I was born in Detroit and still have a lot of family there, so I’m well aware of the struggles that Michigan is going through. Unemployment in the state was at 14.1 percent in May and, according to this Huffington Post article, it has had the highest rate of unemployment for any state in 25 of the last 26 months. Suffice it to say, Michigan residents can use any help or good news they can get.
Kmart, which was founded in Michigan in 1962, has taken a small step to provide the state’s unemployed with a little bit of both. According to this press release (PDF), the company recently introduced the Kmart Smart Assist Savings Card, a program that provides eligible customers a 20 percent discount on many of the store’s private-label goods, including grocery and drugstore staples.
Michigan residents who register online and are verifiably unemployed will receive a nontransferable savings card that is good for up to six months. And as a nice gesture, people who become employed during the six-month period can still use the card until it expires.
Complete details can be found at Kmart’s Smart Assist website.