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Guam Has The Most Popular Kmart in the World

Sears To Close More Kmart Stores
Getty Images | Scott Olson

You might have read the lengthy list of Sears and Kmart stores that will be shuttering their doors in the coming weeks. Once known for its “Blue Light Specials,” Kmart seems to be going the way of many other long-standing retail chains.

However, the Wall Street Journal wrote a pretty incredible profile of a specific Kmart location that will remain open, much to the relief of residents of and visitors to the area. In Guam, people are actually super into Kmart still. There a number of interesting reasons why Kmart is still King in Guam, which Wall Street Journal reporters Lucy Craymer, Suzanne Kapner and Min Sun Lee outlined in their recent piece.

“The store, open 24 hours a day, also seems beyond the reach of time itself. Inside, it feels more like 1980, when Kmart ruled the big-box retail market,” they wrote.

Kmart is so popular in Guam that it’s a regular destination for tour buses and people stop to take selfies there. It also reportedly earned triple the revenue of the next highest-grossing Kmart in the world. What a strange, strange turn of events!

It’s Faster and Cheaper Than Amazon

According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon Prime subscribers living in Guam do not receive the benefit of free shipping, so delivery can be quite pricey. Even after paying a considerable shipping charge, Amazon customers in Guam have to wait. It typically takes close to two weeks for delivery. A number of other retailers, such as Target, didn’t ship to the U.S. island territory at all until recently (the story prompted them to start shipping there!).

It Offers An Authentic American Experience

The appeal of products popular in the U.S. draws Americans living in Guam as well as vacationers from other nations to Kmart. According to the Wall Street Journal, military families and other Americans living in the territory find comfort in the aisles of familiar foods as well as clothing and household products. Tourists from Korea and Japan snatch up goodies like spray cheese. Bonus: there’s a Little Caesars Pizza restaurant inside the store, as you can see in this video.

Tour Buses Stop There

As you might guess, parking at the store can be a bear, but if you plan to visit, you do have some options. Tour buses stop out front of the retailer regularly. Rather drive your own rental car? No problem! If the ground level lot is too full for your liking, you can park on the roof. Look closely at this pic from the blog Guam and Beyond and you’ll see a pickup parked atop the building.

Guam and Beyond

There Are Crowds, T-Shirts and Selfies

Whether they come by bus, car or other mode of transportation, visitors to this popular Kmart enjoy making memories. Some buy “I [heart] Guam Kmart” t-shirts while others pose for selfies in front of signs, snacks and even soap. Enjoy some Instagram pics while you shop for deals on flights to Guam.

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[h/t: The Wall Street Journal]

About the Author

Tricia Goss

Tricia is a professional writer and editor who lives in North Texas with her family and one smelly dog. She is a wannabe problem solver, junk food maven professional coffee practitioner, web guru and general communicator. More.

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