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I’m not a big fan of shopping at Kohl’s. Although Kohl’s has a few exclusive in-house brands and partnerships, its classic department store shopping experience isn’t the right fit for my needs.

If you’re a budget-conscious shopper who likes using coupon apps and finding deals, Kohl’s could be worth a look. Or if you love Kohl’s-only brands like Croft and Barrow, by all means, keep shopping there.

But some shoppers might find Kohl’s products, prices, and selection underwhelming. Let’s explore a few items where you can feel safe skipping Kohl’s for your holiday shopping list.

1. Furniture

Kohl’s offers a decently wide range of furniture, from sectional sofas to console tables, arm chairs, and storage cabinets. But here’s the problem with Kohl’s furniture: The products generally don’t get great reviews (or have many reviews published at all), and the pricing is not much better than other big retailers like Costco.

If you like the styles available at Kohl’s and you love to be a bargain-hunter and snag special discounts on hard-to-find furniture pieces that are just the right fit for your home, Kohl’s could be worth a look. But not every shopper has time for that.

If you want a wider selection of furniture, choose a retailer that’s more dedicated to the furniture business, like IKEA or Bed Bath & Beyond. Or if you want to feel confident you’re getting high-quality pieces at competitive prices, warehouse retailers like Costco could be a better choice for your furniture shopping.

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2. Electronics

Kohl’s sells some electronics, and it has some decent prices on items like Beats by Dre headphones, Smart TVs, and Bluetooth speakers. But Kohl’s wouldn’t be my first choice for electronics shopping, because its selection is limited and kind of eccentric.

Some Kohl’s electronics have a uniquely narrow purpose, like a flip-down under-counter TV for your kitchen, or a “magic mirror” TV for the bathroom. If you want highly specialized gadgets like these, Kohl’s offers them — but I don’t shop for electronics with such a niche function.

Costco has a much wider range of big-screen TVs and other big-ticket electronics like laptops and smart watches. Best Buy is also a great choice for electronics shopping because of its selection and competitive pricing.

3. Shoes

Kohl’s offers a wide range of shoes from major brands like Adidas, Cole Haan, and Nike. If you’re shopping for shoes for kids whose feet grow fast, getting cheap prices on shoes at Kohl’s could be worth the effort. But here’s an unusual complaint: some of Kohl’s shoe deals seem “too cheap” to me.

For example, Kohl’s has some men’s dress shoes from its in-house brand, Sonoma Goods for Life®, that only cost $25.49. The shoes get good reviews — 4.3 out of 5 stars. But I’m suspicious of such cheap shoes. Can $25 dress shoes really be high-quality? I’m leery of spending so little money on shoes. (Who knows, maybe I’m throwing away a fortune.)

Shoe shopping at Kohl’s is a good choice for families on a budget. But if you’re not as price-sensitive about shoe shopping, if you want to make sure you get the right shoe with your preferred levels of fit, comfort, and durability, you might want to shop at a dedicated shoe store like DSW, or buy shoes directly from your favorite brands.

Why Kohl’s is a “no-man’s land” of shopping

The past few years of pandemic, higher levels of online shopping, and high inflation have been hard for department stores like Kohl’s. Back in the pre-internet era, big department stores like Kohl’s were one-stop shopping destinations that offered a little of everything. But now, when people can quickly compare prices online and grab their credit cards without ever setting foot in a shopping mall, it’s harder for department stores to be all things to all people.

As a result, department stores like Kohl’s are falling into an uncomfortable middle ground, a “no-man’s land,” in the retail world. It’s not always low-priced enough to compete with low-cost discount stores like TJ Maxx and Walmart, not specialized enough to compete with specialty electronics or furniture stores, and not focused enough to compete with Costco (which sells a wide range of products, but focuses on just a few choices of high-quality items).

If you feel like Kohl’s is a strange choice for holiday shopping, with not quite the right combination of attractive product selection, affordable prices, and high quality that you want, you’re not alone. Just like other traditional department store brands like Sears or JC Penney, Kohl’s department store business model might be going into permanent decline.

Bottom line

Kohl’s can be a good choice for certain products like clothes and home goods from popular Kohl’s exclusive brands, but this department store is having some serious struggles.

Price-conscious shoppers might get better deals at Walmart or TJ Maxx. More discerning shoppers who want the highest-quality products in categories like electronics or furniture should consider shopping elsewhere.

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