'Store Closing Sale' In Full Swing At Vernon KMart

VERNON, CT — So much for that KMart liquidaton sale starting in a couple of weeks. Shoppers have been out in full force at the doomed Vernon store this week seeking bargains.

About 100 cars were in the parking lot at 295 Hartford Turnpike KMart with a "Store Closing" sign next to the BigK marquee serving as a backdrop. Inside were more signs proclaiming "Everything Must Go" and "Nothing Held Back" while promoting savings of between 10 and 40 percent. That was for the mainstream items — holiday items were 70 percent off.

KMart's parent company, Sears Holdings, announced a week ago that the Vernon KMart will be closing in the spring. In that announcement was a proclamation that the closing sales would begin in about two weeks.

That turned out to be about two days.

Examples of savings at the store are a straight-bladed snow shovel marked $9.99 that sold for $7.99 and a pair of hiking boots retailing for $29.99 that sold for $20.99.

Check-out clerks were quick to stamp "all sales final" in red on every receipt.

Vernon town officials on Thursday lamented that the Vernon location could not survive the latest round of closures. It seemed to do so over and over amid Sears Holdings' financial woes. The demise of the Vernon store leaves one KMart standing in the state — in Watertown at 595 Straits Turnpike.

No additional Sears stores have been targeted for closure in the state. The Milford, Waterford and Meriden stores will soon be closing and after February 2019, the only Sears stores left in Connecticut will be in Danbury and Manchester, according to the company.

"As part of Sears Holdings' processes to accelerate its strategic transformation and facilitate its financial restructuring, on Dec. 27, 2018, the company informed associates at 80 stores that we will be closing these Sears and KMart stores in late March 2019," a statement from the company said last week.

To see the full list of stores designated for closure, click here.

A Sears Hardware in the same Vernon plaza closed several years ago.

Ironically, a sign promoting jobs at the Vernon KMart still hung next to another sign promoting the going out of business sale. Bags featured the saying, "KMart ... Life is Ridiculously Awesome" on them.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

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