Walmart

Reaction about the possible opening of a Walmart was mixed among shoppers Wednesday outside the Target and Marshalls stores in the Empire Center. “I think it would be great, but I think it’s probably going to take away from Target, for sure. I’d check it out. I’ve heard it’s so good. I’ve never actually been in one.” Rae-Lyn Daza, 35 “Walmart is too overbearing. Too crowded. Too many people. To me, it's not worth the savings. But it’s good for a lot of people, especially with the economy and unemployment.” Brad Williams, 37 “I've kind of been waiting for a Walmart.

I would like to comment on the recent articles and editorials regarding the opening of a Walmart in Burbank. It seems many are vehemently opposed to this chain coming to our city. I understand some of their views, but when it comes to a big-box store taking customers from small businesses, I do not understand. For years we have welcomed Costco, Target, Lowe's, Home Depot and so many others. Did we as Burbank citizens even think how they would affect the small mom-and-pop hardware, sporting goods and other markets?

The public will get its first chance to speak directly to Walmart officials who plan to open a store in Burbank at a meeting scheduled for Oct. 17. The meeting from 5 to 8 p.m. will take place at the site where they plan to build a new Walmart, 1301 N. Victory Place - the former Great Indoors site adjacent to the Empire Center. The opening of a Walmart has riled many residents, who have raised concerns about increased traffic and the potential impact on existing businesses.

Ninety-nine percent are rational citizens that welcome Walmart. Ninety-nine percent are logical citizens that welcome a well-run, taxpaying corporate success. Ninety-nine percent are unbiased citizens that welcome nearby value and quality. Ninety-nine percent are clear-thinking citizens who welcome an exponential increase in tax revenues from outside the community. Ninety-nine percent are balanced citizens who welcome countless Walmart-generated jobs throughout the community.

As a resident concerned about a potential Walmart in Burbank, I would like to say that everyone wants to pay less for things. Everyone. And as a teacher who can't get more hours, I can especially appreciate that. But if there is one thing that I could try and get across to people, it would be these “low prices” that Walmart advertises aren't as low if you look at the larger picture (“Walmart is far from a cure-all,” Aug. 30). A lot of people who want Walmart think that its coming to town would be good because of the state corporate income taxes they will pay. But what a lot of people don't realize is that Walmart avoids paying millions in dollars in taxes a year because of the way their real estate trust is set up. They put their stores under the ownership of a real estate investment trust.

Dissatisfied with a recent meeting held by Walmart officials on a planned store in Burbank, residents on Tuesday called on the city to hold its own public forum. At the Walmart community meeting Monday, hundreds of residents walked up to five stations, each manned by three to five company employees waiting to answer their questions individually. Some participants complained that the system effectively diluted their message, and prevented others from hearing the company's response.

Opposition to a planned Walmart in Burbank surged this week as critics demanded the city first address promised traffic improvements before allowing the mega-retailer to move in. Backed by an attorney for the powerful United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 770, opponents packed the Burbank City Council Chambers on Tuesday demanding due consideration be paid to the impact a Walmart would have on an already congested network of roads surrounding...

Opponents of planned Walmart adjacent to the Empire Center in Burbank plan to stage a protest rally today on the steps of City Hall. Walmart last week confirmed plans to move into the former Great Indoors site after weeks of speculation. A spokesman for the mega-retailer said a public input meeting would be scheduled to give residents a chance to weigh in on the store's offerings. But for some residents, no Walmart is the preferred option, and they plan to make their stance known at a protest rally at 5:30 p.m. outside City Hall before the City Council meeting.

Walmart representatives have told Burbank officials that a planned store for the former Great Indoors site will likely be open from 6 a.m. to midnight. There also is currently no plans to sell alcohol, according to Deputy City Manager Joy Forbes. Walmart would need a conditional-use permit from the city to operate 24 hours a day. The mega-retailer has also pledged to host public input meetings, perhaps as soon as October, to give community members a chance to weigh in on what form the store should take.

A planned Walmart grocery store in Panorama City is getting a much different reception than the upcoming retail store in Burbank, where critics contend mom-and-pop shops will be zapped into oblivion by the company's relentless focus on lower-than-your-rivals pricing. Residents of the northeast San Fernando Valley have watched as the recession turned once-thriving commercial hubs into vacant storefronts. The Vannord Center, a 90,000-square-foot-center at the corner of busy Van Nuys Boulevard and Nordhoff Street, has been hit particularly hard with more than half of its 30 tenants closing their doors, according to a recent L.A. Times report . So any concerns that a Walmart store might push out mom-and-pop shops, or threaten union jobs, is being outweighed by the benefits that the national retailer will bring to the struggling center, manager Suzanne Ponder told The Times.

Good morning to you, readers. As you get ready for the week, check out these headlines from La Cañada, North Hollywood and Encino.  Walmart, which is looking to open a store in Altadena, is planning a community meeting this Thursday in that community.  The mega-retailer tends to make people nervous, so there should be a pretty good turnout. Altadenablog   After 10 years, the farmer's market in La Cañada is still going strong. Check it out on Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm, or or just look at the photos.

A planned Walmart grocery store in Panorama City is getting a much different reception than the upcoming retail store in Burbank, where critics contend mom-and-pop shops will be zapped into oblivion by the company's relentless focus on lower-than-your-rivals pricing. Residents of the northeast San Fernando Valley have watched as the recession turned once-thriving commercial hubs into vacant storefronts. The Vannord Center, a 90,000-square-foot-center at the corner of busy Van Nuys Boulevard and Nordhoff Street, has been hit particularly hard with more than half of its 30 tenants closing their doors, according to a recent L.A. Times report . So any concerns that a Walmart store might push out mom-and-pop shops, or threaten union jobs, is being outweighed by the benefits that the national retailer will bring to the struggling center, manager Suzanne Ponder told The Times.

DreamWorks Animation is joining Wal-Mart's disc-to-digital service as it launches today. The Glendale studio will make all of its previously released DVDs, including the "Shrek" and "Madagascar" series and "How to Train Your Dragon," available for consumers to convert into digital copies stored on Wal-Mart's Vudu service. It's the sixth Hollywood studio to join with Wal-Mart, which will charge $2 to make a copy of a movie in the "cloud" that can be accessed from any compatible digital device ($5 to convert the movie to high-definition)

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. 's low-cost strategy during the holidays both helped and hurt its performance in the fourth quarter: The world's largest retailer reported an almost 15 percent decline in profit, but its namesake U.S. business continued to draw in more shoppers. During the period, Wal-Mart guaranteed shoppers it would give them the lowest price on a given item, no matter when they bought it during the holiday season. That resulted in its first gain in customer counts in several years.

Opposition to a planned Walmart in Burbank surged this week as critics demanded the city first address promised traffic improvements before allowing the mega-retailer to move in. Backed by an attorney for the powerful United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 770, opponents packed the Burbank City Council Chambers on Tuesday demanding due consideration be paid to the impact a Walmart would have on an already congested network of roads surrounding...

An attorney for a local commercial and food workers union is now representing two Burbank residents who oppose plans for a new Walmart. He is threatening legal action if the city doesn't address their concerns. The addition of Gideon Kracov, who represents United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 770, into the fray brings some legal muscle to a table crowded by residents who don't want a Walmart in the city, and city officials who say there's little they can do under zoning law to prevent it. Last week, Kracov went before Council asking that several of his questions about the project be addressed as an agenda item.

Ninety-nine percent are rational citizens that welcome Walmart. Ninety-nine percent are logical citizens that welcome a well-run, taxpaying corporate success. Ninety-nine percent are unbiased citizens that welcome nearby value and quality. Ninety-nine percent are clear-thinking citizens who welcome an exponential increase in tax revenues from outside the community. Ninety-nine percent are balanced citizens who welcome countless Walmart-generated jobs throughout the community.

It's not enough to be a clothing store, grocer, pharmacy, auto servicer and more. It looks as if Wal-Mart Stores Inc. now plans to play doctor too. The largest retailer in the country recently sent out a request for information to potential partners to help it offer a range of medical services without the traditionally steep prices. In the 14-page document, Wal-Mart said that it “intends to build a national, integrated, low-cost primary care healthcare platform that will provide preventative and chronic care services … in an affordable and accessible way.” Continue reading > > ALSO: Foes of Burbank Walmart undaunted by Brown veto Walmart to ask Burbank resident what they want from store -- Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times Photo: A woman leaves a Wal-Mart in Rosemead.

When Wal-Mart , the country's largest private employer, announced the other day that it's cutting back on health coverage for workers, it wasn't just the latest sign that our healthcare system is out of reach for a growing number of people. It was also the clearest indication to date that our employer-based health insurance system has let us down, saddling millions of families with rising healthcare costs and leaving millions more out in the cold. "The system is failing us," said Alain Enthoven, a professor emeritus at the Stanford Graduate School of Business who served as a consultant to the Carter administration on healthcare issues.

Dissatisfied with a recent meeting held by Walmart officials on a planned store in Burbank, residents on Tuesday called on the city to hold its own public forum. At the Walmart community meeting Monday, hundreds of residents walked up to five stations, each manned by three to five company employees waiting to answer their questions individually. Some participants complained that the system effectively diluted their message, and prevented others from hearing the company's response.