End of an Era: Brian Donohue visits one of NJ’s last remaining Kmarts before it closes

Kmart once had dozens of stores across New Jersey and it became almost a New Jersey tradition to go into the store with one’s friends and look and shop around.

Kmart shopping coined such popular phrases as “blue light special” and “Attention Kmart shoppers.” But in the age of online shopping and competitive retail, the Garden State will soon be down to only four Kmarts before the chain goes out of business completely.

So, on a dreary Tuesday, News 12’s Brian Donohue went for a visit at the West Long Branch store, which is slated to close in April.

Donohue says that he had never gone to a Kmart to simply soak in the atmosphere. But he says that when something is about to disappear, it is worth checking out.

The shelves inside the West Long Branch location were mostly bare, with only a few random items left behind.

Donohue says that while shopping online may be popular in 2020, it lacks some of the human interaction that one may have while shopping in a store like Kmart.

Donohue eventually left the store purchasing items that he said that he didn’t know he needed until he went inside – lightbulbs, a yoga block, a USB car plug and two boxes of cereal.

“It’s a little sad in there,” Donohue said.

After the latest round of closures, the last remaining Kmarts will be in Avenel, Belleville, Kearny and Westwood.