Kmart's Very Last Large-Scale Store — Located in a Ritzy Beach Town — Is Closing This Week

Mar. 15, 2025

A closing Kmart in 2016.Photo: Getty Images

Longtime discount retailer Kmart has reached its end of days, as the last full-size store on the U.S. mainland is officially closing.

The final Kmart store has stood in Bridgehampton, New York, for many years, but it’s currently set to close on Oct. 20. Once the Long Island location shuts its door for good, shoppers won’t be able to find the once-popular discount store within the continental U.S.

Though there are some other small convenience store versions of the brand scattered around the country, the upcoming closure of the brick-and-mortar store in Bridgehampton will mark the end of an era for the brand. An employee of the location confirmed the store’s closing date toCNN.

A Kmart logo.Getty

When Kmart and Sears merged, the two brands had about 2,300 stores combined, though that number decreased to just 422 stores after the brand emerged from its2018 bankruptcy filing. Since then, that number has only continued to dwindle, foretelling the eventual closure of its brick-and-mortar locations amid competition from Target, Walmart and online retailers.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Though this is the end of the Kmart stores as they were once fondly remembered, there is still a small selection of Sears locations across the U.S., though they remain fairly scarce. As of January 2024, only 12 Sears locations are open in the country. Despite its steady decline in the U.S., it continues to have a prominent presence overseas, thriving in countries like Australia and New Zealand.

Kmart was best known for its quick “blue light specials,” in which customers could purchase specific goods at a discounted price within a 15-minute time frame. These promotions began in 1965 and ended in 1991, despite multiple attempts from the brand to bring back the flash sales.

source: people.com