There was a time when going to Kmart felt like a real event. It wasn’t just about picking up groceries or clothes; it was a whole afternoon, maybe even a weekend ritual. The aisles felt endless, filled with toys you’d dream about and clothes your parents insisted you needed.
In my town, you had three choices if you wanted to shop: Kmart, Sears, or JCPenney. They all had their place, but Kmart was where the energy was. It had personality, especially when those blue lights started flashing and people rushed toward the deals.
These 23 old-school Kmart photos bring back all of the buzz, the bargains, and the feeling that something fun was just around the corner.
Inside a Kmart in San Jose back in 1970
I grew up further north in California, but this looks remarkably similar to the location I visited frequently during my childhood.
Halloween ad insert from 1985
Adjusting that $1.27 for a “selection of scrumptious Halloween treats that will delight all little ghosts and ghoulies”, those bags of candy, including KitKats, Reese’s Whoppers, and Tootsie Rolls, would be $3.80.
Kmart in Kedzie Square, Chicago, in 1982.
Kmart back in the 1980s was such a vibe.
Kmart ad from 1985
Adjusted for inflation, that Spacemaker under-the-counter AM/FN radio would be $179 in 2025.
Before the Kmart Cafe was the Kmart Cafeteria
Looks like the special on the wall was Fried Fish.
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Back in 1977, you could get a Salisbury steak for $1.08
This has to be the weirdest collection of menu options.
The grand opening of a Raleigh, NC-area Kmart in the 1960s
My first stop is getting a submarine sandwich. The second stop is heading straight back to those records.
The opening Day of the Kmart in Santa Rosa, California, in 1970
I would give just about anything to go back and wander through those aisles.
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Who else got their picture taken at an Olan Mills inside a Kmart?
My family always alternated between this and the JCPenney’s Portraits.
Kmart ad from 1994
Check out that 3-pack of Kodak VHS tapes for $5.99.
Kmart in Kentwood, MI, on Black Friday in 1986
You can tell it’s Black Friday by the fact that the store is opening while it’s still dark outside.
Kmart Father’s Day specials sometime in the 1980s
What are you getting your dad off Kmart’s “Dad’s Day” insert?
Kmart Memorial Day ad (5/27-5/31/99)
I’m pretty sure when I think of what something “should” cost, it’s also somewhere around this period. $0.79 for a 2-liter of soda sounds right to me.
“Until everything is sold to the bare walls”
Fascinating to see that they were selling the fixtures as well. They really meant “bare walls.”
News article about a Kmart reopening as a Big Kmart
It puts the loss of jobs in perspective that this article says that this location alone employed 120 people. Multiply that across every location across the country.
Kmart receipt from 1987
What jumps out to me about this is that it’s a mechanically printed receipt, and it’s not itemized. It is probably an old hand-crank register receipt.
This old Kmart price tag sure brings back memories
It’s funny how something as insignificant as a price sticker can cause nostalgia.
It’s hard to believe that eggs used to cost 38 cents a dozen
I’d love to know what year this is from. The fact that they’re advertising a bellows and log basket tells me it’s pretty old. Well, that and the obvious part about how everything is incredibly cheap.
Love this old photo of the Kmart checkout lines on a busy day
That brown paper bag in the foreground is massive! You can see how big it is, two rows back on the right.
Kmart camera department in 1976
I’m honestly more interested in the Wig Sale.
Kmart checkout lanes in 1975
Look at all those impulse buys.
Kmart Home Electronics department circa 1983
I really love that everything appears to be set up to try out. It reminds me of Toys’ R Us.
A woman withdrawing cash from an ATM near the men’s department in a Kmart in 1986
Take a look at the size of that ATM.
