Friday's announcement that Walmart will close its stores in Gentry, Decatur and Gravette by the end of the month came as a surprise and shock to most area residents. Though, perhaps, some thought the little Walmart stores in the area could better serve the communities if they were a bit bigger, had more products to offer and had adequate parking, no one expected them to just be closed before opening other larger stores in the area -- perhaps a full-sized Neighborhood Market or even a Walmart Supercenter.
Many wondered why Walmart would open the stores -- especially the one in Decatur which opened just a year ago -- only to close the doors a short time later. It doesn't appear to be from a lack of business. Some have speculated it was to drive out the competition and force the closure of the existing grocery stores in Gravette and Gentry. And, now that the local competition is gone, the little Walmart stores can close as well, with customers given little choice but to drive the extra miles to a Walmart Supercenter.
While I doubt Walmart planned to keep its stores open only long enough to force out the competition, it certainly is a blow to the communities in the Eagle Observer coverage area. Walmart came in. Grocery stores in Gentry and Gravette closed. And then Walmart closes its doors and leaves the communities it had offered to serve with only a few limited local grocery options. In addition to the loss of jobs and local sales tax revenue which the cities and local residents had come to depend upon, now local residents will have to drive to larger neighboring towns for most of their grocery needs. This is a hardship for most residents but especially for those who do not have the means to travel 10 to 20 miles or more to purchase their groceries.
A part of Walmart's reasoning in closing the little stores seems to be related to the limited product line and services which could be offered in the much smaller facilities. Though the stores always seemed to be busy, they weren't what many customers expected in a Walmart store and that could have caused some damage to the Walmart image.
I'm not sure if the situation was the same in Decatur and Gravette, but I frequently stopped at the Gentry Walmart to pick up a few items I needed in an effort to save a trip to Siloam Springs or Rogers. Parking was often a problem at the little store and items I wanted to buy quite often weren't stocked there because of space limitations. And when it was time to check out, the lines were long because of limited staff and only a few checkout lanes. In addition, getting in and out of the parking lot onto Gentry Blvd. was sometimes a bit of a nightmare and almost always an accident waiting to happen. It appeared to me that the Gravette and Decatur stores were better designed for traffic, though finding a parking spot could still sometimes be a challenge.
Perhaps Walmart has other plans in the works to provide better service to Gentry, Decatur and Gravette. It would certainly seem there was a strong customer base, even if some people were frustrated over the limited product line. Should Walmart build larger stores in the Eagle Observer coverage area, I expect people would come and business would be good. And it might remove some of the customer frustration over being able to get part of what one needed locally but then having to drive further to get other things not available in the small stores. So, maybe one day, local shopping opportunities will get better. But if Walmart currently has other plans for our area, only a select few in Walmart know and they aren't talking.
Personally, I am hoping Harps considers putting in some stores in our area. Mrs. Griz and I already drive to a Harps store whenever we can to do our grocery shopping there. Besides being a less hectic shopping experience, we enjoy the quality of meats Harps offers and have found ourselves bringing home more groceries for the same amount of money and sometimes for less. For those who shop specials, Harps offers some great prices in the weekly flyer which is inside the Eagle Observer each week.
And, if no grocers are willing to step up and put in stores in the Gentry, Decatur and Gravette area, someone might consider a grocery delivery and pickup business with a drop-off and pickup terminal in each of our cities. That way, people could put in a grocery order by phone or online and have it delivered to a pickup location in Gentry, Gravette or Decatur, making it possible for local customers to get their groceries without driving miles each way. That might prove especially beneficial for those who do not drive or do not have a car available.
I've already found online shopping to be a handy way to get those other things I need around the house or for the office and can't buy locally. It's easy to shop for the best prices, I don't have to drive anywhere and my order is delivered right to my door. And those sales tax dollars I pay are then collected for my hometown and benefit me and my neighbors rather than the town and neighbors of someone else. I suppose it could work for groceries too. Walmart is already offering pickup locations on the other side of the county.
Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
General News on 01/20/2016