A Kmart manager in McMurray, Pa., gave an emotional sign-off this past Sunday as the store closed for good — a casualty of Sears filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S.
For Joshua Englert, giving the sign-off was his way of saying goodbye to a store he had worked at for 18 years.
To commemorate the event, Englert taped himself and shared it on Facebook.
“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,” Englert begins in his sign-off.
READ MORE: Sears files for bankruptcy protection in U.S. over massive debt, plunging sales
As he announces that the store is closing for the last time “in five minutes,” a person can be heard in the background expressing her sadness, prompting him to look over and smile in recognition.
Englert’s emotions get the better of him as he thanks customers who made the store “their second home” and explained that the people he met at the store helped make him the man he is.
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“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. Thank you deeply to the Kmart McMurray team,” he continued.
Englert told WOGI-FM 104.3 that he had become known for his store announcements.
“It hit me when I realized that we’d be splitting up and that’s what I got emotional about,” he said. “These people have definitely changed me. I just wanted to make sure they knew what they meant to me.”
WATCH: Last Sears Canada stores close their doors for good
With the bankruptcy announcement this past Monday, Sears also said it would close 142 unprofitable stores, in addition to the previously announced closure of 46 unprofitable stores, with an expected completion of November 2018.
The big box giant started as a mail order catalogue in the 1880s before opening stores across the U.S. and Canada but in recent years has seen hundreds of stores close.
More than a year ago, Sears announced it would close all of its stores in Canada, a move that was completed at the beginning of 2018.
“Again, the time is 4:25 (p.m.), your McMurray Kmart will be closing at 4:30,” Englert says to finish his speech as people applaud in the background.
Englert told WOGI-FM that since the video was posted, he’s had a few messages about possible jobs.
Since posting, the video has been viewed more than 164,000 times.
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