Kmart tests personal-shopper program in Rockford stores

By Sean F. Driscoll

BusinessRockford.com

Kmart is once again using a local store as a testing ground for a new program. And this time, it’s personal.

The free personal shopper program allows customers to place an order online at mygofer.com and pick it up at the 5909 E. State St. store within a few hours. If an item is out of stock or isn’t carried at Kmart, they’ll still pick it up at another store — any other store — and add it to your tab, company spokeswoman Kim Freely said.

“We continuously look for ways to make things convenient for the customers,” she said.

The Rockford store is the only Kmart in the country offering the service. Freely wouldn’t speculate on whether it will be rolled out to other stores or how long the experiment would last.

“We like the Rockford market, and we try various things in the Rockford market,” she said. “This is another one of those new ideas.”

The chain chose Rockford’s two stores, on State Street and at 1321 Sandy Hollow Road, as the first in the country to undergo big changes in a push to become more customer-driven. The changes included a revamped store entrance, redesigned store layouts and, in the State Street store, a wider range of merchandise, including Kenmore large appliances and Craftsman tools.

Reach staff writer Sean F. Driscoll at 815-987-1346 or sdriscoll@rrstar.com.