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We visited a Kmart store the day after Sears filed for bankruptcy, and it was a mess. Here's what it was like shopping there. (SHLD)

Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday, announcing it would close 142 Sears and Kmart stores. We visited Kmart the day after the company filed for bankruptcy, and it was not in good shape.

  • The rise of e-commerce, declining foot traffic to malls, and a higher demand for off-price products are just some of the factors that have
  • We visited a Kmart store the day after the company filed for bankruptcy, and it was a complete mess.
  • READ MORE: Inside Sears' death spiral.

We went to the Kmart store in New York's Penn Station.

At the front of the store was a small Halloween section ...

... greeting cards and gift wrap ...

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... and luggage.

There was also a recycling machine near the front of the store, though it was tucked away in the corner and hidden by other merchandise.

There was also a huge cosmetics section in the store carrying drugstore products ...

... and behind that was a small electronics department. It felt pretty outdated — a majority of the electronics department's offerings were DVDs.

The rest of the first floor was a bit of a mess. There was one whole aisle where the shelves were caged off. It looked like it was intended for online order pickup, but it was hard to tell.

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The holiday department was alternating shelves between Halloween and Christmas.

There was a lot of empty spaces on the shelves.

In the middle of the store were a table and a few chairs set up labeled "Welcome Center," but I couldn't tell what it was actually for. It seemed really out of place.

Behind the Welcome Center were boxes of merchandise stacked halfway to the ceiling.

The back of the first floor wasn't in very good shape. There were cleaning supplies and trash bags laying around ...

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... and a lot of the plants that were for sale had seen better days.

There were a lot of empty and rusting shelves in the grocery section ...

... and parts of the floor were peeling up.

The second floor wasn't much better. It held kids' and men's clothing, as well as home decor and kitchen appliances. All of the clothing was packed very tightly, so it was cluttered and hard to shop around.

There was a huge empty space in the middle of the floor, and the wall was only partially painted. It looked unfinished.

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One of the escalators up to the third floor was completely closed off, and the other was not working.

The top floor was also very cluttered and difficult to navigate. It carried women's shoes, clothes, and accessories.

It also carried some men's clothing that didn't fit on the floor below.

The line was really long for check-out and for customer service. A lot of the store was an absolute mess.

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  • Trump slams Sears leadership after bankruptcy filing, saying the company was 'obviously improperly run for many years'
  • Sears is shuttering 142 stores with liquidation sales starting immediately — here's the complete list of closing stores
  • Sears, once the largest retailer in the world, has filed for bankruptcy and is closing 142 stores. Here's how it got there.
  • 'I've decided to step down as CEO': Eddie Lampert sends email to Sears employees after the company files for bankruptcy
  • Sears is closing hundreds of stores and keeping the rest open through the holiday season — but shoppers won't get the blowout deals they might be expecting
  • Sears has filed for bankruptcy and is closing stores. Here are the retail rivals who could benefit the most from its downward spiral.
  • 'There were mistakes along the way, for which I take responsibility': Eddie Lampert addresses Sears employees day after bankruptcy filing

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