27-year-old photo of Kmart sends shoppers on a trip down memory lane… And leaves others frustrated
- Replies 9
As the days fly by right before our eyes, the environment along with almost everything around us changes gradually. We may have a vague memory of how things looked years ago but only a photo can perfectly encapsulate and freeze a particular point in time.
A teenager from Sydney, Jimmy Borg, has filled shoppers with waves of nostalgia after sharing a snap of a Kmart store in 1995.
Jimmy explained that he stumbled across the image from an old annual report in the Coles Myer National Archives after doing some personal research.
"I'm passionate about history and seeing how things were in the past," he said.
The image features the entrance of a Kmart store and its new layout at the time, with a brief caption underneath detailing the opening of three new stores across the country.
"New stores opened in Indooroopilly (Queensland), Parramatta (New South Wales), and Chadstone (Victoria), together with an additional 15 refurbished stores," the caption read.
A Kmart store in 1995. Source: Jimmy Borg (Facebook)
"The Kmart we all remember, the Kmart we'll never see again," Jimmy wrote alongside the image.
"This was the Kmart I grew up with and the one I remember. I could buy garden plants and parts for my bike and scooters," he recalled.
"I remember the cool Kmart where you could buy consoles, DVDs, CDs, TVs before they changed."
Jimmy added that he disliked the current format including the registers relocated to the middle of the stores and the launch of the retailer’s brand Anko.
“I've noticed my frustration is shared with many other Australians who dislike the new layout," he said.
He said that the nostalgia for the old Kmart is "strong" among the viewers of his post, who also believed that the store used to be "better".
"I still can not get over the ridiculous centre store payment hub... It baffles me every time I shop there! What ‘genius’ thought of that?” one user sneered.
A side-by-side comparison of the new and old layouts. Source: Daily Mail
"The worst thing that Kmart has is their checkout in the middle of the store. It's so off-putting," another chimed.
"The new store is horrible.” a third criticised.
Another user deemed the new stores as "ghostlands".
"You can't find any help," the user detailed, urging others to take aim at self-serve checkouts.
A fifth slammed the position of the checkouts and how it prompted uncomfortable interactions with the staff, saying: "People pay, get their things and themselves organised to leave and are then stopped by security for proof of purchase. I've never been back since they started this and their discrimination!"
One more pointed out how customers sometimes end up doing the employees' jobs.
"It is so distressing, sometimes there are long lines up, so I just put my purchases down and walk out," she wrote.
Plenty of shoppers also joined in on the discussion, reminiscing what they loved the most about shopping at Kmart years before the drastic shift.
"Back in the 1970s, they had everything including a restaurant," a customer commented.
Shoppers recalled the old Kmart with a restaurant. Source: Facebook, Reddit
"I loved the cafeteria in our local Kmart. The kids loved it during school holidays as we often went for lunch. Good times that will never be seen again… So sad," added another commenter.
A third remembered the gardening department being packed every Saturday morning, while others recalled the unexpected products that the chain used to sell, such as guns and cigarettes.
What are your memories of the old Kmart? Do you prefer their stores’ old layout or are you a fan of the current one? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Reminisce further with this look at a Woolworths store in the 1980s by clicking here.
Take the nostalgia up a notch by watching Kmart’s TV advertisement from 1997 below:
Source: CheesyTV
A teenager from Sydney, Jimmy Borg, has filled shoppers with waves of nostalgia after sharing a snap of a Kmart store in 1995.
Jimmy explained that he stumbled across the image from an old annual report in the Coles Myer National Archives after doing some personal research.
"I'm passionate about history and seeing how things were in the past," he said.
The image features the entrance of a Kmart store and its new layout at the time, with a brief caption underneath detailing the opening of three new stores across the country.
"New stores opened in Indooroopilly (Queensland), Parramatta (New South Wales), and Chadstone (Victoria), together with an additional 15 refurbished stores," the caption read.
A Kmart store in 1995. Source: Jimmy Borg (Facebook)
"The Kmart we all remember, the Kmart we'll never see again," Jimmy wrote alongside the image.
"This was the Kmart I grew up with and the one I remember. I could buy garden plants and parts for my bike and scooters," he recalled.
"I remember the cool Kmart where you could buy consoles, DVDs, CDs, TVs before they changed."
Jimmy added that he disliked the current format including the registers relocated to the middle of the stores and the launch of the retailer’s brand Anko.
“I've noticed my frustration is shared with many other Australians who dislike the new layout," he said.
He said that the nostalgia for the old Kmart is "strong" among the viewers of his post, who also believed that the store used to be "better".
"I still can not get over the ridiculous centre store payment hub... It baffles me every time I shop there! What ‘genius’ thought of that?” one user sneered.
A side-by-side comparison of the new and old layouts. Source: Daily Mail
"The worst thing that Kmart has is their checkout in the middle of the store. It's so off-putting," another chimed.
"The new store is horrible.” a third criticised.
Another user deemed the new stores as "ghostlands".
"You can't find any help," the user detailed, urging others to take aim at self-serve checkouts.
A fifth slammed the position of the checkouts and how it prompted uncomfortable interactions with the staff, saying: "People pay, get their things and themselves organised to leave and are then stopped by security for proof of purchase. I've never been back since they started this and their discrimination!"
One more pointed out how customers sometimes end up doing the employees' jobs.
"It is so distressing, sometimes there are long lines up, so I just put my purchases down and walk out," she wrote.
Plenty of shoppers also joined in on the discussion, reminiscing what they loved the most about shopping at Kmart years before the drastic shift.
"Back in the 1970s, they had everything including a restaurant," a customer commented.
Shoppers recalled the old Kmart with a restaurant. Source: Facebook, Reddit
"I loved the cafeteria in our local Kmart. The kids loved it during school holidays as we often went for lunch. Good times that will never be seen again… So sad," added another commenter.
A third remembered the gardening department being packed every Saturday morning, while others recalled the unexpected products that the chain used to sell, such as guns and cigarettes.
What are your memories of the old Kmart? Do you prefer their stores’ old layout or are you a fan of the current one? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Reminisce further with this look at a Woolworths store in the 1980s by clicking here.
Take the nostalgia up a notch by watching Kmart’s TV advertisement from 1997 below:
Source: CheesyTV
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