Wal-Mart Opens Valley Store
They could be called Wal-Mart groupies.
Amy Marshall and her mother, Linda Pettit, woke Wednesday at 5:45 a.m. for the 30-minute drive from the North Side to the new Spokane Valley Wal-Mart.
In 1995, Pettit wrote a letter to Wal-Mart begging the retail giant to build a store in Spokane.
“All of her relatives live in the South and she gets so jealous that they have Wal-Marts down there,” Marshall said.
They gathered with thousands of other shoppers for the grand opening of the new Valley Wal-Mart, the first of the national chain’s stores to open in Spokane.
Outside the new store, on Broadway Avenue just east of Sullivan Road, 2.6 million cans of soda pop created an impressive backdrop.
“I’ve always wanted to see how much pop we could sell,” said Joe Hawkins, manager of the Valley Wal-Mart. “It doesn’t take a brain scientist, but it could be fun.”
Once released to the sales floor, 30 adults fought the kids for Hot Wheels special edition cars.
“Oh, look at that cart, it’s full!” shrieked Bryce Lunden, a 9-year-old collector who owns 300 cars. “I’m trying to find the Hum-Vee,” he explained, hardly able to see over the towering adults.
Inside the new store, shoppers also found a McDonald’s restaurant, a vision center, a pharmacy, a one-hour photo lab, a portrait studio and an express tire/lube shop.
Wal-Mart hired about 300 people at the Valley location. About 750,000 employees work at 2,306 stores worldwide, according to company reports.
While Wal-Mart is big, it won’t have a measurable effect on Valley small businesses, said Ray Murphy, president of the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce.
“I think (Wal-Mart) will be successful. I just don’t think their impact will be as significant as in smaller towns,” said Murphy. “In most of the communities they’ve gone into, they’ve been a big fish in a little pond. Now they’ll be a big fish in a bigger pond.”
Wal-Mart tries to promote a “safe, non-threatening atmosphere,” and won’t carry items that customers may find objectionable, such as handguns, certain toys or controversial magazines, said Hawkins. Male employees can’t have earrings, and must wear a tie. All employees are required to smile within 10 feet of approaching customers.
Levi MacDonald, an Old Dominion University student visiting from Virginia Beach, Va., wishes the Spokane Wal-Mart was open 24-hours a day.
His college buddies have made the Virginia Wal-Mart, open 24-hours, their major hangout. “It’s something fun to do late at night,” he said. “If you can’t get to sleep, you can come to Wal-Mart and get some cookies, and bounce some balls.”
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