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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Tweet + w00t = Tw00tage! 🙂
http://twitter.com/jessewilkins/status/1035078885
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Tweet + w00t = Tw00tage! 🙂
http://twitter.com/jessewilkins/status/1035078885
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Just re-tweeted! @glamajama Feeling lucky! 🙂
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Just re-tweeted! @glamajama Feeling lucky! 🙂
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I am a simple man who doesn’t have a need for large amounts of items. Just one item is all I would like:
a 32 GB iPod Touch, Kmart item# 018W929092640001 Mfr. model# MB533LL/A
Can I live with out it? Sure. I have no need for it in my day to day life. But for those free and down moments during my day as a Kindergarten/1st Grade teacher, putting on some tunes or discreetly surfing the internet or getting lost in the numerous apps, this would be perfect.
You are a gentleman, a scholar, and a saint.
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I am a simple man who doesn’t have a need for large amounts of items. Just one item is all I would like:
a 32 GB iPod Touch, Kmart item# 018W929092640001 Mfr. model# MB533LL/A
Can I live with out it? Sure. I have no need for it in my day to day life. But for those free and down moments during my day as a Kindergarten/1st Grade teacher, putting on some tunes or discreetly surfing the internet or getting lost in the numerous apps, this would be perfect.
You are a gentleman, a scholar, and a saint.
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Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite System
Kmart item# 018W710255110001
Cause, why not!
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Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite System
Kmart item# 018W710255110001
Cause, why not!
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I hope no one copies me: If I had the $500, I would buy twenty $25 “Snowboarding Santa†eCard giftcards (Kmart item # 063W103355230001 Mfr.model # 101349) and give them away to my readers in a Christmas Contest!!! =)
Looks like you had fun shopping
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I hope no one copies me: If I had the $500, I would buy twenty $25 “Snowboarding Santa†eCard giftcards (Kmart item # 063W103355230001 Mfr.model # 101349) and give them away to my readers in a Christmas Contest!!! =)
Looks like you had fun shopping
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Magellan RoadMate 1400 GPS Navigation System w/ 4.3 in. Touchscreen Display
Kmart item# 018W902926260001 Mfr. model# ROADMATE 1400 ($199)
Elite Mali Flex Futon Combo with Aubergine & Caper Cushions
Kmart item #11000000556118AC
Mfr. model #ZH182 ($199)
GE 8.0MP Digital Camera, A835
Kmart item# 020W673502110001 Mfr. model# A835 SL ($99)
This would complete my family’s list.
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Magellan RoadMate 1400 GPS Navigation System w/ 4.3 in. Touchscreen Display
Kmart item# 018W902926260001 Mfr. model# ROADMATE 1400 ($199)
Elite Mali Flex Futon Combo with Aubergine & Caper Cushions
Kmart item #11000000556118AC
Mfr. model #ZH182 ($199)
GE 8.0MP Digital Camera, A835
Kmart item# 020W673502110001 Mfr. model# A835 SL ($99)
This would complete my family’s list.
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I twittered.
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I twittered.
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I RT’d!
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I RT’d!
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rt’ed and shopped!
If I could ever imagine spending $499 on Legos I would get my boys the millennium falcon- Kmart item# 1030000000713352 Mfr. model# 713352
Though in reality I would most likely get a snow thrower. Because I live in Maine and I like to shovel 4 times. After that, I’m done. Kmart item# 9990000043615211 Mfr. model# 178133
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rt’ed and shopped!
If I could ever imagine spending $499 on Legos I would get my boys the millennium falcon- Kmart item# 1030000000713352 Mfr. model# 713352
Though in reality I would most likely get a snow thrower. Because I live in Maine and I like to shovel 4 times. After that, I’m done. Kmart item# 9990000043615211 Mfr. model# 178133
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Kmart item# 049B684495210001 Athletech Boy’s Zip Pocket Fleece Lined Jacket $23.99 X 10 Route 66 Girl’s Zebra Reversible Fleece Jacket Kmart item# 049B677649110001 $14.99 X 15 == these jackets would go to the Back2Back Mexico exists to serve the abandoned and neglected children of Monterrey, Mexico. http://www.back2backministries.org/ — Thanks Chris for the opportunity to show some love during this holiday season.
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Kmart item# 049B684495210001 Athletech Boy’s Zip Pocket Fleece Lined Jacket $23.99 X 10 Route 66 Girl’s Zebra Reversible Fleece Jacket Kmart item# 049B677649110001 $14.99 X 15 == these jackets would go to the Back2Back Mexico exists to serve the abandoned and neglected children of Monterrey, Mexico. http://www.back2backministries.org/ — Thanks Chris for the opportunity to show some love during this holiday season.
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I would buy these items:
Kmart item # 018W689249110001 Mfr. model # SC-DX103DVD – DVD Camcorder- $299.99
Kmart item # 027W776773110001 Mfr.model # 77638411 shirt- $8.00
Kmart item # 006W079548110001 Mfr.model # 7350 Bissell Prodry Carpet Cleaner- $189.99
Total: 497.98
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I would buy these items:
Kmart item # 018W689249110001 Mfr. model # SC-DX103DVD – DVD Camcorder- $299.99
Kmart item # 027W776773110001 Mfr.model # 77638411 shirt- $8.00
Kmart item # 006W079548110001 Mfr.model # 7350 Bissell Prodry Carpet Cleaner- $189.99
Total: 497.98
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I r tweeted I am pennyraine
blessings, Penny Raine
http://pennyraine.com/blog
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I r tweeted I am pennyraine
blessings, Penny Raine
http://pennyraine.com/blog
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comment comment comment!!!
jk
LOVE “Dad=o=matic!” So, WHEN I WIN (power of positive thinking here) – I will send the DAD in my house hubby scott to KMART to pick up some Christmas LOOT for the GANG ‘o kids @ my house! 🙂
Or we would probably apply it towards any of the numerous Toshiba laptops they have since mine died, and I was going to let my kid take that one off to college with him. So we’ll go to KMART KMART KMART KMART and maybe get Toshiba Portege A605-P201 12.1 in Laptop
for a 1/3 of what it would normall go for OR Toshiba Satellite L305-S5904 15.4 in Laptop for around 200.00 after the gift card… or Kmart item# 25500WIIELA15897 Mfr. model# WII ELA 15897 Rockband and all the gizmos that go with….
See ya Chris! Have a good one!
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comment comment comment!!!
jk
LOVE “Dad=o=matic!” So, WHEN I WIN (power of positive thinking here) – I will send the DAD in my house hubby scott to KMART to pick up some Christmas LOOT for the GANG ‘o kids @ my house! 🙂
Or we would probably apply it towards any of the numerous Toshiba laptops they have since mine died, and I was going to let my kid take that one off to college with him. So we’ll go to KMART KMART KMART KMART and maybe get Toshiba Portege A605-P201 12.1 in Laptop
for a 1/3 of what it would normall go for OR Toshiba Satellite L305-S5904 15.4 in Laptop for around 200.00 after the gift card… or Kmart item# 25500WIIELA15897 Mfr. model# WII ELA 15897 Rockband and all the gizmos that go with….
See ya Chris! Have a good one!
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Wii Fit & Wii Balance Board
Kmart item #25500WIIRVLRRFNE Mfr. model #WII RVL R RFNE
Price: $89.99
2X Cherry iPod Speakerdock
Kmart item# 1750000008000100 Mfr. model# 8000105
Price: $179.99
Craftsman 8pc Reversible Ratcheting Wrench Set, Metric
Kmart item# 9990000032607611 Mfr. model# 32607611 $99.99
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Wii Fit & Wii Balance Board
Kmart item #25500WIIRVLRRFNE Mfr. model #WII RVL R RFNE
Price: $89.99
2X Cherry iPod Speakerdock
Kmart item# 1750000008000100 Mfr. model# 8000105
Price: $179.99
Craftsman 8pc Reversible Ratcheting Wrench Set, Metric
Kmart item# 9990000032607611 Mfr. model# 32607611 $99.99
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Wii Fit & Balance Board
Kmart item #25500WIIRVLRRFNE Mfr. model #WII RVL R RFNE
Price: $89.99
iPod Speakerdock
Kmart item# 1750000008000100 Mfr. model# 8000105
Price: $179.99
Craftsman 8pc Reversible Ratcheting Wrench Set, Metric
Kmart item# 9990000032607611 Mfr. model# 32607611 $99.99
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Wii Fit & Balance Board
Kmart item #25500WIIRVLRRFNE Mfr. model #WII RVL R RFNE
Price: $89.99
iPod Speakerdock
Kmart item# 1750000008000100 Mfr. model# 8000105
Price: $179.99
Craftsman 8pc Reversible Ratcheting Wrench Set, Metric
Kmart item# 9990000032607611 Mfr. model# 32607611 $99.99
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Izea? Chris, really? I never would have imagined. :-/
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Izea? Chris, really? I never would have imagined. :-/
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This would help us out so much with gifts for the kids this Christmas!
Here’s my wishlist:
2 – StreetFlyers SpiderMan 16″ bikes – Kmart item #080W473160110001 – $69.99 x 2
2 – Streetflyers Spider-Man Helmet Combo, Small – Kmart item #080W545119110001 – $19.99 x 2
Wii Fit & Wii Balance Board – Kmart item #25500WIIRVLRRFNE – $89.99
Wii,Lego Batman – Kmart item #25500WIIWAR38904 – $49.99
Wii, Spiderman:Web Of Shadows – Kmart item #255WIIACT8329301 – $49.99
Aiptek SD/MMC Flash Memory Camcorder – Kmart item #018W916185110001 – $89.99
Batman the Dark Knight Clipt! VGA Digital Camera, Logo – Kmart item #020W125898110001 – $19.99
Batman the Dark Knight Clipt! VGA Digital Camera, Batman – Kmart item #020W116922110001 – $19.99
Grand Total: $499.90
That was way too much fun! 🙂 Thanks for the chance to enter!
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This would help us out so much with gifts for the kids this Christmas!
Here’s my wishlist:
2 – StreetFlyers SpiderMan 16″ bikes – Kmart item #080W473160110001 – $69.99 x 2
2 – Streetflyers Spider-Man Helmet Combo, Small – Kmart item #080W545119110001 – $19.99 x 2
Wii Fit & Wii Balance Board – Kmart item #25500WIIRVLRRFNE – $89.99
Wii,Lego Batman – Kmart item #25500WIIWAR38904 – $49.99
Wii, Spiderman:Web Of Shadows – Kmart item #255WIIACT8329301 – $49.99
Aiptek SD/MMC Flash Memory Camcorder – Kmart item #018W916185110001 – $89.99
Batman the Dark Knight Clipt! VGA Digital Camera, Logo – Kmart item #020W125898110001 – $19.99
Batman the Dark Knight Clipt! VGA Digital Camera, Batman – Kmart item #020W116922110001 – $19.99
Grand Total: $499.90
That was way too much fun! 🙂 Thanks for the chance to enter!
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Tweeted: https://twitter.com/angievinez/status/1035573127
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Tweeted: https://twitter.com/angievinez/status/1035573127
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I dig me some Kmart. Count me in!
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I dig me some Kmart. Count me in!
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Great contest! The #1 thing I’d buy is the White Kenmore Elite 2.0 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave w/Sensor Cooking Controls
Kmart item# 9990000052257711
Mfr. model# 52257711. (My microwave is from Target, circa 1983. My kids refuse to stand near it.) The Kenmore Elite costs $149.99.
Also, I’m afraid I’ll need that Yard-Man 8.5 amp Electric Snow Thrower. In fact, the weather report says I’ll need it by tomorrow morning.
Kmart item# 1020000015850000 Mfr. model# 0015850000 Price: $169.99.
And what the hey–Working around the house wouldn’t be fun unless I dressed up in the 1/4ct tw Diamond 5-Stone Journey Pendant and Earrings Set in 10K Yellow Gold.
Kmart item# 9990000044370911 Mfr. model# 178134. Price: $101.99.
And why not this, too? Oval Blue Topaz and Diamond-Accent Pendant in 10K Yellow Gold.
Kmart item# 1020005567260000 Mfr. model# 5567260000. Price: $77.99
Thanks!
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Great contest! The #1 thing I’d buy is the White Kenmore Elite 2.0 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave w/Sensor Cooking Controls
Kmart item# 9990000052257711
Mfr. model# 52257711. (My microwave is from Target, circa 1983. My kids refuse to stand near it.) The Kenmore Elite costs $149.99.
Also, I’m afraid I’ll need that Yard-Man 8.5 amp Electric Snow Thrower. In fact, the weather report says I’ll need it by tomorrow morning.
Kmart item# 1020000015850000 Mfr. model# 0015850000 Price: $169.99.
And what the hey–Working around the house wouldn’t be fun unless I dressed up in the 1/4ct tw Diamond 5-Stone Journey Pendant and Earrings Set in 10K Yellow Gold.
Kmart item# 9990000044370911 Mfr. model# 178134. Price: $101.99.
And why not this, too? Oval Blue Topaz and Diamond-Accent Pendant in 10K Yellow Gold.
Kmart item# 1020005567260000 Mfr. model# 5567260000. Price: $77.99
Thanks!
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I Twittered you! (name: nape9393)
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I Twittered you! (name: nape9393)
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I have a very long wishlist. I will give you a few. By the way I love Kmart!
1. Dyson DC14 All Floors Upright item #006W734090110001
Those things are so freakin expensive!
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I have a very long wishlist. I will give you a few. By the way I love Kmart!
1. Dyson DC14 All Floors Upright item #006W734090110001
Those things are so freakin expensive!
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Dyson at Kmart? Who knew?
Kmart item# 006W765844110001
Retweeted too.
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Dyson at Kmart? Who knew?
Kmart item# 006W765844110001
Retweeted too.
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Wow. This is too cool! Here is what I would buy:
1. Nikon 10.0MP Digital Camera, S550 – Black
Kmart item# 020W904800480001 Mfr. model# S550 Coolpix / 26108 $229
2. i.Sound Black TuneBlaster Portable Speaker System For iPod® nano 3G
Kmart item# 250000DGIPOD-647 Mfr. model# DGIPOD-647 $29.99
3. Martha Stewart Everyday Telegraph Paisley Complete Bed Set $80.99
4. Sony DVD Player w/ 1080p Upconversion
Kmart item# 018W686907110001 Mfr. model# DVP-NS700H $79.99
5. The rest of the money, $80.03 would go to stuff for my dog Pierre, groceries, and any other fun stuff I saw in the store!
That was fun. Know what would be more fun? SPENDING IT FOR REAL!!! I really hope I win!
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Wow. This is too cool! Here is what I would buy:
1. Nikon 10.0MP Digital Camera, S550 – Black
Kmart item# 020W904800480001 Mfr. model# S550 Coolpix / 26108 $229
2. i.Sound Black TuneBlaster Portable Speaker System For iPod® nano 3G
Kmart item# 250000DGIPOD-647 Mfr. model# DGIPOD-647 $29.99
3. Martha Stewart Everyday Telegraph Paisley Complete Bed Set $80.99
4. Sony DVD Player w/ 1080p Upconversion
Kmart item# 018W686907110001 Mfr. model# DVP-NS700H $79.99
5. The rest of the money, $80.03 would go to stuff for my dog Pierre, groceries, and any other fun stuff I saw in the store!
That was fun. Know what would be more fun? SPENDING IT FOR REAL!!! I really hope I win!
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I would get a TV for my hubby, he wants high def. # 012W804958950001.
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I would get a TV for my hubby, he wants high def. # 012W804958950001.