"We should be able to offer great customer service throughout the local area," she said.

Though the service Wednesday consisted of free cake for patrons and fully stocked shelves of untouched merchandise, Wal-Mart has made contributions to the surrounding community, Thacker said.

The company donated $100,000 worth of topsoil to the city's newly opened Freedom Hills Park, the site of a former gravel pit. It donated $10,000 toward a playground for Porter Walton Park, $3,000 each to the Centerville Police Department and South Davis Metro Fire Agency, $1,500 to Bountiful, Woods Cross and Viewmont high schools, $1,000 to Centerville Junior High and $500 to each of the four elementary schools in town, Thacker said.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com