior has changed, the exterior remains the same. While I don't mind that fact too much, it is still kind of odd to have done that. I really shouldn't be surprised by that with Sears Holdings' track record. They seem to always find something to skimp on.
Regardless, this is fantastic to see that an effort has been to improve not only the fresh food selection at Kmart, but also the store's aesthetics in general. The press release indicates that wider aisles and new signage are found within the store. The customer services desk and pharmacy have been redesigned to better accommodate the customer's needs. Also added is a 'Shoparazzi' express lane (as seen in the customer services linked photo). Shoparazzi is "a free personal concierge service that when provided a member's list, will do the shopping for you. And if Kmart doesn't carry the product, they will find it at another store and it will be waiting for you at checkout."
It is also great to see a paint desk introduced, something of which has not been in any post-Sears merger store. It is also fantastic to see a better selection for pet products. I applaud having appliances, mattresses and furniture all next to each other. Freeing up space in front of layaway for excess products is a smart move. It gives the impression of items that you could be putting on layaway, yet at the same time gives more room for any departments that need the extra space. Also notice that this is where a display of movies has been moved to with the electronics department shrunken down. The main aisle for dollar deals and the "Aisle of Wow" are a nice to touch to give the customer a feeling of scoring good deals which has been one of Kmart's new goals.
A couple of negatives I find with this package, is the fact that electronics is only one and a half aisles. I realize that electronics has been a weak spot for Kmart in the past, it still is disappointing to see them shrinking their selection rather than improve upon it. The other fault is the fact that the store removed it's eatery. This store previously held a Little Caesars as seen here, but it was removed in the remodeling of this store to be replaced with shoes. I know that the Little Caesars found in some of the Kmart locations within the Twin Tiers coverage area appear to be busy and they draw a crowd into the store.
And while I assume this empty space is temporary, why is it here during a grand re-opening celebration?
You can see a whole photoset of what the store looks like now and what it had prior. The linked pictures of this new and so far unique to the Des Plaines store decor package known as 'Whole Lotta Awesome' come to you via Flickr user fourstarcashiernathan.
It's seeing things like this that momentarily give me some hope about Kmart's future. I really thought this "remodel" was going to be nothing more than the red rectangle signs and maybe some paint, but this was certainly nice to see! Of course, just this morning I was complaining that K-Fresh was dead, but I seem to have been proven wrong! I really like the new signage, and the new services like the paint counter and the expanded food section. Kmart should have been doing this 10 years ago! If they really wanted this to be a showcase prototype store, they should have at least splurged for putting the new logo on the front (or shipping a new logo over from a closing store even). Even with some of the negatives you mention (lack of exterior upgrades, removal of Little Caesar's), I still think overall this remodel is a good move on their part. However, there are some stores out there that will need more work done to them than just new signage should this remodel be taken to more stores (new floors, new ceiling tiles, etc.). Even if it may have some drawbacks, I hope this can be the one thing Kmart can stick to and that they don't give up on it in a few months.
ReplyDeleteI do think that the concept can work, but only if it were to be brought to other stores as well. (And doing any necessary upgrades as you mentioned.) I just hope that any Little Caesars locations wouldn't be removed if any others were to remodel.
DeleteIt is weird that the new logo was nowhere to be found.
I agree with the comments you and AFB make... there's some good (fresh food! new sections and layouts!), some bad (old logo! café removal!) with this effort. Though I find the décor itself to be a little bland - certainly nothing can top the package that came before the now-I-guess-previous red rectangle signs, at least in my opinion - ultimately, it's at least ambitious of them!
ReplyDeleteThe decor isn't the greatest, but it is certainly better than seeing decor packages intertwined. And it is nice to see the added shape to the signs, rather than just plain flat red rectangles or the 90s signs. Good to see that all the departments actually have the same style of decor sign.
DeleteYep, I agree - the consistency and 3D is very un-Kmart-like, and therefore cool to see!
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