K-lumbo (lost Kmart safety training video; 1990s)

Kmart logo used in the 1990s.

Status: Lost

K-lumbo, possibly titled K-lumbo: Safety is No Accident, was a safety training video created by the Kmart Corporation around the early 1990s. The video was a spoof of the American crime drama television series Columbo, which ran from 1971 to 2003.

History

According to former Kmart employees, the safety video starred a Peter Falk-type actor as a detective named "K-lumbo" who investigates the safety protocols of K-Mart employees. In 2006, a former employee remembered the video covering shrinkage prevention.

Confirmation that this safety video existed comes from the 2001 court case Torres v. K-Mart Corp.:

7. Kmart did not act in accordance with the safety requirements set forth by Kmart Corporation for wet floors in safety video known as "K-lumbo."

8. Kmart did not act in accordance with the safety requirements set forth by Kmart Corporation for wet floors in safety video known as "Safety Is No Accident."

There is minor contention over if 'K-lumbo' and 'Safety is No Accident' are one film or two. The court document references the titles interchangeably. However, both titles are described as having identical purposes and content.

Availability

While numerous court filings and testimonies by Kmart employees have proven the video's existence, no footage of K-lumbo has been released to the public. It can be inferred that a copy may be in the possession of a former Kmart employee or manager, though due to the retail chain's dwindled presence (only 3 Kmart locations are still open in the United States as of 2023), the chances of it being found in this way are slim.