Wally World In College Station

[zaphod]

I lifted this from myBCS forums btw

pdf file of plan

So Walmart appears to be moving ahead on its plans to super-ize the existing small store. I can't tell what becomes of the vacant alberstons in the plans, but it must be either getting torn down or redone because the new food part of the supersized walmart is going on top of the eastern half of it.

I think its awesome the company decided to "recycle" its building and take out a ugly vacant structure in the process(Albertsons).

[Scotch]

According to the plans only a relatively small portion of the Albertson's building will actually be in the new Walmart Supercenter that customers see. Most of the building will be used for Walmart "storage"(a stockroom I assume) and the frontage will be retail spaces.

[IronTiger]

Yay! Too bad during that time, the FM 2818 work will be going on.

I heard an employee saying that remodeling will start in the fall.

Ah, does anyone remember when it was a "brown Wal-Mart", prior to 1996 I believe? Another difference between regular Wal-Marts and Wal-Mart Supercenters is the high ceilings.

Here is a Wal-Mart expanded into a Supercenter. Notice the roof difference.

If I ever want to BAT the Wal-Mart as it is now, I should get pictures, stat!

[IronTiger]

The wall of the Albertson's facing Wal-Mart is now ripped out. Cool!

[IronTiger]

Update: Albertson's is slightly on a different grade then Wal-Mart, so something has to be done about that. Also, in Wal-Mart, a chunk of the clothing department (it's where Boys and Men meet) has been closed off for construction of a new pharmacy.

[zaphod]

Cool. Maybe it will be split level nah, I guess they'll grade it.

Anyways I read somewhere that many new Walmarts will have pharmacies towards the store center, thus that makes sense

[citykid09]

Cool. Maybe it will be split level nah, I guess they'll grade it.

Anyways I read somewhere that many new Walmarts will have pharmacies towards the store center, thus that makes sense

I was wondering what that box was in that area of the store.

[IronTiger]

Update #2: The New Pharmacy construction has been made a bit more permanent-looking. It's now a complete drywall box, with merchandise around it. The Old Pharmacy and the area around it has also been closed.

Outside, there's a huge pit between Albertson's and Wal-Mart, and very bright sodium lights have been added inside the old Albertson's, for construction purposes.

Also: the link to the plan appears to be broken, and I can't find mine that I thought I downloaded.

[citykid09]

Update #2: The New Pharmacy construction has been made a bit more permanent-looking. It's now a complete drywall box, with merchandise around it. The Old Pharmacy and the area around it has also been closed.

Outside, there's a huge pit between Albertson's and Wal-Mart, and very bright sodium lights have been added inside the old Albertson's, for construction purposes.

Also: the link to the plan appears to be broken, and I can't find mine that I thought I downloaded.

So is the whole Albertson/Walmart complex going to be a Walmart? the 2 buildings if put together make a V shape and will be huge!

[IronTiger]

No, the Walmart will "cut into" the side of Albertson's. The rest that cannot be "straightened out" will be other retail space. The road that currently goes in front of Albertson's and Wal-Mart will be relocated when construction is completed.

[IronTiger]

A non-update, but what will likely happen is that the next thing will happen is the parking lot will be changed slightly so that the Wal-Mart will be able to "continue" in a straight line (as per the plan). Then the pile-driving will start between the two buildings, then the wall is ripped out, then major remodeling will commence in the current Wal-Mart (sayonara, ceiling tiles). A "soft opening" will follow, but everything will not be fully stocked and employees not fully trained. THEN a grand opening begins.

[citykid09]

So is that a permanent spot for the pharmacy? What about that Subway? Will that be removed? Will there be a McDonalds like all other Super Centers? And what about the ceiling? Its shorter than other Super Centers, I wonder if that will change? And the over all interior of the inside of the store will it all get upgraded? New floors shelves, etc? It all looks so retro fitted now.

[IronTiger]

So is that a permanent spot for the pharmacy? What about that Subway? Will that be removed? Will there be a McDonalds like all other Super Centers? And what about the ceiling? Its shorter than other Super Centers, I wonder if that will change? And the over all interior of the inside of the store will it all get upgraded? New floors shelves, etc? It all looks so retro fitted now.

I don't know. The new pharmacy will be where the boys/mens department is now (though it looks kind of small, that may change soon).

The ceiling tiles will probably be removed, leading to the higher "warehouse" ceiling of other Wal-Mart Supercenters.

The floor tiles will also likely be changed. Expect to see all of that come next Spring.

I also suspect not too many things will be moved around. This is a sample floorplan of a Wal-Mart Supercenter, with the food on the left side. The local one's floorplan, minus food section, is almost a mirror of that one. Almost.

As for a restaurant, McDonald's WAS in the Wal-Mart when it expanded the first time, circa 1996 (it was brown before, remember?)

It changed around 2000-2001 to a Radio Grill, then around 2005-2006 to a Subway.

[citykid09]

I don't know. The new pharmacy will be where the boys/mens department is now (though it looks kind of small, that may change soon).

The ceiling tiles will probably be removed, leading to the higher "warehouse" ceiling of other Wal-Mart Supercenters.

The floor tiles will also likely be changed. Expect to see all of that come next Spring.

I also suspect not too many things will be moved around. This is a sample floorplan of a Wal-Mart Supercenter, with the food on the left side. The local one's floorplan, minus food section, is almost a mirror of that one. Almost.

As for a restaurant, McDonald's WAS in the Wal-Mart when it expanded the first time, circa 1996 (it was brown before, remember?)

It changed around 2000-2001 to a Radio Grill, then around 2005-2006 to a Subway.

I don't remember it being brown, but I remember it being a Radio Grill. But before that it was like a Wal-Mart brand restaurant that had nachos and hotdogs and stuff. I remember they had kids meals there too with toys. Or maybe Im thinking about the Wal-Mart in Manor East Mall.

[IronTiger]

@CityKid: I think you may be thinking about the Manor East Mall Wal-Mart. It was brown, too, and closed around 1993. I never went inside, but the brown, vacant husk remained for years. Now, for the College Station:

2006:http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=30.597554,-96.299817&spn=0.002521,0.003685&t=h&z=18

1995:

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=14&X=3794&Y=16939&W=1&qs=Brothers%7cCollege+Station%7cTX%7c&Addr=Brothers+Blvd%2c+College+Station%2c+TX+77845&ALon=-96.2985024&ALat=30.5834902

Given that the restaurant is approximately where the add-on is and that I remember when McDonald's opened, I think there wasn't anything there before that (I've got a story regarding the McDonald's, but I'll save that for another day).

[IronTiger]

Well, I've gotten from a reliable source that the checkouts have moved forward six or so feet forward and the "road" in front of the stores is closed. I bet that closing that makes for miserable parking lot access. Hopefully next time I go I will take pictures.

[zaphod]

You really think they are going to remodel the inside of the existing store/future merchandise side? I've been in Walmarts in Temple and Stafford, TX that keep the drop ceilings and decor of a classic store but then have a modern grocery end tacked on. But maybe this is new format?

Anyways, I'd have no idea if the one in CS was "brown" or not, was that part of making the slightly larger format stand above the small town type locations, with their porch-style front and single entryway vestibule? I've seen ghost signs that say "discount city" at some locations?

[IronTiger]

You really think they are going to remodel the inside of the existing store/future merchandise side? I've been in Walmarts in Temple and Stafford, TX that keep the drop ceilings and decor of a classic store but then have a modern grocery end tacked on. But maybe this is new format?

I'm almost certain they'll remodel the existing side. Anyway, I was there today. What a mess.

Here's what I noticed:

- The old pharmacy is completely blocked off.

- The Vision Center is now closed. You can see how they moved the old red-yellow-blue milk freezers in front of the drywall where the benches used to be.

- The new pharmacy is open for business. It's a bit weird how there's a pharmacy surrounded by clothing.

- The "road" in front of the store is closed, and some parking spaces have been sacrificed for the new road. It's a bit weird with Wal-Mart having a large pedestrian walkway in front of it (the old road).

- Most exciting is the wall going up on the east side of the store. Some ceiling tiles have been removed near the area, with a glimpse of what the Wal-Mart ceiling will look like with construction is done.

- An employee says it will be done by April 2010.

Anyways, I'd have no idea if the one in CS was "brown" or not, was that part of making the slightly larger format stand above the small town type locations, with their porch-style front and single entryway vestibule? I've seen ghost signs that say "discount city" at some locations?

I do remember it being "brown". You can actually see it being expanded in 1995.

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=14&X=3794&Y=16939&W=1&qs=Valley+View%7cCollege+Station%7c%7c&Addr=Valley+View+Dr%2c+College+Station%2c+TX+77840&ALon=-96.3082423&ALat=30.5966213

[IronTiger]

Went there again today. Besides the store being packed with college students, families, and people in Halloween costumes (this includes employees--the dressing room attendant was in this weird goth costume, complete with the fishnet and the detached "sleeves"), I noticed that the east wall has been completely boarded up. I also stole a glance at the closed Vision Center through a gap in the drywall. It was strange...one part had the ceiling tiles removed, one section had a gaping hole blasted out (parking lot visible), and there was some abandoned merchandise.

[IronTiger]

Seems that the biggest hole has been filled in, and now there's a smaller hole in front of the old "front of the store road". The Garden Center has been truncated and no longer has an exterior exit. Some large metal structures are in the parking lot that look like they might become the ceiling. I imagine that the eastern wall will be obliterated when the Subway and customer service area move or close. They show no sign of closing yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if the wall comes down by the end of November.

[IronTiger]

I wouldn't be surprised if the steel structure starts to come up before the end of the year. Wal-Marts go up surprisingly fast. In Kansas City, they demolished a nearly 50-year-old mall, with demolition ending in early 2006, and running by January 2007. Given that a good amount of work has already been done (all they really need to "demolish" now is a wall), it's not at all surprising that it will be completed by April. Full speed ahead! Coo-coo-kachoo!

[IronTiger]

The facade where the vision center was is totally gone and some structures are being built in the back. Looks like it's the same height as regular Walmart. Anyway, with the time it takes for these things to go up, I have no doubt it will be open by April. I'malso a bit surprised that they didn't take out the wall to fully connect the parts of the building. I am going to make a schedule, we'll see if I am right:

end of December: steel structure mostly complete

end of January: structure complete but Subway closes

end of february: roof in, facade work begins.

end of march: facade done

end of April: done

[IronTiger]

My predictions (which I typed on my iPod, which is why they came out bad) are not really true yet, but big changes have been happening. The parking lot has been reduced again, causing any parking to be done to be agonizingly difficult. A new steel structure (looks like an entrance) is built about where the Vision Center was). There's a sign displaying where all the departments are because more things have been moved.

-The food/greeting card section has been moved to between the lawn & garden and health & beauty, while the Women's department has filled in that space. The place where the women's department previously was is amazingly open now. The restrooms in the back are now closed...

[IronTiger]

Reliable sources tell me the electronics have been moved to the back (where the blankets used to be). Where this leaves the blankets I don't know.

There are now AC units on the roof of the new part.

[citykid09]

Reliable sources tell me the electronics have been moved to the back (where the blankets used to be). Where this leaves the blankets I don't know.

There are now AC units on the roof of the new part.

I was told that it would be the 2nd or third largest Walmart in the world or the United States, and the largest in Texas. I was their a little while ago and it looks pretty big , but not big enough to be one of the biggest. But we will see. And is it just me or does the smell at that Subway make you sick?

[IronTiger]

There is no way the Wal-Mart will be bigger than any other Wal-Mart Supercenter. By looking at aerial photos and guesstimating how far it expands too (remember a chunk of Albertson's was torn out), the size is comparable (if not smaller) than Bryan's. A typical Wal-Mart Supercenter is around 200000 square feet. The largest one currently is in New York: two floors with 260000 square feet!

[IronTiger]

Went there again yesterday. The back wall is new, it's unclear if they ripped out the wall totally or just redid it. The place is starting to resemble Target a bit. In particular, the electronics/book section is a total, total rip-off of how Target did it. Go there and you'll see what I mean. On the other hand, I do like it. It's more open now and larger. There's new game demo displays and the whole thing doesn't feel like a "pen" in the middle of the store.

[hijakeroo123]

I drove by the store today! Inside, the new electronics department is almost complete, and the flooring in the old electronics area has been replaced. On that note, most of the flooring throughout the store has been replaced, with a few small sections left to go. Also, the newly built area near the new garden center entrance is now open, although the entrance doors have not been installed yet. Housewares are currently being housed in this area. The food expansion and the new entrances are currently being bricked over. It looks like the new entrance on the front of the existing store may open very soon, with demolition of the current entrance soon to follow. The expansion still has a long way to go, but the work on the existing building is progressing quickly. The lighting and ceiling tiles still need to be replaced (LED lighting is in the works). Also, new shelving and fixtures have been installed in some parts of the store, but some areas still have the old fixtures or an odd mix of new/old.

[IronTiger]

I think that the Subway may close very, very soon. I was also a bit surprised that they didn't remove the ceiling tiles before they opened the electronics section. I may go this Sunday nonetheless.

[hijakeroo123]

I think that the Subway may close very, very soon. I was also a bit surprised that they didn't remove the ceiling tiles before they opened the electronics section. I may go this Sunday nonetheless.

Most of the time when these stores are expanded, the ceiling tiles are simply replaced but not removed. Because the drop ceiling was originally used to hide the mechhanical and structural systems of the building, the ceiling cannot be easily removed without shifting the building systems contained above the ceiling. The ceiling will probably continue into the food section, at which point the ceiling will open up and become higher like most supercenters. Several stores in the Dallas area have been updated in this manner.