The number of Kmarts in the U.S. once well over 2,000 will be down to three in the continental U.K. and a handful of stores elsewhere. Kmart cemented a place in American culture with its Blue Light Specials, a flashing blue orb affixed to a pole that would beckon shoppers to a flash sale in progress. The demise of the the the store in the middle-class suburb, 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of New York City, is the tale of the death of the discount department store writ small. It was mentioned in movies including “Rain Man” and “Beetlejuice” It was name-dropped in songs by artists from Eminem to the Beastie Boys. . . .
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