I was a little worried I'd see somebody I know there... but don't worry, you won't.
Channel 8 loves controversy.
This is not your father's Walmart.
Lots of name brand stuff...
... at prices that would seem to put the hurt on Ralph's and Vons.
Got your organics and your soy products.
Pretty amazing selection on olive oil.
No guns, just air rifles.
They will have ammo here once they get the case installed.
What's this?
I told you this wasn't your father's Walmart.
Buy local- buy Walmart.
Job seekers apply online in the job center.
All kinds of check cashing and debit card and wire transfer services in the customer service center.
Even Mercedes drivers love Walmart.
As for that upscale Walmart we heard about, this may indeed be a trial push in that direction. The quality and selection of grocery products far exceeded my expectations. They're applying for a wine vendor's license, so we'll see in a few months if they carry any of that $100 wine.
No People of Walmart sightings today. Quite a few immigrant families and some folks who look like they came in from Oceanside or Vista. Who am I to cast stones at those trying to feed their families at a reasonable price at the confluence of the Greenspan Depression and the Bernanke Inflation?
As for the whole Target vs. Walmart thing, I really don't get why Target is politically acceptable but Walmart isn't. They are both non-union big-box stores, with similar wage scales, that kill small retailers and put the hurt on union-run grocery chains. How can anyone support one but not the other?
I'm not saying I like Walmart in Encinitas. I'd prefer to have no big boxes at all on El Camino Real. But where was the outrage on Target and the other big-box stores?
I bet the Mercedes belongs to Rob!
ReplyDeleteI bet you live in that trailer park.
DeleteNearly full parking lot today when I went to the REI store, including at least one huge pickup truck with what looked like a humongous homemade black plywood camper-top or some sort of home-on-the-road addition. I hesitate to call it an RV. I really hope the parking lot isn't always going to be like this...
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! Almost as funny as a Borat movie. BTW, the Dollar Tree store always has many BMWs, and Mercs in the lot. As they say, money don't buy class. That's why we have who we have on the city council.
ReplyDeleteWow. Do you really define "class" by where you shop?
DeleteWell then, stay classy 8:53!
DeleteYour post reminds me I want to go and check out this Walmart. Your point about Target is RIGHT ON and should be extended to Costco. The fact is (or was) that Target and especially Costco are marketed to a more upscale, green, white, coastal clientele, not the polyester-clad inlanders from other lands that have, frankly, less money than we do. But looks like likes Walmart would like to climb at least a little on that "classy" Target-Costco demographic. Let's see how they do!
ReplyDeleteSaturday and Sunday will be the telling points on the parking problems.
ReplyDeleteTarget has better marketing therefore it's hipper than Walmart.
ReplyDeleteDo you buy your elevator shoes there?
DeleteBuild it and they will come. And they have (and will).
ReplyDeleteYou realize that the boundary line is Leucadia Blvd and the new store is actually in Carlsbad? Before Mayor Bud Lewis left office he and Carlsbad city council quietly voted to finally allow Wal-Mart corporation open a store in SOUTH Carlsbad.
ReplyDeleteI'm hating to see this happen again. And remember a similar experience and how long time residents back in the mid 90's screamed that they'd never shop at the Home Depot. Slowly perceptions changed especially after being worn down over time with the weekly bombardment of advertising on TV and mailers offering weekly deals. We shall see...
That is incorrect. There was some discussion of a Walmart in Carlsbad, but the Encinitas Ranch shopping center is within Encinitas city limits despite its being on the north side of Leucadia Boulevard. The boundary is not drawn exactly at Leucadia Boulevard.
DeleteCarlsbad is where Jimbos and Sur la Table, etc, are, right?
DeleteIndeed. I believe that complex including Bed Bath and Beyond is within Carlsbad city limits, while the REI-Walmart complex next door is in Encinitas city limits.
DeleteYes The Forum Shops are Cbad but WalMart is Encinitas
DeleteI wasn't an Encinitas resident when the Home Depot was proposed and built, so maybe I'm missing something about that situation (perhaps there were mom & pop hardware stores & building supply centers that closed due to Home Depot competition before I moved here in 1996), but the past protests against the Home Depot don't seem to be a parallel situation to the current Walmart situation.
ReplyDeleteHome Depot probably did compete against small businesses & maybe even contributed to their demise, but there weren't any similar big box building stores in Encinitas or nearby towns, and there still aren't. Even though I prefer Lowe's to Home Depot, I'd oppose a new Lowe's addition to Encinitas because we don't need two big box home building centers here.
But the new Walmart in Encinitas is added to a market already saturated with other big box retailers (Target, the BBBaby store, BB&B, Best Buy, Staples (nearly always empty) & Office Depot, B & N, Costco, Sports Authority, TJ Maxx, Ross, PetSmart, and so on. Additionally, there are already plenty of supermarkets and in fact, too many chain pharmacies in the area. Walmart offers little of value to our community.
Is W.C. the greeter at Walmart???
ReplyDeleteI wish! I applied but they had like 15 applications for every job opening.
DeleteTarget just enlarged their facilities and now have direct competiton just a stone's throw away. Redundancy apparently is no concern to planners; dog eat dog competition. Who can sustain lower prices the longest in order to crush the opposition? I'd say Walmart is probably the bigger dog in this game. Maybe they gave $tock$ a lifetime pass to the hot dog cart?
ReplyDelete