Ribbon Cut On New Atmore Walmart

August 6, 2014

A new Walmart was officially opened Wednesday morning in Atmore with a brief ribbon cutting ceremony. The new store at 911 North Main Street, about 2.5 miles north of the Florida line, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“I want each and every one of y’all to know how proud we are…talking about the associates and also the customers,” Atmore Mayor Jim Staff said. “It’s just going to be nice that y’all don’t have to drive anymore. You can get it right here in Atmore, Alabama.”

“Local business owners, chamber of commerce members and the new Atmore Walmart are the community, and we know the store will be an asset to the city of Atmore,” said store manager Joe Ferguson, who  began his Walmart careeer in 1999 as a temporary hourly employee in Mobile.

The store features a full line of groceries and general merchandise categories, a garden center and a pharmacy. Unlike most Supercenter stores, the Atmore stores does not have an automotive center.

The new Atmore Walmart employees about 120 full and part-time associates. The store is smaller, prototype Supercenter. At 69,197 square feet, Atmore’s Walmart will be about one-third the size of a larger Supercenter.  By comparison, the Walmart SuperCenter on Highway 29 in Ensley comes in at 215,599 square feet, not counting the garden center and patio.

The new Walmart marks the first time a “big box” retailer has been open in Atmore; the  town’s Kmart closed over 10 years ago.

Pictured top: Atmore Mayor Jim Staff (in light color jacket) celebrates the opening of Atmore’s new Walmart as store manager Joe Ferguson cuts the ribbon. Pictured inset: Shoppers stream into the new store. Pictured below: One of the first customers to check out at the new store Wednesday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.


Comments

17 Responses to “Ribbon Cut On New Atmore Walmart”

  1. Bob Myers on August 15th, 2014 6:45 pm

    Great Store! No more driving! It is packed full everyday. Out with the old and in with the new. More will follow! Change is coming Atmore ! Embrace it.

  2. watson on August 8th, 2014 3:13 pm

    Just moved back home and was tried of driving down that road to bayminette. Now if they could just lower their taxes, even NY was 8%, Fla. 7% but Ala. 9% ,for what another unpaved road,where is the money going not to dental or medical insurance. If you don’t like the area Walmart is in too bad, keep paying that gas to the next Walmart, we won’t miss you or your money. Ha

  3. Bob on August 8th, 2014 8:32 am

    Before: Why can’t Atmore get a WalMart, we need/deserve one?
    After: Why does Atmore even need a Walmart? I’m still going to Pensacola/Bay Minette.
    And you wonder why businesses never survive in Atmore. If it wasn’t for the Poarch Creeks/casino this place would be a dust bowl. Some people are never satisfied.

  4. BammaGirl on August 8th, 2014 5:55 am

    I shopped there the first day they opened and had no trouble navigating the isles. I hated seeing they put in self check out lanes. Monroeville, AL has no self check out lanes!! A manager suggested I use the self check out and I told him I hated them. Together we rang up my purchases and he bagged them.

  5. Disappointed on August 7th, 2014 1:26 pm

    Went today and was not impressed. Aisles are way too narrow, can’t get around people standing and talking. Barely enough room to turn corners with the carts. Selection not that great either.

    I was hoping I’d finally get to keep some of my money here in Atmore, but it looks like I’ll still be going to Brewton or Pensacola.

  6. CW on August 7th, 2014 10:50 am

    @Henry

    There’s plenty of atmore tax dollars being spent in Pensacola too. Goes both ways.

  7. Amanda Jr @tate on August 7th, 2014 9:06 am

    Just what at more Alabama needs is a massive Chinese trinket store.

  8. Henry on August 7th, 2014 8:35 am

    I just want to point out that people should shop local where the can. If you live in Escambia County, Florida, and you shop in Atmore, you taking away tax revenue from your schools, your kids, your roads, etc.

    Also, don’t forget tax is 9% in Atmore, 7.5% in Florida on general merchanise. There’s NO TAX on food or medicines in Florida, so if you spend $400 a month buying food and medicine at the Atmore Walmart, you could have saved $36 in Florida.

  9. Mark S. on August 7th, 2014 8:33 am

    Went Wednesday. I knew it would be busy, and it was. But honestly, I think I spent more time trying to get around Walmart “suits” that I did shopping. There were Walmart manager looking employees standing everywhere in the aisles and they just wouldn’t move. Stood in line for 20 minutes (I expected some wait since it was opening day). The problem? The credit card machine was down in that line. Why could they have not posted a sign or told people to use another line?

    Oh well. Hope they get the kinks worked out and send the Walmart suits home. I bet the hometown folks can run it better than all the city Walmart managers. Good luck!

  10. Harvey on August 7th, 2014 8:17 am

    Is in one of the worse parts of town they could find,,, No way would I park my car there unattened,, Atmore no more needed this store than it need anther prison 6 miles down the road,, I will continue to do my shopping in Brewton or Bay Minette’s Wal Mart,

  11. Ulysses Everette McGill on August 7th, 2014 7:33 am

    So what? It’s a walmart? Atmore finally made it into the 20th century.

  12. Ralph on August 7th, 2014 2:20 am

    Say good by to Winn Dixie and any local bakery. The newspaper will hurt also because Walmart does not advertise in the local paper.

  13. linda on August 6th, 2014 3:32 pm

    It is about time to get a walmart up here was so sick if driving to the pensacola store this will be so convienant!!!

  14. 429SCJ on August 6th, 2014 3:04 pm

    It appeared to be a better organized and laid out store. The staff was helpful and the complimentary Cheetos as provided by Cheesy Cheeta (?) were good.

    I wonder if Atmore PD will be able to sustain todays level of LE presence 24/7.

    I also wonder if Atmore has a private security company?

  15. William on August 6th, 2014 11:39 am

    >The picture shown on this article at the bottom, has clothes in the back ground. Is this a photo of Atmore’s store or another one? Thought it was groceries only

    The photos are from Atmore’s store this morning.

    “The store features a full line of groceries and general merchandise categories, a garden center and a pharmacy. ”

    It’s a smaller than normal Supercenter with a little bit of almost everything found in a regular Supercenter.

  16. North end resident on August 6th, 2014 11:32 am

    The picture shown on this article at the bottom, has clothes in the back ground. Is this a photo of Atmore’s store or another one? Thought it was groceries only… I’m confused!!!

  17. 429SCJ on August 6th, 2014 8:49 am

    Let the games begin.

    On my way to Oak Hill, will certainly stop in and access the surroundings.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News