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According to this article in Thisweek, Lakeville may be getting its very own Wal-Mart near Harry’s Cafe and across the interstate from such popular restaurant discussions as Baldy’s BBQ and Goodfella’s Pizza.
According to the article, as of this point, there is much work to be done by Walmart and then the City of Lakeville in order to get to the actual starting point of building the facility, but there are already some in the community who are against the city permitting the big box giant into the city’s limits.
One Thisweek commenter cites this paper from Penn State University Agricultural and Regional Economics Professor, Stephan J. Goetz which concluded that Wal-Mart stores, “unequivocally raised family poverty rates in US counties during the 1990s relative to places that had no such stores.”
However another notes that Walmarts provide convenient access to a very large number of reasonable priced items to families, inexpensive $4 prescriptions (which has been copied by other retailers such as Target), and millions of dollars of charitable gifts.
What do you think about having another Walmart in the South Metro? Do you think with the proliferation of Targets, including one just a few miles further North on I-35 and two within Apple Valley alone, do you think that it is really necessary for another one to be built in the area? Are you concerned that Walmart will have a negative effect on other businesses in the area such as Fleet Farm or Target or any number of smaller businesses which may not survive the price cutting vacuum created by Walmart? Do you think that the good that some feel Walmart does for a community outweighs the negatives? Whatever you have to say about the possibility of Walmart building in Lakeville go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear what you have to say.
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January 31st, 2011 at 8:57 am
Walmart needs to stay out of Lakeville.
January 31st, 2011 at 8:59 am
That study’s conclusion ticks me off. IMO, it implies that if you give poor people affordable stuff to buy, it will just make them poorer because they don’t know how to stop themselves. Am I wrong here?
What the study MIGHT indicate is that more people who live on the poverty line moved or stayed in the community because it provided jobs for them. Maybe there are people in Lakeville who don’t want low income people in their community, but Lakeville has many young families. Maybe they haven’t experienced the twenty-year old child without a job.
I’ve been as big a Walmart-basher as anybody else, but they provide merchandise that Target doesn’t: stuff you NEED. Walmart: auto oil. Target: fuzzy dice.
I know about Walmart’s poor employer record, but I also know people who have worked for Walmarts who are very happy. Target has some pretty questionable employer habits, too; most corporations seem to.
I hear a lot about Walmart undercutting small businesses. I’m not sure about that. Seems to me they fill different niches.
A friend of mine went to visit her family in Iowa. She suggested that they stop at Target to do their grocery shopping, and they all looked at her like she was crazy. “Target is EXPENSIVE,” they explained. And looking at prices in the regular grocery stores, she realized that it is, and that we’re getting rooked up here in the Twin Cities.
Maybe it’s time Target had some competition.
January 31st, 2011 at 9:57 am
I have always been surprised there are not more Wal-Marts in the south metro. Personally, I dont care one way or another. We normally shop at Cub and Target. I dont see that changing, but have no issue at all with another Wal-Mart opening.
January 31st, 2011 at 10:14 am
That seems to imply that it’s better that all of our products come from one location. Of course, that’s what’s pushed out so many small and product-focused businesses around the country and is the mentality that I think a lot of people have, which is why Walmart has been so successful. Personally, I’d rather buy my car-related products like oil from the experts at places like Auto Zone, O’Reilly, or NAPA.
If Walmart were across the street from me and Target were 5 miles away, I’d drive to Target. I can say that pretty confidently. The only time I go to Walmart is if A.) Target is closed and I can’t wait until the next morning to buy what I need or B.) Nobody but Walmart has what I’m looking for. I don’t go to a Walmart more than a couple of times a year, usually when I’m visiting my family, where that’s all they have. I’ve rarely had a good experience at Walmart but can easily rattle off a laundry list of poor experiences.
January 31st, 2011 at 10:31 am
I loath Walmart. Couldn’ hate a store more. But, there is nothing we can, or should, do about it. They have a right to compete in the market place just like Target. A lot of people must like Walmart, or it would be so big.
For me, Walmart may be cheaper, but many of the product are cheap. Manufacturers are under so much pressure to make cheaper products for the chain, that they actually make things just for the store. For example, a TV may look the same (manufactureer, make and model) as the one at Best Buy, but in fact the quality is lower. It is the only way they can make a profit selling at Walmart. Just another reason to hate the store.
@Michele, are you saying that fuzzy dice are not need?
January 31st, 2011 at 10:35 am
Not in Minnesota they’re not: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=169.71
January 31st, 2011 at 10:37 am
I’m not a big fan of Wal-Mart, and somewhat like Joey, usually shop there only when visiting family. I’m a shopper, and pretty price conscious, and generally I can find what I need elsewhere at comparable prices to Wal-Mart.
I also dislike the general feel of their stores. Merchandise crammed together. Narrow aisles. Finally, I hate that when they bag purchases, they put what seems like one item in each plastic bag, which is irritating and wasteful.
Also not a big fan of their corporate culture – which is not to say that similar stuff doesn’t happen with other retailers, but Wal-Mart wears it like a badge of honor. It just rubs me the wrong way.
I’ve also had to deal with the inconvenience of having our cabin’s local supermarket close when a Wal-mart opened about 15 miles away. No one thinks about the inconvenience of driving 30 miles when all you need is a quick gallon of milk, or another package of brat buns, until it is too late. Thankfully, the store reopened after a time, and now I always make it a point to shop there for cabin provisions, despite the fact that it could be “cheaper” (in the short run) to stop at Wal-Mart on the way.
January 31st, 2011 at 10:44 am
I generally have no issue with Walmart. They are operating at a time and place in our history where the market is primed for them to be successful. What I don’t like to see is cities and counties bending over backwards to have Walmart in their jurisdiction. Creating artificial circumstances for a large corporation that you are unwilling to create for ma and pa business owner simply is improper.
My wife works for Target, and I literally can’t think of anything I would want to buy there. She gets a discount so we stop there from time to time. The other day it was for a new alarm clock. Their selection was worse then I remembered. Ended up ordering one off amazon.
I can see what the study mentioned is doing, but I don’t know if the conclusions drawn are accurate. Is it that Walmart “creates” poverty, or is it more simply that Walmart provides a mechanism to more easily recognize the poverty that was there all along?
Is the real issue, that some people don’t like the idea that their tax money goes to welfare, and that welfare folks then take that money and buy stuff at Walmart with it? What exactly are the folks on welfare supposed to do? How do you stop a nation of consumers from consuming?
January 31st, 2011 at 11:00 am
“Not in Minnesota they’re not: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=169.71”
Wow, I really didn’t know that, Bill. And judging from the cars I’ve ridden in, I’ll bet a large portion of the population didn’t know that, either.
IMO, GPS ought to be given the same short shrift as cellphones. All those sudden lane changes in front of you that make you slap your brakes? Odds are, GPS. How about planning BEFORE you get into the car? Grumble, grumble.
January 31st, 2011 at 11:09 am
Well, all the pervs in Lakeville with a “trailer ho” fetish can now stay closer to home when they need their fix on a Saturday night. Seriously, have you ever been to Walmart in Apple Valley late at night?!? It’s State Fair-quality people watching, but ALL YEAR ‘ROUND! All you need is butter heads, the smell of fried foods/cow ass, and a larder of Sweet Martha’s and you’d never even know the difference. (Plus you don’t have to pay $15 to get in!)
I’m amused by the studies, the outrage, and the “Walmart is ruining American society” crowd. AMERICAN SOCIETY is ruining American society. It’s like complaining about tabloid journalism. But, yet, more people vote for an American Idol final than an American presidential candidate. Nearly everyone pisses and moans about Walmart, but nearly everyone shops there. America is all about cheap, fast, and more convenient, but when someone gives us cheap, fast, and convenient, a bunch of people fly into a tizzy about it. People brag about how much they saved buying in bulk, but they decry the buying in bulk of Walmart, and decry the demise of smaller, non-bulk, stores.
I think people just like to be part of a popular movement and hating Walmart is a popular movement.
January 31st, 2011 at 11:15 am
I think we can safely keep that under “inattentive driving” or “unsafe vehicular operation” or some other generic term and leave specific wording out of laws. There is absolutely no reason why someone shouldn’t be able to use a mobile phone (or GPS unit) while they drive if they can do it safely. There are already laws allowing a police officer to make a traffic stop and provide a citation if someone doesn’t follow the basic rules of the road.
We do not need another poorly worded and executed law on the books which specifically targets a particular technology. That’s just buzzword laziness.
January 31st, 2011 at 11:41 am
I’m often amazed at the degree to which Wal-Mart has stayed out of the Twin Cities metro area. Is there really that big of a preference for Target here? (which is the reason I’ve heard cited). I personally don’t go out of my way to avoid shopping there, just never do because they aren’t convenient to where I live, and haven’t been for a while.
I also don’t think I’m price sensitive enough myself personally to deal with the crappy service I seem to consistently encounter at the Wal-Marts I have gone to in the area. Long register lines, can’t find anybody in the store to help you with basic questions or things, dirty, dimly lit stores (though this seems to have improved, at least in the Bloomington and Eagan locations that I’ve been to recently).
Competition is good, and I almost wish Wal-Mart would hit this metro area a little harder to push Target on price in this market. Target has adopted many of the same business practices (good or bad) to compete nationally while carving out their own niche.
Personally, I’m buying a lot less general merch at these stores and a lot more online, so it comes down to groceries for us.
January 31st, 2011 at 11:52 am
If the price is the same for an item at both Walmart & Target, I will buy it at Target. Why? For a couple of reasons. 1. Because Target’s corporate office is here in the Twin Cities and if they are doing well they will need IT people, HR people etc. at the corporate office and this helps the Twin Cities job market. 2. Because Target gives $ back to local schools etc.
The same hold true for Cub and Rainbow. If the price is the same, I will buy it at Cub.
January 31st, 2011 at 11:59 am
Well, you’re right, Bill. I was just griping the other day about the attempted laws to stop cellphone talking and walking. I don’t even HAVE a cellphone, but I was tempted to buy one, just to walk and talk.
And very off-topic. I seem to be having a grumbily-rambling old-people day.
MSPD, I rarely go out on a Saturday night, so I’ve missed the sights to behold at our local Walmart. I HAVE, however, have been forced to visit Targets on most days, and there you have the essence of the spoiled, entitled, lazy and somewhat vapid sample of Americana that I like to call suburbia.
Hum …. Now I know why I don’t shop much.
January 31st, 2011 at 12:05 pm
I am testing user comment ratings. Let me know if you notice anything broken with them.
January 31st, 2011 at 12:31 pm
The more walmarts there are, the more emails we will get that have pictures of those interesting people in them. Very funny stuff.
January 31st, 2011 at 12:33 pm
I’m sure someone smarter than me will be able to explain this better, but I believe the real heart of the issue of not wanting Wal-Mart is what happens to the surrounding businesses. For example, Wal-Mart comes to town and they start selling bananas at $.39 a lb meanwhile Target, Cub, and Rainbow still have their bananas priced around $.49 a pound (give or take a penny or so). So some shoppers start to realize that they can get their banana fix at Wal-Mart for cheaper so other products must be cheaper too, right? So more people shop at Wal-Mart and less people shop at the surrounding stores (not just Target, Cub, and Rainbow, but all the other little grocery stores in the area). Before you know it, the little stores start going out of business because they’ve lost too many of their base customers to Wal-Mart, eventually bigger stores start going out of business too and pretty soon, there isn’t any competition left. So, because there isn’t any local competition left, Wal-Mart can take those same $.39 bananas and charge WHATEVER they want to charge for bananas because we all need our banana fix.
Mmmmm, bananas!
January 31st, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Mrs Marcos, antitrust laws are supposed to prevent that from happening. Not saying they do, I’ve never done any price analysis. Either way, the grocery store I worked for in high school went out of business as soon as the Walmart across the street put in a SuperCenter. They were the oldest grocery store in town and had been in business since the early 20th century. Walmart sucks.
January 31st, 2011 at 1:03 pm
I confess, I liked Mrs. M’s comment because I like her.
I also like Walmart. I hated them until I moved and had the Woodbury one close by. It’s big, clean, and nice inside. I was in the apple valley one last weekend, and it’s better too, after the remodel.
Walmart has great home decor items. And school/classroom supplies on the cheap.
I still prefer Target, but sometimes, Walmart has the better stuff/price.
January 31st, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Well, honestly, I’m an idiot when it comes to stuff like “antitrust laws” and other legal stuff (I’m not being sarcastic). I’m sure you’re right that antitrust laws are supposed to prevent that sort of thing from happening but something tells me Sam Walton has some of the finest lawyers around (even though he’s dead…well, if he’s in hell he is probably still surrounded by a lot of fine lawyers…wait, dm isn’t going to approve this…um except for the fine lawyers that do criminal justice work).
I know I saw a documentary on Hulu about one of the ways Wal-Mart sticks it to us I mean saves us a lot of money. “Loss leaders.” Remember what dm said about “school/classroom supplies on the cheap?” Well in late June/July/August Wal-Mart starts telling us it is back to school time and they start having sales on things like Elmer’s Glue for $.10 a bottle! WOW, that is a great price! They can’t even MAKE a bottle of Elmer’s Glue for 10 cents…which makes it a loss leader. The company knows it is going to lose money on that product for that sale period, but they bank on the fact that most overworked parents don’t want to drive around from store to store to get all the supplies the school requests, so while they might lose money on the glue, they will probably make money on some of the other stuff on the kid’s supply list (Kleenex, papertowels etc). I’m not naive enough to claim other stores don’t do the same thing, I know they do but Wal-Mart seems to know how to do a lot of things bigger and better (or worse depending on which side you’re on).
January 31st, 2011 at 2:20 pm
See, that’s the thing. Is it Walmart that sucks, or is it the people who fall into the 10% lower price, loss leader, etc. traps that suck?
In my world, the cheap-ass bastards that shop at Walmart to save a few bucks and then go drive their black Escalades to the local McMansion Mommy group to brag about it are the ones at fault.
And, no, I won’t buy the argument that most of society has no choice. Yes, there are people scraping by on little to no income. Quite a few of them nowadays. I’m sure some of you are barely scraping by. But the majority of the United States can afford the extra 10%. Yes, I said it. “Why should we/they??!?!” Because…it’s what keeps the businesses from failing.
I’m just an average person with a mildly-above-average income. I’ll gladly shop at mid-priced places like Byerlys, eschewing the $20 or whatever savings on my $150 grocery bill to keep cooler stores in business.
I can buy a camera for $500 on Amazon, but I’ll pay $550 for it at National Camera.
I can buy my bike stuff at Performance Bike or whatever online retailer, but I’ll buy it at Erik’s, Penn, Valley Bike & Ski, Grand Performance, Freewheel Bike, One-on-one, Cars R Coffins, etc, etc. and gladly eat the extra 10%.
Alot of people will say I’m throwing away money and I should shop at Walmart, but I’ll gladly piss away a little of my cash to keep a skilled bike repair guy or camera salesperson employed for a little longer here in town, or help Von Hansen’s stay afloat, or whatever.
So again, is it Walmart that sucks or the people who CHOOSE Walmart that suck?
January 31st, 2011 at 2:30 pm
I’m guessing that there are a majority of Walmart shoppers who don’t drive their black Escalades to their mommy-groups and shop there solely because they cannot afford to “gladly piss away a little of their cash” simply because they are the average person with more than a below average income. These are the people who can’t afford to wonder if they will make the decision between buying a $500/550 camera because it’s not even a concern to them. These are the people, and I know you know them being that you do the charity work that you do, who are wondering if they’re going to be able to make the $500 rent/heat/electric bill payment instead.
January 31st, 2011 at 3:05 pm
I think you’re falling into the trap. Yes, there are people struggling, as I acknowledged, but there are just as many Walmart shoppers that have disposable income.
Millions and millions of people like you and me are shopping at Walmart every day for all kinds of stuff. And many of them are the same people that are decrying the loss of smaller/local businesses. A case in point would be the billions of dollars in electronics bought/sold at Walmart. Not one of those purchases is a necessity. If you can buy a $275 flat-screen TV at Walmart, you can buy one for $300 at a store that supports the local economy…that is, if you care/feel that Walmart expanding into Lakeville is a bad thing. Is that “throwing away your money”? To some, yes. To me, no.
I personally know a lot of people with a plenty of disposable income that go around from Walmart to Aldi to (insert other rock bottom price chain) with a fistful of coupons and then are proud of the $20 they saved off their $100 grocery bill.
Yes, kudos to them on the surface, but they have to realize the effect it has on their community. Everyone wants to talk the talk, but few are willing to do anything about it and take their money to a local place.
Bottom line: If a community doesn’t like Walmart, the community should work together to not shop there, and to support a wider variety of local, competitive resources. It isn’t Walmart’s fault and my opinion is that they should knock themselves out expanding wherever they want.
(And to the 10% of Walmart shoppers that are TRULY in desperate financial circumstances, I don’t blame you for shopping at Walmart).
January 31st, 2011 at 4:20 pm
I have a semi-disposable income (only because I don’t have kids) and I shop at Walmart. I’ll pay the extra money at a place IF IT’S WORTH IT.
For example, paying the extra $50 for the camera at natcam is worth it to me, because a: you get free class tickets, which are great for learning how to use that new camera b: they’ll stand behind the product if something goes wrong and c: they don’t sell Kodak and kodak sucks.
paying an extra $5 for a basket or throw pillow at Target v. Walmart ISN’T worth it to me, because target doesn’t make it worth it to me.
If you’re a small business and you want to survive by charging higher prices for something, you have to make the higher price worth it. Paying $50 more for a camera at Best Buy v. Amazon isn’t worth it to me, but National Camera is.
I’m tired of people judging others for their own stupid beliefs and values. You want to save the little guy, go right ahead. I want to pay off my debt, live my life and shop wherever the hell I want without someone else’s political agenda affecting me. To the extent that can happen anyway.
January 31st, 2011 at 4:40 pm
There is only one good thing that would come from putting a Walmart in Lakeville…another opportunity to play Wal-Mart Bingo!!!
January 31st, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Build it or not, I’ll still be shopping at the AV Walmart since it is closer. The only canned dog food my German Shepherd likes is Ol Roy Meaty Loaf and his favorite treat is the Ol Roy Munchy Bones. So since I’m there….
January 31st, 2011 at 7:05 pm
You know what I’d like. I’d like a local shop that is like the internet. I could make a list of things I need, or use. I’d give it to them. They’d get me a fair price and it would show up in 1-8 days based on how much I want to pay for shipping. They’d make some profit, and they could re-invest in the local area.
Maybe a co-op type place? Things that can be picked up locally are picked up locally. Things that need to come from somewhere are picked up as close as possible. Get enough of these local things going and work together to get things normally in made over seas made in the USA.
it’s a dream.
January 31st, 2011 at 7:06 pm
where is the thumbs down?
January 31st, 2011 at 7:11 pm
Andrew, I see no benefit to that functionality so I didn’t enable it.
January 31st, 2011 at 7:29 pm
I wish there were a thumbs down function too. I know, it’s probably a bad idea, but I can still wish for it. Bill just doesn’t want to go into territory even Facebook stays away from…
January 31st, 2011 at 7:39 pm
Being that there is no functionality to sort by rating or drop negative comments (nor will there be), I just can’t see why anyone would care. However, we have contests on best comment of the year, which this will help to facilitate without me having to keep a manual list, etc which makes the thumbs up useful.
Just be happy there’s a liked option :)
January 31st, 2011 at 7:40 pm
“I think we can safely keep that under “inattentive driving” or “unsafe vehicular operation” or some other generic term and leave specific wording out of laws. There is absolutely no reason why someone shouldn’t be able to use a mobile phone (or GPS unit) while they drive if they can do it safely. There are already laws allowing a police officer to make a traffic stop and provide a citation if someone doesn’t follow the basic rules of the road.
We do not need another poorly worded and executed law on the books which specifically targets a particular technology. That’s just buzzword laziness.”
YES! How about one law: Don’t do stupid shit.
January 31st, 2011 at 10:25 pm
I live in Lakeville, but I will probably never shop there. I don’t care if they want to build and add to the tax base, but I personally would rather go to Target or Fleet Farm vs. Wallymart. The small mom and pop grocery in Lakeville was already driven out of business by Target, Cub, and Rainbow a few years ago, so Wallmart can’t take the blame for that one.
The number of new grocery stores that have been built in the last few years is insane and I keep waiting for one of the players to bow out. Kowalski’s only made it a year. I could see another store fail with all of the increased competition.
January 31st, 2011 at 10:29 pm
My bitch about Target lately is that they always seem to be out of the ONE item I really need when I’m there…and it’s not even on sale. This also seems to only happen at the SuperTargets and it DRIVES ME INSANE.
February 1st, 2011 at 9:00 am
Aleicat,
Why would Target put an item on sale that obviously seems to sell out at regular price? They should probably raise the price on that product so that it is there when you get there.
February 1st, 2011 at 9:46 am
I don’t find this to be a particularly Target only issue. Other than Fleet Farm or Gander Mountain, I regularly find both box and convenience stores with more limited supplies of items. Certainly more so than I can remember from say 5 years ago. I think this comes from the goals of cutting costs and pushing stock levels lower to reduce carrying costs. They seem to rely more on reactive stocking vs predictive.
Typically if I go to the store it is on a Sunday or Monday. I notice a lot more shelves bare when I go places on those days than if I went on Friday or Saturday. Target shockingly so.
February 1st, 2011 at 9:50 am
AV’s first (and only as far as I’m concerned) SuperTarget has always had a problem with variety in products on the shelves and it’s one of the many reasons I don’t like to shop there.
February 1st, 2011 at 10:12 am
In the event this was directed at me (or anyone else was thinking I was judging people for shopping at Walmart), hopefully my intent was clear — I don’t have any issue with people doing one thing or another. While I’d prefer nobody shop at Walmart at all, I know that’s not my decision to make.
The thing I take issue with is people placing blame on Walmart for “ruining small towns” and the idea that Walmart, or Rainbow, or Cub, etc. drives small businesses into failure. It’s the people that make choices on where to shop that drive the small businesses into failure (or saves them by continuing to shop there despite slightly higher prices).
And Andrew and Joey, Bill IS working on a “thumbs down” feature, but it’s going to be exclusive to my posts and will auto-apply. He already turned off the “thumbs up” feature on my posts.
It’s all just another of Bill’s ploys to keep the Man down.
February 1st, 2011 at 10:17 am
Um, Bill is the man.
And you’re right, MSPD, I was unable to like your comment. I can’t even hover my cursor over it. There’s a ring around it that’s impenetrable.
February 1st, 2011 at 10:26 am
Careful what you wish for asshole.
February 1st, 2011 at 10:40 am
And here I thought the number next to the thumbs down would match my number of comments.
Why the good mood?
February 1st, 2011 at 10:51 am
Oh sorry about the bug letting MSPD’s positive numbers remain. Squashed.
February 1st, 2011 at 11:06 am
MSPD – not directed at you directly, just at people in general who do that.
February 1st, 2011 at 11:09 am
But possibly directed at you indirectly. ;)
February 1st, 2011 at 11:21 am
This is all I have to say:
February 1st, 2011 at 9:15 pm
I don’t remember the last time I set foot in a Walmart. The last time I was in the Eagan location, it was dirty, messy, and I felt like I was in a Flea market. I look at the ads every week, and the prices at Walmart don’t seem cheaper.
I like Target, but I have heard that the different locations price according to location. AV Target #1 is priced higher then AV Target #2 because it’s in a better neighborhood. I haven’t had time to check on that.
February 1st, 2011 at 10:07 pm
I’ve seen different prices at different Targets. Wal-Mart is not always cheaper (but always unpleasant). I’ve seen many sale prices at Byerly’s that beat Cub/Rainbow.
February 1st, 2011 at 10:25 pm
Lefty,
I’ve come to expect sale/coupon items to be sold out, but full price items being sold out for days in a row just baffles me. I’ll never understand how they don’t have Charmin Ultra Soft or my brand of contact lens solution consistently in stock. I suspect a serious issue with their supply chain and inventory control more than their price line.
February 1st, 2011 at 10:29 pm
“I think this comes from the goals of cutting costs and pushing stock levels lower to reduce carrying costs. They seem to rely more on reactive stocking vs predictive.”
Exactly. I’m curious if Target uses a similar supply chain model to Walmart’s. Walmart’s inventory control is tied to their cash register computer system that uploads number of units sold per day to their warehouses. One would think from my experience, that they do not.
February 1st, 2011 at 10:42 pm
I attended an analytics conference hosted at Target which focused on supply chain analysis. While Target’s own methodology was not specifically mentioned due to the audience in attendance, based on the general discussion it would appear that they work hard to keep their supply chain model flowing in a way which is advantageous to their bottom line.
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:32 pm
So, has anybody noticed that chains are pushing their way into Dinkytown? My daughter was distressed to find out that Harvard Market closed. Usually, she hops the bus to Target for groceries(or we drive her to Trader Joe’s or bring her stuff), but sometimes, she just likes to pick up Coke or whatever at the local market. That’s gone now.
But, hey, they’re opening a CVS, and to fight “food deserts”, CVS is going to start offering food. I’m just guessing at convenience store prices.
She’s also noticed that the farmer’s market in Dinkytown is more expensive than the one in St. Paul.
It is true, that my daughter is cheap. I can’t say the same of most college students, and I’m guessing that’s what the U is counting on.
March 13th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Target supposedly beats Wal-Mart three out of five times in one particular study: http://www.walletpop.com/2011/03/03/is-target-cheaper-than-walmart-one-survey-says-yes/
Let me know when they aren’t selling the large Sriracha bottle for $7.50 instead of the $3.50 at Cub.
March 13th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
The price game is interesting. I go to Target once in a while to buy a few things that are MUCH cheaper there*. Other things, as Bill notes, are more expensive there. Their produce department is particularly unimpressive.
*Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate, Herdez Green Sauce, Haagen Dazs Ice Cream…
March 15th, 2011 at 8:46 am
the rooster??
bb
March 15th, 2011 at 8:48 am
heh. My Rooster tattoo is better.
October 10th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
Looks like it’s set to open on October 17th if anyone still cares.