Wal-Mart Opens First Hispanic Community Store
In Garland, Texas today, Wal-Mart opened its first superstore designed from the ground up to meet the needs of Hispanic shoppers.
According to Wal-Mart, "We paid attention to the shopping patterns and preferences of our customers and designed the store to reflect the local community. As a result, the store will make fresh corn and flour tortillas and chips daily. The deli will also offer fresh-baked bolillo and pandulce, and the produce department will include an expanded selection of bananas, plantains, chilies and spices. Customers can pick up bulk packages of specially marinated meat, rice and beans. Near the entrance, shoppers will find a La Micha juice bar and a special shop with merchandise for the latest holiday or upcoming sporting event."
Read a Dallas Morning News article here.
Read a CD post here on an Arab Wal-Mart store in Dearborn, Michigan.
And here's the case for why Wal-Mart deserves the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize for the retail giant's significant contributions to society, including tailoring its stores to local demographics. "One can plausibly argue that Wal-Mart's innovations and the resulting "Everyday Low Prices" are nothing short of a miracle." When it comes to serving consumers, nobody does it better than Wal-Mart.
1 Comments:
I've always been annoyed with Wal-Mart that they don't have an area set aside for the local manager to set up locally-desired products as long as they manage to make at least as much as the lowest-earning shelf on the floor.
Down here in FL, just try and find a household fan unit in Mid-January. They virtually disappear for the winter, despite the fact that we often have 80 degree weather days throughout the winter months. Rationally, the local management should be able to perceive local needs, and provide for them with an area not defined by the Walmart Central Imperative, wherever that derives from.
I'm not saying local management should define the entire store -- just that if the local manager is at all competent, he can certainly recognize local needs which don't match up with other areas -- if a store is near a college, he might find it sensible to stock stuff which appeals to THOSE college students (i.e., more school-specific merchandise or specialized dorm items)... etc., etc. As long as he's making at least as much as the lowest-earning shelves in the place, he's providing for the community and making WM money.
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