Yo, Walmart — where’s the love for Washingtonians west of Rock Creek? I am no longer a resident of Upper Caucasia, having moved closer to the heart of the city. But I can’t help but wonder whether residents who reside in the mostly white Upper Northwest might not be feeling slighted by your choice of store locations.
Walmart has been pulling political levers, massaging neighborhood associations and stockpiling property for more than a year to establish as many as six stores in town. All are slated for locations in the city’s central or eastern quadrants.
What — the folks who live in Chevy Chase, Georgetown, Tenleytown and Spring Valley don’t deserve a chance to buy inexpensive merchandise? If Best Buy and the Container Store can set up shop in the former Hechinger building in Tenleytown, why not Walmart?
Enough with the Whole Food stores! Not all Upper Caucasians can afford to shop at Saks and Neiman Marcus. We need inexpensive shoes, electronics and sporting goods as much as other Washingtonians. I hear Filene’s is closing down at Friendship Heights. Why not a Walmart there, right beneath Neiman’s?
Which brings me to my next question: Why are some Washingtonians in neighborhoods where Walmart wants to open stores so riled up?
I understand that Walmart and other “big box” stores can have a negative impact on neighborhoods. Activists worry chain stores will snuff out smaller, local merchants. They might kill off a neighborhood’s peculiar charm. They offer low-wage jobs, often on a part-time basis. Towns and cities have been battling malls and oversize chain stores since the 1970s. I have covered many of the battles. They can get nasty.
But I fail to see why a Walmart will be anything but helpful to communities that have been crying out for decent stores for decades. Take Fort Totten. which is undergoing major development around the Metro. The intersections around the confluence of Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue have been home to a few strip malls, gas stations and McDonald’s. Seems to me a Walmart would be an improvement, drawing shoppers and residents, perhaps a restaurant or two.
The Skyland Town Center development in Ward 7 east of the Anacostia River has been a disaster for decades. Disputes over zoning and land ownership have squelched construction. If Walmart wants to anchor the site, why not? Perhaps nearby residents will no longer have to cross the Prince George’s County line to buy a pillow or a TV. Maybe the Marylanders will come to D.C. to shop.
What galls me about the anti-Walmart folks is their roster of demands. In parts of D.C. where unemployment is at 25 percent, they are demanding higher wages. They want ride-sharing programs and transportation subsidies for workers. Get real.
Why not require Walmart set up job training facilities in every store? Why not establish adult education programs in the buildings? How about day care? I’d wager Walmart would deliver.
And while we’re asking, why not a Walmart on Wisconsin Avenue?
Harry Jaffe’s column appears on Tuesday and Friday. He can be contacted at [email protected].
