![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
And the first of the remaining darlings has passed. https://parkavenuebeat.blogspot.com/2017/09/in-memoriam-richard-anderson.html
Sep. 1st, 2017
Goodbye, K-Mart.
Sep. 1st, 2017 07:24 pmWhat a day. I had maybe one hour of sleep, dozing holding the Baxter plushie and curled up against the other two. Then when I opened the curtains, evil gravity's evil cousin velocity caused me to bonk my toe on the edge of the cupboard so hard that it bruised and swelled up. Luckily, I don't think it's broken because I was able to move it after it happened, but ugggh. Even putting on a sock to go out hurt.
I wanted to see our K-Mart one last time and also to get the snow cone maker, and I thought the only way to do that was to tag along when Dad took my sister to work early in the morning. But something went drastically wrong when we went to get her and we apparently ran over something sharp, because the tire blew out. She had to go find our brother's car to take. And our tire size is very hard to find. Wal-Mart has a new one, but we really can't afford a new one when money is already so tight. Dad has been trying to find a used one.
EDIT: We have two cars here that don't work right, and one of them has the right size tire! Squeeee. So he just put one of those tires on the working car! Yes!
When the temporary tire got on, he was nice and decided to take me to the store anyway, even though we didn't get to take my sister to work, because I'd tagged along thinking I was going to get to go. And I did find the snow cone maker! And not much else. Gah, it was so sad seeing the place so bare. Everything they had left was moved more to the front of the store and yellow tape roped off the completely bare areas. There was only one half-aisle of toys left, plus three toy kiosks. There were pieces of all kinds of merchandise in other departments too, but the only section that really looked like its former self was the greeting card area. And as if it wasn't sad enough, someone had to decide that playing When Will I See You Again on the loudspeakers was a good idea. Um, no. We'll never see K-Mart again. I found out the one down South is also closing, so there will be no more in the state at all. Not a song I wanted to hear under the circumstances. Especially running on one hour of sleep.
We checked every tire place in town and no luck. Then I had trouble going back to sleep when we got home because I was wide awake. And because there was construction work right across from my window. When I finally went to sleep, I think I only got about three and a half hours.
I was glad to get the snow cone maker at such a good price ($4.80, down from $16!), but I could have done without seeing how sad the store looked. I almost wonder if I would have rather I'd got it on a previous visit, even though it would have cost a bit more, and then not seen K-Mart this week. I don't think I want to remember K-Mart the way it looked today. I think I want to remember how it looked before all this nonsense started, when there was no inkling that it would go away and it was always fun to visit and see what they had available and what might be on clearance. So I'm going to record the floor plan.
When you go in, just to your right are some shelves with changing merchandise. Usually it's quilts, but sometimes it's toys on clearance. To the left is the customer service desk. Up ahead is the women's clothing department and things like a jewelry chest of drawers made by Jaclyn Smith. I usually turn right, past the greeting cards on the right and the jewelry on the left. Dad usually goes to the pharmacy past the greeting cards to wait. Then comes housewares on the left, followed by snacks. Farther down on the right are the mattresses and appliances they started selling. We got our dryer there last year. Past those are the movies and TV shows. We got so many awesome deals on stuff there during holiday and birthday times.
Just diagonally to the left is the seasonal area. During Christmastime there are many trees set out. Some are white, some are green, most are pre-lit. Some of them turn by themselves. There are also lots of inflatables and other lawn decorations. During Halloween, the aisles are filled with spooky stuff, both the aisles past the media center and aisles to the left, beyond the open area. The open area with the Christmas trees usually has the trees during the Halloween time. Turn left past the open area and the holiday aisles and walk down to the toy section. There are several aisles of regularly priced toys and a special clearance aisle. The clearance price will fluctuate based on the week. Just beyond that is auto stuff.
Keep walking and turn left again. Now it's the back wall. The sports section is there, with furniture just beyond it. Last year we got a bookcase to serve as a pantry cupboard (not the one I got bonked on today). Just beyond that are men's clothes. Sometimes I find Turtles shirts there, like that one with Fly Baxter they briefly had last summer. It was right around the corner from the bookcases. Shoes are opposite this section. They have a poster of the 87 Turtles in the shoe section for some reason. I probably should have asked if I could have it.
Beyond that is the baby section. Turn left to walk past it and there you'll find the boys' clothing section, followed by the girls' section. Now you've made a complete square and the registers are to the left of you, along with huge baskets of products on sale in the middle of the aisle. Last year they had a bunch of chocolates on sale and we got a whole lot for presents for people, and kept some for ourselves too.
I wanted to see our K-Mart one last time and also to get the snow cone maker, and I thought the only way to do that was to tag along when Dad took my sister to work early in the morning. But something went drastically wrong when we went to get her and we apparently ran over something sharp, because the tire blew out. She had to go find our brother's car to take. And our tire size is very hard to find. Wal-Mart has a new one, but we really can't afford a new one when money is already so tight. Dad has been trying to find a used one.
EDIT: We have two cars here that don't work right, and one of them has the right size tire! Squeeee. So he just put one of those tires on the working car! Yes!
When the temporary tire got on, he was nice and decided to take me to the store anyway, even though we didn't get to take my sister to work, because I'd tagged along thinking I was going to get to go. And I did find the snow cone maker! And not much else. Gah, it was so sad seeing the place so bare. Everything they had left was moved more to the front of the store and yellow tape roped off the completely bare areas. There was only one half-aisle of toys left, plus three toy kiosks. There were pieces of all kinds of merchandise in other departments too, but the only section that really looked like its former self was the greeting card area. And as if it wasn't sad enough, someone had to decide that playing When Will I See You Again on the loudspeakers was a good idea. Um, no. We'll never see K-Mart again. I found out the one down South is also closing, so there will be no more in the state at all. Not a song I wanted to hear under the circumstances. Especially running on one hour of sleep.
We checked every tire place in town and no luck. Then I had trouble going back to sleep when we got home because I was wide awake. And because there was construction work right across from my window. When I finally went to sleep, I think I only got about three and a half hours.
I was glad to get the snow cone maker at such a good price ($4.80, down from $16!), but I could have done without seeing how sad the store looked. I almost wonder if I would have rather I'd got it on a previous visit, even though it would have cost a bit more, and then not seen K-Mart this week. I don't think I want to remember K-Mart the way it looked today. I think I want to remember how it looked before all this nonsense started, when there was no inkling that it would go away and it was always fun to visit and see what they had available and what might be on clearance. So I'm going to record the floor plan.
When you go in, just to your right are some shelves with changing merchandise. Usually it's quilts, but sometimes it's toys on clearance. To the left is the customer service desk. Up ahead is the women's clothing department and things like a jewelry chest of drawers made by Jaclyn Smith. I usually turn right, past the greeting cards on the right and the jewelry on the left. Dad usually goes to the pharmacy past the greeting cards to wait. Then comes housewares on the left, followed by snacks. Farther down on the right are the mattresses and appliances they started selling. We got our dryer there last year. Past those are the movies and TV shows. We got so many awesome deals on stuff there during holiday and birthday times.
Just diagonally to the left is the seasonal area. During Christmastime there are many trees set out. Some are white, some are green, most are pre-lit. Some of them turn by themselves. There are also lots of inflatables and other lawn decorations. During Halloween, the aisles are filled with spooky stuff, both the aisles past the media center and aisles to the left, beyond the open area. The open area with the Christmas trees usually has the trees during the Halloween time. Turn left past the open area and the holiday aisles and walk down to the toy section. There are several aisles of regularly priced toys and a special clearance aisle. The clearance price will fluctuate based on the week. Just beyond that is auto stuff.
Keep walking and turn left again. Now it's the back wall. The sports section is there, with furniture just beyond it. Last year we got a bookcase to serve as a pantry cupboard (not the one I got bonked on today). Just beyond that are men's clothes. Sometimes I find Turtles shirts there, like that one with Fly Baxter they briefly had last summer. It was right around the corner from the bookcases. Shoes are opposite this section. They have a poster of the 87 Turtles in the shoe section for some reason. I probably should have asked if I could have it.
Beyond that is the baby section. Turn left to walk past it and there you'll find the boys' clothing section, followed by the girls' section. Now you've made a complete square and the registers are to the left of you, along with huge baskets of products on sale in the middle of the aisle. Last year they had a bunch of chocolates on sale and we got a whole lot for presents for people, and kept some for ourselves too.
