By By SHERRY DIGMON
Advance Staff Writer
You may have been one of the shoppers whose ears perked up when the announcement was made – "Attention, Kmart shoppers … "
And you may have made your way, along with dozens of other shoppers, to an area of the store where the "blue light special" was under way. For about 15 minutes or so, shoppers were treated to a discount price on selected merchandise. As long as the cart with the flashing blue light was in the area, bargains were to be had.
The blue light was synonymous with Kmart, but in 1991, the Kmart Corporation retired the blue light. Ten years later, the new chief executive, Chuck Conaway, is bringing it back. The official announcement was made Monday through the corporate office.
Randall Shuttlesworth, manager of the Atmore Kmart, said the company invested about $30 million resurrecting the program that consumers have always identified Kmart with.
The technology is a little different. The little cart doesn't make its way around the store anymore. The light stays stationary and the merchandise moves. But the premise is the same, Shuttlesworth said, and the bargains are the same.