Australians – including yours truly – are sick of one thing Americans do when it comes to our beloved Kmart.
I’ve been a lifestyle writer for four years, and it’s meant I have consumed literally thousands of videos and posts about Aussies raving about the budget retailer’s products.
And, nine times out of 10, there will be a comment along the lines of, “Didn’t all the Kmarts shut down? They don’t exist anymore!” from someone in North America.
The United States’ last full-sized mainland Kmart shut down on October 20, 2024, as it struggled to compete with retailers such as Walmart and Target.
This is compared to more than 2,000 stores in the United States during the brand’s mid-90s peak.
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Aussies have tried to explain to Americans several times that the businesses are actually completely different and that the Down Under version of Kmart is booming.
The comments keep coming.
I, for one, cannot take it anymore. I cannot keep quiet. Different countries have different stores! It cannot be that much of a shock.
I am far from the only Australian who has this stance; a simple search of “Kmart doesn’t exist” reveals.
“If you’re watching a video on TikTok and the creator sounds just like me, and they’re sharing, ‘Come to Kmart with me’ or ‘Here’s everything I got at Kmart today’, a Kmart haul or ‘;Here’s what’s new at Kmart,” one said.
“A very big announcement that’s just in today, you don’t have to comment on that if you’re from a certain place.”
The woman rattled off comments she’d gotten, such as, “My local Kmart hasn’t been open for years”, or “Sweetie, there’s no more Kmarts”.
Another Aussie posted that every time she posts about Kmart, she inevitably gets the shocked question that “Kmart’s still exist”.
“I’m glad I’m not the only one who gets p****d off when I see those comments,” one Aussie said.
“I love it when the U.S. forgets the world exists,” another added.
“It’s like when I saw a US creator say she got clothes at Cotton On. I thought to myself, ‘Oh, I didn’t realise Cotton On was in the U.S. too’. Didn’t feel the need to comment to dispute that fact,” a fifth said.
Americans were quick to rush to defend themselves.
“As an American we honestly never knew Kmart was worldwide. I just learned they still exist. All of ours closed down years ago,” one said.
“Kmart isn’t here any more in America. I would go there always,” another said.
America’s last full size Kmart in The Hamptons closed down in 2024, with stores still existing in the Virgin Islands and a small store in Miami.
Kmart opened its first store in Melbourne in 1969 and, at the time, was connected with the American business.
In 2017, Wesfarmers purchased the Kmart branding outright for Australia and New Zealand.
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