# Civic Matters > Suburban & Other OK Communities > Midwest City/Del City >  Old Wal Mart near Reno and Midwest Blvd

## Bimmerdude

Pass by the "hood" yesterday and noticed some cars parked at the old Wal Mart.  What's happening over there?  Are they renovating the place?

Daniel

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## dmoor82

Hmmm...I live right up The street so I'm gonna check this out,I thought The old walmart was used and an emergency response center and The old target was bought up by MWR hospital and I have NO idea what is of The old Albertsons!BTW texass or the pokies suck whichever you prefer!OU baby Big 12 champs!!!!!!

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## usmbubba

The Salvation Army is using it right now

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## dmoor82

^^Cool!

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## bombermwc

Doze it...

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## Bimmerdude

Yeah, it was sad to pass through there.  I remember when that area was going pretty strong.  Heck I remember when Target had that little gas station in the parking lot.

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## Thunder

> Doze it...


I think not!  That is a piece of history from all of our childhood life!

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## OKCJapan

Yeah, I remember that too!

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## easternobserver

yeah, we must do everything we can to preserve historic buildings.  lets form a citizens group and get that building on to the national register of historic places.

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## oneforone

I am in as long as we can save the Hollywood Video and the Carl's Jr.

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## bombermwc

> I think not!  That is a piece of history from all of our childhood life!


Are you freaking kidding me? A Wal-Mart? It's amazing the stupidity that spews from your brain.

I'd start blocking you, but then I'd miss out on all the stupidity...

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## Thunder

> Are you freaking kidding me? A Wal-Mart? It's amazing the stupidity that spews from your brain.
> 
> I'd start blocking you, but then I'd miss out on all the stupidity...


It is not a Walmart anymore.  It is a historic building and it can still be put to good use.

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## Stew

> It is not a Walmart anymore.  It is a historic building and it can still be put to good use.


LOL, that walmart building isn't old enough to buy a six pack of PBR.

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## Lauri101

> Are you freaking kidding me? A Wal-Mart? It's amazing the stupidity that spews from your brain.
> 
> I'd start blocking you, but then I'd miss out on all the stupidity...


The amusement factor pretty much pays for the pain.  Just sayin'

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## bombermwc

> It is not a Walmart anymore.  It is a historic building and it can still be put to good use.


Historic = less than 20 years old box store now huh? I think there are some telephone poles around that are about 50...want to declare them historic? How about the fence around Glenwood?

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## TaoMaas

My wife and I were talking about that area this morning.  I'm relatively new to the Midwest City area, but it amazes me that a corner which used to support a Target, a Wal Mart, and an Albertson's is seen as no longer being viable.  Hello?  I can understand how the area may have gone down and been unable to sustain three stores, but I think it's kinda crazy not to believe that you couldn't take the remnant customers from all three stores and support something that combined all three, like a Super-Wal Mart or Super-Target.  I feel the same way about the Heritage Park Mall area.  It looks like the Checkerboard Cafe has expanded their hours and Pelican's is full most every weekend, so why couldn't other businesses be successful in that area?  Again...maybe the section of town has gone down some, but to me, that just means that maybe it's no longer a Dillard's crowd, but more of a Burlington Coat Factory or "1/2 of 1/2" type market, ya know?

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## bombermwc

Since your'e new to MWC - I'll repeat for the billionth time on this corner.

1 - Target - The hospital bought the property which is why target and westlake moved in the first place. It's phase 3 of their expansion plans. When they added the 2 new floors (which look retarted by the way) onto the Mullinex tower, that was Phase 1. Phase 2 is an expansion on the other end of the current hospital to include a physician's building. Phase 3 is a consolidation of physician's offices from around MWC into a more "suited" facility including a day care for hospital employees.
3 - WalMart - MWC prevented this store from ever becoming a super center because it didn't have the parking lot space to meet the space to square foot requirement the city has. They also couldn't afford to purchase Albertson's...it was cheaper to move to DC which made it really easy for them....and MWC still got one on 23rd and Douglas.
4 - Albertson's actually had been having problems for years. Their overly high prices are what killed them off. When Albertson's went under, no one wanted to purchase that store, so it closed. It had long been one of the poorest performing stores in OKC. The 240 store wasn't much better but it's proximity to the highway made it attractive enough for Homeland to buy....only to have now closed it after Crest opened. Again, a crappy interior, crappy employees, high prices, and low quality products = closure.
5 - Hollywood Video went bankrupt like most video stores (blockbuster is just around the corner from doing that as well).

It's just been bad timing for the corner. It's not like anything is out for the businesses there, but it's also not a high traffic corner. Go a mile in any direction and you'll see a higher traffic volume than that corner does. We really should count our blessings that the only big boxes that are empty without an owner are WalMart and Albertsons. I don't count Target since it's owned by the hospital with a long-term plan in place. K-Mart was repopulated with Anthony's when Fenton moved in. The old WalMart on Air Depot has been filled ever since it emptied. 

So things aren't nearly as bad as they seem on the surface. It's just how the general economy has evolved....just so happens that a number of the companies all occupied the same corner.

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## TaoMaas

Yes, I'd heard that before, but I appreciate the update.  My question isn't so much about the actual facilities, but rather the apparent turning away from the consumers who used to fill all those facilities.  I think businesses are missing a tremendous opportunity.  The homes in the area are still full and that means there are still customers in the area.  I find it very hard to believe that a one mile stretch of road that used to support a mall, a Target, a Wal Mart, a Crest, and an Albertson's can now only support the small Crest.  I understand that most of those customers are now going to out-lying Wal Marts, Target, and Crest, but I also understand that they don't really have any closer alternatives these days.

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## Thunder

Drove by the area yesterday and saw huge piles of dirt all over.  They torn down the old grocery store and already rebuilding something there.  Walmart is untouched there.

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## Watson410

Thunder- Sometimes people just have to shake their heads at things you say.... You have commented NUMEROUS times in the thread about what that "something" is they're building in place of the old grocery store.

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## Thunder

> Thunder- Sometimes people just have to shake their heads at things you say.... You have commented NUMEROUS times in the thread about what that "something" is they're building in place of the old grocery store.


I don't understand.  It was my first time to see the building gone and dirt everywhere and now there are erecting walls.

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## Watson410

http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=24410

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## okcustu

Another reason to hate Wal-Mart, could they not re-purpose the old building instead of letting it rot behind a new store? This is the corporate version of buying a new car and leaving the old rusty pick-up truck in the front yard. But then again, maybe they're appealing to their customer base.

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## Watson410

It would be AWESOME if some big company bought it and transformed it into what they did the old Wal-Mart in Edmond! THAT WOULD BE NICE!! I don't see anything like that happening though!!

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## bombermwc

Why is it that we always seem to hate Wal-Mart and not the other big boxes when they abandon a building? No one complained about K-Mart or Target. They both got bought but there really wasn't anything different from the Wal-Mart building. I mean Target left BECAUSE they got bought, so that's a bit different I guess. But K-Mart really sits mostly empty if you've ever been in Anthony's. Half the place has the lights off...it's pretty weird in there. And the old-old Wal-Mart across from the mall has been a million things over the years. TG&Y became Michaels. Anthony's became Langstons. The list goes on and on.

And remember, it was the City of MWC that put up the road block for that building being turned into a Super Center. Yes Wally could have bought up the Albertson's lot to correct the problem, but they weren't closed yet at that point...and eventually they did buy it for the new Market.

So there's 1 single big box store sitting vacant in MWC. I'd say it's pretty great that it's the only place that's empty. A lot of places aren't able to recover from that number of large vacancies.

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## BrettM2

If I remember right, the new Wal-Mart Market will open on September 21.

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## Lauri101

> If I remember right, the new Wal-Mart Market will open on September 21.


It is open.  I'll probably go there tomorrow and check it out.  Stay tuned for report!

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## Brett

Checked out the new Wal-Mart Market located at Reno and MidWest Blvd. The store is larger than most Neighborhood Markets and is laid out more like a traditional grocery store. The produce department has been redesigned to try and look like Sunflower Farmers Market. One weird thing that Wal-Mart did in the new design is that they did away with separate mens and womens restrooms. The restrooms are now unisex "Family Restrooms". No urinals in the restrooms means lazy men and boys will be pissing on the toilet seats.

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## Lauri101

Walked every single aisle to check out prices and product availability.  For a relatively small store (40K SF), the product choices pretty good.  Too much "Great Value" dominance, as usual with WalMart stores.  Some things I haven't seen elsewhere such as organics and gluten free. 
Nice produce section - excellent choices tucked neatly into great display.  Fair ready-to-eat section at front of store.  Room to add more products - I went at 8 AM and no hot food out yet.
Not bad on non-food sections such as health and beauty.  Pet food prices comparable to Target and WalMart Super Centers.
Pre-packaged bakery and deli meats.  Frozen food selection good but didn't have some things I like from Homeland (Steuffers products in small sizes).  
I hate shopping at WM Super Centers because of size of store and mobility issues, but this size was just right and prices fair.  I'll go again, I'm sure - especially if it continues to be not crowded at early morning hours.  I love the new store smell!

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## oneforone

The main thing I like about it.... Prices will always be great at both Midwest City Crest Stores. I have never cared for the Neighborhood Markets. They never have what I want as far as the main shopping list is concerned. The only time I shop in one is when I am in a hurry and they are the nearest place to get it.

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## rcjunkie

> Checked out the new Wal-Mart Market located at Reno and MidWest Blvd. The store is larger than most Neighborhood Markets and is laid out more like a traditional grocery store. The produce department has been redesigned to try and look like Sunflower Farmers Market. One weird thing that Wal-Mart did in the new design is that they did away with separate mens and womens restrooms. The restrooms are now unisex "Family Restrooms". *No urinals in the restrooms means lazy men and boys will be pissing on the toilet seats.*


*
*

And lazy women will always leave the seats down!!  LOL

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## bombermwc

One of our buildings has all toilet bathrooms (ie no urinals in the mens). They actually stay pretty clean...cleaner than a urinal's area. Ever looked around at the wall next to a urinal? Check it out...the wall will have a yellow tint/stain and the metal dividers will actually be rusting. Urine splatters off the ceramic and jumps out and sprays everything down. Yeah they use less water, but they really are kind of gross.

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## TaoMaas

My wife and I tried the new Neighborhood Market yesterday.  Overall, we liked it.  Prices were hit and miss.  Some things were less expensive than at the Supercenters...and some things were higher.  One thing we really liked was that, even though the Neighborhood Market was quite a bit smaller than a Supercenter, they had about the same number of checkers on duty. lol  I'm hoping they'll keep that up.

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## Thunder

> One of our buildings has all toilet bathrooms (ie no urinals in the mens). They actually stay pretty clean...cleaner than a urinal's area. Ever looked around at the wall next to a urinal? Check it out...the wall will have a yellow tint/stain and the metal dividers will actually be rusting. Urine splatters off the ceramic and jumps out and sprays everything down. Yeah they use less water, but they really are kind of gross.


Geez, you can be so vile and graphic. LOL

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## MDot

> Geez, you can be so vile and graphic. LOL


Gross but true, Thunder. I personally stay away from public restrooms due to what bombermwc mentioned.

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## Thunder

> Gross but true, Thunder. I personally stay away from public restrooms due to what bombermwc mentioned.


I do, too, stay away from public restrooms for all of those reasons stated.  However, when I need to go pee-pee, I find it fine, because I touch nothing in there.  Just go in there (I always use the toilet stall, never stand openly next to dudes at the urinals), pee, and walk away.  Most toilets have automatic flush.  If not, use my shoe to flush it or not. Don't care.  Not my place to worry about. LOL

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## MDot

> I do, too, stay away from public restrooms for all of those reasons stated.  However, when I need to go pee-pee, I find it fine, because I touch nothing in there.  Just go in there (I always use the toilet stall, never stand openly next to dudes at the urinals), pee, and walk away.  Most toilets have automatic flush.  If not, use my shoe to flush it or not. Don't care.  Not my place to worry about. LOL


There is the few exceptions for me as well when I need to go "pee-pee" and I do pretty much the same thing you do. Why we're talking about what we do during toilet time I have no clue Thunder. Lol

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## Thunder

> There is the few exceptions for me as well when I need to go "pee-pee" and I do pretty much the same thing you do. Why we're talking about what we do during toilet time I have no clue Thunder. Lol


Eh, its an interesting topic. :-P 

Now we wait for Venture to facepalm himself.

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## MDot

The wait is on.

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## jn1780

> Checked out the new Wal-Mart Market located at Reno and MidWest Blvd. The store is larger than most Neighborhood Markets and is laid out more like a traditional grocery store. The produce department has been redesigned to try and look like Sunflower Farmers Market. One weird thing that Wal-Mart did in the new design is that they did away with separate mens and womens restrooms. The restrooms are now unisex "Family Restrooms".* No urinals in the restrooms means lazy men and boys will be pissing on the toilet seats.*


Its a Walmart restroom. Urine on the toilet seat is considered a "good day". They might as well just wash everything with a fire hose everyday. LOL

Don't know about women's restrooms at Walmart. but I'm sure there pretty bad also.

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## bombermwc

OK does anyone else think it's weird that you walk in the door and BAM, you're in the frozen section? It feels like the place was put together backwards or something.

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## Lauri101

ITA, bomberMWC.  I was disoriented from the beginning - it seemed so counterintuitive.

Back to Homeland - where I can find everything and everyone knows my name.  :Smile:

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## oneforone

I stopped in last night to grab a couple of things and I didn't see anything special that isn't at Crest. I kinda predicted that it was no places too special because the crowds at both Crest stores stayed the same. I don't think Walmart expects the store to pull in too much revenue. It's likely the whole purpose of it is to be a thorn in Crest's side. 

The two have never gotten along that well. I remember reading a story back years ago where Walmart CEO at the time David Glass told Crest Staff he would bury their store when they caught him in the Edmond Crest gathering intel on the store. We all know how well that worked out. In the end the dragon known as Walmart was tamed. It's not the powerhouse it used to be. They are still near the top of the pile however, the competition is constantly knocking them down a notch.

Target, Crest and, Buy For Less now Homeland (I think the employee owned concept will pay off for them) are keeping Walmart corralled.

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## bombermwc

If you believe that, then you are crazy. Do you think WalMart cares about Crest...or really the others either? They make untold billions upon billions. And even with Crest all over town, they still make more in OKC than Crest...even on grocery items. Crest and the other locals might take a little bit from them, but they are also far from unique. In other cities, there are far nicer, more established, and larger local stores that take even more out of the pockets of Wally. Crest is nothing. 

Personally, i try NOT to ever go in a WalMart. But you also forget about things like Lowes, Sams, and i believe Arvest is theirs as well, but don't quote me. They all make WalMart that much more money.

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