Walmart does a good thing.

[freein05]

We went to eat at our favorite Thai restaurant in Modest Ca today. The restaurant is or was located in a not so good part of town and the shopping center was dieing. What a surprise Walmart had opened a store in the center and it is alive again. They turned an old abandon market into a Walmart. The store is about 1/2 to 3/4th the size of your typical Walmart.

It is in the center of town and not on the out skirts in a new strip mall. This move by Walmart has turned this area around. I hope this is a new trend for Walmart. I will admit I did not go in the store.

[loosechickens]

We've been in several areas where WalMart has opened "neighborhood markets" like this, and often serving neighborhoods that had few options.

I know so many of us love to hate WalMart, but in the interests of making profits, they are doing some things that also have some really good effects, both on the environment and to bring stores to areas that are underserved.

I don't like their labor practices, think it is almost obscene that the WalMart heirs wallow in tens or dozens of billions of dollars while single moms and others who work hard for them, and create their profits are paid so little, but..............putting these small stores in areas that often had nothing but convenience stores before is not bad, I think.

[gimmethesimplelife]

What I don't like about Wal-Mart is their practice of having computers make schedules for the employees there - I see the potential for this to be a total nightmare, as the software is designed to maximize profits via floor coverage or the lack thereof and does not take into account employee needs at all. For this reason, I pay a little more overall and take my business to Target.....Rob

[Gardenarian]

I agree that Walmart can be helpful in those really bad neighborhoods that people are afraid to go to. It can be the start of a renewal for the whole area (which can be a good or bad thing - bad if gentrification goes to far.) And of course wherever there is a Walmart some small businesses will die - but sometimes the neighborhood improvement will make it easier for specialty businesses (like a Thai restaurant) to thrive.
Pluses and minuses - but I think overall, having Walmart in crime-ridden inner-city areas is probably an improvement.

I agree that Target is better overall, though I'm not sure they provide the range of stuff that Walmart has. (I've actually never been in a Walmart.)

Freein05 - Modesto often gets a bad rap, but I think it is just beautiful out there.

[Gregg]

They are building a new store on the very edge of commercial land, surrounded by burbs, in our town. The homeowners in the area fought tooth and nail once everything for the permit process had already passed the city council. Too late, the exterior walls are already up. This store is 120,000 sq.ft. Not small certainly, but 1/2 the size of their other stores in town that are the typical edge of town, new strip mall, a few fast food outlets, convenience store, a couple chain restaurants kind of development. Will be interesting to see how it works out.

[creaker]

Walmart is going after Dollar Store sized business. It's about the only area left for them to grow into.