rwsandiego wrote:Thank you storewanderer and arizonaguy. Definitely checking the area out on my way home today.
Does anyone know whether the Walmart at Southern and Rural in Tempe started out as something else and, if so, what it was? The ceilings are very low and the building just doesn't look like something Walmart would build.
Thanks again
The Phoenix area has two Walmart Supercenters built as something else. I believe the rest were built as Walmarts (although some of the Neighborhood Markets were other grocers).
Southern / Rural was originally a Mervyn's...
Thank you! I can totally see that location being a Mervyn's. Walmart - not so much.
That store is a money printing machine for Walmart due to its proximity to the ASU campus.
It's pretty telling that this store was the first Phoenix area store (that I'm aware of) that has Walmart's newest decor package.
It does seem to have an abbreviated general merchandise mix due to its small size.
For those who want photos, I've got some photos from a recent trip to that store:
It also resembles a wider than normal version of one of the older (non-super) Walmart designs as well (what would have been considered a "standard" Walmart in the later 1990's).
storewanderer wrote:Looks more like a Shopko on the exterior than a Mervyns... didn't know Shopko operated in Arizona back that far.
Not my photo but here's a link:
Sorry, folks, but arizonaguy is correct - it was a Mervyn's. Walmart's address is 800 E Southern Rd. A search on "Mervyn's Tempe Arizona Locations" shows a store at the same address.
I like the new interior package. Much cleaner looking than the blue and grey.
