Kmart interior
Kmart #3438 (84,280 square feet)
1550 Saint Georges Avenue, Delco Plaza, Avenel, NJ
Opened October 17th, 1979, renovated in the mid 2000s
With only four open locations left in the Continental United States, I'd have to be one hard-headed retail photographer to pass up a visit to one of three Kmart stores in the Northeast while in New Jersey. However, last time I was up this way I instead decided to visit the Media, PA Sears, which took precedence since that store was closing at the time. This time around Avenel's Kmart just so happened to be near several other points of interest I had during this trip, so going there was a no brainer! I hadn't even been to a Kmart since Silver Spring, MD in February, and I was more than ready to experience one of their stores again. I'm sure most people (i.e. retail fans) reading this are already somewhat familiar with this location, whether from another user's photos here on Flickr or in a Facebook group, from watching a Youtuber's video, or from visiting the store themselves out of interest, but I figured I'd throw my hat in the ring because why not? After all, while us folks who document retail do tend to visit the same places, I feel like we all have different perspectives and ways about going about our visits that make it interesting. In this case, you get a whole album of RetailRyan-brand Kmart photos!
The store, as many of you already know, is a standard 1970s-build with a 2005-era décor package inside (something I usually associate with the old Kill Devil Hills store). While this does give the store a much more refreshed feel compared to those that had been stuck with 1997-era Big Kmart aesthetics, there's no denying that the glory days are long gone. For the most part I found the store to be decently stocked, but did notice several areas where merchandise seemed thin. And of course there's the matter of the store's back right corner (where automotive and the garden center were) being completely blocked off to the public due to lack of product, which is a maneuver I've seen in a few Sears stores as of late. Oh, and the pharmacy is nonexistent now. I'd say the store is serviceable for the most part, but definitely on borrowed time. It's no surprise that a closure was indeed announced in the following March, so I'm glad I was able to visit the store while it still existed in a non-going out of business state kinda-sorta!
Kmart interior
Kmart #3438 (84,280 square feet)
1550 Saint Georges Avenue, Delco Plaza, Avenel, NJ
Opened October 17th, 1979, renovated in the mid 2000s
With only four open locations left in the Continental United States, I'd have to be one hard-headed retail photographer to pass up a visit to one of three Kmart stores in the Northeast while in New Jersey. However, last time I was up this way I instead decided to visit the Media, PA Sears, which took precedence since that store was closing at the time. This time around Avenel's Kmart just so happened to be near several other points of interest I had during this trip, so going there was a no brainer! I hadn't even been to a Kmart since Silver Spring, MD in February, and I was more than ready to experience one of their stores again. I'm sure most people (i.e. retail fans) reading this are already somewhat familiar with this location, whether from another user's photos here on Flickr or in a Facebook group, from watching a Youtuber's video, or from visiting the store themselves out of interest, but I figured I'd throw my hat in the ring because why not? After all, while us folks who document retail do tend to visit the same places, I feel like we all have different perspectives and ways about going about our visits that make it interesting. In this case, you get a whole album of RetailRyan-brand Kmart photos!
The store, as many of you already know, is a standard 1970s-build with a 2005-era décor package inside (something I usually associate with the old Kill Devil Hills store). While this does give the store a much more refreshed feel compared to those that had been stuck with 1997-era Big Kmart aesthetics, there's no denying that the glory days are long gone. For the most part I found the store to be decently stocked, but did notice several areas where merchandise seemed thin. And of course there's the matter of the store's back right corner (where automotive and the garden center were) being completely blocked off to the public due to lack of product, which is a maneuver I've seen in a few Sears stores as of late. Oh, and the pharmacy is nonexistent now. I'd say the store is serviceable for the most part, but definitely on borrowed time. It's no surprise that a closure was indeed announced in the following March, so I'm glad I was able to visit the store while it still existed in a non-going out of business state kinda-sorta!