WILX is reporting tonight that Walmart is going to expand their store out near Eastwood Town Center to an “upscale” Super Center.
“Wal-mart’s proposing a revised concept from what they have, geared towards upscale shopping experience,” says Lansing Township’s director of development Steve Hayward.
Hayward says the Wal-Mart expansion would feature a new upscale grocery section, as well as a home furnishings area. Read the rest of this entry »
Wal-Mart is evil….or so I’m told. I know the arguments. My dad’s a union guy and my girlfriend’s parents are both union workers. Her mom is a union grocer. We’ve done really good about not running to Wal-Mart every other day like we did when we lived near Peoria, IL. The problem there was there were only two grocery stores in town. Both were chains (the other store being Kroger) and Wal-Mart was within walking distance of our apartment, so we shopped there out of convience more than anything. We would still make special trips to Schnuck’s (a St. Louis-based chain) for produce, but the majority of our shopping was done at Wal-Mart.
The closest Wal-Mart to us now is in the Delta Township and it’s about a 10 minute (give or take a few) drive. We made Wal-Mart a weekly stop right before we go to Horrock’s (review HERE), but not for any reason you might suspect. Read the rest of this entry »
I guess Sam’s Club and Costco are starting to stock these, but I haven’t seen them yet. They’re more boxy and according to consumers, harder to use. The idea is that the new jugs are better for the environment, cheaper to ship and ultimately, cheaper for consumers. Those consumer’s aren’t giving the product rave reviews though.
The jugs have no real spout, and their unorthodox shape makes consumers feel like novices at the simple task of pouring a glass of milk.
“I hate it,” said Lisa DeHoff, a cafe owner shopping in a Sam’s Club here.
“It spills everywhere,” said Amy Wise, a homemaker.
“It’s very hard for kids to pour,” said Lee Morris, who was shopping for her grandchildren.
And, here’s a picture of what we’re talking about. Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve been tough on the Lansing City Market recently on this blog, but WLNS ran a story over the weekend on how more people are shopping at the market due to high grocery prices.
Nancy Tucker, Lansing City Market Shopper: “Well gosh, i just bought some potatoes and a cucumber and he gave me the price and I thought he didn’t add the cucumber in because it was less than I was expecting.”
Cheaper, because she’s used to paying grocery store prices.
And with those prices on the rise, vendors here expect more people will be turning to local markets for their summer produce.
Lee Purdy, Lansing City Market Vendor: “Everytime there’s a transaction takes place somebody has to make some money. So if I sell it myself and I produce it myself I can sell it at a lower price.”
My girlfriend and I have been doing about 95% of our shopping at Horrock’s. The first time we went in that store, we were shocked by the low prices. I’ve always made fun of the “hippies” that shop at farmer’s markets, but I’m quickly becoming one of those. The food is just so much fresher and it’s hard to argue with the prices. Before moving here, we did about 95% of our shopping at Wal-Mart because it was right across the street. Now, the only reason we go to Wal-Mart is because they’re the only one that carries the flavor of Propel that I like….and we’ve only been there twice in six weeks.
Today’s Jackson Citizen Patriot has an article on the Felpausch Food Center closing the middle of next month. Like everyone else, they want to blame Wal-Mart.
Jeanne Norcross, vice president of corporate affairs for owner Spartan Stores Inc., said the grocery at 2105 W. Michigan Ave. is closing primarily because of competition.
“It’s been a challenge for us to operate the store profitably,” she said Sunday.
In 2004, a Wal-Mart Supercenter opened across the street next to the Westwood Mall.
I don’t buy it. I never have bought it. If you’re doing the same thing everyone else is doing of course you’re going to fail. I really have very little sympathy for corporate chains like Felpausch who blame other corporations for their demise. Yes, Wal-Mart undercuts places on prices, but they also do worse on customer service, selection, and freshness. That’s all it takes. Offer your customers something they can’t get it a Wal-Mart.
It’s funny that I read this today because just yesterday my girlfriend and I were talking about Horrock’s Farm Market is always packed despite being located between a Wal-Mart and a Meijier. If it were true that these mega-markets kill off other business, there is now way in hell Horrock’s would survive. The difference is Horrock’s fills the market with fresh products at a competitive price. They’ve found a nitch and done it successfully.
Competition is what drives our economy and there’s always going to be casualties. One day, there will be something that comes along that de-thrones Wal-Mart and we’ll all have something new to complain about. For now, let’s just support farmer’s markets and not worry about what Wal-Mart is doing.
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