Submission: New Wal-Mart would benefit Chinatown community

By Steven V. Restivo

About a year ago, we announced plans to open a 33,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market on the ground floor of a senior housing complex in downtown Los Angeles, near Chinatown. The store would offer full-service grocery – addressing a well-known local need – and revitalize a decades-old empty building.

While this news was met with enthusiasm by many who live and work in the area, some continue to try using the cultural integrity of the area as an excuse to oppose new economic development opportunities for downtown. In a recent Opinion piece on Feb. 7, “Addition of Wal-Mart to Chinatown would compromise the area’s cultural integrity,” the writer appears to be passionate about her beliefs; she also recycles many of the same urban myths that have been put forth (and discounted) by local special interest groups.

Passion is one thing, and facts are another.

The truth is that the downtown residents here just don’t have as many shopping options as those who live in other parts of the city. They’ve told us that they are increasingly concerned about the negative ripple effects that vacant buildings can have on a community, like crime, blight and decreased foot traffic for nearby businesses.

Many think Wal-Mart can help spark a turnaround.

That’s why our plans to open a Neighborhood Market have received strong support from organizations such as the Tenant Association of Grand Plaza, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Central City Association, the Latino Business Chamber, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the Asian Business Association, the Chinatown Business Improvement District and others.

These groups are among those who recognize the cultural integrality of downtown, but also see the need for development like our store that can serve as a magnet for future real estate growth.

From a jobs perspective, here’s what our critics don’t get that our customers and our associates already know: Entry-level jobs often lead to bigger jobs. Our average, hourly full-time wage in the state is $12.89. At Walmart you can climb the ladder from a stocker to a department manager to a store manager and beyond. About 75 percent of our store management started as hourly associates, and they earn between $50,000 and $170,000 a year.

Depending on the time of year, there are between 15,000 and 50,000 job postings at Wal-Mart. In fact, every year at Wal-Mart we promote about 170,000 people to jobs with more responsibility and higher pay.

At Wal-Mart, our jobs offer quarterly bonus or incentive programs based on the performance of their store – through the first three quarters, hourly associates received more than $550 million in quarterly bonuses; a health care plan that starts at $17 per pay period available to both full- and part-time associates; a 401k plan with a company match; and a discount card that lets them save 10 percent on regularly priced general merchandise, fresh fruits and vegetables at any Wal-Mart store.

For these reasons and others, we have more than a quarter million associates that have been with the company for 10 years or more. Last year we received more than 5 million applications to come work in our stores. Of those hired last year, 20 percent were rehires, meaning they worked for Wal-Mart, left, but came back because they wanted to work for us again.

While our downtown L.A. store remains on track to open later this year, it’s clear we’re already having an impact.

Our hiring center has received more than 3,200 applications for about 65 jobs, and according to Kevin Chiang of Grand Plaza Commercial Management, “News of Wal-Mart coming here has helped attract other businesses to our property. I’m now in final talks on two new leases and a third lease potentially on its way, which is good for Grand Plaza and good for the residents of Bunker Hill and Chinatown.”

We look forward to soon opening our doors and providing the community what they have wanted all along: a new choice for their grocery shopping needs.

Steven V. Restivo is senior director of community affairs for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.