Walmart - End of an Era

[dmccarty]

Dollar General, hardly shop there, Dollar tree, they have several food items we like.Family Dollar is here too ,don't go there often at all.Dollar tree has the biggest stores, then there is Big lots ,it has a lot of different items we like..

The Dollar General and Family Dollar stores look like they are the same size to me. We go to which ever one is easier to turn into because of traffic. They are only a few hundred yards apart from each other. :laughing:

We started going there for things like paper, reading glasses, cleaners, etc. Things we would normally get at Target or Walmart but those stores are 30 minutes away.

The Big Lots in the next town went out of business years ago. My guess is the demise of the chicken plant and farms did them in.

Later,
Dan

 

[Western]

They started the Express Store almost a year ago.
Retailers Debut Small-Format Experiments | Retail & Financial content from Supermarket News

I haven't worked on an "express" store, but Walmart is putting in allot of the "Neighborhood markets" They seem to be very successful around Texas. Usually in neighborhoods, a bit more "fancy" and more trended to a grocery store.

As far as Dollar General, my daughter worked at one for 3 months (another story) to supplement her college funds, I was buying cleaning stuff there, but it just seemed somewhat "watered" down. Specifically the "Pine-Sol".

 

[Oaktree]

For that matter, I'd love nothing better than to see Walmart close it's doors and fade into history forever, because they single-handedly killed off Main Street America, and I despise them for it.

I disagree. Walmart (and other big box stores as well) didn't "single-handedly killed off Main Street America", so-called "Main Street" committed suicide.

While none of the Walmarts here are the super WMs (ie-no grocery store), they are open late 7 days a week. This in contrast to downtown merchants who are generally open M-F 8-5 and maybe Saturday morning...not very convenient for someone who works for a living. Main St. was fine when 'most everyone lived within walking distance of downtown, 'cause there sure isn't much parking. More often than not, the big stores have what you're looking for in stock, no need to special order.

A Lowes was built a few years ago. Not many people complained about Lowes driving out businesses like the small, privately owned Sears franchise or the hardware store. I don't know what happened to the guy that ran the Sears store he just disappeared.

Likewise here when Tractor Supply came to town the local Agway closed about a year later. Again, they weren't open Sundays, closed early on Saturday, half the time didn't have what you were looking for and the owner was always grumpy. Was TS at fault for his going out of business, or was the lack of competition the only reason he lasted as long as he did?

No, I don't work for WM, and they deserve a lot of the criticism they receive (I especially dislike their tendency to gobble up former agricultural land, contributing to sprawl) but they've gotta be doing something right...don't think I've ever been there when it wasn't crowded.

 

[300UGUY]

Since my checks are known to be good locally when I give them an option often they say check please but not always. We do have some that do not take cash if in bills greater than $20.

I think with the online banking and credit card rewards programs, paying cash is less common all the time. When my wife first started out, she took checks and cash. We had customer's get upset that we didn't take cards. Early on, cash was 50% + of transactions. Now it is less than 20%. Usually from other self employed folks.

 

[creekbend]

I haven't worked on an "express" store, but Walmart is putting in allot of the "Neighborhood markets" They seem to be very successful around Texas. Usually in neighborhoods, a bit more "fancy" and more trended to a grocery store.

As far as Dollar General, my daughter worked at one for 3 months (another story) to supplement her college funds, I was buying cleaning stuff there, but it just seemed somewhat "watered" down. Specifically the "Pine-Sol".

There was one of those smaller size Walmart stores built in town around 5 months ago. It is called "Walmart Express". I am used to shopping at the Walmart Super Center, and the smaller express stores don't even come close to the square footage or merchandise that the larger stores offer.

 

[Western]

There was one of those smaller size Walmart stores built in town around 5 months ago. It is called "Walmart Express". I am used to shopping at the Walmart Super Center, and the smaller express stores don't even come close to the square footage or merchandise that the larger stores offer.

I have been in allot of the old smaller stores, but have yet to see one of the express stores. I know the super centers are around 220,000+ sq. ft. and the Neighbors hood markets are close to 75,000sq. ft.

Does the Express store sell just the popular, high use type items, or mainly grocery like the Neighborhood Markets? Just curious really.

 

[aczlan]

Yes, Some people are still fighting the Wm location systems...The super centers will draw extra people from areas of small stores. I know of one WM in Missouri that only has 5 registers in the front..the selection is thinner, but it has been there for over 20 years? Successfully...

The one near me rarely has more than 5 registers staffed, so they are saving money on a register that gets used 3x/year at your store...

Aaron Z

 

[creekbend]

I have been in allot of the old smaller stores, but have yet to see one of the express stores. I know the super centers are around 220,000+ sq. ft. and the Neighbors hood markets are close to 75,000sq. ft.

Does the Express store sell just the popular, high use type items, or mainly grocery like the Neighborhood Markets? Just curious really.

The Walmart Express store in town is equivalent to about the size of 4 Dollar General stores. I would estimate their product percentage to be 65% grocery items and 35% other items. They have a small selection of household supplies, card selection, movies, auto supplies; etc. The parking area is about the same square footage as the store itself. There is no fresh meat selection, only frozen products. There are baby clothes for sale but no other clothing selections at all.

 

[pacerron]

I have been in allot of the old smaller stores, but have yet to see one of the express stores. I know the super centers are around 220,000+ sq. ft. and the Neighbors hood markets are close to 75,000sq. ft.

Does the Express store sell just the popular, high use type items, or mainly grocery like the Neighborhood Markets? Just curious really.

Dennis,
I would suspect that the planning and marketing folks at Walmart have done some rather intensive research into this new expansion endeavor and have quite a few different models to choose from depending on the locale they are interested in locating. As far as I know, they are not planning on replacing supercenters with these smaller outlets. That is not the intent although since they are struggling in some locales it might happen. Even a company that large can't afford to subsidize losing stores with highly profitable ones too much.
I can appreciate that a lot of our more senior citizens really don't like the super centers for a number of reasons, ie. too far to walk both outside and inside the store. Too much noise, Very little customer service. Shelves too high and items packed too tight. A million items they have no interest in or use for. Plus if they live in a quiet little town that is 15 or 20 miles from a super center they would rather go to the edge of town to get gas, groceries, and a few personal items than waste the time and gas to go to a big town and fight the traffic.
I imagine this sounds pretty attractive to us senior folks that live in the country too. Give us a store of 15-20k sq. ft. where we can buy more than a hotdog and a case of beer with our gas, like the stop and goes, and where we don't have to go by a 100 foot wall with big TV screens from floor to ceiling driving us more nuts, and you got a winner.

 

[Western]

Dennis,
I would suspect that the planning and marketing folks at Walmart have done some rather intensive research into this new expansion endeavor and have quite a few different models to choose from depending on the locale they are interested in locating. As far as I know, they are not planning on replacing supercenters with these smaller outlets. That is not the intent although since they are struggling in some locales it might happen. Even a company that large can't afford to subsidize losing stores with highly profitable ones too much.
and fight the traffic.

Ron, they have some of the best marketing strategist in the business ( and some of the dumbest at times) (( remember when they tried the upper scale items, )). I know they will never get rid of Super Centers, to successful.. The small stores are to reach areas that require a smaller footprint and still make the "brand" accessible to a larger audience.

Being a contractor for them for almost 10 years, I know some stores are under performing compared to the "whole", but not to the point of closing and loosing market share. I think it would take a serious loss for them to even consider closing a store.

I can see the strategy in the smaller store footprint, fit's better in certain housing and urban areas, Has less of an "monopoly" feel and lets folks that want to run in quick, do so.

I primarily was curious about the Express center, since I haven't seen one and was also curious about the difference with the Neighborhood Markets. from what CreekBend says's, they are almost one in the same.