i've always thought there's a big difference between shopping at k-mart vs wal-mart. Wal-mart ain't nordstrom's, but the stores are well lit, fairly clean, and the merchandise is generally neatly arranged. K-marts have low ceilings, are dimly lit, have floor tiles that are likely yellowed, the corners are dirty, and the merchandise is more frequently off the rack and on the floor. The impression--dingy, yellowed, not-too-clean. Neither store had quick checkout or a returns desk that was well run, but things were worse at k-mart.
Walmart keeps all their prices low, k-mart's prices were good on sale items, the rest were often higher than walmart.
According to
this book, k-mart's management just got complacent. They got out-hustled and out innovated by walmart. From the looks of the stores, i think walmart did a better job of training their folks, investing in their stores, and enforcing standards. K-mart became somebody's cash cow.