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An army in blue vests
By ANNE LINDBERG
© St. Petersburg Times, PINELLAS PARK -- The cluster of people in blue vests moved in unison: Stomp, stomp! Clap, clap! Then, the shouted grunt: "UNH!" followed by "GOOD AFTERNOON, PAT!" The scene plays out daily in Wal-Marts nationwide as new shifts come on duty. The pep talk and team meeting gives managers a chance to energize their workers and to hand out assignments. This team has a special charge: the debut of south Pinellas County's first Wal-Mart supercenter. Doors open at 8 a.m. Oct. 24. The staff had spent the previous weeks essentially building the store from scratch: assembling counters; placing and plugging in cash registers; and unpacking, shelving and pricing the merchandise. On Friday, store manager Pat Riley gathered the troops. He praised some individuals by name for noticing problems and coming up with solutions.
"You guys are the idea generators," Riley said. The store "reflects your personality." If that's the case, shoppers can expect this store to mirror employees who are eager, if a little nervous, to be starting on a new venture. "(It's) a little scary, but I love it," Judy Eddy said. "It gives you chills just to walk in and see it. . . . We all love our new Wal-Mart." Eddy has worked with the existing Pinellas Park Wal-Mart since 1990. The more than 300 employees from that store, about a half-mile north of the supercenter, will move to the new location when it opens. They'll be joined by more than 300 new employees, for a total work force in excess of 700, many of whom are from Pinellas Park. Eddy was one of the first employees to come over to the new store to help prepare it for opening. When she first stepped inside, it was 226,000 square feet of open space. "It was like a big skating rink," she said. "We built it from scratch." In 1998, the discount giant first tried to open its supercenter in St. Petersburg's Lakewood neighborhood. Citing traffic and environmental concerns, neighborhood activists killed the idea. Early in 1999, Wal-Mart tried to more than double the size of the existing Pinellas Park store at 8900 U.S. 19 N. The retailer would have to take over 11 adjacent acres, but six of those acres were zoned for preservation because they contained wetlands. Pinellas Park neighbors complained about traffic, noise and environmental preservation. Residents of the Mainlands, which is across from the store, wanted the store built.
Wal-Mart ultimately withdrew the proposal. Soon after, Wal-Mart representatives submitted the third proposal: a supercenter at 7901 U.S. 19 N, then the site of the 12-screen Movies at Pinellas Park and the Drive-In Ministries next door. Neighbors liked it. The fruit of that success soon will be on view, 24 hours a day. Shoppers will have a different Wal-Mart experience from the one they've grown accustomed to. There are wider aisles with benches where people can rest or perhaps decide on a Halloween costume. Reptile? Or ninja? The full-service grocery will offer bread baked in the store, rotisserie chicken and ready-to-serve meals. At the front are smaller stores within the store: a hairdresser, a florist, a portrait studio, a pharmacy, a vision center, a branch of the Teachers Credit Union, and a McDonald's. The shopper can leave his car at the tire and lube express and, on the way out, stop for gas. Rita Bott, executive director of the Pinellas Park/Mid-County Chamber of Commerce, said she has heard some concerns that maybe the discount giant and its varied offerings will hurt other local businesses. But those concerns, she said, have been few. The majority of business people, she said, are as excited about the opening as are members of the public. Likewise, some are worried about traffic. Ralph Beck, a Mainlands resident, said he's especially concerned about 40th Street N and Gateway Boulevard. Most Mainlanders will use 40th Street to get to the store and that intersection is already difficult. Beck wants a four-way stop sign. "Does it not make sense to correct the problem before residents are hurt or killed?" he asked. Pinellas Park traffic supervisor Tom Nicholls said the intersection has to meet certain requirements to merit a four-way stop. Thus far, it does not. But he agreed that the intersection and U.S. 19 and Gandy Boulevard, where traffic already backs up, need monitoring. Once the store opens and officials can get a more accurate sense of the traffic, changes may occur there and elsewhere.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
