Can't choose between Sears and Kmart? Now you can get two-in-one

NEW YORK – The Sears department store chain, which has been shrinking, is experimenting with doubling up with its corporate sibling, sister chain Kmart.

A Sears store in New York City now sports a Kmart section.

The retailer opened a Kmart convenience store inside a Sears store in Brooklyn over the weekend in a move to woo shoppers not only looking to make bigger purchases, but those loading up on smaller items like paper towels or detergent.

"The store focuses solely on grab-and-go items for the city shopper, including groceries and household products such as toilet paper, toothpaste, laundry detergent, cosmetics, healthcare items and more,'' says Larry Costello, a spokesman for parent company Sears Holdings.

It's the latest innovation being tried out by the iconic store chain, whose flagging sales and profits have led it to shutter hundreds of locations and take on billions of dollars of debt.

The company is also planning to launch Sears appliance sections inside and next to some Kmarts, two of them in the New York City area.

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On a Tuesday afternoon, there were few customers inside the joint Sears-Kmart store in Brooklyn. The Kmart is on the lower floor. Signs noted that certain items such as Pine-sol and Clorox disinfecting wipes could be found downstairs in the new Kmart section, which also sold seasonal items such as wading pools.

Customers wanting clothing and appliances, however, needed to focus on the sections that were part of Sears.

The move mirrors a strategy by rival Target, which has opened smaller format locations tailored to the tastes and needs of urban customers and college students. 

Sears has been trying out a variety of ideas to regain relevance and profitablity, including offering to install tires sold at Amazon.