Walmart Supercenter At 111 Yale St.

[s3mh]

ROTF! Man, nothing slips by you. Red Scare is right. Your posts are freaking hilarious. You ever think of writing for a sitcom? You'd be a natural.

I am not the one who was telling everyone all over Houston that the store would be some great urban design prototype. Walmart was. That was BS. It is the same crap they build everywhere. As was the promise of expanded selection of organics. You may think that it is no harm no foul when a corporate giant can lie to people to get political consent for 6 mil to pad their profits, but that is not my fault. People really did buy into that crap. Without those lies, there may have been a much bigger ground swell of opposition to the store that would have at least kept the City from paying Walmart 6 mil to build a store that no one wants and no one needs. I would actually have very much prefered to be complaining about traffic from a jam packed store. Being wrong about whether the store was needed or not at least means that the public got some sort of benefit from paying 6 mil. But, seeing almost as many people shopping at Whole Foods (who did not take a penny from taxpayers) as shopping at a 152k sq ft Walmart (who took 6 mil) is pretty infuriating. If they want to open stores where they are not wanted or needed, let them pay their own way.

[HoustonMidtown]

Being wrong about whether the store was needed or not....

So let me get this right, you have been there once -- and based on the people there at that day and time, you have decided that the store wasn't needed -- you really are full of yourself aren't you??

Edited November 5, 2012 by HoustonMidtown

[SilverJK]

I love the fact that you went there to prove nobody goes there... It does look much better than most walmarts in my opinion. I haven't made it by there yet... but i'm sure i'll need something at 2am in the near future...

[fwki]

HoustonMidtown, you haven't seen anything yet....by reading much of this thread (heck, the entire forum) you will realize the talents and omniscience this person possesses are astounding. Accordingly one must only refer to S3mh in the royal plural or third person.

Edited November 5, 2012 by fwki

[TGM]

The design wouldn't be an issue if Walmart hadn't come into the community claiming that this was some great new urban design prototype.

I'm guessing that it could be nouveau Bahaus revival and you'd still have an axe to grind.

I cannot believe this thread is reached the point where we're discussing design atheticisms.

"Yeah, I would shop at the Heights Walmart, but they've totally botched their attempt at mixing neo-classical with Le Corbusier's Radiant City vision..."

[RedScare]

But, seeing almost as many people shopping at Whole Foods (who did not take a penny from taxpayers) as shopping at a 152k sq ft Walmart (who took 6 mil) is pretty infuriating. If they want to open stores where they are not wanted or needed, let them pay their own way.

Fact Check:

Walmart didn't receive any money from the City.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled fabrication.

[Ross]

I am not the one who was telling everyone all over Houston that the store would be some great urban design prototype. Walmart was. That was BS. It is the same crap they build everywhere. As was the promise of expanded selection of organics. You may think that it is no harm no foul when a corporate giant can lie to people to get political consent for 6 mil to pad their profits, but that is not my fault. People really did buy into that crap. Without those lies, there may have been a much bigger ground swell of opposition to the store that would have at least kept the City from paying Walmart 6 mil to build a store that no one wants and no one needs. I would actually have very much prefered to be complaining about traffic from a jam packed store. Being wrong about whether the store was needed or not at least means that the public got some sort of benefit from paying 6 mil. But, seeing almost as many people shopping at Whole Foods (who did not take a penny from taxpayers) as shopping at a 152k sq ft Walmart (who took 6 mil) is pretty infuriating. If they want to open stores where they are not wanted or needed, let them pay their own way.

I thought the 380 was with Ainbinder, not WalMart. And doesn't Ainbinder have to pay out the $6 million to get it reimbursed? Can you point us to a document that shows Ainbinder is getting $6 million from the City, free and clear?

[samagon]

I'm guessing that it could be nouveau Bahaus revival and you'd still have an axe to grind.

I cannot believe this thread is reached the point where we're discussing design atheticisms.

"Yeah, I would shop at the Heights Walmart, but they've totally botched their attempt at mixing neo-classical with Le Corbusier's Radiant City vision..."

Well, the rumors I heard was that they tried to work with the HAHC to make the facade look like multiple bungalows, but the HAHC didn't approve their paperwork cause they didn't have the windows in the right location.

[TGM]

Just checking in to see how everyone is surviving post-invasion.

Has everyone found a tribal leader in the post-apococlypse? Are we all organized into clans now? Information is scarce.

Everything in Red Sector A appears to be okay. Any word on how many Mom & Pops, Mom & Moms, Pop and Pops, etc that we have lost?

I realize I am trading with our occupiers, but my experiences there have been great. I feel so guilty and self-loathing....

[kylejack]

Maintaining a flawless record so far of not going in the Walmart.

[fwki]

My partner trades with the Vichy Regime as a cover for my Underground activities along Mom and Pop Row on 11th. So far I am alone as none of the shops are aware we are under occupation. Recruiting is difficult with all the new bars and restaraunts distracting potential foot soldiers. Also the new Kroger seems to be a gathering place for female Russian spies, and I have been attempting to draw them further into the occupied lands with no success. I will likely have to lose 30 pounds and disguise my hairline for the cause.

[TGM]

Also the new Kroger seems to be a gathering place for female Russian spies, and I have been attempting to draw them further into the occupied lands with no success.

Good to know others are out there. We've taken up positions and have inserted a mole into Taco Cabana. To pass on a message order the #5 combo at 5pm and exclaim "Che What?" when asked if its a to go order.

Recon has determined that there are good values in the vegetable section, and deals can be made on the Ministry of Rubbish approved trash bags. Parking is never an issue.

[infinite_jim]

The crew that did the staining and polishing of the store's concrete floor did a heck of job. Nicest Wal-mart I've ever been to.

[crunchtastic]

I meant to mention this a couple of weeks ago: I test-drove the walmart before Christmas, on my lunch, and got in and out with wrapping paper, cat food, laundry soap, a new pair of garden snips and a snak-size McDs ice-cream treat in minutes. Much less hassle than the Target. Shopping success! And I capped my bougie noon-errand experience with a drive thru coffee at Starbucks.

I work for the evil, nearby AIG empire and demand convenience. Thank you, cousin corporate baddies, for making that happen.

PS to you Heightsie militants, I also bought major gifts at Jubilee so stand down on the shopper judging.

[Specwriter]

My partner trades with the Vichy Regime as a cover for my Underground activities along Mom and Pop Row on 11th. So far I am alone as none of the shops are aware we are under occupation. Recruiting is difficult with all the new bars and restaraunts distracting potential foot soldiers. Also the new Kroger seems to be a gathering place for female Russian spies, and I have been attempting to draw them further into the occupied lands with no success. I will likely have to lose 30 pounds and disguise my hairline for the cause.

Thanks, fwki. Your post made my day.

[RedScare]

My 3 or 4 trips to the dreaded Walmart overlords have been traffic congestion free, with easy parking. Getting in and out with my plastic products has been immensely easier than going to the theoretically more appealing Target. Though predictions for the Walmart and Ainbinder were gridlock (actual word used by opponent), I have found it to be a breeze. In contrast, going to the Target is a royal pain, as some exits have no stoplights, and the lights are timed badly.

Though Walmart, Ainbinder and Kroger have been roundly condemned by the enlightened ones, I find these to be the best additions to Heights retail since I've been here. Weird, I know, but these are the stores I frequent most often now. And, since Kroger has my pet food at a price lower than Petsmart, I don't have to make a separate trip now. Even the feeder road has made life easier. I find that I appreciate real life convenience more than esoteric debates of saving the world. But, if it makes anyone feel better, I recycle my plastic, and I have replaced all of my incandescent bulbs with LEDs (bought at Home Depot, though).

[J008]

You must be coming from I-10.

Both the feeder roads and the lights are arranged for people entering \ exiting the interstate, if you are trying to cross I-10 it is incredibly worse than before. It is almost impossible to cross I-10 without being caught on a left turn signal. At 3 am going 60mph you might be able to hit all the lights from 6th to Koehler, but I doubt it.

There are routinely back ups on studemont, heights, and yale in which there weren't before. The left hand turn signal on Studemont at Kroger, being a poster boy for stupid traffic signals ( crosswalks, turn signals, all set up to drive\ walk \ bike into a chain link fence.)

My 3 or 4 trips to the dreaded Walmart overlords have been traffic congestion free, with easy parking. Getting in and out with my plastic products has been immensely easier than going to the theoretically more appealing Target. Though predictions for the Walmart and Ainbinder were gridlock (actual word used by opponent), I have found it to be a breeze. In contrast, going to the Target is a royal pain, as some exits have no stoplights, and the lights are timed badly.

Though Walmart, Ainbinder and Kroger have been roundly condemned by the enlightened ones, I find these to be the best additions to Heights retail since I've been here. Weird, I know, but these are the stores I frequent most often now. And, since Kroger has my pet food at a price lower than Petsmart, I don't have to make a separate trip now. Even the feeder road has made life easier. I find that I appreciate real life convenience more than esoteric debates of saving the world. But, if it makes anyone feel better, I recycle my plastic, and I have replaced all of my incandescent bulbs with LEDs (bought at Home Depot, though).

[JJxvi]

I'm glad to not have to venture over to Sawyer to go to Target anymore as well, although my preferred office supply place is Staples so I havent been able to eliminate it completely. The feeder roads have shaved a lot of time off my morning commute, since its been much easier to get on Yale to go West on I-10 even though its a slight backtrack East for me (Nicholson) than Durham was in the morning. It's also a much easier merge than the blind run of doom the entrance ramp from Durham can be.

[JJxvi]

You must be coming from I-10.

Both the feeder roads and the lights are arranged for people entering \ exiting the interstate, if you are trying to cross I-10 it is incredibly worse than before. It is almost impossible to cross I-10 without being caught on a left turn signal. At 3 am going 60mph you might be able to hit all the lights from 6th to Koehler, but I doubt it.

There are routinely back ups on studemont, heights, and yale in which there weren't before. The left hand turn signal on Studemont at Kroger, being a poster boy for stupid traffic signals ( crosswalks, turn signals, all set up to drive\ walk \ bike into a chain link fence.)

The only jam up Ive been caught up in lately is the afternoon rush hour jam thats always been there on Heights at Washington and at I-10.

The most annoying new problem that I seem to get caught in lately is at Waugh and Dallas, but I dont really know if thats always been bad or not.

[samagon]

I went to the Barnes and Noble at Gray and Shepherd last Tuesday to pick up a book, and on my way out there, I took Allen to Waugh, and on my way back back to the east side I took Allen Parkway through downtown, as I turned onto Waugh, going to (about 5:45 pm) and as I drove under Waugh on my way back home (about 6:15), the traffic backed up at Waugh looked to be horrible as it attempted to go north.

If they make the traffic more efficient going north in that area, I weep for everyone around Heights and I-10.

[RedScare]

You must be coming from I-10.

Both the feeder roads and the lights are arranged for people entering \ exiting the interstate, if you are trying to cross I-10 it is incredibly worse than before. It is almost impossible to cross I-10 without being caught on a left turn signal. At 3 am going 60mph you might be able to hit all the lights from 6th to Koehler, but I doubt it.

There are routinely back ups on studemont, heights, and yale in which there weren't before. The left hand turn signal on Studemont at Kroger, being a poster boy for stupid traffic signals ( crosswalks, turn signals, all set up to drive\ walk \ bike into a chain link fence.)

I live in the Heights. The only time I am coming from I-10 is from the occasional trip out west. On those trips, I exit Yale/Heights, and it is much easier to get home than going to Studewood and uturn, the old way. I repeat, none of the new stuff has made my local driving worse. It is the same or better. I see no backups any worse than what occurred before. I suppose if someone expects inner city driving to be free of any other vehicles, finding 10 or 12 cars in front of you at rush hour could be annoying, but I take that as the cost of living in the loop. And, nothing inside the loop compares to the traffic in the Woodlands major streets where they hit I-45, so I really have no complaints whatsoever.

And, I don't even know what this left turn signal problem is. I have never encountered it. I'll try to look for it next time. Maybe I'll be offended.

[s3mh]

Don't count your traffic chickens before they have hatched. Walmart has only been open for less than three months. The rest of the development only has about a quarter of the pads open (although Orr's strip mall is mostly open). If the development fills up with tenants, people actually go to the Walmart and SJ Stone, the Trammell Crow apartment, the apartment between Yale and Heights south of the strip malls and a rumored development on the NW corner of Yale and the feeder get done, the traffic in the area could be Galleria-esque. I have seen Yale north bound back up to the rail bridge during PM rush hour and south bound backs up past 6th street during am rush. Mostly feeder traffic at this point. But that was the point all along. When you take a road system that is already failing and add more traffic, you can get grid lock. Yale can already stack up to the rail bridge. Add more traffic and it will stack up to Washington and screw up that intersection.

While you all may like the fact that the goods you want to buy and the stores you like are now closer, the fact is that Fiesta on 14th is gone (no coincidence--why would Fiesta stick around to try to compete with Walmart). Kroger is in the cat bird seat with no competition from HEB and minimal competition from Walmart and Target's cruddy little food sections. Kroger is now really the only non-Whole Foods main stream grocer in the Heights now with almost no options for another grocer to move in.

[RedScare]

moo, save the exaggeration. The Galleria has a 2.5 million square foot mall, numerous highrises, hotels and condo towers. A Walmart, apartment building and strip centers will never cause Galleria style traffic. Besides, I only go to that area once every couple of weeks, so I am not concerned about a bit of traffic on a Saturday. I have more important things to complain about than whether a traffic signal may or may not cycle on me before I can get through. I'll leave that heavy lifting to the professional complainers.

As for Kroger, that's HEB's fault. If they wanted in the neighborhood, they'd have bought some land. They clearly did not. Not that I am concerned. HEB is overrated. Kind of like Target. Only the hatred of Kroger (or Walmart) makes people claim HEB is all that...or maybe some strange allegiance to them because they are based in Texas. If they had built on Studewood, I would have shopped them. They did not, so I do not. No skin off my back. They all sell the same brands, and they all push their store brands.

[JJxvi]

Maybe I'm just easy going, but the only time there is any real frustrating traffic in the Heights area south of I-10 its almost always related to rail traffic, not what retail stores are in the area. The only other times that cause frustration are within parking lots if I happen to end up at the store at a busy time.

[JJxvi]

Traffic isnt even bad over on Sawyer except that the layout is and directions are a bit stressful over there. Yale is just a breeze by comparison.

[barracuda]

If rush-hour traffic has increased on Yale and Heights Blvd, I would suspect much of it is due to folks shifting their driving pattern to avoid Studemont. But I haven't noticed any notable traffic problems in the area, other than the occasional train blocking Heights Blvd and a few construction-related lane closures.

[SilverJK]

While you all may like the fact that the goods you want to buy and the stores you like are now closer, the fact is that Fiesta on 14th is gone (no coincidence--why would Fiesta stick around to try to compete with Walmart).

I think the wal-mart is completely coincedence since I heard rumors that the fiesta wasn't long for this world around 5 years ago... you weren't here so maybe you don't remember when we thought it was happening back then... If you really wanted to blame another store, stick to Kroger. The 11th Street Kroger improvements probably hurt business a lot more than Walmart ever did, not that it matters, the property owners have been looking to cash in on that land for a while now.

I suppose Party Kroger's new gas station is the reason the gas station on white oak and studewood is closing too huh?

S3mh being S3mh.

[RedScare]

I think the wal-mart is completely coincedence since I heard rumors that the fiesta wasn't long for this world around 5 years ago... you weren't here so maybe you don't remember when we thought it was happening back then... If you really wanted to blame another store, stick to Kroger. The 11th Street Kroger improvements probably hurt business a lot more than Walmart ever did, not that it matters, the property owners have been looking to cash in on that land for a while now.

I suppose Party Kroger's new gas station is the reason the gas station on white oak and studewood is closing too huh?

S3mh being S3mh.

Yeah, this may be a complete fabrication. Fiesta never owned that property on 14th Street. Weingarten Realty did. When Weingarten decided to sell, Fiesta was told that the lease would not be renewed. So, yes, it actually WAS a coincidence that Fiesta closed about the time Walmart opened.

But, us Heights oldtimers already knew that.

[s3mh]

Yeah, this may be a complete fabrication. Fiesta never owned that property on 14th Street. Weingarten Realty did. When Weingarten decided to sell, Fiesta was told that the lease would not be renewed. So, yes, it actually WAS a coincidence that Fiesta closed about the time Walmart opened.

But, us Heights oldtimers already knew that.

And Fiesta is incapable of buying land? Fiesta has been ditching inside the loop because they are no longer able to compete with all the giant Krogers, HEBs and Walmarts with their older and smaller stores. And ultimately, they would never consider buying the land to keep their store when they are going to have to compete with a giant new Walmart and Kroger. Fiesta is a small local chain that does not have the capital to upgrade the stores inside the loop to be able to compete with the oversized HEBs, Krogers and Walmarts. While Weingarten and the owner of the land in Montrose were ultimately the ones that sent Fiesta packing, the fact that new Krogers, Walmarts and HEBs were sprouting up around them made the decision to just close up shop a no brainer for Fiesta.

[s3mh]

moo, save the exaggeration. The Galleria has a 2.5 million square foot mall, numerous highrises, hotels and condo towers. A Walmart, apartment building and strip centers will never cause Galleria style traffic. Besides, I only go to that area once every couple of weeks, so I am not concerned about a bit of traffic on a Saturday. I have more important things to complain about than whether a traffic signal may or may not cycle on me before I can get through. I'll leave that heavy lifting to the professional complainers.

As for Kroger, that's HEB's fault. If they wanted in the neighborhood, they'd have bought some land. They clearly did not. Not that I am concerned. HEB is overrated. Kind of like Target. Only the hatred of Kroger (or Walmart) makes people claim HEB is all that...or maybe some strange allegiance to them because they are based in Texas. If they had built on Studewood, I would have shopped them. They did not, so I do not. No skin off my back. They all sell the same brands, and they all push their store brands.

In the Heights, we have four lanes on Yale, two lanes north of I-10 and four south of I-10 on Heights to get exiting traffic from one of the busiest stretches of highway in Texas, a Walmart, several strip malls, at least 500 units of apartments yet to be built, possibly more and additional strip malls if SJ Stone decides to sell. That will put additional traffic onto a grid that is already rated an F at Yale. Add to that the fact that the city is growing rapidly, and you are going to end up with serious traffic problems on the scale of the Galleria simply because the grid is already close to being max-ed out with existing traffic and has no room to put it or to expand.

I am not saying that HEB is the answer to grocery shopping. But, it is the only real competitor in the area to Kroger's monster stores at Studewood and Shep. Capitalism tends to work well when there is competition. Capitalism tends to not work so well when competition is lacking.