This has been in the rumor stages for a long time, but it sounds like things are becoming more firm for a Wal*Mart in Gardnerville. This Record Courier article outlines some of the plans, including a 152,495-square-foot store with a market, pharmacy, and tire and lube center. The location is down south of Gardnerville, just before the Carson Valley Medical Center. The map below shows the approximate site.
I think this weights the shopping situation in the Carson Valley even further to the south. Right now the three big supermarkets in the valley are all clustered together in a three-block area in Gardnerville, which drives north valley residents to Carson City to shop because it’s closer. This Wal*Mart will be even further south, but I suppose it makes sense. It’s not that far for anyone who lives in Minden-Gardnerville, and the north county folks can just keep going to the North Douglas Wal*Mart like we always have.
But I know many times I’ve been down in Gardnerville and I wished there was a Wal*Mart down there so I wouldn’t have to get gouged at Scolari’s or RiteAid. If this goes through, I won’t have to worry anymore.
When will the new Walmart be built? Please let us know.
I can’t beleive that some of our locals are actually excited about yet another huge Wal-mart opening. Yes, it does provide a few jobs for a few locals who can actually live on those wages, but the bigger picture is this: The more we support a major company like wal-mart who gets all their products from companies who have outsourced all the american jobs over to China and Taiwan , the weaker our own american economy becomes, even on a local scale. Anyone ever notice how many of the suppossedly cheap merchandise at Wal-mart is made in China? All the money that american consumers spend on products made in China, Taiwan, etc., is more money that goes to that country’s central economy, health system, and military, and not to our own economy here in America. In these times of recession in our country, we need to realize that it’s time to reinvest in American industry, so we can make some of our own products, and make some of our own money. Yes, it can be tempting to run to Wal-mart to get that cheap five-dollar pack of white t-shirts you’ve been needing, instead of purchasing them for eight or ten dollars at your small-town clothing retailer who may sell products made in America, but every time you do that, you’re actually only contributing to the greater problem. Sure, you get your t-shirts for cheaper on that day, but in the long run, you’re actually onlyh helping to send our american jobs to the sweat shops in China. Not to mention the immediate effect on small town local businesses. What about, for example, the small town appliances dealer who might be just down the street from a new Wal-mart? Do you think he will stay in business for long having to compete with a major company like wal-mart taking all his business away from him? He and his family will feel the immediate effects of that, losing their income, their means of support, within the first month of Wal-mart opening. So, when you’re tempted to get the supplies you need(or think you need) at the huge new Wal-mart, think instead of the consequences: Further decline of the american economy on a large scale, and lost wages for the small local businessman, your neighbor, possibly putting him out of business. On top of that, let’s face it: Most of that merchandise is shoddily made (part of the reason it’s so “affordable).
Walmart does not sell cheap products only (as you portray it). The same brands you’d find at the “local” store are at walmart. They have the name brands as well as cheap junk you’d have to replace. The difference is I can get a name brand anything for cheaper. I grew up in a town that was just like Gardnerville and when it got a walmart the businesses with no notable customer service went out of business. The businesses with excellent customer service stayed and remained integral parts of the community. Small businesses are not helpless as the above writer alludes to. Treat your customers like friends and you won’t have to worry. I’ve seen it before my own eyes.