About three weeks ago we got good contact information for the incoming Walmart in West Boca. We sent e-mails to them asking questions about what they’re doing and why.
Update: A number of commenters seem to think we’re anti-Walmart. We’re not. We are Walmart customers and the author of this article often defends Walmart on issues like minimum wage. We are, however, anti-dishonesty.
Our stories have been positive about the reopening. But we’re disappointed that they’re not giving us any answers to our questions. They’re not even telling us they won’t answer. They’re just stalling. Or lying.
They gave us some initial details but not much:
· The store is undergoing a complete interior renovation which will allow it to convert to a 120K Supercenter with a full grocery section; all the renovations are staying within the existing box.
· The store will create 300 new jobs, with a hiring center that will open about 4-6 months prior to the store opening in September 2014.
· The store will offer a full selection of grocery, a deli, bakery and pharmacy.
On May 7th we asked some follow-up questions and were told they’d get back to us in a few days. A week later we noted that it had been more than a few days, and got another vague response the next day: “Sorry for the delay, we are working on getting you these answers!” That was 11 days ago.
Here are the questions we asked:
1. Can you describe how the new store will be different from:
a. The store in that location before it closed; and
b. The newer store 2.5 miles south, at Hillsboro and 441.
2. You indicate in your last message that the hiring center will open 4-6 months prior to the September opening. But 6 months prior would be in March, and 4 months prior is this month. Can you clarify that?
3. As I have the details, the West Boca location closed in 2008 and is now reopening roughly 6 years later. In that time Walmart spent roughly $700K in property tax on the location. Can you offer any insight into the business decision-making that went into spending that amount on a closed store? In the same vein, what led to the decision to reopen it? Were there demographic or economic changes in the community that influenced the decision?
4. The Coconut Creek location carries ammunition and hunting gear, but no actual firearms. Will the West Boca location also offer those items, and will it sell firearms?
5. Do you think the new West Boca store will reduce business volume at the Coconut Creek store, and if so, by how much?
6. We’ve read about Walmart implementing new technologies in some stores to serve customers better. Are there any particular new technologies that will be offered in the new store that are not presently offered in Coconut Creek?
7. A lot of our readers (including myself) are happy about this store reopening because it’s a hassle to drive to the Coconut Creek store and we don’t like the parking lot setup. Had you heard that from West Boca customers and did that play a role in the decision to reopen?
I might think of more questions, but these are a good start. I understand you may not be able to answer all of them, but I’d appreciate anything you can tell me.
We’ve followed up with them twice and we keep getting vague delays. At this point we’ve given up. They’re not going to answer our questions.
If they had just said that it was their business practice not to answer such questions, we could have lived with that. Lying to us is disappointing. And yes, when you tell someone you’ll get them answers in a few days, no answers twenty days later makes it a lie.
