First in a series of new WM SuperCenters to open in West Tennessee

[Rural King]

Gibson County tomorrow will have two brand new shiney Wal-Mart SuperCenters in Milan and Humboldt, which will put added pressure on local grocers, hardwares stores, pharmacies, etc in those towns and probably in nearby Trenton (County Seat). Good or bad they are coming, and the Jackson Sun ran a piece on their openings, the expected positive impact on tax revenues they will have, and local sentiment on the stores:

Jackson Sun Article:

http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar.../601310307/1002

Two more are in the works in Martin (already well on its way, and to open in the summer) and Camden. I believe Brownsville is to get one as well from what I have heard. These will be added to a host of SuperCenters in WTN in places such as: Union City, Paris, Fulton (KY)/S. Fulton(TN), Huntingdon, Dyersburg, Lexington, Ripley, Covington, Bolivar, several in Jackson, etc.

The main regional grocery chain for WTN and WKY, EW James I am sure is feeling the pinch of all these SuperCenters, not to mention Kroger, Food Rite, independents, etc. Also pharmacies like CVS, Super D, independents, etc are going to get pinched hard as well.

Any opinion of how the saturation of SuperCenters is going to effect this region and others now that most Division 1 Stores appeared destined to be replaced by SuperCenters? Can this continue forever? Can this many "big box" stores from the same company sustain themselves in the long run, or will they oversaturate the market at some point?

[tombarnes]

The same sad story is playing out everywhere across the land. WalMart comes to town and businesses wither on the vine. WalMart builds a Super Center 30 miles away, leaving the corpses of towns and the original WalMarts in its wake. How the opening of a WalMart Super Center could be seen as a positive development for anyone other than the nearby commercial property owners baffles me. Their patern of development has been so predictable that I can't see anyone being fooled into thinking that WalMart will settle for anything less than total market domination. Is getting dog food for 17 cents less per bag worth the ultimate price? Apparently lots of people think so. What a shame.

[Kyle]

The same sad story is playing out everywhere across the land. WalMart comes to town and businesses wither on the vine. WalMart builds a Super Center 30 miles away, leaving the corpses of towns and the original WalMarts in its wake. How the opening of a WalMart Super Center could be seen as a positive development for anyone other than the nearby commercial property owners baffles me. Their patern of development has been so predictable that I can't see anyone being fooled into thinking that WalMart will settle for anything less than total market domination. Is getting dog food for 17 cents less per bag worth the ultimate price? Apparently lots of people think so. What a shame.

I know that Milan's current wally world is to be replaced by a Lowe's. Here are some of the things that get me about it.

1. It'll be the death blow to downtown.

2. It is continuing the Southward sprawl away from the actual town.

3. It's creating another light I'm gonna have to stop at on the way to Jackson.

4. Well, it's gonna be a 24 hour ---- convention