Wal Mart Plans to shut down 269 stores

[1995hoo]

Only two inside or near the Beltway:  one off Branch Ave in Clinton, and other in Bladensburg.  But given the opening of the WalMart in Penn Daw about 4-5 years ago, I would expect most of the MD-plated folks are going there instead of Kingstowne now...

We still get a lot of Maryland plates at this one. Could just be that they want to go to other places in the vicinity. Who knows. I haven't been to the one you cite, though I know where it is.

[jeffandnicole]

Sounds like FDOT is at fault here. I would think traffic lights have gone up all over the place for all sorts of businesses.

[hbelkins]

The only one in West Virginia that's closing is the supercenter at Kimball. The physical address may be Kimball, but in reality it's the Walmart for Welch. Welch is in McDowell County, which is one of the most economically depressed areas in the country. If a Walmart can't succeed in that type of community -- precisely the very place it was intended to serve -- then things are worse than I thought. Economic recovery my rear end.

I really feel for the people who are left in Welch. It's a torturous drive to Bluefield, Logan or Williamson, the nearest towns with a Walmart-type store. There was a Kmart in Kimball years ago, but it closed long before Kmart started its downhill slide.

Wish there was a way to tag people here the way you can on Facebook. I'll bet SP Cook has some thoughts on this, given his familiarity with the area.

[oscar]

Wish there was a way to tag people here the way you can on Facebook. I'll bet SP Cook has some thoughts on this, given his familiarity with the area.

You can private-message or e-mail him, if he doesn't soon pick up on this thread. I don't know how similar an AARoads PM is to a Facebook tag.

[triplemultiplex]

These sound like the actions of a company that has expanded too far.  The market is too saturated with Walmarts.

I have a love-hate relationship with Walmart.  I hate going there, but it's so goddamn convenient.  Especially while I was on the road for work.
I've never enjoyed a visit to Walmart though; always an exercise in endurance.
But every bad thing I could say about Walmart is pretty much equally true for almost every other big-box retailer, so why bother?

[cl94]

What's lost in this is that 102 of those 154 stores being close in the US were a convenience store/dollar store experiment called "Walmart Express".  Apparently Walmart decided that they shouldn't be in that particular business.  That means only 52 Walmarts of any kind (supercenter, standard, or neighborhood market) other than the experiment opened in 2011 are being closed in the US.

Correct. Even including the express stores, Walmart will have a net increase of locations in the United States this year. Neighborhood Markets are becoming quite common as a competitor to Aldi and Save-A-Lot.

[froggie]

Only two inside or near the Beltway:  one off Branch Ave in Clinton, and other in Bladensburg.  But given the opening of the WalMart in Penn Daw about 4-5 years ago, I would expect most of the MD-plated folks are going there instead of Kingstowne now...

There's one at H and 1st NW

Yes but we were discussing Prince George's County.

[cpzilliacus]

Only two inside or near the Beltway:  one off Branch Ave in Clinton, and other in Bladensburg.  But given the opening of the WalMart in Penn Daw about 4-5 years ago, I would expect most of the MD-plated folks are going there instead of Kingstowne now...

The two I am specifically referring to are on the southbound side of U.S. 301 at Excalibur Road (between Md. 197 and Md. 214) in Bowie, Prince George's County, and on Russett Green East north of Md. 198 (just west of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway) in the Anne Arundel County section of Laurel.  There was formerly a Sam's Club on Brightseat Road south of Md. 202 near FedEx Field and the defunct Landover Mall that always seemed busy with D.C. customers, but that store shut down quite a few years ago.

The Laurel location in particular (one of the older WalMarts in the state, also has a Sam's Club) has always seemed to attract a lot of vehicles with D.C. registration plates, perhaps because of the ease of access off the B-W Parkway, even though it is one county "further out" than Prince George's.

Another WalMart (which I avoid because it is a dirty store) is on Md. 450 (Annapolis Road) east of the B-W Parkway.  That one also draws customers with D.C. tags.

[cpzilliacus]

Only two inside or near the Beltway:  one off Branch Ave in Clinton, and other in Bladensburg.  But given the opening of the WalMart in Penn Daw about 4-5 years ago, I would expect most of the MD-plated folks are going there instead of Kingstowne now...

There's one at H and 1st NW

I go there sometimes.  Much smaller than WalMarts outside the District of Columbia.

[The Nature Boy]

Only two inside or near the Beltway:  one off Branch Ave in Clinton, and other in Bladensburg.  But given the opening of the WalMart in Penn Daw about 4-5 years ago, I would expect most of the MD-plated folks are going there instead of Kingstowne now...

There's one at H and 1st NW

I go there sometimes.  Much smaller than WalMarts outside the District of Columbia.

When I lived in DC, I'd drop in there whenever I was in that part of town. My friends and I would more often head to Maryland to go to Wal-Mart since it was more car friendly so you could buy more in one trip.

[cpzilliacus]

The logic in your analysis makes my head hurt. In a city of 600K+, you could very well find a large group of people who oppose WalMart, along with a separate and unrelated group of people who shop at the Walmarts in VA and MD. Not say there isn't an overlap, but is that really the best you can come up with?

I did not make any claims about systematic surveys of either group.

But individuals claiming to be associated with labor unions in D.C. and with environmental groups were strident in stating their opposition to WalMart to the news media and D.C. elected officials, yet D.C. residents (at least those that drive vehicles tagged in D.C.) seem to have a revealed preference for WalMart.

Only group where I am fairly certain there is one line of advocacy from the higher-ups and revealed behavior from the rank-and-file are the unions that represent hourly employees of WMATA.  When going to WalMart (which is not all that often), I have repeatedly seen people wearing uniforms that identify them as operating employees of WMATA (and no, many of them do not live in D.C.), even though the leadership of their largest union is not especially pro-WalMart (like most labor unions in the U.S.).

[jemacedo9]

But then if a new WalMart opens up that is awfully convenient for these people to go to, they are going to be tempted to shop there. Inevitably, many of them will start shopping there because we as a society tend to put convenience before principle. This results in them getting desensitized to the idea, and subsequently it becomes socially acceptable.

THIS.  This is THE issue. 

[cl94]

But then if a new WalMart opens up that is awfully convenient for these people to go to, they are going to be tempted to shop there. Inevitably, many of them will start shopping there because we as a society tend to put convenience before principle. This results in them getting desensitized to the idea, and subsequently it becomes socially acceptable.

THIS.  This is THE issue.

I remember when Walmart opened a location in Columbus a couple miles from Bexley, an extremely wealthy community home to quite  a few well-known rich people. People there were extremely anti-Walmart. Then they started shopping at the new Walmart because it was as close as or closer to home than where they normally shopped and prices were significantly better for comparable goods.

[Pete from Boston]

For all the railing against Walmart that goes on, it's unfortunate that more of it is not directed at the generally dingy stores, gloomy air among the employees, and general lack of investment in a happy shopping experience. These are trade-offs that people without a lot of money should not have to make.

So how much would prices go up, to provide a "happy shopping experience"?

People without a lot of money might forgo the "happy shopping experience" to save money, and they should not be lightly denied that option. So would some people like me, who have more money but would like to keep it that way. (Not that Wal-Marts are easy to get to where I live, inside I-495 in Virginia, so I usually shop there only when I'm already outside the Beltway for some other reason.)

Then again, shopping is something I do when I have to. It's not something I enjoy, even at the pricier stores.

There is a certain minimum of respect required of anyone who is being paid money by somebody else voluntarily.  Walmart doesn't meet this minimum at an acceptably consistent level, even by big-box store standards.

I hope that we have not sunk to lending credence to the idea of low prices being an acceptable trade-off for treating customers like their patronage is a burden on the employees.

[hbelkins]

But then if a new WalMart opens up that is awfully convenient for these people to go to, they are going to be tempted to shop there. Inevitably, many of them will start shopping there because we as a society tend to put convenience before principle. This results in them getting desensitized to the idea, and subsequently it becomes socially acceptable.

THIS.  This is THE issue.

And what, exactly, is wrong with shopping at Walmart being socially acceptable?

[realjd]

But then if a new WalMart opens up that is awfully convenient for these people to go to, they are going to be tempted to shop there. Inevitably, many of them will start shopping there because we as a society tend to put convenience before principle. This results in them getting desensitized to the idea, and subsequently it becomes socially acceptable.

THIS.  This is THE issue.

And what, exactly, is wrong with shopping at Walmart being socially acceptable?

Absolutely nothing. Shop there if you want. Shop elsewhere if you want. It's a free country

[froggie]

And what, exactly, is wrong with shopping at Walmart being socially acceptable?

His point, which is a valid one IMO, is that we as a society place convenience higher than principle.

[jemacedo9]

And what, exactly, is wrong with shopping at Walmart being socially acceptable?

His point, which is a valid one IMO, is that we as a society place convenience higher than principle.

Yes...that is the point I meant to emphasize.  Discussing principle is one thing; living out said principle is more difficult in many cases.  The Wal-Mart issue, I would bet, has many examples of people who were anti-Wal-Mart who have found themselves shopping there, even if not frequently, at one time or another.

[cpzilliacus]

But then if a new WalMart opens up that is awfully convenient for these people to go to, they are going to be tempted to shop there. Inevitably, many of them will start shopping there because we as a society tend to put convenience before principle. This results in them getting desensitized to the idea, and subsequently it becomes socially acceptable.

THIS.  This is THE issue.

And what, exactly, is wrong with shopping at Walmart being socially acceptable?

H.B., that is a fair question. 

Given my (frequently) liberal political views, I am not always a fan of WalMart - and it seems like everything sold in WalMart is manufactured in Red China. 

But a Sam's Club I stop at somewhat frequently in Glen Burnie, Maryland has some of the cheapest prices for Diesel fuel to be found in the state (some Sheetz outlets in the western counties of Maryland have very low Diesel prices as well, though some Sheetz (those that are some distance away from I-81 and I-70) are much more expensive).

[hbelkins]

And what, exactly, is wrong with shopping at Walmart being socially acceptable?

His point, which is a valid one IMO, is that we as a society place convenience higher than principle.

I get his point. My point is that not wanting to shop at Walmart is a misguided principle.

Or, to clarify, nothing about shopping at Walmart is a violation of my principles.

[Brandon]

But then if a new WalMart opens up that is awfully convenient for these people to go to, they are going to be tempted to shop there. Inevitably, many of them will start shopping there because we as a society tend to put convenience before principle. This results in them getting desensitized to the idea, and subsequently it becomes socially acceptable.

THIS.  This is THE issue.

And what, exactly, is wrong with shopping at Walmart being socially acceptable?

Nothing I know of.  I'm not as fond of them as I am of Meijer; hence I shop at Meijer weekly, and rarely go into Walmart.  I simply find one better than the other at the same price point.  That said, most of the Walmarts I've seen seem to only take business away from Kmart and other, now defunct discounters.  If anything, the nearest two Walmarts to me seem to have merely added to their corridors.  One was 100% greenfield, being built near new residences.  The other replaced a dead mall (along with a new Menards).  Due to the Walmart and Menrads there, they've made it possible for newer chains to come into that corridor, revitalizing the corridor.

[cl94]

That said, most of the Walmarts I've seen seem to only take business away from Kmart and other, now defunct discounters.  If anything, the nearest two Walmarts to me seem to have merely added to their corridors.  One was 100% greenfield, being built near new residences.  The other replaced a dead mall (along with a new Menards).  Due to the Walmart and Menrads there, they've made it possible for newer chains to come into that corridor, revitalizing the corridor.

That's what I've noticed out here. Most of the more recent new/relocated ones in Buffalo were/are being built in vacant land or where large abandoned buildings stood. The new Lockport one was built on a dead mall and the new Cheektowaga one is being constructed where an enclosed flea market was. The new one in Queensbury, NY was built on vacant land and effectively replaced a Super Kmart.

[rickmastfan67]

Wish there was a way to tag people here the way you can on Facebook. I'll bet SP Cook has some thoughts on this, given his familiarity with the area.

You can private-message or e-mail him, if he doesn't soon pick up on this thread. I don't know how similar an AARoads PM is to a Facebook tag.

The '@rickmastfan67' style will be coming soon to SMF.  However, we have to wait till SMF 2.1 comes out, but there is no timeline for it to come out.  Plus, when it comes out, we will be switching to a new theme style since they have stopped supporting the 'core' them after 2.0.x, and that's what the Button Copy theme is currently based on.

[Duke87]

And what, exactly, is wrong with shopping at Walmart being socially acceptable?

His point, which is a valid one IMO, is that we as a society place convenience higher than principle.

Yes...that is the point I meant to emphasize.  Discussing principle is one thing; living out said principle is more difficult in many cases.  The Wal-Mart issue, I would bet, has many examples of people who were anti-Wal-Mart who have found themselves shopping there, even if not frequently, at one time or another.

Indeed. You will find that most people who refuse to shop at (insert hated business of choice here) do not have logical cause to regularly patronize one anyway. Once you put them in a position where they would actually have to go significantly out of their way to avoid shopping somewhere, they decide their boycott isn't worth it and give up. Which renders said boycotts ineffective since the targeted business isn't really losing any customers from them.

[jeffandnicole]

And what, exactly, is wrong with shopping at Walmart being socially acceptable?

His point, which is a valid one IMO, is that we as a society place convenience higher than principle.

Yes...that is the point I meant to emphasize.  Discussing principle is one thing; living out said principle is more difficult in many cases.  The Wal-Mart issue, I would bet, has many examples of people who were anti-Wal-Mart who have found themselves shopping there, even if not frequently, at one time or another.

Indeed. You will find that most people who refuse to shop at (insert hated business of choice here) do not have logical cause to regularly patronize one anyway. Once you put them in a position where they would actually have to go significantly out of their way to avoid shopping somewhere, they decide their boycott isn't worth it and give up. Which renders said boycotts ineffective since the targeted business isn't really losing any customers from them.

Yep.  This.

Pretty much like when some people say they've never seen a Chick-fil-a and live hundreds of miles from one, but they're going to boycott it anyway.

Or the people that go Facebook crazy saying they're never going to shop at some store ever again because of how someone was treated, or how something was handled.  Then they're posting on Facebook that they are shopping at that very same store...the very next day.

Even places I can't stand I'll eventually go back to, after avoiding them for a while.