Posted on 01/03/2015 8:27:21 AM PST by kingattax
Hard to imagine that from this simple image emerged a supermarket global empire
My special cousin has worked at a Wal-Mart for probably 40 years. He’ll retire soon with a pension. Proud of him and I’m happy to take my trade to Wal-Mart. One fun memory, my then best friend and I drove an RV around western Kansas while Mr. Mercat road his bike with 1000 of his best friends. She hated Wal-Mart and would refuse to go into one. However, she also drank soy milk. Guess the only place in Western Kansas where you can buy soy milk. LOL. I confess I did rejoice in her apostasy.
Addendum:
Sam and his wife were the clerks in that store [in the picture at the top of this thread; not store #6960, of course].
It absolutely IS from 1962. Someone simply had access to a 2007 car somehow.
Pinging a few Michiganders to #24.
Time lords gotta shop too, ya know.
What a wonderful era note how classy people dressed.
Bentonville, Arkansas, on the west side of the square.
Neat photo what city ?.
You are certainly correct...
I remember stopping at #2 in Harrison, Arkansas a few years ago. Definitely not the original store #2.
The lunch counters were cool. My first job was in a building across from a much smaller five and dime called Grants. At lunch time, I would scurry across the street to Grants for a bowl of soup and a sandwich for 75 cents. In the summer, Grants would set up a hot dog concession stand near one of the side doors. 25 cents for a hot dog. 35 cents if you wanted chili or cheese on your dog. Decent food, cheap.
The original store downtown Bentonville closed years ago and became an ice cream parlor for a while. then Walmart got it back and rebuilt it to look like the old store.
Do you know that Sam once thought about opening his first store in downtown Siloam Springs, AR? Think about how different Bentonville would look if Siloam had grown that big. taking in parts of Benton County, Deleware County Oklahoma and Adair County Oklahoma.
I guess it begs the questions:
-is the store out of stock on 15-20% of its merchandise?
-does it have any employees that speak english?
-do the checkout lines take at least 20 minutes to navigate?
-is the store cleanliness reminiscent of an open market in pakistan?
Inquiring minds want to know.
I miss Kroger’s. Used to have them here till the butchers union got greedy. Kroger’s said, fine. We’re leaving. And they did.
Kroger’s had wonderful produce and I must have eaten a ton of its house brand peanut butter over the years.
Traveled to north western Arkansas a few years back from Cincinnati. I’ve been in this store (now a museum) ... also read the book on Sam Walton. Interesting story ...
the wonder of laundering cocaine money... Arkansas Development Bank....Mena ....
I remember a store called TG&Y. I wonder what the initials stood for. Someone told me, Toys, Guns, and Yoyos, but I think he was pulling my leg.
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