# Civic Matters > Suburban & Other OK Communities > Norman >  Walmart Neighborhood Market on the Southside

## zacelliott

Looks like we're getting some grocery options on the south side of town Mobile home park residents in Norman being kicked out

----------


## Plutonic Panda

How many more Walmarts are they going build lol, it just doesn't seem like it's ever going to stop.

----------


## zachj7

OMG not another one. I am dying for a grocery store down in South Norman but not another Walkart  :Frown:  Can't Crest, Reasors, Sprouts, or some decent place move in...?

----------


## ljbab728

> How many more Walmarts are they going build lol, it just doesn't seem like it's ever going to stop.


Walmart will probably quit building when they go out of business, plupan.

----------


## venture

This will probably put an end to the possibility of a new supercenter on Hwy 9 now. Which is fine by me, I would rather they redevelop/upgrade the East Main store. Hopefully this doesn't make it any harder for a higher quality grocery option over here.

----------


## Plutonic Panda

> Walmart will probably quit building when they go out of business, plupan.


I wouldn't get your hopes up on that. They seem to pop up like weeds that come from nowhere lol  :Wink:

----------


## MWCGuy

The new Walmart Market concept (at least the one in Midwest City anyway) is actually a nice store. It's smaller, nicely kept inside/out and well stocked.  They do not have deli, bakery or a bank and all that other stuff. It's just a simple grocery store with a pharmacy. It's about the size of what the average grocery store used to be. Your not going to have to worry about a lot of traffic either. These days the average Walmart Market does about the same business as Homeland or Aldi. The most cars I have ever seen their is maybe 10-15 not counting the employees. 

I have 11 month old and I work swing shift. Sometimes I have to pick up diapers, baby food, water and wipes and whatever else on the way home. Crest does not carry the brands we use so I have to go to there. Walgreens is just to expensive for baby stuff. I hate Supercenters especially after 10pm because only two registers are open and fifty people are in line. The Midwest City Walmart Market works like a charm for me. I always find what I need and the store staff is very friendly and fast at getting people checked out. They have recently started leaving the self checkouts open later on the busier nights.

I know not everyone loves Walmart however, the Market stores are pretty handy when you have a family and you need something quickly.  The way I see it if Walmart was not around somebody else would be doing the same thing. It would probably be Sears or maybe even Target.

----------


## Plutonic Panda

> This will probably put an end to the possibility of a new supercenter on Hwy 9 now. Which is fine by me, I would rather they redevelop/upgrade the East Main store. *Hopefully this doesn't make it any harder for a higher quality grocery option over here*.


I guess it's just me, but I think once/if Reasors and Whole Foods gets established here and proves there is a market of people willing to dump Walmart(and I think there is) here in OKC, upscale foods will come here regardless how many Walmart's there are.

----------


## venture

> I guess it's just me, but I think once/if Reasors and Whole Foods gets established here and proves there is a market of people willing to dump Walmart(and I think there is) here in OKC, upscale foods will come here regardless how many Walmart's there are.


I'm not really holding out much hope for either of those in Norman. I'm thinking more Kroger or Trader Joes. Also keep in mind I'm talking more specifically about Southern/Southeastern Norman where choices are pretty limited right now. Not sure really how much knowledge you have of this area.

----------


## bchris02

I guess if you look on the bright side, Wal-Mart neighborhood markets are less damaging to competition than Supercenters. When a Supercenter opens up it almost always creates a grocery black hole around it. WMNMs are at least able to co-exist with other options.

----------


## Geographer

I think the Walmart is great BUT it's evicting a bunch of people who have been there forever...that's the unfortunate part.  It's definitely bittersweet.  If you look at the article, the people are talking about this area as a tight-knit neighborhood, etc.

Like I said, a grocery store in this area is great, it's just unfortunate that they're tearing this neighborhood up when there are so many empty lots so close to this place.

----------


## Just the facts

> I know not everyone loves Walmart however, the Market stores are pretty handy when you have a family and you need something quickly.  The way I see it if Walmart was not around somebody else would be doing the same thing. It would probably be Sears or maybe even Target.


You're right.  Until the customers wise up and choose not to participate it isn't going to change.  Personally. I think we are the midst of a historic reorientation of American settlement patterns to match how the rest of the world has always lived.  Wealth and middle class in the urban core and the poor and slums in the suburbs.  Walmart is just following the migration trend and making it self-fulfilling in the process.  Walmart is moving to once middle class neighborhoods who now put price over service because those same people are now finding themselves falling out of the middle class.

----------


## Plutonic Panda

> I'm not really holding out much hope for either of those in Norman. I'm thinking more Kroger or Trader Joes. Also keep in mind I'm talking more specifically about Southern/Southeastern Norman where choices are pretty limited right now. *Not sure really how much knowledge you have of this area*.


TBH, none what so ever(i was kind of speaking out my ___). I thought there was talk about a Whole Foods going into Norman and Edmond? Someone even said we could see announcement by late 2014.

----------


## venture

> TBH, none what so ever(i was kind of speaking out my ___). I thought there was talk about a Whole Foods going into Norman and Edmond? Someone even said we could see announcement by late 2014.


While that may be the case, it is likely to be in West Norman near 35. We are talking about South/Southeast Norman here which is going to be several miles away from that area - so its going to be a different market area (granted Whole Foods would pull from the entire city). Remember, Norman is 3x larger than Edmond and has about 30k more people than them. So when we are speaking about grocery opens in one part of town, it is very unlikely it will do anything to folks on the other side.

----------


## kevinpate

That little neighborhood community was able to beat back its destruction in the past. I hope they all land on their feet, but I doubt there is another park like that one anywhere in Norman.

----------


## Geographer

> That little neighborhood community was able to beat back its destruction in the past. I hope they all land on their feet, but I doubt there is another park like that one anywhere in Norman.


Unfortunately there's not. It's got lots of the 1950's style metal cylinder-like mobile homes. It's a neat place.

----------


## RadicalModerate

So why don't the folks with the mobile homes move them over a little, just until the parking lot is done, then move them back into place?  It would be a bit like the digs in which Jim Rockford used to reside . . . except on top of asphalt or concrete rather than on a beach near Malibu. And he wasn't blessed with a 24/7/365 food repository--with constantly falling prices--right next door. (not counting what he could fish out of the ocean, of course)

----------


## MWCGuy

> You're right.  Until the customers wise up and choose not to participate it isn't going to change.  Personally. I think we are the midst of a historic reorientation of American settlement patterns to match how the rest of the world has always lived.  Wealth and middle class in the urban core and the poor and slums in the suburbs.  Walmart is just following the migration trend and making it self-fulfilling in the process.  Walmart is moving to once middle class neighborhoods who now put price over service because those same people are now finding themselves falling out of the middle class.


Price is not my motivator for shopping there. It's convenience and they just happen to have what I need at the time I need it. I am not picky about where I shop, I go to whatever is handy at the moment. I think Walmart is popular with most people because of the convenience price not necessarily for the price. If you have been lately, you would see that the prices on some things are expensive compared to other stores.

Walmart is no longer the cheapest place in town and everybody but, "I Hate Walmart crowd" has figured that out. Family Dollar, Dollar General and Dollar Tree are where the money strapped consumer is shopping. You can pick up more items on your list for less money at the dollar stores especially since most have added frozen food, milk and eggs. 

 The downside to shopping at the dollar stores is the sizes of most products are smaller than what they are at Walmart and Target. Not to mention the quality of some of the items they sale are a step down from the traditional store.

----------


## bchris02

For me, Homeland, Buy For Less, and of course Whole Foods/Sprouts are my choices because those are the only places I usually always can find what I am looking for.

----------


## soonerfan_in_okc

> For me, Homeland, Buy For Less, and of course Whole Foods/Sprouts are my choices because those are the only places I usually always can find what I am looking for.


What exactly is that? Great value organics?

----------


## zacelliott

This trailer park/campground has now been vacated. Looks like they're gonna start clearing out the trees soon.

----------


## venture

> This trailer park/campground has now been vacated. Looks like they're gonna start clearing out the trees soon.


*Dislike*

So much more potential for that area than another stupid Walmart.

----------


## soonerfan_in_okc

> *Dislike*
> 
> So much more potential for that area than another stupid Walmart.


agreed. There is a need for a grocery store back there, but something like a sprouts would have been better IMO. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

----------


## Jersey Boss

> *Dislike*
> 
> So much more potential for that area than another stupid Walmart.


Personally I would rather see the AIRSTREAM trailers than another damn Walmart.

----------


## venture

> Personally I would rather see the AIRSTREAM trailers than another damn Walmart.


Mmhmm. I didn't think that park looked bad at all. They seemed to have a really nice community developed there and it was not a traditional mobile home park. Greg Heiple (councilman for that area) must really like Walmart.

----------


## Jersey Boss

> Mmhmm. I didn't think that park looked bad at all. They seemed to have a really nice community developed there and it was not a traditional mobile home park. Greg Heiple (councilman for that area) must really like Walmart.


I agree that it was a nice community and had a community attitude. In fact they were successful to beat back an earlier attempt at selling the park. To be fair to Heiple, he was elected in April of 13, 4 months before the sale was announced.  I feel better about him representing my neighborhood than the fellow he replaced, Gallagher.

----------


## venture

> I agree that it was a nice community and had a community attitude. In fact they were successful to beat back an earlier attempt at selling the park. To be fair to Heiple, he was elected in April of 13, 4 months before the sale was announced.  I feel better about him representing my neighborhood than the fellow he replaced, Gallagher.


Oh crap, my bad. I knew Gallagher was there during all this. Oops. This sun is frying my brain.

----------


## kevinpate

> This trailer park/campground has now been vacated. Looks like they're gonna start clearing out the trees soon.


Noticed this a few days back as I was giving a ride to a chap I know. I still hope all those who were displaced landed well elsewhere.

----------


## HangryHippo

There was a blurb in the Norman Transcript today about the new Walmart Neighborhood Market coming to this area.  I was under the impression it was replacing the mobile home park that was on the east side of Classen at the intersection with Constitution St.  But when I put the address given in the paper (2551 Classen Blvd.), Google Maps puts it in the lot north of the 7-11 at that intersection on the west side of Classen.  Does anyone know which spot is actually right?

----------


## Mr T

I think the mobile home park is being replaced by apartments.

----------


## HangryHippo

> I think the mobile home park is being replaced by apartments.


Okay, thanks.

----------


## Geographer

It's good to see that vacant lot being filled in. It's been vacant for as long as I can remember.

----------


## Robert_M

Plans are out for G.C. bidding for the 16th of July.  It is going in on the East side of Classen between Constitution St. and where 12th and Classen merge.  It is also going to have a fuel station onsite.

----------

