25 Vintage Kmart Photos That Are a Nostalgic Blue Light Special

There was a time when going to Kmart felt like a real event. It wasn’t just about picking up groceries or clothes — it was a whole afternoon, maybe even a weekend ritual. The aisles felt endless, filled with toys you'd dream about and clothes your parents insisted you needed.

In my town, you had three choices if you wanted to shop: Kmart, Sears, or JCPenney. They all had their place, but Kmart was where the energy was. It had personality, especially when those blue lights started flashing and people rushed toward the deals.

These 17 old-school Kmart photos bring back all of the buzz, the bargains, and the feeling that something fun was just around the corner.

I grew up further north in Calfironia, but this looks so much like the location I grew up going to.

Adjusting that $1.27 for a "selection of scrumptious Halloween treats that will delight all little ghosts and ghoulies", those bags of candy, including KitKats, Reese's Whoppers, and Tootsie Rolls, would be $3.80.

Kmart back in 1980s was such a vibe.

Adjusted for inflation, that Spacemaker under-the-counter AM/FN radio would be $179 in 2025.

Who remembers Kmart Cafe? Little Caesars and Icees all in one place.

Looks like the special on the wall was Fried Fish.

This has to be the weirdest collection of menu options.

My first stop is getting a submarine sandwich. Second stop is heading straight back to those records.

I would give just about anything to go back and wander through those aisles.

My family always alternated between this and the JCPenney's Portraits.

Check out that 3-pack of Kodak VHS tapes for $5.99.

You can tell it's Black Friday by the fact that the store is opening while it's still dark outside.

What are you getting your dad off Kmart's "Dad's Day" insert?

I'm pretty sure when I think of what something "should" cost, it's also somewhere around this period. $0.79 for a 2-liter of soda sounds right to me.

Fascinating to see that they were selling the fixtures as well. They really meant "bare walls."

It puts the loss of jobs in perspective that this article says that this location alone employed 120 people. Multiply that across every location across the country.

What jumps out to me about this is that it's a mechanically printed receipt, and it's not itemized. It is probably an old hand-crank register receipt.

It's funny how something as insignificant as a price sticker can cause nostalgia.

I'd love to know what year this is from. The fact that they're advertising a bellows and log basket tells me it's pretty old. Well, that and the obvious part about how everything is incredibly cheap.

It's funny to remember that before these types of scanners were around any type of itemized receipt had to be handwritten.

That brown paper bag in the foreground is massive! You can see how big it is, two rows back on the right.

I'm honestly more interested in the Wig Sale.

Look at all those impulse buys.

I really love that everything appears to be set up to try out. It reminds me of Toys R Us.

Look at the size of that ATM.