WHOA: SUPER WalMart coming to Manassas Mall (Sudley, Gainesville: sales, apartment)

[Nova10]

I was wondering what was taking them so long to build that behomoth thing and lo and behold I learn it's going to be a SUPER Wal- Mart which are generally built down south and the plains states.

Yee-ouch-- I know that Giant, Harris Teeter, Bloom, Shoppers, et. al. are biting their TOE NAILS right about now since Wal-Mart's food prices are super duper low. Ever since I was a teenager I can remember people complaining about GIant's high prices (and now Harris Teeter's aren't so great) so with Wal-Mart's massive food department, things should become really interesting.
Speaking of the local grocery stores, don't know about you but I think $5.00 for a box of Kashi cereal (particularly when the cereal bag is only 1/2 full much like a box of potato chips) is plain ridiculous. (Just moved back up here from the Carolinas and at food Wal-Marts the same box is $2.98-3.05). So in this area I would travel out of my way to get certain non-perishable foods at better prices.

Now this will sound terrible and cryptic and contradictory: Deep down I loathe Wal-Mart because they're like the big, bad, ugly, greedy bully that moves into town and shuts down Mom & Pop stores, etc., but on the other hand we get sucked in because the prices are so incredibly lower. If Mom & Pop stores suffer I care about that but not as much w/ Giant or Harris Teeter with their ridiculous prices over the years. It'll be interesting to see their prices plummet. I mean, we're already ringing ourselves up at the self-checkouts so they should've been banking all kinds of money over the years. At Giant I've watched a SLICE OF CAKE for one sold in the bakery go from like $1.50 to $2.99-3.99!!! FOR A SLICE OF CAKE. That's robbery so, yep, I'm snickering a bit at the grocery stores in any vicinity to this new food containing Wal-Mart.

[VEIK]

Most of the stuff they sell is garbage anyways, that includes food items.

[VEIK]

They are building on in Sterling as well, expanding existing walmart
Next to it, 50 ft from it, is Sams Club (great planning...heh)

Back in the 90s, I used to shop at walmart for a lot of stuff. I have since switched to Target.

IMHO, Walmart became this pile of junk, their sales floor organization is terrible, stuff always on the floor, no one knows anything about anything they sell. Its a complete dump, honestly.

[oneasterisk]

The down economy has slowed the construction of that Walmart. I remeber for a while they were making really quick progress. Apparently the company heading the construction can't even pay their contractors who in turn can't pay the subcontractors. It may be a while till it's finished.

Also I don't understand why they are building another walmart. There is one on Liberia and there is another off Sudley/Ballsford. Seems saturated to me. I'm sure Target is not happy being an established anchor store to Manassas Mall to have Walmart compete with them.

[kevinm]

I am all for shutting down "mom and pop" who have been getting rich with their unreasonable profit margins. If they can compete by offering better SERVICE, then consumers who value that aspect of a business will continue to shop with them. If comparing "apples to apples", then then mom and pop better put in an application to work for Wally.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by VEIK

Most of the stuff they sell is garbage anyways, that includes food items.

They sell mostly the same stuff as Giant, Harris Teeter, Shoppers, etc.

Originally Posted by VEIK

They are building on in Sterling as well, expanding existing walmart
Next to it, 50 ft from it, is Sams Club (great planning...heh)

That happens a lot. Many Sams Clubs are very close to Walmarts. Seems to work for them.

[Fleur~de~lis]

UGH! I was so in hopes of leaving WalMart behind in our move to the DC area. It's a rare occasion that I will venture in to a WM & I always leave that place in a bad mood.
Note to self...stay away from Manassas Mall area.

[Workin_Hard]

Originally Posted by oneasterisk

Also I don't understand why they are building another walmart. There is one on Liberia and there is another off Sudley/Ballsford. Seems saturated to me. I'm sure Target is not happy being an established anchor store to Manassas Mall to have Walmart compete with them.

I've been told the one on Balls Ford will close in July if/when the new one opens. I wonder how long it will be before the new one is just as dirty and disorganized as the present one is?

The Target in the mall is ok but nowhere as clean or organized as the one on Nokesville Rd or the one in Gainesville, both a relatively short distance away.

[cdmurphy]

Originally Posted by Fleur~de~lis

UGH! I was so in hopes of leaving WalMart behind in our move to the DC area. It's a rare occasion that I will venture in to a WM & I always leave that place in a bad mood.
Note to self...stay away from Manassas Mall area.

The Wal-Marts in this area (well, Dulles Town Center and Fair Oaks - I don't think I've been to any others here) are pretty bad - crowded, messy, and depressing. My parents live in rural Georgia, and their Super Wal-Mart is clean, well-lit, and a pleasant place to shop.

I used to shop at the old Wal-Mart on Route 28 and Waxpool (where Wegman's is now), and I remember when the Dulles Town Center one replaced it. It didn't take long for the new one to get rundown. It will be interesting to see it after the expansion, but for now I'm trying to stay away from it - they sacrificed a lot of the parking lot for construction.

In addition to Manassas, there is also a Super Wal-Mart in the works for one of the two new Arcola shopping centers, but I suspect those plans have all been pushed back with the poor economy.

[terrence81]

I think it's great. Good for Manassas. You know it's funny, I've only been to Wal-mart once since I moved up here. It's just too much trouble and too much traffic. Back home Wal-mart was really close to my apartment and open 24 hours so it was just so darn convenient. Here even though it's just 15 minutes away I dread going there because it's such a hassle and I used to be a big Wal-mart shopper. I think that's just the Fair Lakes area in general I don't know back in GA Wal-mart was an easy in and out operation because I go at 2 am with no problems. I don't need a super Walmart but a 24 hour one would be neat.