Reader comments
Residents criticize Wal-Mart proposal

I'm not sure that I want to see Wally World come in and take away the beauty and uniqueness of the Sugar House area. But I will leave this with you money talks and the other stuff walks. I would hope they would not hurt the surrounding business.
I sure would like to read your comments. Especially those from the Suraf House area.

It is coming one way or another and those fighting it sure should use your leverage to get what is best and I am not sure looking from the outside that you really are, but hey SL people think the are superior and more correct than the rest of the state now, So Wal-mart good luck you won't get what you want and neither will they and you both will ... where as a little compromise would benifit both.

Wal-Mart is Big, Wal- Mart is Non Union, Wal-Mart takes up a lot of space. Wal-Mart is Retail, Wal-Mart is Open on Sunday everywhere it can be. Wal-Mart closes Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. If I was not a small department store, selling over priced poor quality stuff to small communities or Indians on the Reservations. Then I would have No Fear of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart gave my Son a chance after 2 years of unemployment. So far it has worked out well. He is Off on Sunday, Makes his meetings and has paid his tithe and along with his Mother has been to the Temple. We will go to Laie together the next time he visits me. I will cry. Him not much of a surprise, his mom, I still can't wrap my mind around that. I would be Happy being in Wal-Marts Wake as a Business Owner. If they get 10,000 Customers a day and I get 100 because they are there, as opposed to 2 because there not. Then I am happy. If they are so bad then why when they hire are there 10 people lined up for every one job. To Include Hawaii.

I don't get it! If a K-Mart (Sears) is already there, then why the problem. Except the Wal-Mart might have more Customers, Better Customer Service, Better Quality goods, more selection, the employees might smile and you might be convinced their happy. I don't shop K-Mart for the above mentioned reasons. Also in Hawaii they where Open on Christmas Day and Thanksgiving. Which if your store is open on those days, if I can avoid it, I won't shop in the store ever. The only thing I regret about Wal-Mart is that I did not buy their Stock years ago. Other then that Thank you Mr. Walton. Same with Microsoft thank you Mr. Gates and Mr. Allen.

where I live in Texas, Wal Mart forced a new store, with lots of law suits. Finally this behemoth of a store opened. It had horrible effects on all the stores around it. The area was built out and we had 3 grocers and 3 nice strip malls around them. Many have now closed, others are struggling and now the area looks depressed. There just wasn't enough business to sustain all of them. But the new Wal Mart Superstore over powers the entire area. It was a sad day when it opened. But so many people don't realize the consequences of allowing it to come in and destroy the area. Now with so many closed stores and and empty spaces we look like a blighted town, not a thriving neighborhood.

I am not against having a wal mart in the area, just make sure they aren't going to Destroy the area around it.

I'm in Indiana. Recently, Wal-mart tried to build the same type storefront in the upscale small town of Zionsville. The town is made up of quaint old houses and shops and W.M. thought that redesigning their storefront would placate the residents. They were wrong. The town council voted it down and now Wal-mart is suing the town. It is a mystery to me why the company even wants to locate in that area. The incomes of most residents are six figure and there's another Wal-mart just a couple of miles to the south of the area. It's almost as if the company doesn't like to be told "No, we don't want you".
The best way to maintain the integrity of a community is to support locally owned shops and businesses. That way more of the money stays in the community. Also, locally owned merchants are much more likely to care whether you are happy with a transaction. The clerks at the big box stores I sometimes must shop rarely even utter a word or give a nod of the head to you. I can't figure out why anyone would even want a Wal-mart in their community.

one way to ensure Walmarts do not continue to build new
stores is to quit supporting them. there is many other options for the same merchandise and often and better prices and much better quality.

Once a master plan is established and implemented there should not be any changes. It affects many future plans and causes more harm and grief for all concerned. Cities should not be allowed to rezone or change master plans of any communtiy. Giving preferential treatment to big money developement is counter to citizens rights and demands. Bribery is still illegal and city councils are elected to represent citizens, not cities. Citizens have preferential rights regardless of faint promisses by developers and commercial business. The cities look at this as more tax base so lets get the state legislators to take sales taxes away from the cities and put in the state general funds to be distributed to cities by request and city needs. Government belongs to the people, not cities or developers. These eye sores of WalMart in residential communities is an obnoxious and unwanted business. It devalues private residential property when these eye sores are set in place as they become over developed and not conducive to existing roads and abilities to withstand excessive traffic. The people voice are more powerful than the whims of city leaders in their greed and bribery lifestyles.

I would be just fine if there were more Walmarts if Walmart did one thing- STOP BUYING CRAP FROM CHINA AND DEMAND EVERYTHING IN THIER STORES ARE
MADE IN THE USA!

I am a business major and I understand quite well that the prices of goods would go up dramatically if we only had access to made in america goods, but guess what we are only cheating ourselves right now.

No serious economy can hope to survive on service industries also, there must be production of quality, superior goods that are desirable.

So guess what... I'd rather benenfit the USAW with a strong US Dollar by only being able to buy 2 shirts a year because they are made in the USA instead of 20 shirts a year that were made in Vietnam, China, etc.

Many years ago Walmart used to proudly say that they carried Made in the USA materials. But then something happenend...everyone got greedy to get more business. Since they go no longer differiantiate in other ways some thought that price would be the ticket. Well they were right. Walmart stores are crowded all the time. The price is right...but it is killing the US ECONOMY!

Wally World world wide.

I dont get it someone help me out. What the heck is the difference between an old decunct relic like K Mart and a brand new upddate Wal-Mart going to do with your quant little area of Salt Lake? Let me help you out, it will look better and take an anused space in your city and make it more vibrant. The area surrounding this store has several nice homes scatterd throughout the neighborhood but lets not kid ourselves there are a lot of smaller scale and unnattractive ones too. Seemingly the only nice ones are the tear down rebuild type or the remodels. So dont fear your Suburu driving, yuppie, neighborhood will not look any worse than it does and in-fact might improve some.

I laugh because the same people that oppose will end up shopping their guaranteed. Afterall they can't get all of their needs at Whole Foods!

Bob G., I certainly hope that communities will continually look at their master plans to ensure that they truly fit the goals and desires of the community. Certainly a master plan from 1950 wouldn't fit the a community in 2008. It is pretty naive to think that leaders and community members can predict what will happen in their community in perpetuity.

With that being said, I do not shop at Wal-Mart, I do not support their business practices. I would rather not see another Wal-Mart in my community, but in this case they are coming whether you like it or not. They will occupy the current storefront OR they will build a new store. Those are the choices, I would prefer a new building.

After studying Wal-Mart and their tactics, I'll never set foot inside one again as long as I live. They are absolutely evil: against their employees, against the environment, against communities, on and on. In the few months that I actually shopped at a local Wal-Mart, I can see why people go there--yes, their prices are lower, but at what cost? There are people in China making pennies an hour, living in ghetto-like housing, to make Wal-Mart's cheap stuff. Local small business communities are dying. You and I are paying for Wal-Mart employees' Medicaid and other welfare because they're paid such low wages. This is a slick, sick corporation.

People who feel that walmart hurts local companies are crazy. You show me an area where walmart has hurt. Every where walmart goes in brings more stores to the area. Have you ever notice the many stores surrounding walmarts? Take a look around sometime. Check out the business sections of cities and you will see a walmart plus target and many other stores. Show me where small companies have closed because of walmart. They haven't.

You know what, whiners? It's coming. Like it or not.

You know what else? People will shop there. You KNOW it's true. Happens everywhere.

You can either choose to engage them in the process, getting some concessions in terms of size, appearance, landscaping, etc. Or not. But you won't be able to change the rules in midstream now that they've filed their application for a license.

Centerville's vocal residents didn't want one either. But the city council couldn't stop it. So they worked with them and got one that, in all fairness, doesn't suck, at least from what I've seen. But the most ardent Wally-hater I work with even admits it. (I don't go regularly, there's a decent store literally across the street from me.)

If you won't work with them, you'll get what you deserve. You'll get something you hate even more. That's what refusal to compromise does.

Is a horrible sight. This new Walmart is right off of the freeway. Not much traffic will be flowing through neighborhoods unless you and your neighbors are driving to Walmart. Most of the traffic will come off from I-215 or I-80 and not once driving through a neighborhood. Parleys drive is also a large street.

Typical of the elistists and their not-in-my-back-yard attitude. Build all of the common shopping centers in the backyards of someone who is less affluent and less politically-connected.

Those types of people don't appreciate the upscale living standards that we enjoy, so what's a little more traffic to them?

If the same sized project was a collection of upscale boutiques, they would have no problem with it being built in their cozy little neighborhood.

I forgot to add that you already have a lot of traffic up on the East side due to University of Utah travel. Next you guys will try and get them to close their doors.

I wish we could have a Super Wal-Mart here. There is no land for such a big store. So when I go to Utah, that's a favorite place to go.

I wail and gnash my teeth every time I see another Walmart built. Because of their size, buying power, and ability to buy cheap stuff from China by the boatload, they definitely have an impact on local small businesses. That said I agree that if they weren't making money at these stores, they would not keep building them. I make a point to shop elsewhere for 99% of my retail needs. I confess to buying my new favorite DVD at $14.99 when everybody else has it at $19.99, hey, I'm not perfect. If you don't like Walmart, don't shop there. There are plenty of other options.