Kmart - Somerville, MA

Kmart - Somerville, MA

  May 20, 2018    Robby S.

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KMART 
77 MIDDLESEX AVENUE 
SOMERVILLE, RI 
OPENED 1997 

Here we are at yet another Kmart

But I have to say, this was a really nice one... By Kmart standards that is. This Kmart location is located in the Boston suburb of Somerville, right off of I-93. This particular Kmart is located within the Assembly Square Shopping Center, which is home to a few other big-box stores including T.J.Maxx, HomeGoods, Bed Bath & Beyond, Trader Joe's, and Christmas Tree Shops. There also used to be a Sports Authority, but it has since closed its doors.



This location opened in Kmart's heyday, all the way back in 1996. When it opened, it boasted the brand new 'Big K' concept the company was beginning to roll out, and sometime in the early 2010s, the store got re-branded to just Kmart.

Upon first impressions, this is an incredibly well-kept store for Kmart. For most Kmart stores, the storefront is pretty badly neglected, but that is not the case for this one. It felt new and modern, as if it were for Walmart or Target, which is always a good sign

The Garden Shop, too, was in pristine condition. My only complaint is that the exterior lettering for the Garden Shop was white rather than the more common red, but I guess that's to make the lettering stand out more against the brown masonry

But first impressions are meaningless when the interior can't deliver. It was pretty clear there has been no extensive overhaul of the interior since the store's opening in 1996. Heck, the entrance vestibule still had a payphone!

And look at that customer service desk! It just screams 1990s Kmart!

As far as merchandise goes, the products were kept pretty tidy, which is a huge relief when dealing with Kmart stores. It's pretty clear that the staff cares greatly about the appearance of their store, which is how employees should be in retail.

Something that struck me as pretty neat is the original signage for the Garden Center. This has been here since the store opened in 1996.

The Garden Shop, as you would imagine for mid-April in New England, was pretty barren of customers, but despite this, it was pretty well stocked.

Although the store has since been rebranded from Big Kmart a few years back, a Thank You For Shopping Big K sign still remains hung in the Garden Shop.

Okay, so here's where I'm going to start talking about my pet peeves... There is such an inconsistency throughout the store of the design on their price scanners. I know it's such a minor detail to nitpick, but it bothers me... a lot...

Here are some of the various price scanners I found throughout the store. Note the varied design on each scanner

This Kmart was better than most about keeping their signage up to date. For the most part, all the signs were from the most recent #LifeIsRediculouslyAwesome campaign, which was pretty nice to see.

The best way I can describe the feel for this store is that of an Ocean State Job Lot or Big Lots... Not too great but also not too bad. While it was pretty well stocked, the store itself started to feel old and warn-out, which is not uncommon for many chain discount stores.

The store's former Auto Center has since been transformed into a secondary stock room, which juts out on the left side of the store

The store offices and restrooms were tucked away in the back left corner of the store for whatever reason. It felt like an awkward place to have them.

Now here's where the store really starts to show its age and outdatedness. Just take a look at all the grime that's accumulated on the floors from old shelving units. Also take a look at the gargantuan security cameras they have installed in the rear of the store. Do they even still work?

Here on the rear wall you can find some random triangles. This was part of the store's original aesthetic from its opening in 1996.

The electronics department was devoid of any original signage. The M&V and Electronics signs have long since been removed, likely done during the stores 2010-ish rebranding.

I think that overall my biggest complaint on the store is that the right half of the store was pretty dark and not inviting at all.

Compare that to the much brighter food department

For a Kmart of this size, it had a good number of checkout lanes... 13 on the main sales floor in addition to the customer service desk and the Garden Shop.

The checkout lanes were your usual, with the archaic computer systems and worn down shelves.

Another oddity of this store is the lack of plastic bags. I don't know what it is about this store, but there were no plastic bags... Only paper ones. Perhaps it has something to do with the town's codes on bags or something, but there were no plastic bags to be found at this Kmart.

Behind the customer service desk is one of the oldest Kmart remnants... An original Kmart plastic shopping cart. This dates way back to the 1990s before the introduction of the Big Kmart name. Since this store opened in '96, though, I'm not too sure how or why it got here. This was the only shopping cart of this model I could find.

Additionally, an older mart cart with the Kmart logo could be found in the front of the store

A battered blue light could be found behind one of the security gates at the front of the store.

This Kmart was in pretty good condition for being a Kmart store, and it appears that its workers care greatly about it. I know often times many Kmart stores have since fallen into a state of disrepair, but this one hasn't quite yet (likely a result of its younger age)

Well until next time,
~RS