Date Posted:14:44:00 04/12/02 Fri Author: jennifer Subject: meeting tonight
Hi guys-
I'm sorry I can't make it tonight. I'm going to the hospital in Syracuse. Here's my paper with the corrections. The references are at the end. If there's any questions write back.
Jennifer
History Of The Company
Sebastian Kresge founded Kmart. Kresge started off in the business running five-and-dime stores in Detroit, Michigan. The S.S. Kresge Corporation ran Kresge stores, which offered people low prices that they could afford. By the 1950's, the company realized they had to change in order to stay competitive in the retail industry. The S.S. Kresge Corporation decided to open discount stores that they named Kmart. The Kresge stores were still open. The first Kmart store opened in 1962 in Garden City, Michigan. The company changed their name to the Kmart Corporation in 1977, since most of their business was from the Kmart discount stores (Hoover's, 883).
Today Kmart employs more than 240,000 associates in 2,161 stores (Hoover's, 883). The stores operate in the fifty states, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Isles, and Guam. Kmart's mission is to sell to low and middle-income families. Specifically, Kmart's mission statement is:
"Kmart will become the discount store of choice for middle-income families with children by satisfying their routine and seasonal shopping needs as well as or better than the competition" (kmartcorp.com).
Kmart's target is the middle class family. The stores want to provide them with products they need at prices they can afford.
Kmart offers a variety of products. They carry many private labels, some of which are celebrity labels. For example, Jaclyn Smith and Kathy Ireland both have ladies apparel lines. Martha Stewart supplies her Martha Stewart Everyday line that consists of home fashions. Bedding and bath products are a few types of products that she designs for. Kmart also sells fishing gear (B.A.S.S.), Benchtop tools, Penske Auto products, and White-Westinghouse small appliances. The stores also have shoes and clothing available. Kmart carries Sesame Street clothing and merchandise for kids (Hoover's, 883).
Strengths and Weaknesses of Website
Strengths
Kmart’s website is bluelight.com. They have many strengths. Among them are: strong customer service, display of the weekly store ads, tracking of orders, and a lot of information to help out customers that is easily accessible.
One of the first strengths of their website is if you type kmart.com, the browser will automatically take you to bluelight.com. The website is very easy to navigate, giving you a choice of what department you want to shop in. Another strength is there is a homepage button on the top of the screen. This allows a user to go back instantly to the homepage, regardless of what page he/she is on. This is very convenient and saves time.
Another strength is the weekly Kmart store ads are displayed. A customer can view the ad exactly as it appears, and can order from it. This is very convenient if someone misplaced an ad, didn’t receive one, or has no time to go into a traditional store and shop. Families with children and the elderly can greatly benefit. If a Kmart is out of an item, a person can order it online. Also, the website features daily online sales that are only offered on the website. This is good for bargain shoppers.
The website has an exceptional ordering system. When a customer chooses an item to order, the website shows: the product description and features, the availability of the product, and when the order will leave the warehouse. Shipping and ordering information is very easily accessible to read. People can read about shipping information, such as shipping policies for standard and special shipping items. Also, a customer can track his/her order online. All of these factors make ordering easy and are strengths for the website.
Customer service is offered on bluelight.com. A user can contact customer service twenty-four hours a day, everyday. For example, people can write about customer service experiences (good and bad), inquiries about rain checks, and check for product recalls. A response is always given. This is a great strength because it gives customers someone they can always contact.
Users can access the Kmart pharmacy. A customer can refill existing prescriptions, request a new prescription, and transfer a prescription to a Kmart pharmacy. This is a good strength because it allows people who are too busy and the elderly the opportunity to do these activities without physically being in the store.
Another strength of bluelight.com is the store locator. If a user doesn’t know where the nearest Kmart store is, he/she can type in their city. The website shows phone numbers, maps, and directions for the nearest Kmart. This is good for a few reasons. A person may move to a new area and wants to know where the nearest Kmart is, or if a local Kmart is out of an item, a person can look for the next closest store and either call or visit the store.
Kmart’s website offers online applications for employment and the Kmart MasterCard. This is a strength because people can fill either one out any time they want, without having to go to the store to get one or bring it back. Many more people have the opportunity to fill out these applications.
Weaknesses
Bluelight.com has many strengths. However, there are a few weaknesses. For instance, it takes a while for someone to respond to inquiries. This may cause some customers to take their business elsewhere. Also, you can’t actually see the products physically, only the pictures. People cannot try on clothes, shoes, etc. They cannot see how items will fit until they receive them. But, this is true for any website that sells clothes.
There aren’t that many weaknesses of the website. Overall, bluelight.com is a very strong website internally.
References:
Hoover’s Handbook of American Business 2000. Ed. Gordon Anderson. Companies A-K.
Austin, Texas: Hoover’s Business Press, 1999.
