Has anyone got one of those Walmart Neighborhood Markets in your area?

[mrreowwr_kittty]

They are a smaller version of Walmart, typically about 1/4 the size of a Supercenter. They appear to be similar to a Target Greatland, where you have the department store and supermarket combined in one building, but maybe a bit smaller. If so, do you find there are similar issues with traffic, threats to surrounding businesses, crime rates, etc. that you see with the larger ones? The reason I'm asking is that they are planning to locate one in my neighborhood. I'm getting involved in the citizens group opposing it because I abhor Walmart's business practices and I don't want one in any way shape or form for that reason. I'd just like to know if anyone has noticed anything similar to what you see with the bigger ones.

The Walmart spokeswoman who addressed our town's planning committee claims that these neighborhood markets cause competitors to drop prices up to 25%, which according to her will save hard-working families lots of money. I say it may eventually drive the local traditional grocery store, which is unionized and pays a good enough wage that many of its employees can actually afford to live in this nice neighborhood, out of business. Not to mention our hardware store, pool supply store, and other smaller establishments.

Appreciate any help y'all can give me on this.

[Rosco T.]

1. They have very little "Department Store" Merchandise...

a photo center and that's about it. It's 99% 'grocery store'.

[panader0]

2. My town, Sierra Vista, just celebrated their 50th anniversary

A young, small town. We never really had "Mom and Pop" old time stores. When Wal Mart came in about 15 years ago (and I was a construction foreman) people loved it and still do. Our proximity to the border makes it even more crowded. The plain fact is that Wal-Mart sells for less and for most people that is all the justification needed to shop there. I try to spend my money where it stays in the area. But on some items, I go to Wal-Mart. (guilty)

[deaniac21]

3. Ours is just a regular sized grocery store.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Sure do. I'm in NW Arkansas, home of WM, and every town's had one

for years. I really don't think they've done so well. All of our grocery stores are in tack. Wal-Mart decided to build them here as a test. They were placed DIRECTLY across the street from the leading grocery in Fayetteville, Springdale, and Bentonville.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

5. Thanks you guys

I still don't like Walmart but this sounds like it will not have quite as bad an impact on my community as the bigger ones.

[debodixie]

6. I too am in NWArkansas and we still have other stores true but....

I definitely would try to fight them coming into your community. The ignorant thing WM did was place most of their NM's directly across from the Harps' food chains around here as the previous poster stated. However, the Harps' were profitable enough and its customers devoted enough to resist the typical Walmartian tactic of intentionally underselling other stores, even if it meant not making a profit for a while...hell, there's always the other 50,000 other stores profit to cover a temporary loss! I think WM finally just hung it up and accepted the fact that they couldn't wipe out the Harps so now they reside side by side, and their prices are pretty similar (but you do get REAL meat at Harps, not the pre-packed "Lets Screw Over the Butchers Union" crap that Walmarts sell.)
So guess where I do the majority of my shopping when in Fayetteville? I like real meat! I sometimes HAVE to go there (Wallyworld) for some things, but I try to avoid major purchasing there as much as possible. The rest of the time I get my stuff at a smaller grocery store called Dillons in my rural area. (Rumor has it WM was trying to stick a supercenter out here in Prairie Grove, but the town fought it....thank God! Yeah, I do pay a few dollars more per buggy, but they still put my bags in the basket AND carry and load them in my car too (as do most of Harps stores). If you need help with carryouts in WM (as I did once when I had a broken foot) you can wait for 15 minutes till they finally get Virgil the Inbred Pet Department Stock Boy to come to the register across the 50 acres of store space!
However not all stores have the stamina of the Harps chains, so when any of the WM brands come to town the very first thing they do is underprice everything, hoping it will run all competition out of business. And about 90% of the time, it WORKS! That's why they're a Zillion dollar company. And then once there is no competition, the SUCKERS! sign replaces the Happy sign on the door and they crank up their prices till they are higher than the competitors they ran out of town. And what choice do customers have but to pay the cost, cause then there are no other shopping options left nearby.
And by the way, this is not just educated conjecture. Within my job I get the opportunity to talk to many current and former WM corporate people and they have told me this and many other horror stories about the "Wal-Mart Way".

[RoyGBiv]

7. Wrong ...

They drive local grocery stores out of business. They result in cut wages, net loss of employment, and the food is bad. This is one of those places that will, for example, sell hamburger that's been flooded with preservatives and shipped from god-knows-where rather than make it in-house. Their produce is horrendous, and they will not purchase from locals. They smell bad.

[blonndee]

10. Hey, it's Roy again!

Just noticed you were on this thread. What do you think about Crest? That's my new favorite store. They don't always have the exact thing I need but the next time I go back they usually do.

I swear, they're cheaper than Wal Mart.

[RoyGBiv]

11. I love Crest ...

And HiYa! :hi:

Before I moved to OKC, and when gasoline was less than $1/gal btw, I'd often drive up here just to stock up on essentials when I first moved out on my own. Groceries, except for produce, in my home town were outrageously high, even after Wal-Mart came. Produce I could get at the farmer's market, and it was amazingly good. Tomatoes too big to hold two in your hand and bursting with flavor...okay now I'm hungry.

Anyway, Crest's inventory does seem to change a lot, especially as far as brands are concerned, so if you are accustomed to a certain brand of something (which most of us are) that can be an issue. On the other hand, I've found better, and usually cheaper alternatives when that happens.

They treat their employees a lot better than Wal-Mart too, at least based on what a few people I've known who work/worked there said.

[blonndee]

12. Good to know about the employees

I've found their produce to be really good--with the exception of squash (but even WM has SHITTY squash) and the RECENT tomatoes, which were just okay. But last time their tomatoes were really good. I have to say, I've been the most impressed by their produce. WM's produce always SUCKED, all of it. I just wish Crest had a better veggie stock. Their stocking of Morningstar, Amy's, and Boca products has been kind of unreliable.

The brand thing has taken some getting used to, but I've adjusted. When I've had to, I've gone to Albertson's (which I love, but talk about $$$!). The rest of my stuff I need, I drive to Norman to go to Target or go over to Ace Hardware. It's a little more expensive, but it's worth not shopping at WM.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

14. Am I not the only one who's noticed that Walmarts reek?

What is it with the characteristic stench? They offended me from an aesthetic and olfactory standpoint long before I became aware of their dubious business practices.

[sweetpotato]

16. I agree

They smell bad! Why is that?

I thought it was just me.

[newyawker99]

18. Hi aphopkin!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[sandnsea]

8. No Walmart - but

We got a Fred Meyer a few years ago - groceries and dept store. We didn't have anything like that at all and I think it helped us. Locals stay here to shop more often, and it marks as more of a tourist destination than just a drive-thru. So I think it depends on the kinds of stores you already have in your neighborhood. We did lose 2 local grocery stores. Sadly, the one that I think could have competed eventually is the one that closed first. The other local store was run by complete assholes, but hung on a bit longer. If the asshole store had gone first, the other one might have shifted more to specialty foods which they were more known for anyway. However, our home/hardware stores and clothing stores are doing a lot better. And we have one of those crappy grocery outlets too, but I won't shop there because it's not union. So I think it all depends, but maybe you can try to get a different grocery/dept chain in there instead.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

13. That's what we are hoping to do

I just got back from the meeting and one of the strategies discussed was to see if we could forestall the approval of the Walmart and entice another grocer to move in. People would like another store since we have one Safeway store for a rather large area but we'd like something better than a Walmart. A lot of us agreed that a Whole Foods type of place would be a more welcome alternative.

[LostinVA]

17. Entice a union store to move in n/t

[blonndee]

9. I have one that's about a mile and a half from a super Wal-Mart here in my

community, but the location is really different--the Super WM is right off the interstate, the other is right in the middle of the community, although on major crossstreets. I don't shop at either, but the traffic at the "neighborhood WM" store doesn't ever seem bad, the parking lot is about the size of a regular grocery store and in fact, there is another grocery store (Crest) about a mile north of the "neighborhood" WM. That parking lot is always more packed, and that's where I shop. Crest is a state chain that does no advertising (to keep low prices) who actually beats out WalMart as far as prices go. I know, because I *used* to shop at WalMart but quit there for ethical reasons. When I started shopping at Crest I was shocked to realize I was spending even less on groceries there than I did at Wal Mart.

Then again, I DON'T think these so-called neighborhood WMs are any better than the big box stores. They're still driving out smallish stores by unethical methods. Our local chain has just been lucky, I think, to be able to compete.

[DarkTirade]

15. The 3 in my area are all basically just grocery stores

like any other. They just have the walmart name and they're open 24 hours. (and since I work the night shift, unfortunately that means I have to patronize them more often than I'd like)