Then Kmart got their machine in gear and began to do it better and better. I remember going in their stores—I’ll bet I’ve been in more Kmarts than anybody—and I would really envy their merchandise mix and the way they presented it. So much about their stores was superior to ours back then that sometimes I felt like we couldn’t compete. Of course that didn’t stop us from trying. And Target came along and did a fine job, taking the whole idea a little more upscale. As these big operators became more organized, the competition grew a lot more difficult. That’s when all those guys who were failing
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