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Walmart Supercenter At 111 Yale St.


HeyHatch

Walmart at Yale & I-10: For or Against  

160 members have voted

  1. 1. Q1: Regarding the proposed WalMart at Yale and I-10:

    • I live within a 3 mile radius (as the crow flies) and am FOR this Walmart
      41
    • I live within a 3 mile radius (as the crow flies) and am AGAINST this Walmart
      54
    • I live outside a 3 mile radius (as the crow flies) and am FOR this Walmart
      30
    • I live outside a 3 mile radius (as the crow flies) and am AGAINST this Walmart
      26
    • Undecided
      9
  2. 2. Q2: If/when this proposed WalMart is built at Yale & I-10

    • I am FOR this WalMart and will shop at this WalMart
      45
    • I am FOR this WalMart but will not shop at this WalMart
      23
    • I am AGAINST this WalMart but will shop at this WalMart
      7
    • I am AGAINST this WalMart and will not shop at this WalMart
      72
    • Undecided
      13
  3. 3. Q3: WalMart in general

    • I am Pro-Walmart
      16
    • I am Anti-Walmart
      63
    • I don't care either way
      72
    • Undecided
      9

This poll is closed to new votes


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Unfortunately, I think its almost certain it WILL be a Supercenter, just what size. Seems they're getting rid of the Supercenter designation: the Caldwell (Texas) and College Station Walmart stores have the same "Walmart" facade, but the Caldwell one is just a remerchandised and somewhat renovated second-gen Wal-Mart, while the College Station is a full Supercenter. On a related note, there's a Wal-Mart on the East Freeway (outside 610) that's receiving a Supercenter remodel (physical expansion).

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I guess your point is that if the WalMart in CS isn't a supercenter, then no WalMart is a Supercenter anymore, but the Heights store will not even come close to the size of that behemoth. I think the store in CS is probably at least 100,000 SF bigger than any store they could possibly stick at this location.

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Unfortunately, I think its almost certain it WILL be a Supercenter, just what size. Seems they're getting rid of the Supercenter designation: the Caldwell (Texas) and College Station Walmart stores have the same "Walmart" facade, but the Caldwell one is just a remerchandised and somewhat renovated second-gen Wal-Mart, while the College Station is a full Supercenter. On a related note, there's a Wal-Mart on the East Freeway (outside 610) that's receiving a Supercenter remodel (physical expansion).

Walmart, like other retailers, is adapting it's strategy for new (read urban) markets that it hasn't traditionally competed in.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2010-09-20-walmart-urban_N.htm

I don't know how relevant the model in the link above is to the Heights Walmart, but I would guess that it will not be exactly the same as the existing supercenters outside the loop.

IronTiger...just out of curiosity...how did you pick the Caldwell store for your comparison? I just purchased some property up that way and have been in that particular store several times in the last year.

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Walmart will have @44k sq ft of full service grocery and a total sq ft of 152k sq ft. The grocery is bigger than a typical whole foods, but a bit more than half the size of the giant Kroger on W11 and Shep (@80k sq ft). The term "supercenter" has been used by Walmart to mean full service grocery store combined with all the consumer goods stuff. The Walmart on Yale will also have a fast food restaurant (not chef driven) and a garden center. It will not have a service station or tire & lube. As the article above mentions, Walmart has been building supercenters closer to 150k than the 200k they have built in the burbs in the 1990s and early 2000s. Walmart is spending a lot of money to remodel stores and is buildng smaller supercenters to make them feel less like a warehouse and more user friendly (like shelves that you can see over). But, if names mean anything, the Yale Walmart is very much a supercenter.

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Walmart will have @44k sq ft of full service grocery and a total sq ft of 152k sq ft. The grocery is bigger than a typical whole foods, but a bit more than half the size of the giant Kroger on W11 and Shep (@80k sq ft).

Interesting.

I wonder if you filter out the areas that are common to both stores (gen merch, checkout lanes, storerooms, etc.) and just compare the Yale Walmart to the 11th St. Kroger, how similar they'd be in the square footage dedicated to food.

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Walmart, like other retailers, is adapting it's strategy for new (read urban) markets that it hasn't traditionally competed in.

http://www.usatoday....art-urban_N.htm

I don't know how relevant the model in the link above is to the Heights Walmart, but I would guess that it will not be exactly the same as the existing supercenters outside the loop.

IronTiger...just out of curiosity...how did you pick the Caldwell store for your comparison? I just purchased some property up that way and have been in that particular store several times in the last year.

A few months ago, I visited that store en route to San Antonio. Interestingly, the interior of the Navasota store (en route to Houston) has some updated décor, but retains the 1980s "Wal-Mart" logo.

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Interesting.

I wonder if you filter out the areas that are common to both stores (gen merch, checkout lanes, storerooms, etc.) and just compare the Yale Walmart to the 11th St. Kroger, how similar they'd be in the square footage dedicated to food.

Take out the fancy booze, cheese, international and organic food at the W11/Shep Kroger, as well as what you mentioned, and the two stores are probably pretty close in terms of shelf space for groceries. I cannot recall whether Walmart was going to offer a full service butcher or seafood. They sometimes leave that out of supercenters.

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Take out the fancy booze, cheese, international and organic food at the W11/Shep Kroger, as well as what you mentioned, and the two stores are probably pretty close in terms of shelf space for groceries. I cannot recall whether Walmart was going to offer a full service butcher or seafood. They sometimes leave that out of supercenters.

They do not offer in-house butchers or seafood (they unionized in the early 1990s, so they did away with them). As a result, you get pre-packaged meat that is low-quality (it may or may not even come from America). Another reason to support a real supermarket.

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The Walmart on Yale will also have a fast food restaurant (not chef driven)

OMG! Not "chef driven"?!?

You've convinced me. If only you had found this key bit of info out and told us dozens of posts ago rather than waste precious words on silly nonsensical and circular arguments. Nonetheless, I have now done a total 180 and completely support you. I'm going to Facebook right now to join the anti-Wal Mart group. I only hope they still have signs left for my yard. This thing has got to be stopped.

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Take out the fancy booze, cheese, international and organic food at the W11/Shep Kroger, as well as what you mentioned, and the two stores are probably pretty close in terms of shelf space for groceries. I cannot recall whether Walmart was going to offer a full service butcher or seafood. They sometimes leave that out of supercenters.

I have still not figured out what it is about the 11th/Shep Kroger that makes it such a black hole, it takes triple the amount of time to go there than anywhere else. It is ungodly big I still think there are corners of it that have yet to be discovered. I imagine it would indeed compare well with a walmart (though thankfully they don't have the fried potato stink that I envision the WM having)

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OMG! Not "chef driven"?!?

You've convinced me. If only you had found this key bit of info out and told us dozens of posts ago rather than waste precious words on silly nonsensical and circular arguments. Nonetheless, I have now done a total 180 and completely support you. I'm going to Facebook right now to join the anti-Wal Mart group. I only hope they still have signs left for my yard. This thing has got to be stopped.

Sorry to trip you up with a bit of an inside joke. The leasing agent for the rest of the development (Moody Rambin/Lance Gilliam) told a reporter that he was hoping to fill the pads at the Walmart development with boutiques and (exact words) "chef driven restaurants". Thus, I made a joke when I commented that the fast food restaurant at Walmart was not chef driven.

-->

. .

o

That is an emoticon I just invented to replicate the gesture of waiving one's hand over one's head to symbolize a joke that went over someone's head.

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Sorry to trip you up with a bit of an inside joke. The leasing agent for the rest of the development (Moody Rambin/Lance Gilliam) told a reporter that he was hoping to fill the pads at the Walmart development with boutiques and (exact words) "chef driven restaurants". Thus, I made a joke when I commented that the fast food restaurant at Walmart was not chef driven.

-->

. .

o

That is an emoticon I just invented to replicate the gesture of waiving one's hand over one's head to symbolize a joke that went over someone's head.

probably a bad joke, more than an inside one.

I suppose once the announcement is made that all of the available space has been leased out, it may be funny,

but it's doubtful because as much as the developer may have wanted to entice a "chef driven restaurant" if there's nobody willing to sign a lease except for fast food, should they just leave that space un-leased until the "chef driven restaurant" decides to make the move?

besides, since you're the only person that has said fast food, I'm left waiting for confirmation from another user that hasn't been known historically as someone who either lies or doesn't validate the information they have heard from others before treating it as fact.

not that I don't want to believe you, a burger king would fit nicely in that location.

Regardless, I think your understanding of "chef driven" is a bit of a misunderstanding, you're thinking of a designer burger shack, or maybe a Mediterranean grill, or something, but I think the developer meant Taco Truck, as nothing else really fits the description of "Chef Driven" like a restaurant that is driven around by the chef.

Edited by samagon
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probably a bad joke, more than an inside one.

I suppose once the announcement is made that all of the available space has been leased out, it may be funny,

but it's doubtful because as much as the developer may have wanted to entice a "chef driven restaurant" if there's nobody willing to sign a lease except for fast food, should they just leave that space un-leased until the "chef driven restaurant" decides to make the move?

besides, since you're the only person that has said fast food, I'm left waiting for confirmation from another user that hasn't been known historically as someone who either lies or doesn't validate the information they have heard from others before treating it as fact.

not that I don't want to believe you, a burger king would fit nicely in that location.

Regardless, I think your understanding of "chef driven" is a bit of a misunderstanding, you're thinking of a designer burger shack, or maybe a Mediterranean grill, or something, but I think the developer meant Taco Truck, as nothing else really fits the description of "Chef Driven" like a restaurant that is driven around by the chef.

If you do not see the irony of a commercial leasing agent talking about bringing chef driven restaurants to a strip center that includes a Walmart, you are dripping with pro-Walmart bias that pales in comparison to the worst of the anti-Walmart bias. In the article, the developers talked up the development as being an upscale extension of the restaurant district in the Washington Corridor. Eight months later, they have yet to announce a single tenant, save Walmart. Whether this was PR talk to try to calm the rage in the Heights over the development or whether these people are actually dumb enough to think that Brian Caswell or Monica Pope would be interested in a pres de Walmart concept is debatable. But to think that this development will fill up with tenants any time soon, if ever, is pretty funny. Even with all of the traffic at the Sawyer Target, there are still over a half dozen pads that have yet to be leased. Granted the Yale location is more attractive for leasing, but if you include the neighboring Orr development, you have a ton of sq footage to fill in a development that has pissed off a lot of people in the area. There are only so many Walmart tag a long tenants out there, and not enough to fill up both Ainbinder's pads and Orr's.

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I went to the Walyworld by my house over the weekend for dog food and bird food and as I entered the store there was a large display of Huggies diapers on my right and a display of Slim Fast on my left. They definitely know their customers. :)

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blah blah blah.

I don't see much from you that shows proof of your statements.

I don't doubt for one second that you are right and there is a fast food going in, HOWEVER your track record is very bad for hearing a rumor and then stating it as a fact. All I'm saying is, give us some proof.

I also don't doubt that the developer WANTED to put in something more than fast food. Just like you WANTED that entire location to not be a WalMart. As my mom used to say: "s*** in one hand, want in the other and see which one is full" you can want whatever you want, but if there's no substance to it, either because you don't own the land, or because owners of chef driven restaurants don't want to lease the space, it won't happen.

truth is, I haven't seen what they tried (or didn't try) to do to entice certain establishments, and neither did you.

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I don't see much from you that shows proof of your statements.

I don't doubt for one second that you are right and there is a fast food going in, HOWEVER your track record is very bad for hearing a rumor and then stating it as a fact. All I'm saying is, give us some proof.

I also don't doubt that the developer WANTED to put in something more than fast food. Just like you WANTED that entire location to not be a WalMart. As my mom used to say: "s*** in one hand, want in the other and see which one is full" you can want whatever you want, but if there's no substance to it, either because you don't own the land, or because owners of chef driven restaurants don't want to lease the space, it won't happen.

truth is, I haven't seen what they tried (or didn't try) to do to entice certain establishments, and neither did you.

Above I was referring to fast food going inside the Walmart, not on the pads. But their will be fast food on the pads too. As for your objection to everything I say as lacking verification, I would respond that you shouldn't accuse someone of being a liar unless you are willing to do your own work. If you get on the internet (which by posting on here you concede that you can do so), you will find things like this:

http://www.washingtonheightsdistrict.com/site_plan.html

AH HA!!! Yes, it shows a pad designated for fast food. So much for the upscale development. And don't start a bunch of crud parsing the term "fast food" as meaning anything with counter service, like Paulies or Cafe Express. We all know that this development is going get the usual strip mall crud thanks to the presence of Walmart. So, next time you call someone a liar, be prepared to back it up, or shut up. Burden is on you, not me. I am free to say what I want.

Oh, and if you keep clicking around that website thingamajig you will also find the list of tenants under "retailers". You will see that only Walmart comes up. Sure, they may be waiting for a big announcement where they proudly tell residents that they will be even closer to a Sally Beauty Supply, a Payless Shoes, and Chick-fil-A than ever before. But right now, they don't have squat up on their website.

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Above I was referring to fast food going inside the Walmart, not on the pads. But their will be fast food on the pads too. As for your objection to everything I say as lacking verification, I would respond that you shouldn't accuse someone of being a liar unless you are willing to do your own work. If you get on the internet (which by posting on here you concede that you can do so), you will find things like this:

http://www.washingto.../site_plan.html

AH HA!!! Yes, it shows a pad designated for fast food. So much for the upscale development. And don't start a bunch of crud parsing the term "fast food" as meaning anything with counter service, like Paulies or Cafe Express. We all know that this development is going get the usual strip mall crud thanks to the presence of Walmart. So, next time you call someone a liar, be prepared to back it up, or shut up. Burden is on you, not me. I am free to say what I want.

Oh, and if you keep clicking around that website thingamajig you will also find the list of tenants under "retailers". You will see that only Walmart comes up. Sure, they may be waiting for a big announcement where they proudly tell residents that they will be even closer to a Sally Beauty Supply, a Payless Shoes, and Chick-fil-A than ever before. But right now, they don't have squat up on their website.

Thank you for validating your data. Was that so hard for you to do? You could have saved yourself, and me 3 whole posts just by offering that link in your first post about fast food, rather than expecting me (or others) to fish out the answer that you already found, but chose not to link. As far as expecting others to validate/invalidate your claims.

More often than not, your claims are invalid and as such people are in the habit of just not trusting what you write.

You really should post up links to trusted sources more often.

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Sure, they may be waiting for a big announcement where they proudly tell residents that they will be even closer to a Sally Beauty Supply, a Payless Shoes, and Chick-fil-A than ever before.

Blasphemy to bundle Chick-fil-A in with that riff-raff...

Edited by curley1733
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Thank you for validating your data. Was that so hard for you to do? You could have saved yourself, and me 3 whole posts just by offering that link in your first post about fast food, rather than expecting me (or others) to fish out the answer that you already found, but chose not to link. As far as expecting others to validate/invalidate your claims.

More often than not, your claims are invalid and as such people are in the habit of just not trusting what you write.

You really should post up links to trusted sources more often.

I am not wrong more often than not. I just take a point of view that is contrary to the prevailing pro-developer/anti-preservation view that is prevalent on this message board. Thus, plenty of people say things that are completely wrong (HAHC being able to control political content of yard signs--actual post in Historic Ordinance thread) and get a pass. But, I make a reasonable argument/observation (Bungalows in good condition at a certain price point sell quickly in the Heights) based on my personal experience of being in the market for over two years (and friends being in the market for another year beyond that), and I get a pile of responses because I do not share the anti-preservation view. Just because my arguments and observations start a debate doesn't mean that they are invalid. I do not have to post links to every sale of a bungalow in the Heights just because someone knows of an overpriced bungalow with a horrible rennovation that won't move. And I do not have to see a link to the bungalow that won't move and won't call that person a liar for not posting one because it is just an argument on a message board. Many who are pro-preservation and/or anti-Walmart have been bullied off this message board by people who pick apart their posts and call them all kinds of names. Debate is what makes message boards interesting. I am all for that. But discounting opposing viewpoints as being invalid because they do not share the prevailing bias is lame.

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