Walmart testing "tiny" Walmarts

[charlie]

For those who miss the homey mom-and-pops they drove to extinction, I suppose. Or maybe the continuing existence of Walgreens annoys them...

The smallest Walmart in the world opened this morning on the UA campus in Fayetteville, just in time for the university’s spring semester which starts Monday.

The 3,500-square-foot store is located at the north corner of the Garland Center and is part of the retail shops which line the front of the new parking deck on Garland Avenue.

Walmart on Campus, which will serve as a full-service pharmacy and general merchandise store, is roughly 2% the size of an average 185,000-square-foot Walmart Supercenter.

The store is the first of its kind and according to Advertising Age, could be part of a plan by Walmart to test “small-store” formats for areas that are too small for a massive supercenter...

http://www.fayettevilleflyer.com/2011/01/14/now-open-walmart-on-campus

[Kalyke]

1. God, would they just go away already?

[virgogal]

8. + 1

[Cleita]

2. Or maybe they are downsizing because the

big stores are too costly to run anymore with fewer people shopping in them due to our down spiraling economy, which they helped bring about. Karma is a bitch.

[EFerrari]

5. In the 90s, these chains used to lease and set up two or three stores

in the same area just to see which one would float. They just wrote off the other two.

[blondeatlast]

7. Also to drive out any competition.

Starbucks did the same. there's an enormous, empty Wal-Mart in my old neighborhood; a real blight. It's been available for 5 years now--no takers and it's on a busy corner.

[EFerrari]

10. That's a good point. I used to help locate sites here.

There was such a turnover, most "for lease" signs never came down.

[charlie]

9. 1 1/2 miles from me

is a Walmart Neighborhood Grocery. Another 1 1/2 miles further is a Walmart Supercenter. 1 1/2 miles from my house in the other direction is a newly opened Walmart super-mega-hunka-chunka-jumbo center. Walmart overload!

The three are arranged to flank two popular local groceries. Walmart is already the city's largest grocer (25% share), but they're aggressive about getting the whole enchilada. IF these clowns manage to drive off the locals, we'll not only lose optional shopping, but will almost certainly lose at least one of the 3 Walmarts too.

[blondeatlast]

3. Weights I don't need any more of--reasons to loathe Wal-Mart.

Blechhh...

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Well, since Wal-Mart practically owns the University of Arkansas, how can this be a surprise? There

are a dozen buildings on campus and the business college are all named after the Waltons.

[madrchsod]

6. the first walmart in our area was built in the late 70`s

it is a "small" walmart which is about a quarter the size of a super walmart 5 miles away. last year walmart rebuilt the inside of the store. i guess they figure the property is paid for and the customers like the getting in and out without walking a mile to their cars.

love or hate them..walmart knows how to retail.

[prairierose]

11. Will they get government subsidies for these stores too? n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. Be interesting if they are tied into Walmart.com like the larger ones are

Saw this over the holidays...order online, return to any brick and mortar store. $1 delivery to the store as well.

[lumberjack_jeff]

13. All your dollar are belong to us. n/t