There was a Kmart located at 1920 West Broadway Road, Mesa, AZ that closed on January 18, 2009, leaving numerous employees out of a job. Some depressed, some finding new jobs, some moving to unemployment...but all of them SCREWED... Kmart, once known as the top retailer in the United States is now falling on its backside and taking down every employee with it.
I was an employee at this Kmart. I was hired with several years of experience to work in Loss Prevention. My employment started in September of 2008. I was looking forward to a couple of years at making some extra money. My goal was to work with fellow management staff and create a better shopping environment by creating a safe one and doing my part to eliminate theft. I did my job. I caught numerous shoplifters. With the assistance of my partner (who we'll call T-Bone), we caught employees stealing in the thousands. Was any of it worth it...(a very big) NOPE!
I found out a month after starting that I will be out of a job sometime around the middle of January. I was introduced to the liquidator and he became my new boss. Rarely did I hear from my District Manager. He was no help anyway. He wasn't a bad guy, he just couldn't put company policy aside and help out his team. He was only concerned with himself.
"I can't make any promises," he would say. "you have to be laid off and then you need to re-apply at another store with an open position."
Kmart has already failed their customers. Now, they're failing their employees by giving them the shaft. Try to imagine this scenario (I'm speaking for the long-time employees)...
You've been working at Kmart since you were a teenager. Now it's 20 or 30 years later and they approach you and say...
"The store is closing in two months. We're not transferring you to another store. You're simply going to be out of a job. Your time with Kmart means nothing. Best of luck!"
I want to hear your story on this blog. I want to know how Kmart screwed you over. Tell your story and vent. I will make sure this blog gets to the people who deserve to know they've adversely affected some longtime employees of what was once a U.S. retail superpower and is now a fading footprint on the American business frontier.
I'm sure Sebastian Kresge would be proud!!
