I'm old enough to have possible (probably) been in K-mart while this was playing. I've seen many amazing things in archive.org, and this has got to be one of the top two or three. Thank you Tom Schwarzrock for allowing this to be archived for all time.

Listening to this, those of us "of a certain age" will really get the feel of walking through a department store back in the day. Additionally, I distinctly remember a lot of these songs from the "easy listening" radio stations my parents used to listen to in the 1970s -- songs I never though I'd hear again. And now, I can add these songs to my Christmas music collection -- even though my parents are gone and Kmart is a faint shadow of its former self. Thanks for posting this... and thanks to those who provided the "discographies"!

Great music; not like the crap played in many stores today. Thank you for uploading these tapes. How were they obtained.

Gerry

Looking at this tape in a waveform editor (Audacity) close-up reveals 25 Hz tones of the type you'd have sometimes heard on an automated easy listening station of that same era, using tape automation equipment. Look especially in side 2. I'll bet that this tape was produced using that same equipment and broadcast reels from IGM or Drake Chenault, or even Bonneville (were Bonneville in the beautiful music game yet in '74?) if Tape-A-Thon didn't just cut their own masters. Very interesting.

This:

04:56 The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) – ?piano and orchestra

is from

The Medallion Orchestra And Chorus* Directed By John Paul Krance* ‎– The Sound Of Christmas – Deck The Halls (1960)

Very good audio. Nostalgic, and very pretty music (Muzak!) actually.

13:24 "Will Security please report to Section 3, Security to Section 3" Uh oh

I had a deprived childhood. I had never even SEEN a K Mart until I was an adult.

Many Thx to laze" for the discography.

Thanks for the upload. This is so cool

This is the stuff that the Archive was made for.

CSV for use on Universal Scrobbler (including only tracks with known artists):

"Billy Vaughn","I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas","Christmas Carols"
"Eddie Dunstedter","Happy Holiday","The Bells of Christmas Chime Again"
"Andre Kostelanetz","March of the Toys/Toyland Medley","Joy to the World"
"Ronnie Aldrich","The Christmas Waltz","Christmas with Ronnie Aldrich & The London Festival Orchestra"
"Mantovani Orchestra","Jingle Bells","Christmas Greetings from Mantovani & His Orchestra"
"Jackie Gleason Orchestra","I'll Be Home for Christmas","All I Want For Christmas"
"The Living Strings","Silver Bells","The Spirit of Christmas"
"Wayne King Orchestra","Snowbound","Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
"Ferrante & Teicher","Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!","Christmas Is So Special"
"Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops","Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer","Pops Christmas Party"
"Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra","Jingo Jango","Christmas Wonderland"
"Eddie Dunstedter","Jingle Bell Bossa Nova","Christmas Candy"
"The Living Strings","Pine Cones & Holly Berries/It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"
"Hugo Winterhalter","Sleigh Ride","Wish You Were Here"
"Frank Chacksfield","I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas","Music for a Merry Christmas"
"George Melachrino & His Strings","I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus","Christmas Joy"
"The Three Suns","Walking in a Winter Wonderland","The Sound of Christmas"
"Domenico Savino & His Orchestra","Jingle Bells","Hi-Fi Christmas Party"
"Mantovani Orchestra","Christmas Bells","Christmas Greetings from Mantovani & His Orchestra"
"John Klein","Frosty the Snowman","A Christmas Sound Spectacular"
"Eddie Dunstedter","Christmas Candy","Christmas Candy"
"Hollyridge Strings","Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas","Christmas Favorites"
"The Waikikis","Snow in Hawaii","Merry Christmas in Hawaii"
"Tex Beneke","Snowfall","Christmas Serenade in the Glenn Miller Style"
"Pete Fountain,"Jingle Bell Rock","Candy Clarinet"
"Liberace","Santa Claus is Coming to Town/Here Comes Santa Claus","A Liberace Christmas"
"Andre Kostelanetz","It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas","Wonderland of Christmas"
"Living Voices","Parade of the Wooden (Tin) Soldiers","Living Voices Sing Christmas Music"
"John Klein","All Around the Christmas Tree","Lets Ring the Bells All Around the Christmas Tree"
"Lawrence Welk","I'll Be Home for Christmas","Silent Night"
"Hollyridge Strings","Walking in a Winter Wonderland","Christmas Favorites by the Hollyridge Strings"
"Dick Leibert","Under the Christmas Mistletoe","The Happy Hits of Christmas"
"Tex Beneke","Sleigh Ride","Christmas Serenade in the Glenn Miller Style"
"Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops","Sleigh Ride","Pops Christmas Party"
"Eddie Dunstedter","Ring, Christmas Bells (Ukrainian Bell Carol)","The Bells of Christmas Chime Again"
"The Wayne King Orchestra","Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!"
"The Living Strings","Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas","The Spirit of Christmas"
"Jackie Gleason Orchestra","Happy Holiday"
"Bert Kaempfert","Toy Parade","Christmas Wonderland"
"The Three Suns","I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus","A Ding Dong Dandy Christmas"
"Hollyridge Strings","I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas","ChristmasFavorites by the HollyridgeStrings"
"Lawrence Welk","Santa Claus is Coming to Town","Merry Christmas from Lawrence Welk"
"Eddie Dunstedter","I'll be Home for Christmas","Christmas Candy"
"Al Hirt","Silver Bells","The Sound of Christmas"
"Hollyridge Strings","I'll be Home For Christmas","Christmas Favorites by the Hollyridge Strings"
"Wayne King & His Orchestra","The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)","Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

Thank you so much for uploading this bit of ephemera!

For those who want to know the name and performers of the songs, here they are:

0:03 K Mart jingle
1:03 I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas – Billy Vaughn (1958, Christmas Carols album)
3:55 Happy Holiday – Eddie Dunstedter (1963, The Bells of Christmas Chime Again album)
6:11 March of the Toys/Toyland Medley – Andre Kostelanetz (1959, Joy to the World album)
8:53 The Christmas Waltz – Ronnie Aldrich (1964, Christmas with Ronnie Aldrich & The London Festival Orchestra album)
11:28 Jingle Bells – Mantovani Orchestra (1963, Christmas Greetings from Mantovani & His Orchestra album)
13:24 Will Security please report to Section 3?
13:30 I'll Be Home for Christmas – Jackie Gleason Orchestra (1969, All I Want For Christmas album)
15:52 Silver Bells – The Living Strings (1963, The Spirit of Christmas album)
19:02 Snowbound - Wayne King Orchestra (1963, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas album)
20:58 Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! - Ferrante & Teicher (1962, Christmas Is So Special album)
23:31 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops (1959, Pops Christmas Party album)
25:37 Jingo Jango - Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra (1963, Christmas Wonderland album)
27:38 Attention please: if you plan to pay with your purchase with a personal check...
27:48 Jingle Bell Bossa Nova - Eddie Dunstedter (1965, Christmas Candy album)
30:02 Pine Cones & Holly Berries/It's Beginning to Look a LotLikeChristmas–The Living Strings(1963, NewFromBroadway)
33:07 Santa Claus is Coming to Town/March of the Toys/Rudolph medley – ("The Twenty-Two Best Loved Christmas Piano Concertos" (1959))
35:41 Sleigh Ride – Hugo Winterhalter (1959, Wish You Were Here album)
38:19 I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas – Frank Chacksfield (1959, Music for a Merry Christmas album)
41:15 There is no smoking allowed on the sales floor, only in the Snack Bar...
42:15 I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – George Melachrino & His Strings (1959, Christmas Joy album)
43:29 Walking in a Winter Wonderland – The Three Suns (1961, The Sound of Christmas album)
46:06 Jingle Bells – Domenico Savino & His Orchestra (1959, Hi-Fi Christmas Party album)
47:26 Christmas Bells – Mantovani Orchestra (1963, Christmas Greetings from Mantovani & His Orchestra album)
49:36 Frosty the Snowman – John Klein (1959, A Christmas Sound Spectacular album)
52:01 Christmas Candy - Eddie Dunstedter (1965, Christmas Candy album)
54:11 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Hollyridge Strings (1965, Christmas Favorites album)
57:01 Snow in Hawaii - The Waikikis (1973, Merry Christmas in Hawaii album)
59:16 Snowfall – Tex Beneke (1965, Christmas Serenade in the Glenn Miller Style album)
59:54 K Mart jingle
1:00:52 Jingle Bell Rock – Pete Fountain (1967, Candy Clarinet album)
1:03:03 Santa Claus is Coming to Town/Here Comes Santa Claus – Liberace (1952, A Liberace Christmas)
1:04:56 The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) – ?piano and orchestra
1:07:44 It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas – Andre Kostelanetz (1972, Wonderland of Christmas album)
1:09:38 Parade of the Wooden (Tin) Soldiers – Living Voices (1962, Living Voices Sing Christmas Music album)
1:11:33 All Around the Christmas Tree - John Klein (1964, Lets Ring the Bells All Around the Christmas Tree album)
1:14:31 Will Security please report to Section 10...
1:14:37 I'll Be Home for Christmas – Lawrence Welk (1961, Silent Night album)
1:16:39 Walking in a Winter Wonderland – Hollyridge Strings (1963, Christmas Favorites by the Hollyridge Strings album)
1:19:15 Under the Christmas Mistletoe - Dick Leibert (1963, The Happy Hits of Christmas album)
1:20:37 Sleigh Ride – Tex Beneke (1965, Christmas Serenade in the Glenn Miller Style album)
1:23:32 Sleigh Ride – Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops (1959, Pops Christmas Party album)
1:26:17 Attention please: if you plan to pay with your purchase with a personal check...
1:26:29 Ring, Christmas Bells (Ukrainian Bell Carol) – Eddie Dunstedter (1963, The Bells of Christmas Chime Again album)
1:28:40 Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! - The Wayne King Orchestra
1:30:51 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – The Living Strings (1963, The Spirit of Christmas album)
1:33:31 Happy Holiday – Jackie Gleason Orchestra (1956, Merry Christmas album or possibly a later recording)
1:35:56 Toy Parade - Bert Kaempfert (1963, Christmas Wonderland album)
1:38:24 I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – The Three Suns (1959, A Ding Dong Dandy Christmas album)
1:40:35 I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas – Hollyridge Strings (1963, ChristmasFavorites by the HollyridgeStrings album)
1:43:02 There is no smoking allowed on the sales floor, only in the Snack Bar...
1:43:14 Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Lawrence Welk (1956, Merry Christmas from Lawrence Welk album)
1:45:09 I'll be Home for Christmas – Eddie Dunstedter (1965, Christmas Candy album)
1:48:02 March of the Wooden (Tin) Soldiers – ?orchestra
1:51:44 Silver Bells – Al Hirt (1965, The Sound of Christmas album)
1:54:11 I'll be Home For Christmas – Hollyridge Strings (1963, Christmas Favorites by the Hollyridge Strings album)
1:56:42 The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) – Wayne King & His Orchestra (1963, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas album)

Kmart at Christmas time was one of my fondest retail memories as a kid. Those aqua coloured uniforms and the vintage cafeteria with specials like hot turkey dinners. The pumpkin pie was mandatory. And this cheesy music wafting through the deliciously fragrant air of hot processed holiday food and brand new merchandise.

It's so depressing shopping at Kmart now. It's always empty, the shelves are a mess, the music is 5 Seconds Of Summer. the Little Caesar's pizza stinks and they're undersold by Walmart.

I can almost smell the Hot Spanish Peanuts at the Deli!

Hello, I am a sample-based musician, and I created an album out of this recording (many other recordings from this archive):

https://sadsic.bandcamp.com/album/blue-light-special

Just wanted to say these are amazing samples!

Much thanks to Tom Schwarzrock for saving this gem, and to Mark Davis for digitizing and uploading it. What a trip!

amazing thanks Mr. Schwarzrock