Wal-Mart gets warm welcome
New superstore opens on 1300 S. in S.L. where retail is lacking
In fact, west-siders can find those and just about anything else at Salt Lake City's first Wal-Mart Supercenter, which opened Wednesday near 1300 South and 300 West.
While it's debatable whether the supercenter is actually on the city's retail-starved west side (It's east of I-15.) it certainly is accessible for cash-conscious Glendale, Rose Park and Poplar Grove residents who are accustomed to driving miles into West Valley City and Bountiful to shop.
"We've been going out to the (Wal-Mart) on 5600 West for quite a while. We've been waiting, dying for this one to open," Enoch Vaenuku said while browsing with his wife and kids. "Wal-Mart is the only place we shop, and there have been times when we will have to go to the store for a few items, and running all the way out there for just a few items kind of sucks."
There seemed to be little negative reaction to the new supercenter — Wal-Mart's 3,789th store — as eager west-side residents reveled in low prices Wednesday.
"Way excited," Amber Martinez said. "We've had to drive clear out to West Valley (to shop). . . . I love Wal-Mart."
"As far as Wal-Marts go, we got the Cadillac of them," said Councilman Carlton Christensen, who added that the new store will keep more city sales tax dollars from leaking to the suburbs.
Christensen and fellow west-side Councilman Van Turner said they expect Wal-Mart's entry will draw more big-box retailers to the 300 West corridor. Already between 1300 South and 2100 South on 300 West is a Home Depot and Costco, and Sam's Club is building a new store.
Some sources say they expect a Lowe's hardware store to move in on 300 West in the near future and other big boxes and chain restaurants to follow suit.
"That's a hot piece of real estate around that corridor," Turner said.
Still, typical Wal-Mart concerns remain in Salt Lake.
While the new supercenter will employ 520 people, some are concerned that those jobs don't pay livable wages. Prior to Wednesday's opening, Jobs with Justice had organized a few protests on the sidewalks lining the massive store.
Also, there are worries about traffic congestion, and others fear the supercenter will put competing small local stores out of business.
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