The big new Wal-Mart opened July 17 with Mayor Tim (“I didn’t think they were serious about coming here”) Kant doing the official honors. He showed little animation and even less enthusiasm for the gig. Maybe he really didn’t want to be there, welcoming a store that threatens his hometown, but hard to tell with Mayor Tim. Except for recent Finance Committee meetings, I can’t recall ever seeing him get too excited over anything – except maybe lunch.
Anyhow the much reviled store is open. Biggest Wal-Mart in all of Alabama. Only one of its kind east of California according to their corporate flack. And even on the left coast, there’s just one like we got, here in little old Fairhope. Maybe this hints of things to come. Maybe we should start worrying about Californication in Fairhope. Maybe a good campaign issue for the dozen or so folks who are considering a run against Mayor Tim. “Who’s going to protect our fair city from Big-Box Californicators? I will. Kant can’t – he stood by and let Wal-Mart in.” Maybe something like that.
But I digress. Wal-Mart is open and the world as Fairhopeans knew it did not end – couldn’t even find evidence of Californicating anywhere in or around town. At high noon on opening day, traffic flowed past the new store without a delay anywhere. Although there were about 500 cars in the lot with much coming and going, traffic at the adjacent intersection of Fairhope Avenue and AL 181 looked just like it has since I got here six years ago. There were new signal lights sequencing in fine order and left turn lanes relieving clogs as intended. And if you didn’t look too close, you could pretend that the tiny Fairhope Farmer’s Market was still there – instead of the biggest Big-box store in the state.
Inside things were going smoothly too. Good lighting, muted colors, attractive displays and – mother of all surprises – lots of sales people to assist customers. How Un-Wal-Marty. It was so pleasant that I can’t believe it can possibly continue – especially with Wal-Mart’s penny-pinching, low-overhead (and even lower levels of customer service) reputation. But there it was – so enjoy while you can, customer-people. It all could, and likely will, end tomorrow, poof – up in smoke (allegorically, not literally).
But let’s for just a moment assume that the Bentonville Behemoth can sustain this opening peak – a bright and shining store, with attractively displayed goods and customer-focused sales people. And done without giving up low prices. What would that mean to Fairhope? Would downtown close – boarded up like getting ready for a re-run of Ivan, but not even in hurricane season?
I think not. First, because the vast majority of stores in Fairhope – especially in the historic downtown area – offer virtually nothing in common with Wal-Mart. Antiques – no. Custom-made jewelry – no. Designer clothing, fine art, interior decoration – no, no and no. And the list could go on
But there sure could be some spots really hurting. Like grocery stores. Winn-Dixie, and Bruno’s and Food World all work to give the customer something they can’t get at Wal-Mart, ‘cause they can’t go head-to-head on price with the big-box folks – at least not for the long haul.
The problem is that this new Wal-Mart changes the whole proposition. Their big new store is more attractive, its people are more helpful and the experience is just generally more pleasant than what these nearby little stores are currently offering. There is the potential for a siphoning off of customers from most of the existing Fairhope grocery stores – except one: Greer’s. By good planning or good luck, the renovation and repositioning of the store on Section Street has moved them up-scale and furthest away from direct competition with Wal-Mart. Good move, guys. You’re in a niche that is virtually out of Wal-Mart’s reach, just like most of your downtown neighbors.
Not so for another category: hardware. The local stores have already taken a hit from Home Depot and even Lowe’s, but were still winning on proximity. Right here in town – or just up the road a piece on the southern edge of Daphne. But now Wal-Mart is just about as close and Ace might not be the place anymore, unless you want lumber or serious building materials.
Grubby stores, quirky stock and indifferent service isn’t going to keep customers coming in. But just like Greer’s among the grocers, there is an exception in the hardware department – Fairhope Hardware. I won’t even try to guess their business model. Nobody really competes with them because nobody offers the Fairhope-specific, idiosyncratic goods they carry. Even if Wal-Mart tried they couldn’t compete with the folks at Fairhope Hardware.
And that’s both my message and warning. Fairhope business people, if you and Wal-Mart are in a similar business segment – if you’re both fighting for the same customers with similar products, you better come up with some real appealing “attractors” because you can’t compete with them on price – and right now you can’t on other valued attributes either. Like attractive stores, useful hours (are you open when people who work aren’t working?), desirable goods and helpful help.
Of course if you’re fortunate, like most of your fellow Fairhope merchants, you are in a whole ‘nother business from the mass-merchandise, commodity-priced proposition that Wal-Mart is built on.
Wal-Mart out east of town will have its impact, but fundamentally Fairhope will remain Fairhope. But if you really want something to worry about, think about the assumptions of population growth that caused Wal-Mart to put the largest store in Alabama on the doorstep of a city of just 16,000 residents.
Contact Pete Gleszer at jubilee@lagniappemobile.com.
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