Are New Yorkers Secretly Shopping At Wal-Mart?

New Yorkers say they don't want a Wal-Mart, but their money is talking behind their backs, and its saying something different. According to the NY Post, residents of the city spent $165MM at Wal-Mart last year—and that's not including online, they actually drove to the suburbs just to shop at the low-cost store (allegedly)! Interesting because it seems as though most city folk are rebelling against the company bringing a Wal-Mart to the five boroughs (or maybe it's just union members rebelling a non-unionized retail outlet). In May, our poll revealed that 71% of you were against the chain infiltrating the city.

So with these numbers behind them, the chain is "launching an aggressive marketing campaign to open stores in the city," and has hired a consultant (also Mayor Bloomberg's former campaign manager)—Bradley Tusk—to help out. A spokesman for the company told the paper, "We're evaluating opportunities across the five boroughs. It's clear that New Yorkers want to shop our brand."

Should Wal-Mart be welcome to the boroughs, or just like Cracker Barrel, is it somewhere that should only exist within driving distance from the city? Lines are being drawn right now, over at the lake of hellfire.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in News on November 12, 2010 5:13 PM

Comments [rss]

Mr Mel

Let them set up shop in that East River Plaza on 116th street & the FDR Drive. Thats in a poor part of town and there are people there that could use the jobs and the lower price goods.

whitecastlerock

The Walmart in Riverhead is crumbling, with merchandise strewn everywhere-ala Target in Elmhurst. Hordes of oompa loompahs and their 5 kids clog the aisles and destroy the notion of cost savings. The only time to shop at these stores is at 3AM...

RevWaldo

$165MM / 8 million people = under $21 a head. We're not exactly talking a windfall here.

dreamking

New Yorkers on the borders are visiting Wal Marts outside the city, and spending $165 million? The goal of this story is supported by non-contextual information. Staten Islanders probably spend more than that on Dunkin Donuts coffee each day. And, throughout the year, that's all that Walmart makes on New Yorkers? If anything, this points the purpose in the other way.

nicemarmot

It'll happen eventually, and the Wal-Marts in the city will be every bit as awful as the Targets. Possibly worse.

Jen S

Wal-mart

Jen S

Doh! Wal-mart [less-than sign] K-mart?

Stevennnn

Eventually Wal-Mart will be in NYC..

Jen S

Meh, we'll stop and drop a few beans on occasional road trips. That doesn't mean I want it destroying an entire neighborhood for the convenience.

HypocraticOath

Wal Mart gobbles up NYC for Thanksgiving?

PKMKII

According to the NY Post, residents of the city spent $165MM at Wal-Mart last year

Translation: residents in the Eastern fringes of Queens and Brooklyn, the Northern fringes of the Bronx that might as well be Yonkers, and everyone in Staten Island spent $165MM at Wal-Mart last year.

bonu$baby

Um, those people are residents of NYC last I checked.

PKMKII

I'm not saying they're not residents of NYC. I'm saying this spending isn't evenly distributed throughout the city.

EastRiver

A few summers ago the Times had a fluff piece about rich New Yorkers shopping at a Target near the Hamptons for typical summer items. The Times spun it as even the rich like a bargain.

random transplant

I like how you defended that "statistic" like its wasn't just something you stero-typed out of your ass.

jammer

"the megachain is launching an aggressive marketing campaign to open stores in the city, over stiff resistance from labor unions."

sounds like you folks are part of the same marketing campaign as the post! I know newscorp is a corporate whore, but et tu gothamist?

longacre

Most of the chain stores in New York are non-union and not all that great to their employees. The fact that people get furious over Walmart but then spend billions at Target, Duane Reade, Walgreens, Toys R Us, Staples, Best Buy, Starbucks is simply retarded.

And employees of unionized shops are not treated much better, if at all. The bottom line is unless you work your way up to a management position at any of these places, your job is probably going to suck.