ARLINGTON, Wash. – Hundreds of people are showing up at a hiring center for new Walmart Supercenter set to open at Smokey Point in Arlington later this year.
The 154,000-square-foot store promises 350 position, most of them full-time.
"We've had more than 500 applicants," says Store Manager Leon White. "Our goal is to hire employees from the Arlington area. These are the folks who have waited 6 months for this store to go in."
The hiring rush highlights the continued need for jobs in the region. Nationally, the unemployment rate rose in August for the first time in four months. Weak hiring by private employers wasn't enough to keep pace with the number of people looking for work.
Overall, the economy lost 54,000 jobs. The jobless rate rose 0.1 percent to 9.6 percent last month according to the U.S. Labor Department.
"It's been a long year," says Shana Britton. She was just hired to work as a sales associate at the new Walmart. "It's tough not being able to feed your kids because you're have no job. This came just at the right time."
Walmart says it has no opening date but is expected to be in operation in late October.
But while the retailer brings hundreds of much needed jobs to the community, there are many that worry what the box store will do the community. Tony Gutierrez, owner of Gutierrez Family Chiropractic about a block from the store, is worried about the impact on traffic.
"It is going to be a nightmare," he says. "It's already backed up now. I already have no parking for my patients."
The City of Arlington is working to expand the roadway in front of Walmart. The retailer is also constructing a large parking lot.
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