Walmart sets sights on Bellevue lot

ThinkN-Do said on January 8, 2012 at 4:16 PM

One thing is for sure, WalMart certainly has a hold on millions of citizens in the USA. The people have been bought through marketing genius and by nothing else. As many have mentioned here, WalMart is not cheaper (but many of the products are), they undermine neighboring businesses and many of those businesses will close down. Personally, I'd rather have 10 businesses in town competing, rather than one monopoly selling me all my needs. It's true, WalMart does contribute to the community it serves; just not contributing anything most communities need. It is a Free Country and WalMart is Free to pursue building wherever they desire. Here's hoping that the people of Bellevue and surrounding communities speak out against WalMart, and they scrap the plan.

uwlvdawg said on January 8, 2012 at 1:04 PM

Wal Mart is a prime example of Corporatism.... NOT CAPITALISM like alot of these so called conservatives call it... And I am nowhere near liberal so get that out of your systems, right wing nuts. Wal Marts suck the life out of SMALL Business. Oh wait, isnt that what the right wing want? People to be able to have small business and create jobs? Sorry. Wal Mart is a place I will never ever ever shop at. They treat their employees like dirt by paying them sub standard wages, sub par insurance while the CORPORATION rakes in Billions of record revenues. Something wrong with this picture. Capitalism does not exsist in this country, and I wish that the conservatives would quit referring it to Capitalism and call it what it really is... CORPORATISM....

luckylucky said on January 8, 2012 at 10:30 AM

LOL that would be hilarious. A little stop at Luis Vuitton then off to the Walmart?

k5viewer said on January 8, 2012 at 3:32 AM

@bazwest~ I believe you're missing the bigger picture here. Yes, you're right, Walmart provides jobs, generates tax revenue and saves people some money. But that's all in the short term. It all sounds great....until a few years later, you see surrounding businesses, big and small, lay off employees or worse, close completely, one by one by one. What about those jobs? That's lost tax revenue. There are alot of studies out there that shows that the LONG TERM effects of having a Walmart in the vicinity has drastic negative consequences. Eventually, people will have less and less shopping options until you have no choice but to shop there. It absolutely happens. I've been witnessing it in Federal Way, where there are 2 Walmarts. There are vacant store fronts and lots everywhere which aren't generating any jobs or taxes. Bellevue is such a beautiful vibrant city, i'd hate for it to become caught in Walmart's less than well-meaning grasp.

bazwest said on January 7, 2012 at 9:02 PM

@slappywag-I can tell it is difficult for you to find two adjacent brain cells to rub together in order to formulate a rational argument...hence the name-calling. But i don't mind. Since it is so difficult for you to figure out why so many people love to shop at Wal-Mart I'll put it in as simple terms as I possibly can. Wal-Mart provides exactly what people want--so they go there. As a result, Wal-Mart provides nearly 2 million competitive retail jobs in the US and they provide Billions of dollars in tax revenue to their local taxing districts. Where else in the world can one guy start with a single Ben Franklin five and dime store and turn it into the most successful retail company on the planet? If you don't like Wal-Mart by all means don't go there. There are plenty of other people who will.

conseula said on January 7, 2012 at 6:25 PM

One should be price comparing no matter where they shop..And in doing so, one should know when the prices are not competitive. I shop Wal Mart occasionally and find that many times their prices are higher on some items than in the upscale grocery store I shop at and visa verse..Wal Mart and two other grocery stores are within a three mile radius from where I live..So, I'm not wasting gas money going to each of these stores to get the best buy $ wise..It is a catch 22 when shopping..you just have to be a wise, smart shopper..It was all over the news in 2011 that with the economy in the state it is in that Wal Mart was having to raise their prices and not being as competitive.. Bellevuetom, please note Jase21 also confirms there is NO COSTCO IN BELLEVUE..gottcha!

slappywag said on January 7, 2012 at 6:22 PM

@bazwest... you, sir, are a buffoon. Wal-Mart does NOTHING for this country, the local economy, or anything else.

yessir said on January 7, 2012 at 1:31 PM

I had a distant relation who worked for walmart for quite a few years in another state. She barely made enough to stay in her meager apartment. When she finally "retired" from walmart due to poor health, they rewarded her with a cake and some juice. When she was working they didn't pay her enough to provide for her own retirement or even her own medical insurance, and they certainly didn't provide her with anything when she did "retire". No retirement... no medical... no nothing... just some cake and juice. So she ends up on public assistance. The government (that would be us citizens) pays for her very basic health care because her huge corporate employer (who was enjoying the profits of her undrpaid labors) didn't give her squat. But I almost forgot. They apparently had balloons at her "retirement" party as well. I guess that balances it all out, eh? I'm not impressed... and I don't want them in my hometown.

mazze6011 said on January 7, 2012 at 12:11 PM

I don't really give a dang about WalMart, I go there for dog food & thats about it, there price's on most thing's aren't much cheeper than the other big box stores. WalMart's prices seem to be cheeper when they first move into an area, starting with there non-super store, then they build a Super Store & the prices go up. The one thing I hear over & over again is Walmart treats there employee's poorly, i.e. poor pay, little or no heath care, ect.....If you don't like what you are being payed or the benefits you receive? Why the heck are YOU working there? I am not trying to troll this blog, it's just something I have always wondered.

bazwest said on January 7, 2012 at 12:09 PM

Wal-Mart is mostly misunderstood by the uninformed of which there are plenty in the NW. Wal-Mart is the premier retail company in the world and it is an American company first and foremost. That is something to be proud of. Their shelves are stocked with mainstream brand name products. They sell more American made products than any other retail company, including regionally grown fruits and vegetables. They are the largest private employer in the nation outside of the federal government and they pay better retail wages and benefits than all competitors in the discount retail market. Last year they increased net sales by 4.6 percent to $260 Billion in sales in the US. This means at $30 per transaction Wal-Mart had $8.6 Billion individual customer transactions in the US. Thats a lot of loyal Wal-Mart repeat shoppers and in this free country where people can choose to go elsewhere that speaks the loudest. They lower the cost of living for all of us and add local tax revenues.

Daytrader said on January 7, 2012 at 11:42 AM

You go Walmart, Bellevue could use a little humble pie in its tunnel vision world.

yessir said on January 7, 2012 at 10:42 AM

jase... by the way... taxes in Bellevue? Not hardly... Bellevue residents pay significantly less in taxes per capita than residents in Renton.

tootoo said on January 7, 2012 at 10:36 AM

Walmarts running everything in town is what unbridaled capitalism would look like.

yessir said on January 7, 2012 at 10:32 AM

Redneck Walmart in Bellevue? What an embarassment that would be.

urlydntwant2knw said on January 7, 2012 at 10:06 AM

having recently fought against wallymart i can tell you the following. 1. Has anyone DONE a price comparison? I have an the prices are NOT that much cheaper then FredMeyer on most Grocery items. Some grocery items were more expensive. 2. They will come in and pay people to talk to whomever is needed, with free shirts/food/drinks etc all to make it look like the "public" wants them there. Frankly they brought in people from the surrounding areas (NOT people that live IN the town they want to build in). 3. Mill Creek does NOT have WalMart, they fought against it and won. They won because WalMart will do the BARE minimum of studies, the most important of which are the TRAFFIC studies. Point of FACT - In Monroe they did not take into consideration Highway 2, the Trains (the traffic "engineer" stated that he didn't know Monroe even had trains), or the fact that the area they want to build in at traffic capacity (per the state DOT). Be forewarned, and do actual research for FACTS.

k5viewer said on January 7, 2012 at 4:16 AM

Don't let them do it Bellevue! To some, it may sound nice---sure, it's cheaper-- you think it'll make the other stores lower their prices to become more competitive with Walmart's prices. However, that doesn't necessarily happen. I live in Federal Way, where our brillliant city leaders (totally sarcastic) have allowed 2 Walmarts to be built. And let me tell you, it's killing our city. It's been absolutely devastating. Businesses, rather than lowering their prices, just close up shop, leaving vacant building after vacant building. It doesn't happen overnight, but it will happen. There's nowhere decent to shop now, i have to go to Seattle or Bellevue to get the good stuff. Plus, not to mention the "elements" that creep into the community attracted to the lower standards/quality that Walmart is famous for. Ugh! Keep the eastside Walmart-free, it's the best thing for the long term.

jackwong said on January 7, 2012 at 1:12 AM

@jase21: I completely agree. I don't want Bellevue to be looked at as a place for bargains. Bellevue is a vibrant upper-middle class community that doesn't need to be flooded with low-quality stores.

jase21 said on January 6, 2012 at 11:08 PM

@ hewhoo and xtremeracer: Even though I wouldn't like to see a Walmart in Bellevue it does not mean that I am pro union. I consider myself anti-union and would like to see more anti-union jobs come to Bellevue. I agree that unions jack up prices and make stores like Fred Meyer more expensive to shop at. It is nice to save on grocery's I just don't think Walmart meshes with Bellevue. If people care so much about saving on grocery's move to Renton or Mill Creek to shop at Walmart. In fact you are actually likely to save more on housing in Renton and Mill Creek than on grocery's.

xtremeracer said on January 6, 2012 at 10:40 PM

When I can get twice as many Grocery's at walmart for the same price of Fred Meyers Albertsons or safeway I'll go with Walmart . The Anti American Union Thugs can have the other stores

hewhoo said on January 6, 2012 at 10:22 PM

If I understand the union position correctly, it is better that no one have a job than for 95 people to have a fulltime job that doesn't provide dues to the union.

jase21 said on January 6, 2012 at 10:15 PM

King 5 it would be much appreciated if you keep viewers informed and updated on this issue. Thanks!

jase21 said on January 6, 2012 at 9:57 PM

I have never commented on a King 5.com, but I fell so passionate about this issue that I cannot hold my feelings back. I have always been a very pro-business person and I would generally support Walmart. However, I surely don't think a Bellevue Walmart is what the city needs. First off, why would you put a Walmart in when Kmart didn't last? Secondly, the eastside has always generally been a Walmart free zone and I believe the area is more attractive without a Walmart. Are Target, Fred Meyer's, Ross, Goodwill, etc. not good enough for those that like to save on consumer products? Also, gasoline at certain gas stations is actually cheaper in Bellevue than some other eastside cities. Thirdly, this commercial property should have been selected for a Costco (Bellevue doesn't have a Costco). Lastly, for those that feel Bellevue is too expensive you should not complain because taxes are a big part as to why Bellevue is more expensive to live in! Boycott Walmart Bellevue eastsiders!

seattle_fudge said on January 6, 2012 at 9:42 PM

It's called capitalism, people! It's part of what makes this country great. If I can buy tape or soap cheaper at Walmart, and it's the same brand I'd get at a local mom and pop shop, guess where I'm going? Not everyone can afford to shop at the more expensive stores. By the way, collentine, bad neighborhoods attract criminal behavior. Look at the difference between the Renton Walmart and the Covington Walmart -night and day.

collentine1 said on January 6, 2012 at 9:06 PM

WalMart stores tend to attract criminal behavior, esp. in their parking lots. I always think of slave labor when I think of WalMart . The way they treat their employees??!! Belllevue doesn't need the trouble!

ThinkN-Do said on January 6, 2012 at 8:28 PM

I am not wealthy, I am just a stand up for the USA kind of person. WalMart has eroded the very fabric that made the USA the great country it once was. You don't have to believe it, but it's the truth. They brought a new trend to this nation, a trend that shut down local stores; stores that were part of the local lore. WalMart is a blight that has spread across the nation. Yes, there are other stores that are very similar, in the way they operate and spread economic ruin. Some think they help the economy, it's true, they did; the economy of CHINA. Now the backlash is taking it's toll on our economy. Price increases on everything we buy, less value for your dollar, lower wages, less benefits and products that are in many cases; pieces of pure garbage. Rally the troops to village board meetings, STOP WalMart from invading the Eastside.

intrepid1 said on January 6, 2012 at 7:16 PM

If you like Walmart, you like supporting sweatshop factories with sub-par wages in foreign countries, as well as child labor in some of them, as well as environmental degradation in those same countries. You also like supporting unethical management practices which intentionally suppress wages of workers while manipulating the law so that they can avoid providing healthcare coverage for them. You also like businesses to take money out of the local economy while seeking local tax breaks to stay located in the area while seeking to expand to such an extent that they drive other, local, businesses out of business. In other words, you support a business model that is bad for you and the world.

theykilledkenny said on January 6, 2012 at 6:42 PM

Hey everyone relax. You already have a WalMart in Bellevue, you just don't know it yet. What the hell do you think is going into the the old Lamonts space at Factoria? They had to use another name to get the project under construction because you friggin snobish Bellevue-ites just couldn't have a WalMart in your snobish town, God for bid.

Sir_Real said on January 6, 2012 at 6:09 PM

Those greedy fat cats of UFCW21 want to get their paws on Walmart workers money.. I mean "union dues".

bellevuetom said on January 6, 2012 at 6:07 PM

Conseula......Costco GOOD, Walmart Bad...and yes I do know that Costco is in Bellevue, been here 30 years. Also, your comment:: IS SHE NOT FORGETTING....Please read the name, BellevueTOM, (Male). What the heck is a Juguar?

horseboy said on January 6, 2012 at 5:41 PM

OMG Muffy, my Beamer will never set it's tires in that parking lot, it's beneath us Eastsiders! The nerve!

conseula said on January 6, 2012 at 5:27 PM

Bellevue is not the place for a Wal Mart? don't ask me why, but that tickles my funny bone. and for the person who said they would move to Redmond or Kirkland if Wal Mart came to Bellevue..Is she not forgetting Kirkland has a Costco?? Let's face it, 148th St. & Main isn't exactly where you see BMW's, Cadillacs, Juguars parked in the driveways of the homes and you sure didn't see them in the parking lot when K Mart was there..You didn't see well kept customers that looked like they shopped at Nordstroms or I Magnin.. I think Lake Hills/Crossroads area is more of the pits in Bellevue.. We're not talking about building at the bottom of Somerset! I think Wal Mart would be compatiable with that area landscape and residents.

bazwest said on January 6, 2012 at 5:18 PM

@gibbage you crack me up. @jackwong the employees choose to work for Wal-Mart. How is that anti-worker? It isn't. You guys are goof balls. Wal-Mart's wages and benefits packages are more competitive than Target, Sears, KMart... and the list goes on. Wal-Mart raises the standard of living everywhere they go because your dollar goes farther when you shop there. The tax revenue and wages spent go back into the economy as well which lifts local services. And Jackwong stereotyping the poor as criminals!!!??? Shame on you! You pretend to advocate for the poor all the time in your posts and now your real philosophy slips out. You are a big phoney.

bellevuetom said on January 6, 2012 at 5:13 PM

Just say NO to WALMART. Bellevue is not the place. If a Walmart is built in Bellevue, I will move to Redmond or Kirkland.....yikes.......what is next? Big Belt buckles, mudding? tractor pulls? getting married to your cousin? Yes this is sarcasm......I am not a walmart fan.......BELLEVUE.....don't allow them in our community.

gibbage said on January 6, 2012 at 4:42 PM

No, just no. Walmart KILLS local economy. I have seen then happen many times in So-cal and I was so very glad there was no Walmarts around when I moved up here. It will push local shops out, and lower the pay scale to the point the only place people can shop IS Walmart. You DONT want a Walmart moving into your home town, thats for sure.

jackwong said on January 6, 2012 at 4:21 PM

I for one would reject Wal-Mart from bringing their anti-worker ways into a great family community like Bellevue. Bellevue is usually upper-middle, to upper class people which would not shop there. This is a bad business decision on their part. Wal-Mart would only attract the poor into bellevue, thus raising the crime rates.

wolves50 said on January 6, 2012 at 4:21 PM

Wal-Mart sucks, flat out. Why is it that Costco is competitive with Sam's Club in so many areas, yet Costco pays it's employees well and Wal-Mart would import slave labor from overseas if they could possibly get away with it.

kramseyer said on January 6, 2012 at 4:15 PM

Oh good! Not all of us can afford to shop at QFC (which can get pricey) or even PCC (although, I love that store too).

awol50 said on January 6, 2012 at 4:09 PM

Nothing lilke mentioning a Walmart store to bring out the anti-capitalists, union thugs, hippies, yippies, tree-huggers and all the other degenerates in the area. Go Walmart! And for you whiners out there, just shop elsewhere. Or maybe take in a vacation in Cuba or Venezuela to see how swell you vision of utopia is working out for the masses.

yaright said on January 6, 2012 at 4:05 PM

Be careful what you wish for. Wal-Mart is Wal-Mart - it's hardly the 'end all, be all' store Bellevue shoppers are seeking for a reality check. Read the story carefully, this is simply their grocery and drug store, not the superstore whereby primarily a good percentage of the inventory/products offered are made in China. The closest discount shopping store to my residence is a Wal-Mart but I choose not to shop there for various reasons.

mr_conservative said on January 6, 2012 at 4:04 PM

Get ready...here come the anti-capitalism liberals with their usual Walmart myths - small businesses will go close, no health benefits for workers, etc.

gaylee said on January 6, 2012 at 4:03 PM

Like so many others have posted ?...I have missed K-Mark at that location. I would have been happy with either a Target or a WalMart.. I do hope it has groceries! I usually have to travel to Factoria or Redmond for a Target store. It would be so convenient to be able to shop Wal Mart here in Bellevue. When can we find out iif it is a superstore???

gottabebacon said on January 6, 2012 at 3:57 PM

@a2a2a2b, I'm sure yours would not be the first. Bringing Republican jobs to the Eastside.

bazwest said on January 6, 2012 at 3:57 PM

Where Wal-Mart puts their stores is no business of the union. Unions are simply sore that after 20 years of unionizing attempts the Wal-Mart employees continue to vote to remain union free. Why? Because their employees like it that way. They retain the right to speak for themselves and not be forced to go through a union thug for everything. Does that bug unions? Yes. The bottom line is that Wal-Mart is a private company competing on their merits and employing consenting adults. They provide their people with competitive retail industry wages and benefits (better than all their discount competitors). They provide their customers with quality goods at the best price in the area. They will be a boon to the area for jobs and family budgets. Win/Win!

dorimonsonfan said on January 6, 2012 at 3:42 PM

Love Walmart! Please bring a superstore to the eastside!

jm1234 said on January 6, 2012 at 3:41 PM

"citing unsatisfactory health care benefits for part-time employees" since when did any part time workers get health care benefits? This building has been empty for about 10 years, people should be happy that we will no longer have that eye sore in Bellevue. I agree with Gregory7, it's going to be great for this area. The Kelsey Creek Center needs it. It was getting pretty bad in that area with robberies and the arson at the former gas station on the corner. It will also open up jobs in Bellevue. Clearly there are people that need jobs if they are taking time to protest on the corner of 148th and main street yesterday at noon. I don't think people understand that it's only going to be a grocery store, not a walmart supercenter.

Gregory7 said on January 6, 2012 at 3:27 PM

Wal- Mart will surely bring back our economy in good status in the Bellevue area and create great competition for all in the retail industry. There hasn't been good competition here since the loss of Kmart. Kmart acquiring Sears was an ok move but not the greatest move. All consumers probably thought that Sears would become Kmart, well in away it did sort of but not really. Sears kept high prices and kept treating their employee's as well as customers badly. That's primarily why their business is going down hill. Anyone with good or even great business since knows - treat your employee's well, treat your customers great and let the numbers take care of themselves. Wal-Mart is great with this concept. So with this all said and done - Welcome to Bellevue Wal-Mart! From the Summers Family.

supermason said on January 6, 2012 at 3:26 PM

Gregory7 do you work for Wal-Mart? I would not put the word "quality" next to the word "Wal-Mart", but that's just me.. I don't shop there. I have been wondering what was going in there. I'm curious to see how it does. Probably okay just for the sheer convenience of it, not because people really want to shop there.

a2a2a2b said on January 6, 2012 at 3:22 PM

Over my dead body!!!!

Gregory7 said on January 6, 2012 at 3:19 PM

I just simply love it when I make a prediction and it comes true. My small family and I loved shopping at the Kmart store when it was active at that location, we became shocked when we learned it was closing and then in fact did close. I said to my family at that time don't worry maybe Walmart will come to this location after all it is considered the new more modernized Kmart. They all said no - way! I believe Wal-Mart will be exceptionally great company corporation to have in this high competitive area, at least it will make all the other super stores reconsider their retail pricing stratagies better. They will have to come off of the high mark up ratio in which they have all been charging to the American local consumers, public in this area for years. Wal - Mart will surely get them to do the roll back of prices as Wal - Mart already does. Sell quality at lower prices and more in quantities and your company will make more......

dentalgirl57 said on January 6, 2012 at 2:41 PM

and the encroachment continues...