Walmart Opens New Stores in Little Village, Lakeview & Back of the Yards

  Stores employ about 350 people and provide new, affordable grocery options for residents; Three new store managers have a combined 39 years of experience with Walmart

    Chicago residents in three communities now have a new, convenient and affordable option for all their grocery shopping needs.  Walmart opened three Walmart Neighborhood Markets in the city today in the neighborhoods of Little Village, Lakeview and Back of the Yards. The new stores, about one-fifth the size of a supercenter, employ a combined total of 350 people and provide customers with a new choice for fresh food. The new managers running these stores all got their start in Illinois and have close to four decades of combined experience with the company.

    “With our smaller format, our store is perfect for those on the go,” said Lakeview Store Manager Eric Galle, who began his Walmart career in 2001 as a cart pusher at the retailer’s Joliet store. “Whether they’re stocking up or need to pick up just a few items, our customers will be able to find what they need quickly and easily. Consumers will be able to find familiar brands and local products at great values, right in their own neighborhood.”

     Eric Jones, who began his Walmart career 12 years ago as an assistant manager in Orland Hills, will manage Back of the Yards and Fabian Lehaney will oversee Little Village.  Mr. Lehaney has been with Walmart since 1996 and started in the company’s Elk Grove Village store.
“Eric, Fabian and Eric are examples of the career opportunities available at Walmart as well as our ability to retain talented people,” said Labeed Diab, Senior Vice President, Walmart U.S. “Three quarters of our store management teams across the country started as hourly associates and more than 250,000 associates have been with the company for more than 10 years - these three individuals are a living representation of those statistics. I couldn’t be more proud of their success and look forward to watching them deliver for our Chicago customers.”

Walmart to Boost Sourcing of U.S. Products by $50 Billion Over the Next 10 Years

       Walmart announced bold commitments to increase domestic sourcing of the products it sells and help veterans find jobs when they come off active duty. Speaking at the National Retail Federation’s annual BIG Show, Walmart U.S. President and CEO Bill Simon also announced the company is helping part-time associates who want to be full time, make that transition. 
      “We want all of our associates to find the career opportunities they want with Walmart,” said Simon. “We will make sure part-time associates have full visibility into full-time job openings in their stores and nearby stores, and that they always have first shot at those jobs. We will also bring more transparency to our scheduling system so part-time workers can choose more hours for themselves.”

Walmart fear of Amazon.com

         This holiday season, same-day shipping has replaced free shipping as the new must-have promotion. It’s logistically complicated and money-losing — and may not even be a service that consumers want or need, analysts say.

     But retailers from Walmart to small shops like Shoptiques are willing to take the risk. Even the Postal Service has introduced a same-day option for retailers. And the reason is simple: fear of Amazon.com.

Christmas came early for one local family

In Altoona, Iowa, Christmas came early for one local family.

     Ruby Modlin was at a local Walmart with her family shopping for some holiday groceries when an anonymous man picked up their $211 bill, KCCI 8 Des Moines reports. Modlin had noticed the man following them around the store, but wasn't sure of his intentions until he stepped in to swipe his card at the checkout. The "secret Santa" handed her the receipt and wished her a Merry Christmas before leaving with his own family.

    The holiday gift was particularly special for Modlin, who has been in and out of the hospital in recent months due to liver failure, according to KCCI 8. When it comes to charitable giving, nothing trumps the holiday season. At a Walmart store in Hastings, Mich. last week, an anonymous donor wrote a $10,000 check to pay off 43 customers' layaway accounts.

    One woman fainted when she was told her bill was paid for. In Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., another "secret Santa" similarly requested to donate $10,000 to pay for strangers' layaway accounts at Toys R Us.

Walmart prices do tend to vary slightly by region.

Please note: 
Walmart prices do tend to vary slightly by region.

Make sure you print out a copy of the Walmart coupon policy to bring with you, especially for coupons that product overage.

Here are some of my favorite Walmart deals:
Oral-B Floss, $0.97 $1/1 
Oral-B Floss, exp. 12/31/12 (P&G 11/25/12 R) 
Total after Coupon: FREE

Colgate Manual Toothbrush, $0.94 $0.50/1 
Colgate Manual Toothbrush @Walmart printable 
Total after Coupon: $0.44 ea.

Idahoan Flavored Mashed Potatoes, $0.87 $0.55/3 Idahoan Flavored Mashed Potatoes printable 
Total after Coupon: $0.68 ea. 

 Halls Cough Drops, $1.18 $1/2 
Halls Cough Drops printable $0.50/2 
Halls Bags printable $1/2 Halls 
Single Bag, exp. 12/31/12 (SS 11/04/12) 
Total after Coupon: As low as $0.68 ea. 

Del Monte Green Beans, $0.84 $0.50/4 
Del Monte Green Beans printable 
Total after Coupon: $0.71 ea. 

Wal-Mart to oversee warehouses

  Following protests and legal issues from worker-treatment complaints at its subcontractors' warehouses, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is planning to oversee working conditions the same way it does overseas.

  Warehouses for shipping and sorting goods are oftentimes operated by subcontractors who directly employ workers, the Wall Street Journal reports. During busy seasons with additional stock and online orders, thousands of temporary workers are added.

   Withheld wages and poor working conditions were the main problems relating to warehouses where protests popped up in states including California and Illinois. Though Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) said it is the responsibility of subcontractors to follow safety and labor laws, it is crafting a system similar to the one used to oversee factories abroad to monitor its domestic branch.

Accused Walmart shoplifter chased along interstate

     Authorities say a 28-year-old Macon woman accused of stealing four televisions from a Walmart store was arrested after a chase along Interstate 75.

 Tabitha Michelle Whitehead is charged with theft by shoplifting, eluding police, reckless driving, failure to obey a traffic control device, failure to maintain lane and driving without a license.

Police responded to the department store for a call about a shoplifter around 2:40 a.m. and tried stopping the woman, who authorities say led them on a chase.

 Officials say Whitehead eventually blew a tire and was taken into custody by Monroe County deputies. Bibb County records show Whitehead is free after posting $6,283 bond. It was unclear Thursday afternoon if Whitehead had a lawyer.