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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My husband has been out of work for almost a year and well…things are tight.
We have two beautiful little girls ages 8 & 5 who will never go without a Christmas.
I will shop at the Dollar Store and my babies will be tickled with their girlie stuff.
If I had a chance I would buy them cloths, cloths and more cloths. And a few toys
too boot.
But my biggest concern is my Niece 16 and Nephew 18, My sister is dying of Metastatic bone cancer and we all are devastated by this. My Niece has asked for a comforter set,she has
never had one. and My nephew who we are so very proud of is the first in our family to graduate
from high school and is now attending college. would love anything electronic they are my concern. My girls have us as a family and in my eyes that’s Christmas enough.
May your Christmas be filled with joy and happiness.
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My husband has been out of work for almost a year and well…things are tight.
We have two beautiful little girls ages 8 & 5 who will never go without a Christmas.
I will shop at the Dollar Store and my babies will be tickled with their girlie stuff.
If I had a chance I would buy them cloths, cloths and more cloths. And a few toys
too boot.
But my biggest concern is my Niece 16 and Nephew 18, My sister is dying of Metastatic bone cancer and we all are devastated by this. My Niece has asked for a comforter set,she has
never had one. and My nephew who we are so very proud of is the first in our family to graduate
from high school and is now attending college. would love anything electronic they are my concern. My girls have us as a family and in my eyes that’s Christmas enough.
May your Christmas be filled with joy and happiness.
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Essential Home Infinitas Burgandy Band 32-Piece Dinnerware Set item# 9990000046938511 19.99
Essential Home Infinitas Burgandy Band 32-Piece Dinnerware Set item# 9990000046938511 19.99
Flip Video Ultra Series 60 minutes item# 105FVULTRA60MINP 149.99
Northwest Territory 14 ft. x 10 ft. x 70 in. Family Dome Tent item #9990000023643211 39.99
Weslo Cadence CT 4.8 Treadmill item# 080W112390110001 269.99
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Essential Home Infinitas Burgandy Band 32-Piece Dinnerware Set item# 9990000046938511 19.99
Essential Home Infinitas Burgandy Band 32-Piece Dinnerware Set item# 9990000046938511 19.99
Flip Video Ultra Series 60 minutes item# 105FVULTRA60MINP 149.99
Northwest Territory 14 ft. x 10 ft. x 70 in. Family Dome Tent item #9990000023643211 39.99
Weslo Cadence CT 4.8 Treadmill item# 080W112390110001 269.99
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I have never won anything in my life, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Kmart is the closest store to us, Walmart is almost 20 miles away. And an added feature that we need and appreciate is LAYAWAY. Thank you KMART!!!! They also have inexpensive toys that last! We’re a military family on a limited budget and this year we have absolutely nothing to give our 3 kids, age 17, 2 1/2 and 7 months. We didn’t even do birthdays this year. DARN ECONOMY!! We’re praying for a miracle. And a miracle it would be if we were able to get the items below:
Sony PLAYSTATION®3 Kmart item# 018W963975110001 Mfr. model# PS3 SCE 98006, $399.99
car seat Kmart Item # 024W400851110001 Mfr. Model#22133CAD3 $49.99
Grave Digger Truck Kmart item #1030000000721111 Mfr. model #721111$29.99
Huggies size 4 Kmart item# 9990000076003420 Mfr. model# 76003420 $10.99
for a total of $490.96
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I have never won anything in my life, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Kmart is the closest store to us, Walmart is almost 20 miles away. And an added feature that we need and appreciate is LAYAWAY. Thank you KMART!!!! They also have inexpensive toys that last! We’re a military family on a limited budget and this year we have absolutely nothing to give our 3 kids, age 17, 2 1/2 and 7 months. We didn’t even do birthdays this year. DARN ECONOMY!! We’re praying for a miracle. And a miracle it would be if we were able to get the items below:
Sony PLAYSTATION®3 Kmart item# 018W963975110001 Mfr. model# PS3 SCE 98006, $399.99
car seat Kmart Item # 024W400851110001 Mfr. Model#22133CAD3 $49.99
Grave Digger Truck Kmart item #1030000000721111 Mfr. model #721111$29.99
Huggies size 4 Kmart item# 9990000076003420 Mfr. model# 76003420 $10.99
for a total of $490.96
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just twitted @wvkae
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just twitted @wvkae
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Our Holiday Wish List:
Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite System
Kmart item# 018W710255110001 Mfr. model# B4J-00122 $399.99
Wii Fit & Wii Balance Board
Sears item# 05892358000 Mfr. model# WII RVL R RFNE $89.99
Thank you and good luck to everyone. ^_^v
Happy Holidays! 🙂
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Our Holiday Wish List:
Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite System
Kmart item# 018W710255110001 Mfr. model# B4J-00122 $399.99
Wii Fit & Wii Balance Board
Sears item# 05892358000 Mfr. model# WII RVL R RFNE $89.99
Thank you and good luck to everyone. ^_^v
Happy Holidays! 🙂
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First of all I want to say how wonderful it was of you, Chris, to donate to a charity. Especially with everyone dealing with the economy the way it is. Bless you & your family.
If I were to win the contest, in return, I would also use a portion to donate to a charity. How could you not? My wish list item is a Magnavox dvd/vcr recorder; item # 027084504071.
Thank you & happy holidays to all!
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First of all I want to say how wonderful it was of you, Chris, to donate to a charity. Especially with everyone dealing with the economy the way it is. Bless you & your family.
If I were to win the contest, in return, I would also use a portion to donate to a charity. How could you not? My wish list item is a Magnavox dvd/vcr recorder; item # 027084504071.
Thank you & happy holidays to all!
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If I won a gift card I would get a Magnavox dvd/vcr recorder, item/sku # 027084504071. Our dvd player is completely worn out, no longer works. That’s how much we watch movies! Thanks.
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If I won a gift card I would get a Magnavox dvd/vcr recorder, item/sku # 027084504071. Our dvd player is completely worn out, no longer works. That’s how much we watch movies! Thanks.
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Thanks for a great giveaway!
Kmart item #1030000000814139 LEGO plane ($79.99)
Kmart item #137000000HPE20SS Espresso Machine ($89.99)
Kmart item# 018W351064110001 Printer ($99.99)
Kmart item #25000000000JP137 Digital Photo Frame ($94.99)
Kmart item# 018W929086050001 iPod ($149.99)
Also tweeted!
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Thanks for a great giveaway!
Kmart item #1030000000814139 LEGO plane ($79.99)
Kmart item #137000000HPE20SS Espresso Machine ($89.99)
Kmart item# 018W351064110001 Printer ($99.99)
Kmart item #25000000000JP137 Digital Photo Frame ($94.99)
Kmart item# 018W929086050001 iPod ($149.99)
Also tweeted!
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It would be so awesome to win this!!
I would choose:
Apple 16GB iPod® Nano Digital Media Player – Green
Kmart item # 018W929087900001 Mfr.model # MB913LL/A $199.99
Disney Princess Movie Maker: $79.99 Kmart Item: 1030000000679891 Mfr. Model#679891
Grave Digger Truck Kmart item #1030000000721111 Mfr. model #721111$29.99
White Student Desk – $49.99 Kmart Item # 9990000021264411 UPC Item #29986076151
Flip Video Ultra Series 60 minutes item# 105FVULTRA60MINP 149.99
wow I would have spent $509.95
But It was well worth it!!
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It would be so awesome to win this!!
I would choose:
Apple 16GB iPod® Nano Digital Media Player – Green
Kmart item # 018W929087900001 Mfr.model # MB913LL/A $199.99
Disney Princess Movie Maker: $79.99 Kmart Item: 1030000000679891 Mfr. Model#679891
Grave Digger Truck Kmart item #1030000000721111 Mfr. model #721111$29.99
White Student Desk – $49.99 Kmart Item # 9990000021264411 UPC Item #29986076151
Flip Video Ultra Series 60 minutes item# 105FVULTRA60MINP 149.99
wow I would have spent $509.95
But It was well worth it!!
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I havent shopped K-Mart in a few years now because they are no longer in our city. The closest one is about 2 hrs away. But for a $500 shopping spree Id happily drive the distance.
This is my wish list.
For the new grandbaby Id buy the Disney Baby ProPackâ„¢ Travel System
Kmart item # 024W897553110001 for $139.99.
For the family Id buy the Century Tool Cook and Grill Stove (10,000 BTU)
Kmart item # 1010000001318308 for $74.99.
For my surprise 3 yr old whos birthday is on Christmas day Id buy the Continental Airlines Die-Cast Airport Play Set
Kmart item # 1030000000126578 for $16.99.
Id also purchase the Yukon Express 60-Piece Wooden Train Set
Kmart item # 1030000000785744 for $39.99.
And the Dora the Explorer Lawn Swing
Kmart item # 1030000000337541 for $64.99.
And also the Step 2 Naturally Playful Lookout Treehouse
Kmart item # 1298480000776900 for $129.99.
And last but not least, for digging in the dirt, Id buy the Micro Excavator Riding Toy with Helmet
Kmart item # 1030000000127167 for $49.99.
My grand total: $516.93. Oops, went over a wee bit. But hey its Christmas.
Hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
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I havent shopped K-Mart in a few years now because they are no longer in our city. The closest one is about 2 hrs away. But for a $500 shopping spree Id happily drive the distance.
This is my wish list.
For the new grandbaby Id buy the Disney Baby ProPackâ„¢ Travel System
Kmart item # 024W897553110001 for $139.99.
For the family Id buy the Century Tool Cook and Grill Stove (10,000 BTU)
Kmart item # 1010000001318308 for $74.99.
For my surprise 3 yr old whos birthday is on Christmas day Id buy the Continental Airlines Die-Cast Airport Play Set
Kmart item # 1030000000126578 for $16.99.
Id also purchase the Yukon Express 60-Piece Wooden Train Set
Kmart item # 1030000000785744 for $39.99.
And the Dora the Explorer Lawn Swing
Kmart item # 1030000000337541 for $64.99.
And also the Step 2 Naturally Playful Lookout Treehouse
Kmart item # 1298480000776900 for $129.99.
And last but not least, for digging in the dirt, Id buy the Micro Excavator Riding Toy with Helmet
Kmart item # 1030000000127167 for $49.99.
My grand total: $516.93. Oops, went over a wee bit. But hey its Christmas.
Hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
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I havent shopped K-Mart in a few years now because they are no longer in our city. The closest one is about 2 hrs away. But for a $500 shopping spree Id happily drive the distance.
This is my wish list.
For the new grandbaby Id buy the Disney Baby ProPackâ„¢ Travel System
Kmart item # 024W897553110001 for $139.99.
For the family Id buy the Century Tool Cook and Grill Stove (10,000 BTU)
Kmart item # 1010000001318308 for $74.99.
For my surprise 3 yr old whos birthday is on Christmas day Id buy the Continental Airlines Die-Cast Airport Play Set
Kmart item # 1030000000126578 for $16.99.
Id also purchase the Yukon Express 60-Piece Wooden Train Set
Kmart item # 1030000000785744 for $39.99.
And the Dora the Explorer Lawn Swing
Kmart item # 1030000000337541 for $64.99.
And also the Step 2 Naturally Playful Lookout Treehouse
Kmart item # 1298480000776900 for $129.99.
And last but not least, for digging in the dirt, Id buy the Micro Excavator Riding Toy with Helmet
Kmart item # 1030000000127167 for $49.99.
My grand total: $516.93. Oops, went over a wee bit. But hey its Christmas.
Hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
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I havent shopped K-Mart in a few years now because they are no longer in our city. The closest one is about 2 hrs away. But for a $500 shopping spree Id happily drive the distance.
This is my wish list.
For the new grandbaby Id buy the Disney Baby ProPackâ„¢ Travel System
Kmart item # 024W897553110001 for $139.99.
For the family Id buy the Century Tool Cook and Grill Stove (10,000 BTU)
Kmart item # 1010000001318308 for $74.99.
For my surprise 3 yr old whos birthday is on Christmas day Id buy the Continental Airlines Die-Cast Airport Play Set
Kmart item # 1030000000126578 for $16.99.
Id also purchase the Yukon Express 60-Piece Wooden Train Set
Kmart item # 1030000000785744 for $39.99.
And the Dora the Explorer Lawn Swing
Kmart item # 1030000000337541 for $64.99.
And also the Step 2 Naturally Playful Lookout Treehouse
Kmart item # 1298480000776900 for $129.99.
And last but not least, for digging in the dirt, Id buy the Micro Excavator Riding Toy with Helmet
Kmart item # 1030000000127167 for $49.99.
My grand total: $516.93. Oops, went over a wee bit. But hey its Christmas.
Hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
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I retweeted you. @barefootgypsy 🙂
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I retweeted you. @barefootgypsy 🙂
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I haven’t shopped at Kmart in a while and I didn’t realize what great deals they had- I will be heading over there soon to check them out for myself!! Here’s what I would buy:
Panasonic PAN DMC-TZ5S 9.1MP DIGITAL CAMERA, SILVER 10 X ZOOM, 3″ LCD, 28MM, HD VIDEO
Kmart item# 108000000DMCTZ5S Mfr. model# DMCTZ5S for $349.99
DS,Lego Batman (Releases 9/23/08)
Kmart item# 25500NDSWAR38901 Mfr. model# NDS WAR 38901 for $29.99
DS, Star Wars The Clone Wars Jedi Alliance(Street Date 11-11-08)
Kmart item# 255NDSLUC3346101 Mfr. model# NDS LUC 33461 for $34.99
Bissell Little Green Compact Multi-Purpose Cleaner
Kmart item# 9990000060024311 Mfr. model# 60024311 for $79.99
Okay… it would be so great to win this one!! Thanks for the fabulous giveaway!!
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I haven’t shopped at Kmart in a while and I didn’t realize what great deals they had- I will be heading over there soon to check them out for myself!! Here’s what I would buy:
Panasonic PAN DMC-TZ5S 9.1MP DIGITAL CAMERA, SILVER 10 X ZOOM, 3″ LCD, 28MM, HD VIDEO
Kmart item# 108000000DMCTZ5S Mfr. model# DMCTZ5S for $349.99
DS,Lego Batman (Releases 9/23/08)
Kmart item# 25500NDSWAR38901 Mfr. model# NDS WAR 38901 for $29.99
DS, Star Wars The Clone Wars Jedi Alliance(Street Date 11-11-08)
Kmart item# 255NDSLUC3346101 Mfr. model# NDS LUC 33461 for $34.99
Bissell Little Green Compact Multi-Purpose Cleaner
Kmart item# 9990000060024311 Mfr. model# 60024311 for $79.99
Okay… it would be so great to win this one!! Thanks for the fabulous giveaway!!
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RT this post- {OneHouseSchool}
Thanks again!! 🙂
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RT this post- {OneHouseSchool}
Thanks again!! 🙂
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This is a great idea.
Since I have been out of work for almost 2 months, I would use the gift card to buy Christmas for my family and get the items they would really want.
GE Digital Camera A835
020W673502110001 $79.99
Camp Chef Dutch Oven
1010000001187919 $39.99
Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Hot Beverage Center
010073444910001 $29.99
Creative Labs Zen
10500000ZEN4GBBK $99.99
Plus clothes and stocking stuffers.
Also I would allow my son to get a gift for his girlfriend since he isn’t working either and let my daughter buy for her friends at school
It would make for a nice Christmas.
Thanks
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This is a great idea.
Since I have been out of work for almost 2 months, I would use the gift card to buy Christmas for my family and get the items they would really want.
GE Digital Camera A835
020W673502110001 $79.99
Camp Chef Dutch Oven
1010000001187919 $39.99
Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Hot Beverage Center
010073444910001 $29.99
Creative Labs Zen
10500000ZEN4GBBK $99.99
Plus clothes and stocking stuffers.
Also I would allow my son to get a gift for his girlfriend since he isn’t working either and let my daughter buy for her friends at school
It would make for a nice Christmas.
Thanks
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