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jenkI live in Redmond, part of the Eastside of Lake Washington, and I am a WalMart ignoramus.
Why?
According to WalMart's website, the nearest store (in Lynnwood) is 13.5 miles away. Next nearest is Renton, 14.5 miles away, and Everett, 16.5 miles away. The little map with the search results is even more telling - plenty of stores north and south, but none actually in the Eastside. Even the Seattle Sam's Club was a Price Club (when my folks joined) that was acquired by PACE (when I was in college) before it was acquired by Sam's Club.
As we're talking multiple cities here (Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, etc) I tend to discount that zoning is trying to keep WalMart out. Certainly they're not trying to keep out other big stores - witness the 4 Eastside Costcos and numerous Home Depots & Fred Meyers.
Result: There is this major retailer, which according to business news & such has a huge impact on the country, and ... it's not convenient, I have no idea what their prices really are like because it's so not convenient, and why would I want to bother finding out when it's so inconvenient. This is the retailer that's taking over everything? Bwuh?
And I wonder. Was the failed KMart in Bellevue the canary that convinced them to stay away from this coal mine? Have they ceded the area to Fred Meyer and Target? Do they think we aren't their demographic? What?
Why?
According to WalMart's website, the nearest store (in Lynnwood) is 13.5 miles away. Next nearest is Renton, 14.5 miles away, and Everett, 16.5 miles away. The little map with the search results is even more telling - plenty of stores north and south, but none actually in the Eastside. Even the Seattle Sam's Club was a Price Club (when my folks joined) that was acquired by PACE (when I was in college) before it was acquired by Sam's Club.
As we're talking multiple cities here (Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, etc) I tend to discount that zoning is trying to keep WalMart out. Certainly they're not trying to keep out other big stores - witness the 4 Eastside Costcos and numerous Home Depots & Fred Meyers.
Result: There is this major retailer, which according to business news & such has a huge impact on the country, and ... it's not convenient, I have no idea what their prices really are like because it's so not convenient, and why would I want to bother finding out when it's so inconvenient. This is the retailer that's taking over everything? Bwuh?
And I wonder. Was the failed KMart in Bellevue the canary that convinced them to stay away from this coal mine? Have they ceded the area to Fred Meyer and Target? Do they think we aren't their demographic? What?
