The Illuminated Donkey

I've read a pile of stories about the Kmart collapse, but it seems clear to me that the company's fate had been sealed for some time, since at least my elementary school days. For the entirety of my central-NJ childhood, there was almost nothing that left kids more open to ridicule than learning that their clothes were purchased at Kmart. "Where'd your Mom get that -- Kmart?" "Blue Light Special" was a common derogatory term referring to some poorly made clothing or item. I'm not sure how widespread this was, or is, but where I grew up Kmart meant a complete lack of status and style, and I still feel a little twinge of that when I walk into one. It never seemed to me to be a corporate image that could survive, and when they brought back the Blue Light Specials I knew it was over. And do you know anybody (excepting creditors) who's even a little sad?