This post is a sponsored post on behalf of Kmart via Izea. The opinions are mine.
I have to admit that I haven’t stepped foot in a Kmart for a while, like probably since before they merged up with Sears. But this assignment was totally worth it. Basically, the plan was this: take a $500 gift card and figure out what was cool to buy at Kmart. They want you to know that they’ve got all kinds of gifts and stuff people want. That was the basic theme. I was game for the idea, and I even came up with a way to do some good in the process. Here’s what we did, and what I found along the way.
Bring Along the Kids
My six year old daughter came through the front doors, and the girls clothes was to the right. She looked over and said, “These are beautiful,” and sunk into a rack of winter coats. That particular one in the picture is a Disney princess one, so that had to go in the cart. I thought I had her trained so well, with Bob the Builder toys in her little pink purses when she was 3, but no. She loves princess things. Alas.
Yes, I’m the kind of dad who buys clothes as part of the holiday gifts. My folks did it. Why should I be any different. There were lots of clothes my daughter willingly would wear. We didn’t exactly equip her, but she got a few things she absolutely *had* to have.
My nearly three-year-old son was another matter. He needed some clothes. I found everything he would want there, and with really no effort. And again, there was lots of good variety, and I felt like everything was great and of a quality I expected.
Dad note: I don’t know that I saw clothes I’d wear as a grown up. I mean, if you’re not very stylish, which I am not, there were some items. I liked that they had Joe Boxer underpants, for instance.
Name Brands
Since their merging with Sears, Kmart has upped their name brand game. They had a few that really surprised me, like Dyson vacuum cleaners. Those are pretty high end, right? And they had Craftsman tool supplies, which was nice, because I remember the “old” Kmart where their tools were more like pretend ones made out of chalky metal. But, I didn’t really buy any of that. I went right to electronics, and then into toys.
Electronics
I had a hunch that I’d have some fun in their electronics section, and I was right. They had quite a display of flat screen high definition TVs, and I knew most of the name brands. I’m not high def enough to tell you if they were really killer, but I give points for the brands, at least. They also had a small, but decent assortment of new movies on DVD. Their CD collection at the store I went to was small, but who buys CDs these days?
It was in games that I was impressed again. They had a really good selection of XBOX360, PS3, and WII games (we have a Wii at home), as well as DS and PSP games. I was surprised, plus I had that sort of “secret” feeling of realizing that I bet most people looking for games around the holidays have Kmart on their radar.
Toys
Here’s where I got clever. I had my kids pick out some toys to donate to Toys for Tots, so that this sponsored shopping spree could also be used for good. It was a lot of fun. There were all the name brands you’d expect, like Nerf and Star Wars and things like that.
The toy section was actually the best kept and best stocked at the store where I shopped. Some of the other sections seemed to have been attacked (this was, after all, the day after Black Friday), but toys? Fresh as a daisy.
In the End
If you click on the picture of the bill, and zoom in, you’ll see the biggest surprise I got from the entire experience. The shopping spree was for $500, and I went just a hair over at around $567. But, if you look at what I SAVED, I saved over $200 during this experience. Some of it was from holiday sales, but some was just their regular weekly stuff. So I saved over 30%? Is that right? That’s what the biggest surprise was, to me.
And Now, the Contest
Dad-o-Matic readers (you!) have a chance at doing your own version of my $500 shopping spree at Kmart. The official rules are here. But in a nutshell, here’s what you can do. One’s a bit of work, and the other is a lot easier (hint, hint).
(1) Place a comment on this blog post. Include a description and SKU or item numbers of items on your holiday wish list that total $500 or less. Contest participants must send their email address with the comment to the Participating Blog. This should be done in the private field provided by the Participating Blog and should not have to be included publicly in the comment.
(2) Use Twitter to tweet the message found on the blog post:
” RT @chrisbrogan is giving away a $500 Kmart Gift Card on his blog – simply tweet or comment to enter http://urlbrief.com/27bb3f”
*** That was updated. I had the info wrong.***
Now, I’m not telling you what to do, but step 1 takes a lot of typing, and step 2 is retweeting a link to this post.
Again, check out the official rules here because I might have left something out.
Good luck, and I hope you win. The experience opened my eyes, and I also found a way to give a bunch of kids some surprises this holiday season. Seems like a win, eh?
By the way, if you want to learn more about Kmart Gift Cards, that’s here.
The preceding was a sponsored post. For more information about the sponsor (Kmart), see Izea.
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I retweeted. Here is what I would buy. Thanks!
Sylvania 32 in. (Diagonal) Class LCD Integrated HDTV
Kmart item# 018W677925110001 Mfr. model# LC320SS9
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I retweeted. Here is what I would buy. Thanks!
Sylvania 32 in. (Diagonal) Class LCD Integrated HDTV
Kmart item# 018W677925110001 Mfr. model# LC320SS9
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Already tweeted.
Wishlist:
Apple 8GB iPod® Touch Digital Media Player ($229.99)
Kmart item# 018W929092100001 Mfr. model# MB528LL/A
Deni 5qt Electric Pressure Cooker ($139.99)
Kmart item# 1880000000009700, Mfr. model #9700
South Shore Platform Bed 60in and Molding ($129.99)
Kmart item# 187000003159-233, Mfr. model #3159-233
Total: $499.97
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Already tweeted.
Wishlist:
Apple 8GB iPod® Touch Digital Media Player ($229.99)
Kmart item# 018W929092100001 Mfr. model# MB528LL/A
Deni 5qt Electric Pressure Cooker ($139.99)
Kmart item# 1880000000009700, Mfr. model #9700
South Shore Platform Bed 60in and Molding ($129.99)
Kmart item# 187000003159-233, Mfr. model #3159-233
Total: $499.97
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I tweeted!
@ohanamamablog
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I tweeted!
@ohanamamablog
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I totally retweeted but I can’t wait to tell my husband about this site. He needs a forum like this. He is such a great Dad but still feels guilty about the time he made my son a peanut butter jelly sandwich for lunch and dropped him off at daycare only to be called 10 minutes later on his cell phone and reminded that the center is a peanut free zone.
Great job on this site, Chris.
sarah
twitter: semont
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I totally retweeted but I can’t wait to tell my husband about this site. He needs a forum like this. He is such a great Dad but still feels guilty about the time he made my son a peanut butter jelly sandwich for lunch and dropped him off at daycare only to be called 10 minutes later on his cell phone and reminded that the center is a peanut free zone.
Great job on this site, Chris.
sarah
twitter: semont
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Well HI! what a cool contest, a good way to dream and hope 🙂
How I would spend the $500 is I guess very practical and needed. My youngest child needs a bed so I would get Kmart item# 9990000044123011 it’s a twin bed marked at $159.99
A very much WANTED (uff boy the way my dog sheds believe me it’s a must) a Roomba Kmart item# 006W225058110001 Mfr. model# 40901 marked at $149.99
A really cool toy for my 3 yr old a pretend work bench Kmart item# 9990000058628211 Mfr. model# 773331 marked at $54.99
Because most days are cold and the little guy has so much energy to burn a Madd JumpsterKmart item# 1030000000422703 Mfr. model# 422703 marked at $49.99
So my oldest and youngest can play together a
Double-Sided Game Board for Mini Pool Table – Hockey and Soccer
Kmart item# 1030000000744731 Mfr. model# 744731 marked at $29.99
For my oldest a Rokenbok Monorail Track
Kmart item# 1030000000421536 Mfr. model# 421536 because he loves to build things, marked at $39.99
And for my husband because he likes smelling nice Coty Men’s Omni Set 4 Piece Gift Set
Kmart item# 015W818523110001 Mfr. model# 81852311 marked at $14.99
Comes to a total of $499.03
wow that was easier than I thought, never spend $500 on anything that isn’t a bill lol
Thanks!!!
Must share this with others!!!
Good luck everyone 🙂
Sincerely,
Lola
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Well HI! what a cool contest, a good way to dream and hope 🙂
How I would spend the $500 is I guess very practical and needed. My youngest child needs a bed so I would get Kmart item# 9990000044123011 it’s a twin bed marked at $159.99
A very much WANTED (uff boy the way my dog sheds believe me it’s a must) a Roomba Kmart item# 006W225058110001 Mfr. model# 40901 marked at $149.99
A really cool toy for my 3 yr old a pretend work bench Kmart item# 9990000058628211 Mfr. model# 773331 marked at $54.99
Because most days are cold and the little guy has so much energy to burn a Madd JumpsterKmart item# 1030000000422703 Mfr. model# 422703 marked at $49.99
So my oldest and youngest can play together a
Double-Sided Game Board for Mini Pool Table – Hockey and Soccer
Kmart item# 1030000000744731 Mfr. model# 744731 marked at $29.99
For my oldest a Rokenbok Monorail Track
Kmart item# 1030000000421536 Mfr. model# 421536 because he loves to build things, marked at $39.99
And for my husband because he likes smelling nice Coty Men’s Omni Set 4 Piece Gift Set
Kmart item# 015W818523110001 Mfr. model# 81852311 marked at $14.99
Comes to a total of $499.03
wow that was easier than I thought, never spend $500 on anything that isn’t a bill lol
Thanks!!!
Must share this with others!!!
Good luck everyone 🙂
Sincerely,
Lola
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Oh my bad total is $499.93 not .03
🙂
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Oh my bad total is $499.93 not .03
🙂
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I tweeted
http://twitter.com/auntiethesis/status/1038168191
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I tweeted
http://twitter.com/auntiethesis/status/1038168191
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Here’s my wish list:
1/4ct tw Certified Diamond Stud 6-Prong Earrings in 14K Yellow Gold
Kmart item # 1020005560470000 Mfr.model # 157028
Jaclyn Smith Traditions Ombre Scroll Comforter Set
Kmart item # 048W685903150001 Mfr.model # CS6014LAKG-1325
Sonoma 48 in. Bookcase
Kmart item # 13900000ODL-3248 Mfr.model # ZH049
Studio RTA Mobile File Cabinet
Kmart item # 1200000000018581 Mfr.model # 18581
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Here’s my wish list:
1/4ct tw Certified Diamond Stud 6-Prong Earrings in 14K Yellow Gold
Kmart item # 1020005560470000 Mfr.model # 157028
Jaclyn Smith Traditions Ombre Scroll Comforter Set
Kmart item # 048W685903150001 Mfr.model # CS6014LAKG-1325
Sonoma 48 in. Bookcase
Kmart item # 13900000ODL-3248 Mfr.model # ZH049
Studio RTA Mobile File Cabinet
Kmart item # 1200000000018581 Mfr.model # 18581
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I retweeted. Yay! @karenhartzell
My wish list is easy.
1) JVC MiniDV Camcorder
Kmart item# 9990000054797011 Mfr. model# GRD350US $249.99
2) Remainder would be used for assorted toys to donate to DD’s Toys for Tots drive at her school.
Great contest!
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I retweeted. Yay! @karenhartzell
My wish list is easy.
1) JVC MiniDV Camcorder
Kmart item# 9990000054797011 Mfr. model# GRD350US $249.99
2) Remainder would be used for assorted toys to donate to DD’s Toys for Tots drive at her school.
Great contest!
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With $500 I could finally buy that TV I’ve wanted!
Sylvania 32 in. (Diagonal) Class LCD Integrated HDTV
Kmart item# 018W677925110001 Mfr. model# LC320SS9 $429.99
that would leave about $40 for groceries,etc. Hope I win!
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With $500 I could finally buy that TV I’ve wanted!
Sylvania 32 in. (Diagonal) Class LCD Integrated HDTV
Kmart item# 018W677925110001 Mfr. model# LC320SS9 $429.99
that would leave about $40 for groceries,etc. Hope I win!
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With $500 I could finally buy that TV I’ve wanted!
Sylvania 32 in. (Diagonal) C Sylvania 32 in. (Diagonal) Class LCD Integrated HDTV
Kmart item# 018W677925110001 Mfr. model# LC320SS9lass LCD Integrated HDTV
Kmart item# 018W677925110001 Mfr. model# LC320SS9 $429.99
that would leave about $40 for groceries,etc. Hope I win!
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With $500 I could finally buy that TV I’ve wanted!
Sylvania 32 in. (Diagonal) C Sylvania 32 in. (Diagonal) Class LCD Integrated HDTV
Kmart item# 018W677925110001 Mfr. model# LC320SS9lass LCD Integrated HDTV
Kmart item# 018W677925110001 Mfr. model# LC320SS9 $429.99
that would leave about $40 for groceries,etc. Hope I win!
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I tweeted it!
http://twitter.com/aLITTLEbitNUTTY/status/1038400310
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I tweeted it!
http://twitter.com/aLITTLEbitNUTTY/status/1038400310
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I tweeted. RT @chrisbrogan is giving away a $500 Kmart Gift Card on his blog – simply tweet or comment to enter http://urlbrief.com/27bb3f
Twitter username is susancritelli
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I tweeted. RT @chrisbrogan is giving away a $500 Kmart Gift Card on his blog – simply tweet or comment to enter http://urlbrief.com/27bb3f
Twitter username is susancritelli
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I’d go for the Element 32 in. (Diagonal) Class LCD Integrated HDTV (720p)
Kmart item# 012W804958950001 Mfr. model# ELCHS321 … for my kids, of course!
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I’d go for the Element 32 in. (Diagonal) Class LCD Integrated HDTV (720p)
Kmart item# 012W804958950001 Mfr. model# ELCHS321 … for my kids, of course!
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My girlfriend really deserves to have a nice digital camera for the holidays however we cannot afford one at this time. So many moments with the kids are lost due to not having one
This is what I would buy along with accessories for it.
Panasonic PAN DMC-TZ5K 9.1MP DIGITAL CAMERA, BLACK 10 X ZOOM, 3″ LCD, 28MM, HD VIDEO
Kmart item# 108000000DMCTZ5K Mfr. model# DMCTZ5K
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My girlfriend really deserves to have a nice digital camera for the holidays however we cannot afford one at this time. So many moments with the kids are lost due to not having one
This is what I would buy along with accessories for it.
Panasonic PAN DMC-TZ5K 9.1MP DIGITAL CAMERA, BLACK 10 X ZOOM, 3″ LCD, 28MM, HD VIDEO
Kmart item# 108000000DMCTZ5K Mfr. model# DMCTZ5K
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With my husband in grad school we don’t have a lot to spend on Christmas gifts so our gifts are pretty cheap. It would be great to give our families some cooler gifts.
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With my husband in grad school we don’t have a lot to spend on Christmas gifts so our gifts are pretty cheap. It would be great to give our families some cooler gifts.
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My 11 year old daughter has this on her wish list. Kmart item# 018W929092640001 Black iPod Touch. She also wants a laptop. Thanks.
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My 11 year old daughter has this on her wish list. Kmart item# 018W929092640001 Black iPod Touch. She also wants a laptop. Thanks.
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Kmart has Apple? Who new? Really, if I had not stumbled to this blog…would never have suspected. But… I would sooo get an I touch! Apple 32GB iPod® Touch Digital Media Player – Black
Kmart item# 018W929092640001 Mfr. model# MB533LL/A
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At just $399.00… I would have a bit left over to pick pick up an Ipod for the hubby too… =)
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Kmart has Apple? Who new? Really, if I had not stumbled to this blog…would never have suspected. But… I would sooo get an I touch! Apple 32GB iPod® Touch Digital Media Player – Black
Kmart item# 018W929092640001 Mfr. model# MB533LL/A
——————————————————————————–
At just $399.00… I would have a bit left over to pick pick up an Ipod for the hubby too… =)
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retweet name: karainmd
What a great giveaway. I had no idea that KMart had all that craftsman stuff now.
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retweet name: karainmd
What a great giveaway. I had no idea that KMart had all that craftsman stuff now.
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The one thing that I would be sure to purchase with this awesome card would be the Bissell ProHeat 2X Select Floor Clearner
Item #9990000037514911 Mfr. Model #9200
anything else after that would be a pure bonus on our part…for the family of corse!!!
Please count me in, I could sure use the extra help this holiday season!!!
-barbarabaker 🙂
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The one thing that I would be sure to purchase with this awesome card would be the Bissell ProHeat 2X Select Floor Clearner
Item #9990000037514911 Mfr. Model #9200
anything else after that would be a pure bonus on our part…for the family of corse!!!
Please count me in, I could sure use the extra help this holiday season!!!
-barbarabaker 🙂
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Tweet Tweet!
http://twitter.com/myfamilyjewels/status/1038667088
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Tweet Tweet!
http://twitter.com/myfamilyjewels/status/1038667088
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I would buy things to make my 3 year old’s eyes light up Christmas morning and things for my 7 Grand kids to make them smile! And something very special for my Husband, the kindest , gentalest ,most giveing man I have ever known!
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I would buy things to make my 3 year old’s eyes light up Christmas morning and things for my 7 Grand kids to make them smile! And something very special for my Husband, the kindest , gentalest ,most giveing man I have ever known!
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Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite System
Kmart item# 018W710255110001 Mfr. model# B4J-00122
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Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite System
Kmart item# 018W710255110001 Mfr. model# B4J-00122
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Sony 19 in. (Diagonal) Class LCD Integrated HDTV (720p), BRAVIA®
Kmart item# 018W809619110001 Mfr. model# KDL-19M4000
$499.99
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Sony 19 in. (Diagonal) Class LCD Integrated HDTV (720p), BRAVIA®
Kmart item# 018W809619110001 Mfr. model# KDL-19M4000
$499.99
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I’m not a tweeter-er, twitter-er, or whatever. er. I’m behind the times, I guess.
I had a reaaally hard time just picking one thing from kmart that I would want, but I guess I would go with this one:
Sylvania 32 in. (Diagonal) Class LCD Integrated HDTV
Kmart item# 018W677925110001
Pretty. So pretty. And it’s on sale.
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I’m not a tweeter-er, twitter-er, or whatever. er. I’m behind the times, I guess.
I had a reaaally hard time just picking one thing from kmart that I would want, but I guess I would go with this one:
Sylvania 32 in. (Diagonal) Class LCD Integrated HDTV
Kmart item# 018W677925110001
Pretty. So pretty. And it’s on sale.