As Sears Holdings struggles to stay above water, recently filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, many of its subsidiaries have been shutting down. According to Business Insider, Sears plans on closing approximately 65 of its subsidiary Kmart stores by the end of 2018.
Before the Kmart in McMurray, Pennsylvania closed its doors for the final time on Sunday, one employee of 18 years decided to offer a heartfelt farewell over the store’s intercom.
“Attention Kmart shoppers; attention Kmart shoppers,” said Joshua Englert. “The time is now 4:25, and your McMurray Kmart will be closing for the last time in just five minutes.”
Englert then broke for a moment, becoming visibly emotional.
“I wanted to take this opportunity not to sell you 40-cent plaid skirts or five-cent panties, but instead to thank you for supporting a lifetime of memories. A sincere thank you to those people that have made this store their second home,” he continued.
“I’ve worked for Kmart for 18 years — more than half my life. I’m the man I am today because of the people that I’ve met here at Kmart. The retail environment, it’s pretty stressful, but we’ve always worked together to get through those stressful times — the inventories, the Black Fridays, the long lines for Tickle Me Elmos and Playstation 4s when we only had three of them,” Englert stated, his voice cracking at times. “Thank you deeply to the Kmart McMurray team. You guys have made it all worthwhile. Once again, the time is 4:25. Your McMurray Kmart will be closing at 4:30.”
Speaking with The Daily Wire about his last day, Englert said he thought “it would be fun and appropriate to do a sentimental” announcement as the store closed, adding that he frequently used the intercom “to make announcements in a fun and exciting way, and the associates always got a crack out of it.”
“The moment after I made the announcement,” he said, “I had several associates come up to me and give me a hug, and they told me that it was beautiful. It was a great moment for our last day.”
Regarding the video going viral, Englert said: “I love that it’s brought so many people together. It was a raw, honest moment that people can relate to, and I love hearing the stories that others have shared with me.”
The clip has garnered more than 117,000 views as of publication, and comments have flooded in, many from fellow Kmart employees from across the country who are sharing their own experiences with Englert, and wishing him well in the future.