Wal-Mart plaza opens on Howell Mill Road

Students searching for low prices close by found a new option this week as the Wal-Mart plaza opened near campus beside the Kroger on Howell Mill Road. The grand opening took place Oct. 18 with Tech's Glee Club performing in the ceremony.

The plaza is located between the Kroger plaza and Interstate 75. The Wal-Mart itself is behind the Kroger shopping center, with the other stores of the complex to the east, closer to the interstate.

Hoping to make a positive impression with its first store in the city, Wal-Mart enlisted feedback and support from local community groups to ensure this store would meet the needs of the neighborhood. The results included recommendations for store design, layout and merchandise mix. For example, the color and design elements of the façade and exterior were created to blend in with local architecture. The earth tones and terra cotta were also incorporated in areas throughout the store's interior.

The store will be open from 6 a.m. until midnight seven days a week. Store features include a full line of groceries, bakery goods, deli foods, frozen foods, meat and dairy products and fresh produce, apparel and accessories, jewelry, health and beauty aids, full line of electronics, one-hour photo lab, pharmacy, vision center, beer and wine sales, Subway restaurant, bakery food island for prepared dinners and a Wal-Mart Connect Center.

The store will have in-store designs and features currently being introduced by Wal-Mart this year, including wider aisles, new home trends displays, new in-store signage and concrete and hardwood laminate floors throughout. In addition, customers will find new merchandise in the expanded electronics department showcasing the latest in computers, iPods and hi-definition televisions, and new brands in apparel.

Wal-Mart is on street level with a three story parking deck next to it. The top level of the parking deck serves as the parking, roads and pedestrian causeways for the other stores in the complex. The store is attempting to reach out to the communities in the area, including the Tech community.

"We have Tech merchandise. Right now we have hats, but we are looking to get sweats in for men and boys. Students have been interested in the appliances and the bed and bath area, so we are trying to keep those stocked to meet the students' needs," said Jesse Williams, co-manager of the Howell Mill Wal-Mart.

According to Williams, the biggest draw for Tech students is the prices Wal-Mart offers and the ability to buy items cheaply.

"When I was in college, I was interested in low priced stuff to put in my dorm room," Williams said.

Due to the cold weather an item that has been popular with students, as well as other shoppers, has been space heaters. "Right now Tech students are a part of the shoppers who are buying all the heaters. We have been selling a lot of heaters recently," Williams said.

According to Williams, Wal-Mart is dedicated to meeting the needs of all its customers, to include those from Tech. "If there is anything that the students do not find in the store and think they need, they should come by and let us know. We are constantly trying to satisfy all of their shopping needs," Williams said.

Wal-Mart is not the only store in the plaza. Accompanying the superstore is an Office Depot, Petsmart, Ross's, along with other stores. Some commercial spaces have not been inhabited yet.

In order to give back to the community The Atlanta-area stores will donate a combined total of $134,000 to 39 local civic organizations. The new Supercenters will also provide community grants throughout the year to neighborhood organizations.

Student opinion over a Wal-Mart opening inside the perimeter is mixed. Most students like cheap things, but are sometimes turned off by the negativity associated with Wal-Mart.

"I think that it's a good addition to our Institute because it has resources for students," said Nash Ditmetaroj, a first-year Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering student.

"It's not a good idea because the quality of its products aren't up to the standard that Georgia Tech students expect," said Anand Nallathambi, a first-year Aerospace Engineering student.

"I think the students will take advantage of it. I think they did a good job incorporating it into the city and giving it a metropolitan look," said Greg Ashworth, a fifth-year Civil Engineering student.

"Personally I'm not too fond of big business but I'll make an exception because I'm a college student and I like things that are cheap and convenient," said Sorabh Gupta, a first-year Aerospace Engineering student.