By that December 23rd, my kids were itching to have their Kmart Christmas. I took them into the store bright and early before it opened, gave them each $200, and they ran around, joyful and hyper as can be, picking out Hot Wheels cars and tracks.
I had Emily ring them up at the front register to give my boys the full Kmart experience, and they even helped bag their early Christmas presents.
I got them in and out within about fifteen minutes, which was a good thing because the day-before-Christmas rush was already lining up outside.
I had accomplished my goal: my kids got their Kmart Christmas. And at this rate, they had fifteen and thirteen more to go.
Just before the store opened, I got a call from Ryan Turner, CEO of TransformCo.
"Hello?" I said.
"Mr. Hugo, I gotta hand it to you. You've made Kmart into quite the local fad. Just how long do you think this fad is going to last?" said Turner.
"As long as it can..." I said.
"Well, TransformCo is about to liquidate the last of Sears' assets. Once that's done, so am I. Any chance you're looking for a new company board member?" said Turner.
"I do have one open seat on the board of MCF. If you're interested, put in an application," I said.
"Thank you," said Ryan, "I will definitely do that. In any case, you've done good, Hugo. You've done good."
Kmart may be down to one location, but for now, it will survive.