Who are the people Walmart attracts?

It appears that the Walmart oppositionists can’t find a legitimate reason to oppose a Walmart store coming to Burbank. A letter writer stated that it’s probably true that the Walmart traffic problem is a non-issue. She earlier said to forget the Walmart store and try for a Whole Foods Market. She is now saying that the market is not the answer.

She is saying that the opposition to a Walmart store is based on the type of people Walmart attracts and the crime would be bad for other businesses in the community.

One need only think back to the Kmart shooting, Porto’s robbery, and prostitution activities at the Extended Stay Hotel, robbery at the Jack-in-the-Box and several robberies of stores in Magnolia Park, and the time when a police officer was lost during an on-duty shooting. Crime is already here and the opening of a Walmart will not change the rate at which it currently occurs.

I wonder what the phrase “the type of people Walmart attracts and the crime” really refers to. I hope she doesn’t think that Walmart shoppers are criminals, for if she does, what about those that shop at Kmart or Porto’s and those that may use the Extended Stay Hotel?

She wonders if we need another superstore in the Empire Center. I say yes, based on the fact that Kmart, Sears, Best Buy and Albertsons markets are currently experiencing financial difficulties and we have already lost Linen & Things. Having a Walmart in Burbank would prove easy access for residents to obtain the products they need if any of the above-mentioned stores were to close.

It will be a great day when the Burbank Walmart store opens.

Dennis Shiflett
Burbank