Page 28 - bon-dia-aruba-20220412

A28 u.s. news
Diamars 12 aPriL 2022

Once a retail giant, Kmart nears extinction after closure

“I’ll miss the place. A lot of U.S. retail history. “Every- goals. Sears filed for Chapter
people shopped here.” body went to Kmart, whether 11 in 2018 and currently has
you liked it or not. They had a handful of stores left in the
In its heyday, Kmart sold everything. You had toys. You U.S. where it once had thou-
product lines endorsed by had sporting goods. You had sands.
celebrities Martha Stewart candy. You had stationery. It
and Jaclyn Smith, sponsored was something for everybody. Kmarts continue to operate
NASCAR auto races and was This was almost as much of a in Westwood, New Jersey;
mentioned in movies includ- social visit as it was a shop- Bridgehampton, on New
ing “Rain Man” and “Beetle- ping visit. You could spend York’s Long Island, and Mi-
juice.” It was name-dropped hours here. And these just ami.
in songs by artists from Emi- dotted the American land-
nem to the Beastie Boys to scape over the years.” It didn’t have to end this way,
Hall & Oates; in 2003, Emi- according to Mark Cohen,
nem bought a 29-room, sub- Kmart’s decline has been director of retail studies at
urban Detroit mansion once slow but steady, brought Columbia University in New
owned by former Kmart about by years of falling sales, York and former CEO of
chairman Chuck Conaway. changes in shopping hab- Sears Canada. Trying to com-
(AP) — The familiar its and the looming shadow pete with Walmart on price
sights and sounds are still Once it shutters, the num- The chain cemented a place of Walmart, which coinci- was a foolish strategy, he said,
there: the scuffed and fad- ber of Kmarts in the U.S. — in American culture with its dentally began its life within and Lampert was criticized
ed floor tiles, the relent- once well over 2,000 — will Blue Light Specials, a flash- months of Kmart’s founding for not having a retail back-
less beige-on-beige color be down to three in the con- ing blue orb affixed to a pole in 1962. ground and appearing more
scheme, the toddlers’ tinental U.S. and a handful of that would beckon shoppers interested in stripping off the
clothes and refrigerators stores elsewhere, according to a flash sale in progress. Struggling to compete with assets of the two chains for
and pretty much every- to multiple reports, in a re- Part of its success was due to Walmart’s low prices and their cash value.
thing in between. tail world now dominated by its early adoption of layaway Target’s trendier offerings,
Walmart, Target and Amazon. programs, which allowed Kmart filed for Chapter 11 Transformco, which owns
There’s even a canned re- customers who lacked credit bankruptcy protection in Kmart and Sears, did not re-
cording that begins, “Atten- The demise of the the store in to reserve items and pay for early 2002 — becoming the spond to an email seeking
tion, Kmart shoppers” — ex- the middle-class suburb, 15 them in installments. largest U.S. retailer to take comment and a phone num-
cept it’s to remind folks about miles (24 kilometers) south that step — and announced ber listed for the company
COVID-19 precautions, not of New York City, is the tale For a time, Kmart had a little it would close more than 250 was not taking messages.
to alert them to a flash sale of the death of the discount bit of everything: You could stores.
over in ladies’ lingerie like department store writ small. shop for your kids’ back-to- Nationwide, some former
days of old. school supplies, get your car A few years later, hedge fund Kmarts remain vacant while
“You’re always thinking tuned up and grab a meal executive Edward Lampert others have been replaced by
Many of the shelves are bare, about it because stores are without leaving the premises. combined Sears and Kmart other big-box stores, fitness
though, at the Kmart in Ave- closing all over, but it’s still and pledged to return them centers, self-storage facili-
nel, New Jersey, picked over sad,” said cashier Michelle “Kmart was part of Ameri- to their former greatness, but ties, even churches. One for-
by bargain hunters as the Yavorsky, who said she has ca,” said Michael Lisicky, a the recession and the rising mer site in Colorado Springs,
store prepares to close its worked at the Avenel store Baltimore-based author who dominance of Amazon con- Colorado, is now a popular
doors for good April 16. for 2 ½ years. has written several books on tributed in derailing those dine-in movie theater.

Transgender treatment ban challenged by lawsuit in Alabama

(AP) — Two families with dren and put doctors like me The parents of a 13-year-old known as Roe and Doe in Campaign, which is a na-
transgender teens and two in the horrifying position of transgender girl in Jefferson the court filing to protect the tional advocacy group for the
physicians sued the state choosing between ignoring County and a 17-year-old children’s identities. LGBTQ community, and
of Alabama on Monday to the medical needs of our pa- transgender boy in Shelby other groups are representing
overturn a law that makes tients or risking being sent to County are participating in The Southern Poverty Law the plaintiffs. The Law Cen-
it a crime for doctors to prison.” the lawsuit. The plaintiffs are Center, the Human Rights ter announced the suit in a
treat trans youth under 19 news release.
with puberty blockers or
hormones to help affirm The Alabama law, which will
their gender identity. go into effect May 8 unless
blocked by the court, will
The lawsuit was filed in fed- make it a felony for a doctor
eral court three days after to prescribe puberty block-
Republican Gov. Kay Ivey ers or hormones to aid in the
signed the measure into law. gender transition of anyone
Ivey is running for reelection under age 19. Violations will
this year and faces challeng- be punishable by up to 10
ers in next month’s GOP pri- years in prison. It also pro-
mary. hibits gender transition sur-
geries, although doctors told
“By signing SB 184 Gover- lawmakers those are gener-
nor Ivey has told kind, lov- ally not done on minors.
ing, and loyal Alabama fami-
lies that they cannot stay here Ivey signed the legislation
without denying their chil- on Friday, a day after it was
dren the basic medical care approved by the Alabama
they need,” Dr. Morissa La- Legislature. At a campaign
dinsky, one of the plaintiffs, stop Monday, the governor
said in a statement. “She has invoked religion when asked
undermined the health and about her decision to sign the
well-being of Alabama chil- legislation.