There are precious few Kmart and Sears stores near me left open, and another list of 80 closing stores can be found at The USA Today.  Sears was a catalog titan, and Kmart was one of the first really successful big box-style stores - and after this round of closures, they will be down to significantly under 500 between them. I would ask if your store is on the list, but odds are there aren't many left near you.

The retail apocalypse continues with more Sears and Kmarts closing.  40 stores are closing between now and February, including one of very few remaining stores in my neck of the woods.  If you have a certain kind of socks or pants you want, you better get them now if you still have a store near you. 

Over the last few years we've been tracking the slow decline of Kmart and Sears, two former titans of retail that have outlasted Toys R Us and numerous other retail behemoths.  Today 46 more stores were announced to be getting the axe, and you can read the list of them here.  

It's been a fascinating year for toys, where a once-unstoppable monster like Toys R Us went from crushing numerous regional competitors to being closed forever in the USA, and mere months later the long-dormant Mego Corp action figure line is back, and at Target, and cheap.   Things keep changing, but remain unpredictable as we move into an increasingly unstable future in the world of toys.

Yet another list of Kmart and Sears store closures has been posted, furthering the former retail giant's goal of exiting several states.  This batch is set to close by mid-April, and this may be your last chance to visit the once-proud Kmart.  Thousands of years ago Kmart was king over Walmart and Target, and today both Kmart and Sears combined have just a few hundred stores left.   When going on your toy hunts, enjoy your stroll through those aisles as we're in a constantly changing era.

The guillotine continues.  The USA Today and others are reporting Another 60-plus Sears, Kmart stores set to close in January 2018; see the list.   It's less a strategy for competitiveness than it is an ever-decreasing trek toward obscurity, marching toward the same place in our culture held by Montgomery Word, Woolworths, or Kay-Bee Toys.   As far as we know Hasbro is no longer offering Kmart or Sears exclusive toy product, but it's increasingly difficult to verify this first-hand. 

Formerly two of the biggest juggernauts in America, it seems like we're having regular monthly updates on more store closures for both Kmart and Sears.  In a blog at Sears Holdings, 35 more Kmarts and 8 more Searses are set to begin liquidation this week - including the last remotely handy Kmart to GHHQ. You can read Transformation Update for more, or go right to the list of closures.

The grim refrain continues.  Business Insider posted Sears is closing 72 stores — here's the full list yesterday.   This includes Sears automotive outlets as well as many Kmarts, and it seems my local Kmart has an "inventory reduction sale" with no confirmation of being on any of the closure lists. 

Business Insider has another round of Kmart and Sears closures - 150 stops are now slated to be closed.  Click here to see if yours is on the list.

Former retail giants Kmart and Sears have been finding their customer base becoming more selective, as some major cities have closed a store or three per year until all that is left is one or two stores to serve a couple million people.   This week, Business Insider posts Sears and Kmart are closing more stores - see if your store is on the list. (Mine wasn't.)   With only a handful of stores remaining, exclusives are tougher to come by and it's less frequently a stop on a typical toy tun for many of us. 

We were forwarded this story from a few people, so we're linking to the WSJ: Jakks Pacific Said to Suspend Toy Sales to Kmart.  I know not a lot of you go to Kmart - or can go to one - but they tend to have a lot of Jakks Pacific Big Figs front and center in their stores, making them a visual staple of their toy aisles.  And, of course, Kmart and Sears have been around forever - but haven't had the best press lately.   Take a look.

Big chains come and big chains go, with some not exactly expanding as the 21st century trudges on.  80 more Sears and Kmart stores closed this week, and Business Insider has a list of recent exiles.   One in Arizona is gone, along with four in California and a heck of a lot in Pennsylvania.   Click here to see if your store made it.

If you're having a nightmare trying to find Kmart's exclusive 6-inch Starkiller Base Rey and Kylo Ren action figures, it's going to get worse.  (Also thousands of people are about to lose their jobs and a pillar of the retail economy for decades is going away.)   CBSNews.com has an article whose headline says it all - Is your local Sears or Kmart store closing?  The answer seems to be yes for a great many people, so check that out.

While not explicitly Star Wars, I think some of you who do toy runs may find this of interest.   If you live in a medium or large town, you might have one or more empty shells which were formerly a Kmart or a Sears nearby.  According to DataCenterKnowledge.com, these buildings may be converted not to another big box store but to a data center.

Just in time for the Holidays (or even Halloween), Sears and Lucasfilm partner up on cute and fuzzy official Star Wars slippers for youth and toddler sizes that are priced to sell for an affordable $12.99.

Struggling to keep up with the times and remain competitive with retail behemoths Walmart and Target, Sears Holdings announces the closings of 100-120 Sears and K-Mart stores. Sales are off 5.2 percent in the 4th Quarter and points to a fading brand and aging stores. Only time will tell if this means one less retailer and point of distribution for collectibles, but it may in the short term result in less leverage for the retailer to carry exclusives and cycle in fresh stock.