How badly were K-Mart sales affected by a catchphrase from the movie 'Rain Man'?

zbeckabee

Let's put it this way -- The comment probably didn't help the situation, but then neither did Walmart. "The company's image was widely lampooned, reaching its nadir in the movie "Rainman," where Tom Cruise famously sneered, 'Kmart sucks!'" "Kmart had a big image problem. That might not be too serious in another industry, but it's life or death for a retail firm. When Tom Cruise's character in Rainman brashly stated, "Kmart sucks," I thought it was a seminal moment for the company -- the beginning of the end. That statement may have been a bit harsh, but investors who lost it all on the company's original equity probably share the sentiment." The company that was once the envy of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton had become his target, as Wal-Mart and Target supercenters siphoned thousands of Kmart customers away. http://www.detnews.com/2005/business/0503/24/E01-127456.htm http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2003/mft03061604.htm Nov 21 07, 5:42 AM