City commission approves Wal-Mart
Almost six years after first proposing the project, Wal-Mart and local developers passed a final hurdle Tuesday night to building a second store in Lawrence. Enlarge video
It was an unceremonious end Tuesday evening to a bitter, five-and-a-half year battle with the world's largest retailer.
With neither fanfare nor protest, city commissioners gave the final necessary approval for Wal-Mart to build a new store in the city - its second in Lawrence - at the northwest corner of Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive.
Wal-Mart officials said they plan to have a building permit for the project this spring, and expect the store will be completed 10 to 12 months after starting construction. That means an early 2009 opening is most likely.
"This is a project we have been committed to for a long time, and we're looking forward to breaking ground," said Angie Stoner, a spokeswoman with Wal-Mart.
In August of 2002, Wal-Mart officials announced plans for a 200,000-square-foot Supercenter store on the west side of the city.
And then the fighting began.
Neighbors immediately expressed concerns that the store would create too much traffic for the area. Developers countered that the Sixth and Wakarusa intersection was one of the better-designed in the city.
The previous City Commission ultimately sided with the neighbors and denied the project, which sparked a lawsuit from the development group and Wal-Mart claiming that the city denied the project for political reasons.
Last April's elections - which came just days before the trial was scheduled to start - changed the majority on the City Commission, and talks to settle the lawsuit immediately began. In August, the two sides came together and agreed on a much smaller store - an approximately 100,000-square-foot version.
On Tuesday evening, none of the opponents of the project showed up to speak against the project. Commissioners didn't spend much time talking about it, either. Instead, they simply agreed to accept the rights-of-ways and easements for the project, clearing the way for the project to apply for a building permit.
City leaders said they recognized the project still wasn't universally loved in the community, but thought it was important for the community to move on from the controversy.
"It will be nice to get this behind us and move forward," Mayor Sue Hack said. "We have to do more of that."
The development group behind the project - which is led by local businessmen Doug Compton and Bill Newsome - said they were pleased that the long approval process came to a quiet end.
"I told someone we pulled up to City Hall for a Wal-Mart hearing and there actually were parking spots available," Newsome said. "That was unusual."
The new store, although significantly smaller than what originally was proposed, will be a Supercenter that sells both grocery and general merchandise products, Stoner said.
Newsome said the project will be a benefit to the community.
"I think this is a good day for the city," Newsome said. "It will bring convenience, and in this age of expensive fuel prices, I think that's important."
Commissioners approved the final plat Tuesday evening on a 4-1 vote. Commissioner Boog Highberger - who consistently has opposed the project - was the lone vote against it.
Comments
LogicMan 5 years, 4 months ago
Time to start the fight for store #3, in north Lawrence!
hilary 5 years, 4 months ago
Why do we need a grocery store at 6th and Wak? Dillons is across the street, and Hy-Vee is just a few blocks down. That statement about convenience is ridiculous.
clyde_never_barks 5 years, 4 months ago
I can't wait to start shopping here. Great point LogicMan - I will get started on that.
janeyb 5 years, 4 months ago
You will still need to use those other grocery stores as Walmart will not hire enough people to keep their shelves well stocked. Things have changed for Walmart in 5 years. My brother just left his job at Walmart. He started out being responsible for 1 to 1 1/2 pallets he needed to get shelved per night. More recently he was one of two workers told they had to get 15 pallets stocked during their shift. They had three supervisors watching them while they worked. He quit at the end of his shift. In one year he went from the new guy to like 3rd longest there among the stockers. As he said, there are easier ways to get through college.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 5 years, 4 months ago
"It will be nice to get this behind us and move forward," Mayor Sue Hack said. "We have to do more of that."
I think this is as close as we'll get to a statement from Hack on her conflict of interest in the Deciphera debacle. Pitiful. Especially since it appears that her husband has the insurance deal with Wal-Mart.
merrill 5 years, 4 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
Baille 5 years, 4 months ago
Despoilers. Boycott Wal-Mart and its cheap Chinese crap.
monkeyhawk 5 years, 4 months ago
"Especially since it appears that her husband has the insurance deal with Wal-Mart."
I'm sure if that is the case, it would have appeared on her SSI.
"First Management(6 Wak) sponsored a city commission fund raiser:"
...and Norman Hsu sponsored many fund raisers for your hero. So what? Looks like their efforts were very successful. If you PLC/GRA types had been a little nicer to First Management, they might have built a skate park / ice chalet for the kids. Why do you hate children so much?
Toto_the_great 5 years, 4 months ago
If the proposed Wal-Mart in north Lawrence fails, then put one next to Midland to capture Perry, Oskie, McLouth, and Winchester traffic. Then we need one in east Lawrence to capture Eudora and DeSoto traffic, that is until the SLTW is passed and makes getting to Wal-Mart in south Lawrence easier. Once the trafficway opens, we can close my proposed east Lawrence Wal-Mart and build a Super Wal-mart next to it, because there is not much for a grocery store out there (we can put it next to the future BBQ joint that was once Don's Steakhouse).
Toto - seven years of being Wal-Mart free and lovin' every minute of it (would have been 12 y except for a stupid holiday shopping blunder on my part).
craigers 5 years, 4 months ago
janeyb, I will agree that HyVee and Dillons are right around there, but sometimes their prices are ridiculous. I went to Dillons to find a product this week and it was $4.15 but when I stopped at WalMart last night, the same product was $2.99. Dillons takes advantage of people when it comes to their pricing. When you use your card you can sometimes get groceries at a comparable price to other stores like Target and WalMart, but if it isn't on their card sale that week look out. I personally am a Target man, but since I live on this side of town I will settle for some cheaper groceries over here instead of the South side.
SettingTheRecordStraight 5 years, 4 months ago
Whoo hoo! Capitalism wins again! I love this country.
herman 5 years, 4 months ago
Legal fees paid by the city could have paid for another year of the T.
blackwalnut 5 years, 4 months ago
I haven't set foot in a Wal-Mart in years and I never will.
I don't miss the third-rate crap they sell, and I especially don't miss the mess visiting one of their ugly stores.
I save money because I don't buy cheaply made, poor-quality crap I don't need.
Hack should be thoroughly investigated. She's dipping money from this Wal-Mart deal too, through her husband's insurance business.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 5 years, 4 months ago
"Legal fees paid by the city could have paid for another year of the T."
Yet another reason why Wal-Mart sucks.
Centerville 5 years, 4 months ago
Unlike the 'T', Wal-Mart pays its own way and has demonstrated a strong customer base. Why in all that is sane should more of your tax money be thrown down the 'T' maw?
nobody1793 5 years, 4 months ago
I still don't understand why this wasn't put in North or East Lawrence if convenience was an issue. I mean from 6th and Wakarusa, you hop on K-10 for two minutes and your're right by the old Wal Mart. From 11th and New Jersey, 6th and Wakarusa is half a world away.
SettingTheRecordStraight 5 years, 4 months ago
Wal Mart has created a business model that obviously works. Instead of complaining, why not buy a little Wal Mart stock and consider saving you and your family some money by shopping there?
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 5 years, 4 months ago
"Wal Mart has created a business model that obviously works."
Yea, it's called slave labor.
Shardwurm 5 years, 4 months ago
The great thing about this is now the kids in that area will have a place to hang out so they'll stop coming to OUR Walmart on the south side!
stuckinthemiddle 5 years, 4 months ago
nobody1793 It's really simple... Wal Mart doesn't care what is best for the community... As a matter of fact, as they are a publicly traded company it is against the law for them to care what is best for the community... Wal Mart, like all other companies that sell stock, are legally obligated to make only decisions that increase the profits of the company and it's stockholders...
alm77 5 years, 4 months ago
Um, actually, blue, what you're not taking into account are "impulse buys". Yes, I buy all of those things. Some of them I get at Aldi (where the groceries are LESS than Walmart and they start their employees at over $10 an hour AND have very little turn over) and some of them I get at a clothing store (where they're not trying to run every other business out of town). But I cannot even begin to tell you how much less clutter is in my home because of the reduction in impulse buying. Cheap plastic crap indeed.
Haiku_Cuckoo 5 years, 4 months ago
If there's no need for a second Wal Mart in Lawrence, then nobody will shop there and they will close the store. Does anyone think that will happen though? Somehow I suspect that the parking lot will be full every day.
akt2 5 years, 4 months ago
I don't shop Wal Mart, but I certainly don't fault anyone that does. Their parking lot is always full. As is every other parking lot out there. It looks like Lawrence and the surrounding towns spend an enormous amount of money on that side of town. I'm sure they will spend an enormous amount of money at the new Wal Mart as well. They're not all bad. What about the $2 prescriptions that they came up with. The list of meds available is pretty long. Surely that has made a difference for a lot of people.
hujiko 5 years, 4 months ago
Shardwurm, no children hang out at Walmart, nor do teenagers. What does it matter anyways if some northerner comes into the Walmart down Iowa? Is it another war of northern aggression?
compmd 5 years, 4 months ago
'"I think this is a good day for the city," Newsome said. "It will bring convenience, and in this age of expensive fuel prices, I think that's important."
Sure. In this age of expensive fuel prices, it must be less expensive to heat a massive Walmart in the winter. And cool it in the summer. And keep it lit 24 hours a day. And keep the parking lot lit at night. And have water running to it. And sewer. Because, you know, building and running a Walmart requires no energy. Yes, in this age of expensive fuel prices this sounds like a brilliant idea. rolls eyes
Lucky 5 years, 4 months ago
What was the final amount in legal fees that the City paid to lose this Wal-Mart fight. The last I read it was well over $300,000. Since the Deciphera scandel it's also apparent that we also need to know what attorneys these legal fees were paid to. Who's going to be held responsible for wasting our money in this futile legal fight since Wal-Mart never loses these type of zoning court battles?
booklover2 5 years, 4 months ago
All I can say is, thanks Boog for being the lone dissenter. You stood your ground and spoke for a least some of us in Lawrence.
srj 5 years, 4 months ago
"Wal Mart has created a business model that obviously works. Instead of complaining, why not buy a little Wal Mart stock and consider saving you and your family some money by shopping there?"
Um, Wal-Mart stock has not really moved in 7 years.
roger_o_thornhill 5 years, 4 months ago
Fuel prices? It that for real? It is like 4 miles from 6th and Wakarusa and 33rd and Iowa. Is this guy an environmental champion or just concerned for all of our fiduciary well being?
belle 5 years, 4 months ago
Does anyone know if they'll have recycling over there??
blackwalnut 5 years, 4 months ago
Sam Walton created a business model that worked. His heirs took that and destroyed it with their unmitigated greed.
Wal-Mart has stopped growing.
As for comparisons with the T, the ridership on the T has grown faster than any Wal-Mart.
akt2 5 years, 4 months ago
What's downtown? I don't think you can even buy a roll of toilet paper down there anymore. Maybe a four pack at Round Corner. Talk about a waste of time and gas. Looking for a place to park. That is convenient. Downtown shopping and Wal Mart are two different kinds of shopping. When you need to supply your household with groceries, paper goods and cleaning supplies you can't shop downtown. I'm a Target person, but same difference.
MaryKatesPillStash 5 years, 4 months ago
Belle, if I remember correctly, the site plans I saw did NOT include a recycling area.
Wellington 5 years, 4 months ago
blackwalnut - "As for comparisons with the T, the ridership on the T has grown faster than any Wal-Mart."
As you will see in the coming weeks, ridership on the T is down this past year. Check your facts.
caton1982 5 years, 4 months ago
YES, I was getting pissed with how those rich house people over there complained about how busy it will get over there. That's life I live by the fair grounds and you don't see us Bitching about the traiffic. Rich people are so self centered.
tolawdjk 5 years, 4 months ago
One. No one is holding a gun to anyone's head to force them to work at Walmart. If you need a job that supplies health care, Walmart would not and should not be an option.
Two. The bulk of the "cheep Chinese crap" at Walmart is impulse buys. Notice the word impulse. If you buy "cheep Chinese crap" on impulse, its not Walmart's fault for stocking the stuff, its yours for failing to control your impulses.
Three. If I need a pair of socks and can buy said pair for $5.00 downtown or $2.50 in Walmart, where do you think I am going to buy it? I'm sorry, but a "warm fuzzy feeling" for helping out a downtown business doesn't put bread on my table or gas in my car.
This Walmart is not going to kill Lawrence, or Kill Downtown. Walmart has had a presence in town for years so any "die off" that would occur already has. The people that shop at Walmart will continue to and the people that don't still won't. If anything, the only thing it provides is the choice of convience to people that would have shopped at Walmart anyway. Those that don't can stil keep their same morally superior position that they had before.
sourpuss 5 years, 4 months ago
I don't shop at Wal-Mart. I don't even take my recycling there as they can sell it. Often, Wal-Mart is not so much cheaper to go back on my values, because my values are not for sale to some flim-flam artist waving a "low" price at me. I know what goes into getting that low price, and it costs too much. If you like Wal-Mart, fine. Personally, I find their stores overwhelming, poorly designed, poorly lit, unfriendly, and I don't like stupid yellow smiley faces grinning at me everywhere. I really can't think of anything I would buy there unless I needed some medicine in an emergency.
Perhaps if we had corner groceries, people wouldn't have to trek to WM. Someone tried to start one up in my neighborhood a while back and was told he couldn't because there wasn't enough parking. Excuse me, but you are supposed to WALK to the corner store. We should have lots of corner stores so people don't have to drive. Idiots.
tolawdjk 5 years, 4 months ago
"YES, I was getting pissed with how those rich house people over there complained about how busy it will get over there. That's life I live by the fair grounds and you don't see us Bitching about the traiffic. Rich people are so self centered."
Except you just did. And whereas I am guessing that you knew about the location of the fairgrounds when you purchased your house and the possibility of the increased traffic it would entail for maybe a couple weeks a year, those "rich house people" (I'm not even sure -how- these people fit demographically. Are you pissed that they are rich? That they have a house? Or is it some kind of "rich house" that they have?) had no previous knowledge that a Walmart and the associated traffic would be located there. So while they may have known that there was "zoned commercial" nearby there is a difference between a "commercial" location that puts in a Tru Value and a commerical location that puts in a Walmart.
But hey, you got at least 3 of the 7 Deadlies in that post (wrath, envy, and pride by my count) so good effort there.
msshaden 5 years, 4 months ago
And the library suffers again. I don't care if they ever build another library really. I just want them to clean up the one we already have. I enjoy working there but the dust build-up and mold is starting to take effect.
Toto_the_great 5 years, 4 months ago
From a business standpoint, I agree that Wal-Mart is a good business model. I think you would have a hard time winning an argument against it. Essentially they are the best of the best (as sad as that is). And from a consumer's perspective, you have to like the place because of their prices.
However, ethically, I think they are evil and what is wrong with today's society. Granted this is capitalism at its finest, but to me, how they go about achieving their ultimate goal (being the best) is wrong, whether it is how they treat their employees, not supporting the local community (although some are now with their produce), or even creating new Wal-Marts (e.g., buying the land, building the store, etc.).
Also, I hate the hustle-and-bustle of places like Wal-Mart. I prefer to go somewhere that will give me the attention I deserve and will get to know me over time. Places like Wal-Mart either do not care or push some unwanted product that doesn't fit me.
dbrm4ever2006 5 years, 4 months ago
Finally, I won't have to drive 20 minutes across town!! woo hoo!
Joe Hyde 5 years, 4 months ago
The city commision could just as easily and quickly have "gotten this behind us, and started moving forward" by denying the second Wal-Mart store permit. Instead, they voted to enable this monster retailer in its pathological efforts to cripple as many independently owned small businesses as possible in as many cities and towns as possible.
In the next city commission elections I'll do my bit to get these bozos out of office.
blakus 5 years, 4 months ago
blah, another wal-mart, another dollar in the in pockets of wal-mart execs who could care less about people and community, and one less dollar in the lawrence community... invest in your community by attracting ethically responsible corporations/small businesses who keep their money and investments in town! and who refuse to sacrifice their employees (and their manufacturers' employees) and their well-being to make a quick billion... oh, and the convenience factor (saving money on gas) of the new wal-mart is rediculous!!!!!! other than the obvious energy costs of operating a walled-mart , considering half of the products wal-mart carries contain plastic, high oil prices= increase price of half of wal-mart inventory.
hawklet21 5 years, 4 months ago
I don't like Wal Mart, but I have to admit I will probably use this one. I probably go about once per month now, and this new one will be more convenient for me. I hate to say it, but that's the truth folks.
bd 5 years, 4 months ago
Awesome, now me and my cousins from east Topeka have annother Wallyworld!
alfie 5 years, 4 months ago
Lets start guessing who will go out of business with the new Walmart. My guess is Sears
peachesncream 5 years, 4 months ago
i am totally for a north law wally world! ! ! ! and as for walmart being over priced...ever shopped target now they are OVER priced WAY overpriced and hum whos parking lot is fuller????yes i agree there are somethings that i will not buy at walmart,,, but come on its not like you cant shop somewhere else as well...as for the whiners who complain they wont shop walmart yada yada yada,,,, i bet we see ya at the new one.......smile sam loves ya
smartmomma 5 years, 4 months ago
Anyone else notice that in the illustration there are hardly any cars in the parking lot?
nugget 5 years, 4 months ago
Thank goodness. Now all those people in West Lawrence won't have to drive so far to buy all that Chinese crap loaded with lead paint.
RedwoodCoast 5 years, 4 months ago
I thought Wal-Mart had designed the new store with some special architecture in mind. Just looks like another big boxy Wal-Mart to me. Oh, and I'm sure Wal-Mart thanks us for supporting the wealthy of Bentonville.
stuckinthemiddle 5 years, 4 months ago
peachesncream What things won't you buy at Walmart and why?
craigers 5 years, 4 months ago
Can somebody tell me why Sears would go out of business because of WalMart?? WalMart doesn't have the tools, appliances, etc that Sears has.
LogicMan 5 years, 4 months ago
"Can somebody tell me why Sears would go out of business because of WalMart?? WalMart doesn't have the tools, appliances, etc that Sears has."
It wouldn't be the cause, for the most part. However, Sears' parking lot has been nearly empty since the day it opened. If it folds, I hope the small Sears catalog/appliance center reopens (it was just across the street to the north).
alfie 5 years, 4 months ago
In most cases when a new large store comes in somone will go out, sears is on the edge, the old walmart location
nobody1793 5 years, 4 months ago
"That's like saying that a McDonald's downtown will kill Free State Brewery."
Man, that Downtown McDonalds (where Chipotle is now) was the worst McDonalds EVER.
Dorothy Hoyt-Reed 5 years, 4 months ago
I wouldn't mind paying 5.00 for socks that were made in the US. We want all this cheap stuff, but then that sends all our companies overseas for the cheap labor. Before long there won't be many people with the money for the cheap stuff either. Henry Ford started paying his workers well, because he said what's the use of making cars, if your own workers can't afford them?
Don't fool yourself that you are getting the same products either. They make cheap deals with companies, and don't demand quality. Companies are more careful of products they sell to other retailers, because they demand quality, not cheap prices. There is also always the impression that WalMart is always cheaper, but that's not true.
We haven't shopped there in a long time. Except last spring when we decided to buy new tires there, because they were the cheapest. We soon discovered that the price wasn't the only cheap thing about the tires. Before Christmas, we had to replace 2 of those tires (somewhere else), because one was split and another wouldn't hold air. In my entire 55 years I've only had 2 flats until we got these tires. They paid us back for the one that was split, but wouldn't do anything about the one that wouldn't hold air. We're going to replace the other 2 when we can afford it, so we won't get stranded somewhere.
spacecowboy 5 years, 4 months ago
Do all hippies live in trailer (yes, it is TRAILER, not TRAILOR) parks? There are no rich hippies? There are no hippies in West Lawrence? There are no rich hippies in West Lawrence?
pomegranate 5 years, 4 months ago
All you WalMart haters, tell me this:just EXACTLY what stores in Lawrence have closed due to WalMart? And then tell me just EXACTLY which retail stores in Lawrence do not sell anything made in China? Then tell me which retail stores pay a starting wage of more than $8.50 an hour to the average every day employee? Then listen up you kooks. Where do you get the idea that WalMart doesn't offer insurance to all the employees? We have friends and relatives who are employees, and they have insurance. There are several plans to choose from at several different costs to the employee. And the employee can choose NOT to have insurance if they so desire.
stuckinthemiddle 5 years, 4 months ago
~chuckle~ gotta love the walmart debates...
akt2 5 years, 4 months ago
Windlass should lose the "L" in his/her screen name.
alm77 5 years, 4 months ago
blue asks: Where else in Lawrence can you get dog food, motor oil, dish soap, socks and take-n-bake pizza in one location?
in one location - you can't. Why should you? To save a buck? To send your money to Arkansas?
I get my cat food from a family member who works at a pet food factory. I get my motor oil from the shop down the street. My dish soap comes from Aldi when I remember I'm running low and the Hyvee when I forgot. My socks usually come from Penney's. and I get my Pizza from either Aldi, Dillon's, HyVee or I get it "Hot and Ready" from Little Caesar's.
As for Target, I do go there when I can't find what I need anywhere else, I go when the oldest two kids are in school and I usually spend less than $20 a month there. Yes, Hello Kitty does suck.
I plan my days every week so that no unnecessary trips are made. I've got three kids (read that as impulse buys X 5) and organization, saving money and convenience are a VERY big deal to our household. But we don't have to shop at Walmart in order to have any of those things.
pomegranate 5 years, 4 months ago
Just as I thought. Not a single one of you can answer my questions.
I rest my case.
alm77 5 years, 4 months ago
pom asks:All you WalMart haters, tell me this:just exactly what stores in Lawrence have closed due to WalMart?
I don't know. I've only lived here three years. But there are other towns who have had local businesses close as a direct result of Walmart. Its not just about Lawrence.
And then tell me just exactly which retail stores in Lawrence do not sell anything made in China?
I'm not familiar with everyone's inventory. But If Wal-Mart were an individual economy, it would rank as China's eighth-biggest trading partner, ahead of Russia, Australia and Canada. I doubt you can say that for Waxman, The Toy Store or several other retail businesses here in town.
Then tell me which retail stores pay a starting wage of more than $8.50 an hour to the average every day employee?
Aldi is the only one I know of for sure.
Where do you get the idea that WalMart doesn't offer insurance to all the employees?
Um, the documentary which documents those claims. And my sister worked for them for years, she did have the insurance, but she also knew of several who did not. The Walmart she worked at the one in the next town over tried to run all the registers on part time help and thus no benefits.
Bitterfalls 5 years, 4 months ago
Maybe T ridership will increase as dirty hippies from the east side start riding it to support the new Walmart on the rich west side of town?
Wouldn't that make both sides happy?
Walmart is also a pretty big employer of illegal aliens..
Maybe they will let Naughty But Nice open a new location inside their store?
more_cowbell 5 years, 4 months ago
One Wal-Mart is enough for Lawrence. I don't think people were driving out of town to other Wal-Marts. Now, if it were a Sam's Club, that would be different. But Wal-Mart apparently didn't think Lawrence was worthy of one... ;-)
As for 6th & Wak, it will be the new 31st & Iowa. It's just the beginning. Now Target is going to want a store along 6th (or Wakarusa), and then Best Buy, and then before you know it, it will take just as long to drive out of town west on 6th as it does to drive out of town south on Iowa.
But apparently the council has decided they want to "capture" us before we drive out of town... :-p
walkdog262 5 years, 4 months ago
If you don't like Wal-Mart, all you can do is not shop there. The majority of people are always going to flock there just because it's cheaper, and they'll never, ever see the big picture. They'll take that dollar savings on crap they don't need, and more small businesses will die. Then they'll take that dollar they saved and go buy a double cheeseburger off the McDonald's dollar menu and get that much fatter. It's the American dream. Wal-Mart is just another example that 90 percent of people in this country are morons.
pomegranate 5 years, 4 months ago
Aim, It is just about Lawrence, as all of these WalMart haters are constantly bitching about what will happen here in Lawrence.
The answer is:nothing. People who want to will shop at Wally's. People who don't want to won't.
Magpie 5 years, 4 months ago
Look on the bright side: That part of town is already thoroughly homogenized, unnavigable by foot, and almost completely beige. If the city wanted to preserve some semblence of local flavor and community space, it should have acted a long time ago. Toss another big box on top of the corporate dungheap!
concernedparent 5 years, 4 months ago
If I have to chose between a walmart, dillons, or hyvee for groceries, I'm going to walmart. Its amazing how much CHEAPER walmart groceries are compared to the other two places.
Deenis 5 years, 4 months ago
Progress is the art of compromise. I'm glad that the sprawlers and Walmart have come together. C'mon, we're on the same team! That old tree where the prarie grass used to grow is just over the hill. Let's move on.
Magpie 5 years, 4 months ago
I make a small stipend as a graduate teaching assistant, so it is absolutely necessary for me to find bargains when I can. So I used to shop at Walmart. I dressed myself in White Stag and sported ye olde Faded Glory shoes. After replacing the same fire-retardant blouse and $20 pair of flats 4 times in one year, I realized that shopping at Walmart wasn't actually saving me money. I learned that buying used clothing and occasionally investing in well-made pieces is much more cost-effective because those items LAST.
Walmart supposedly provides relief to poor people in the form of affordable consumer goods: Ha! It peddles junk that has to be replaced again and again by people who can ill afford to do so.
Walmart :: "Planned Obsolescence Mart"
alm77 5 years, 4 months ago
concerned, nobody beats Aldi!! ;)
Dirty, I'm not saying you or anyone else shouldn't have that choice. I'm explaining why I choose not to. And yes, I'm doing my explaining in hopes that others will reconsider. The only way for me to continue to have the option to not shop there is for that decision to be made en masse. They won't miss my dollars, but they might miss the dollars of, say, 15% of the population. The other stores sure appreciate my business and the business of others who choose not to patronize Wal-mart.
blackwalnut 5 years, 4 months ago
concernedparent:
Check out Checkers. Best produce and meat and lowest prices in town.
alm77 5 years, 4 months ago
Yes, Checkers is the best produce and meat. I go straight from Aldi to Checkers every Monday for hamburger, steak, or roast (depending on what I've put on that week's menu). I also pick up my husband's lunches there and they have the best and cheapest tortillas in town.
Baille 5 years, 4 months ago
The scary part is that all these Wal-Mart customers are going to be feeding their kids Chinese lead. As those of us who do not shop at Wal-Mart know, ingestion of lead causes severe cognitive difficulties. So not only do these people's kids have to adapt to a substandard genetic code and the attendant problems of living in a low stimulus environment, but now these kids will have to cope with the effects of Chinese lead poisoning. Classic. Guess the T is going to have to invest in shorter buses.
yankeelady 5 years, 4 months ago
I checked out the grocery section when it opened. Even though it seems huge, they didn't carry a lot of the products I use. And their produce is frightening. Checkers is much better for meat, and some produce, Aldi for staples and Hy Vee or Target for produce and deli meats. If I plan my trips well I don't drive any further, it just depends on which way I go home after work. Walmart may have low prices, and sometimes they aren't the lowest, but the quality just isn't there.
alm77 5 years, 4 months ago
And you have one Walmart where you can choose to shop. But this second Walmart, that I won't shop at is still going into my neighborhood.
blackwalnut 5 years, 4 months ago
DirtyLinen:
Google up "Wal-Mart" and "Snapper" lawnmower.
Bitterfalls 5 years, 4 months ago
Walmart didn't just run in and find a plot of land and decide to put a store there. They did market research and studies and determined that Lawrence, and East Topeka will support another Walmart. A third Walmart just went up in North Topeka. They have Topeka triangulated.
As has been said here several times, if you do not like Walmart, then do not shop there. I do not like Walmart so I do not trade there.
But this battle isn't over yet. Walmart has made it over one hurdle, but is far from the finish line.
Other cities have successfully kept Walmart out. Lawrence has always been so eager and willing to mimic what other cites do. San Fransisco kept Walmart out. But unlike the smoking ban, this time Lawrence is following Topeka.
jumpin_catfish 5 years, 4 months ago
Whiners whine while winners win! Simple
Bitterfalls 5 years, 4 months ago
Wally World Wears Whoopie Cushions.
GretchenJP 5 years, 4 months ago
www.wakeupwalmart.com
pomegranate 5 years, 4 months ago
alm--sorry I called you aim last time.
My daughter lives in your neighborhood, and she is just waiting for this new WalMart. She doesn't mind if it is in her neighborhood.
When we are in her neighborhood we will shop in the new store. When in my neighborhood we will shop in the old store. When we are in another town we will shop in whichever one we can find. Go Wally's. Go Wally's. Go Wally's. Rah Rah Rah.
camper 5 years, 4 months ago
Small business can find ways to outsmart the Big Giants like Wal-Mart by providing differing services and goods...being small can sometimes be better, if you can stay afloat and compete. Maybe it's kinda like David and Goliath. Hopefully there will always be room for the big guys, the small guys, and the medium guys.
s1golden 5 years, 4 months ago
Everyone should boycott Wal-Mart because if anywhere in Lawrence needs another grocery store its east Lawrence. In addition, we need to keep downtown Lawrence alive.
ConcernedAmerican 5 years, 4 months ago
All those people who do not wish to do business with the "devil" can just not shop there; buy elsewhere and help support the local businesses. Buying cheap is not always the end-all. I watched Wal-Mart destroy the shopping venues in Grants, New Mexico. It was the usual story of all the mom and pop local stores that cannot compete, they eventually go under, then Wal-Mart decides they do not like the market/community, they pull out (usually leaving behind a big, empty, ugly building) and leaves the town devastated without any local businesses to fill the vacuum. It is kind of like what locusts do. Also, it is too bad the Waltons are not more like the Warren Buffets or Bill Gates of the world, using even a little of all the money they make to make strides in helping mankind (womankind, too). Maybe then some of their ruthlessness could be overlooked. Until then, just don't give them your business.
David Benson 5 years, 4 months ago
Yay! What better way than a fifth of a million additional square feet filled with crappy merchandise for those who need that extra 5-10 cent discount to help afford their 5000 square foot houses and 30K SUVs. I can't believe people believe this is progress. When will the madness stop?
GretchenJP 5 years, 4 months ago
snicker snicker
David Benson 5 years, 4 months ago
On my once per two weeks trips to the original Wal-mart, for recycling (haven't been in the store for years), I have never seen the parking lot more than 30-40% full. Why do we need to cover an other umpteen acres with asphalt for people to get the same damned crap they can buy across town? I guess those premium parking spaces right in front are truly important.
hawklet21 5 years, 4 months ago
I'm not very educated on the whole Wal-Mart thing, I'll admit, so does anyone know what the difference between WM and Target is? Is Target really any less evil?
coneflower 5 years, 4 months ago
There goes the neighborhood. My neighborhood.
jackbinkelman 5 years, 4 months ago
A. Wal-Mart and Crime: Public Statements by Local Officials
In 2001, Justice Larry Starcher of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals stated that "a quick search of reported cases reveals that Wal-Mart parking lots are a virtual magnet for crime."7 In addition, many police officials have discussed the impact of having to respond to calls for service at Walmart properties.
For example, police chiefs and police officials from cities as diverse as Epping, NH; Moraine, OH; and Harrisville, UT, have described the relationship between Wal-Mart stores and crime.
South Strabane, PA: Police Chief Don Zofchak met with Wal-Mart officials in 2004 trying to reduce their calls to the police. "Frankly, it was unbearable:. I've got 26 square miles and God knows how many other businesses to deal with. Their requests or demands for service, proportionally, were overwhelming." [Pittsburgh Post Gazette, March 27, 2005]
North Lebanon, PA: Police Chief Kim Wolfe said that, "If we had known the number of calls [from Wal-Mart], we probably would have considered an increase in officers:. We just had no idea what it would be like. It doesn't matter what time of the day or night; we get calls there." [The Lebanon Daily News, January 27, 2005]
West Sadsbury, PA: Police Chief John F. Slauch said that Wal-Mart "has completely changed the way we do business. It has overwhelmed us at times." [Philadelphia Inquirer, April 12, 2004]
Tappahannock, VA: Police Chief James Barrett, said Wal-Mart "is a strain on services. If they moved out tomorrow, it wouldn't upset me." [St. Petersburg Times, May 20, 2002]
Harrisville, UT: Since Wal-Mart opened in Harrisville, UT in early 2001, calls to the police department have jumped by a third. The number of officers has increased from four to six. The store's parking lot, where more than half the city's DUIs originate, is now patrolled overnight. "Our DUIs skyrocketed," said Harrisville Police Officer Nate Thompson, cruising the parking lot one recent Friday night. "It just went through the roof." [Associated Press, May 7, 2004]
fu7il3 5 years, 4 months ago
Target wouldn't allow Toys for Tots to set up in their stores. Something about that is evil in itself.
jackbinkelman 5 years, 4 months ago
Moraine, OH: Police calls almost tripled after a Wal-Mart opened in Moraine, Ohio in 2003. Moraine public information officer Paul Guess said "We had anticipated, because the store is open 24 hours, that we would have an increase." [Dayton Daily News (Ohio), August 11, 2005]
7 Justice Larry Starcher, writing in the Concurring Opinion in Jane Doe v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, No. 20612, December 13, 2001. 5 Epping, NH: Police Lieutenant Mike Wallace said, "Because there's a lot of time spent at Wal- Mart, the rest of the town is affected by that:. There's not as much time for direct patrols:There has to be some kind of relief if they want us to cover them 24 hours a day. [Union Leader (Manchester, NH), November 16, 2005]
The increased demands of policing Wal-Mart stores have posed serious challenges for communities. Some of the concerns cited by local communities include increased pressure on community policing, budgetary pressures, as well as increased concerns over public safety. Again, examples of such concerns were raised in cities as diverse as Hermantown, MN, Beech Grove, IN, Orlando, FL, Tega Cay, SC, Vista, CA, and Dallas, TX.
Epping, NH: Town officials in Epping, NH turned down Wal-Mart's request to have its store open 24-hours during the holidays, saying that police calls from the store were already overburdening the police force. Calls to the police, arrests, and complaints filed at the store in its first four months of operation led to a 7.5 percent increase in the town's crime rate. [Union Leader (Manchester NH), May 23, 2004 and Union Leader (Manchester, NH), November 16, 2005]
Hermantown, MN: Wal-Mart's plan to expand in Hermantown, MN would increase police calls for the already understaffed police department. [Duluth News-Tribune, February 20, 2005]
Tega Cay, SC: In 2004, three Tega Cay Planning Commission members completed a study that said a proposed Wal-Mart would bring more crime and traffic than previously thought. Commission member Don Colangelo said two more Tega Cay police officers would need to be hired to handle the additional police calls. [The Herald (Rock Hill, S.C.), November 26, 2004.]
Beech Grove, IN: Beech Grove, Indiana estimated in 2004 that increased calls from a new Wal- Mart would necessitate the hiring of an extra police officer budgeted at $75,000. Fishers, IN: Fishers, Indiana police responded to 292 calls from Wal-Mart in just the first 8 months of 2003. Greenwood, IN: In 2004, planners in Greenwood, Indiana projected that a new Wal-Mart would net the city an additional $27,933 a year but had only estimated $5,000 in additional police costs to come up with that figure. Those projections were off given that Marion County police had to respond to 511 calls in 2003 at their Wal-Mart. [Indianapolis Star, March 17, 2004]
jackbinkelman 5 years, 4 months ago
Port Richey, FL: In 2002, Port Richey's Wal-Mart was projected to pay $75,000 in property taxes for the year. To handle increased police calls, the police department spent $72,275 in overtime in just the first seven months of its fiscal year. Because of the small size of Port Richey's police department, sending two officers to Wal-Mart takes up the entire force working on a given shift. As the number of calls to Wal-Mart rose, police response times increased on other non- emergency calls. [Tampa Tribune, July 23, 2003]
Pineville, NC: In March 2003, town leaders in Pineville, NC turned down a proposed Wal-Mart.
City Planners in Pineville determined that the town would have to hire two additional police officers to monitor the store and respond to calls there. They estimated the new officers would cost the town $120,000. An attorney for Wal-Mart stated that the proposed Wal-Mart would have likely brought the town $100,000 in sales, property, and other taxes. [Charlotte Observer, May 26, 2003]
Ephrata, PA: Brad Ortenzi, police detective in Ephrata, PA said in 2003 that Wal-Mart led to a "drastic increase" in his workload. "Bad checks, use of stolen credit cards. ... During a busy week, we'll have three to five retail theft arrests, and with each arrest, that ties up an officer who has to go down, take a person into custody" and follow up with paperwork and possibly a court appearance. [Sunday News (Lancaster, PA) June 8, 2003]
jackbinkelman 5 years, 4 months ago
Vista, CA: Mayor Morris Vance cited increased crime at Wal-Mart as taxing local budgets and policing efforts. "This is a difficult time for this to happen," Mayor Vance said, referring to the city's strapped budget. "We definitely cannot afford more police officers right now. With the budget, it's hard to keep what we have." [The San Diego Union-Tribune, June 5, 2003]
Orlando, FL: In Orlando, the local police blotter indicates that the crime rate in a 5-square-mile area of MetroWest jumped more than 70 percent in the first year after Wal-Mart's arrival in August 2001. Traffic accidents rose 31 percent, property crimes 110 percent, robberies 231 percent and car thefts 56 percent, according to the Orlando Police Department. [Orlando Sentinel, January 27, 2003]
Dallas, TX: A 2002 internal Dallas Police Department memo warned that a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter would lead to longer response times. [Dallas Morning News, Jun 5, 2002]
North Versailles, PA: Calls to Wal-Mart and the development that came with it caused the police department to have to more than double its size, growing from 10 to 26 officers between 1998 and 2002. [St. Petersburg Times, May 20, 2002]
Ankeny, IA: Ankeny police saw a substantial increase in crime once Wal-Mart supersized to a 207,000-square-foot store in September 1999. Police records show that crimes such as shoplifting, theft, forgery and counterfeiting increased 74 percent in 2000 at the Wal-Mart Supercenter compared with the smaller Wal-Mart that operated in town in 1999. Police Chief Paul Scranton requested two new officers to deal with increased workloads in 2000 and the city hired a consultant to study in 2001 whether to hire officers and/or take officers off other duties. [Des Moines Register, July 22, 2000 and Des Moines Register, November 7, 2001]
jackbinkelman 5 years, 4 months ago
Read the full report at http://www.austinfullcircle.org/ Are Wal-Marts Magnets for Crime?
jackbinkelman 5 years, 4 months ago
Just one comparison..
F. Wal-Mart versus Target Stores: Average Rate of Reported Violent & Serious Crime Incidents
We also analyzed whether any difference existed between Wal-Mart and Target in the number of reported police incidents defined as "serious or violent crimes." (See definitions set forth in Section C.) Again, based on the sample of 32 high incident Wal-Mart stores and 30 Target stores, with the data for two Target stores counted twice, a striking difference existed between the rates of "serious or violent crime" incidents at Wal-Mart stores versus nearby Target stores.
In total, 648 "serious or violent" incidents were reported at the Wal-Mart stores versus 100 at nearby Target stores. On average, 20.25 "serious or violent" criminal incidents were reported per Wal-Mart store versus 3.13 per Target store. Based on this analysis, Wal-Mart stores experienced 6 times the number of reported criminal incidents defined as "serious or violent" than nearby Target stores in 2004.20 Read section F in the above post link.
jackbinkelman 5 years, 4 months ago
my last post in response to DirtyLinen last
jackbinkelman 5 years, 4 months ago
Happy Debating! Over and out.
more_cowbell 5 years, 4 months ago
So why does it have to be a 2nd Wal-Mart, and not a Sam's Club? Acreage? The "member's" fee at Sam's Club wouldn't be an obstacle for most of the residents around 6th & Wak. Sam's Club is like Wal-Mart on steroids... those who like Wal-Mart probably would like Sam's Club too.
Guess I'll have to keep driving all the way to Topeka for my Sam's Club fix... and Topeka can get the sales tax instead of Lawrence. Way to "keep the shoppers", Larrytown :-p
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