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Kmart Review

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Should I use Kmart?

Skip to Content - kmart.com.au

· 4 days ago

Buy Kmart Australia for budget homeware, clothing and toys, ideally in-store where returns are easy. Skip it if you need dependable delivery, after-sales support, or you're outside Australia and NZ.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 40+ public sources; most review snippets were truncated.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo evidence in sources reviewed
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Per item; no membership

Everyday low prices

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed

Best for

  • Budget homeware and basics
  • Australian and NZ shoppers near a store
  • Kids' toys and seasonal stuff
  • House-brand dupes of pricier items

Not for

  • US shoppers — last full-size store closed 2024
  • Anyone needing reliable delivery or after-sales support
  • Buyers wanting premium quality or long warranties
  • Privacy-wary shoppers — regulator examined its data practices

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Complaint sites flag delivery and order-fulfilment failures; in-store purchases are safer

medium

Australian privacy watchdog investigated Kmart alongside Bunnings over data practices

medium

Overcharging complaints at new registers — check your receipts

low

US Kmart is a different, shrinking company — its reviews don't reflect.au

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Everyday low prices across homeware, clothing and toys
  • House-brand gear rated 'just as good as the rest'
  • Massive catalogue — 'millions of products' via its apps

Cons

  • Persistent customer-service complaints on Trustpilot, Yelp and ConsumerAffairs
  • History of checkout scanner errors; paid civil fines
  • US chain collapsed — last full-size store closed October 2024
  • Pricing ploy criticized by experts as 'unethical'

Sources & method

- 9 sources - No open vulnerabilities disclosed; 2014 US point-of-sale breach cost a $6.9M settlement and an Australian regulator probed its privacy practices.

official x1review x2security x3news x3
  • 2014 US point-of-sale breach, Malware on store registers exposed credit cards; $6.9M settlement with banks approved in 2017.
  • Further card numbers compromised (2017), Sears said some Kmart customer credit card numbers were compromised following the breach.
  • Australian privacy investigation, Privacy watchdog investigated Kmart alongside Bunnings over its data practices.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • Per item; no membership

    Starting price

  • 9

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Low prices; some overcharging complaints
  • Ease of use. No evidence in sources reviewed
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Millions of products, mostly basics
  • Support quality: 2/5. Widespread service complaints across review sites
  • Security posture: 1/5. 2014 POS breach, settlement, privacy probe
  • 733 Trustpilot reviewers (kmart.com.au) Complaint-heavy review base
  • Closed Oct 2024 Last US full-size store Brand now lives in Australia/NZ
  • $6.9M 2014 breach settlement Paid to banks, approved 2017

Pricing

Everyday low prices

Per item; no membership

  • Discount homeware, clothing, toys and basics

Security

No open vulnerabilities disclosed; 2014 US point-of-sale breach cost a $6.9M settlement and an Australian regulator probed its privacy practices.

  • 2014 US point-of-sale breachMalware on store registers exposed credit cards; $6.9M settlement with banks approved in 2017.³
  • Further card numbers compromised (2017)Sears said some Kmart customer credit card numbers were compromised following the breach.⁴
  • Australian privacy investigationPrivacy watchdog investigated Kmart alongside Bunnings over its data practices.⁵

What users say

Shoppers praise cheap house-brand finds, but complaint sites are dominated by customer-service and order failures.

“Just as good as the rest”
ProductReview.com.au
“Kmart Is A Nightmare”
DontPayFull forum thread

Alternatives

Compare Kmart with each alternative.

  • Target

    Kmart's longtime discount department-store rival with a similar range

  • ALDI

    Ultra-budget alternative; the two are constantly compared on price

    Kmart vs ALDI

  • IKEA

    Value homeware alternative grouped with Kmart in retail analyses

    Kmart vs IKEA
Full analysis

Based on 40+ public sources; most review snippets were truncated.

Cheap and cheerful for Aussie basics; support and delivery reviews are rough, and the US brand is basically gone.

Methodology

Based on 40+ public sources; most review snippets were truncated.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Read Customer Service Reviews of www.kmart.com.au — Trustpilotca.trustpilot.com
    review
  2. Kmart Home & Co Drink Bottle Blender — ProductReview.com.auproductreview.com.au
    review
  3. Kmart Breach Settlement of $6.9M With Banks Approvedjdsupra.com
    security
  4. Sears says some Kmart customer credit card numbers compromised — CNBCcnbc.com
    security
  5. Privacy watchdog to investigate Bunnings and Kmart — Reddit r/australiareddit.com
    security
  6. Last Full-Sized Kmart Closes, Marking End Of An Erayahoo.com
    news
  7. Kmart Agrees to Pay Civil Fines For Checkout-Scanner Errors — WSJwsj.com
    news
  8. Expert slams Aldi and Kmart's 'unethical' savings ploy — Yahoo Financeau.finance.yahoo.com
    news
  9. Kmart Shop Low Prices For Life — App Storeapps.apple.com
    official

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