Students respond to Wal-mart’s move into neighborhood

September 17, 2008
By Brittney Meyer
Student Life Reporter

Photo by David Clary

The oft-attacked retail juggernaut, Wal-Mart, has sprouted another store just two miles from campus. Known for its low prices, abundance of services and convenient hours, the thought of having a Wal-mart nearby seemed like a convenience for many students when the idea was first brought up in the spring.

Now, with the new center being located in such proximity to UIS, students no longer need to get lost in the bordering road of Springfield, traveling to the heavily- trafficked west side of town, spending frozen pizza money on fuel and wasting precious minutes with the drive itself.

However, now that Wal-mart has opened for business, do UIS students prefer it to other establishments? According to Ruth (Annie) Littrell, an art major, “I don’t like the new Wal-mart. It is bigger, but they have gotten rid of somethings that I looked for there. Their variety isn’t what it used to be.”

Santosh Chittegoppe, an English major, echoes the sentiment. “I do not like the Wal-mart,” he said. “It makes buying stuff faster, but I don’t know if it is necessarily good for campus. It doesn’t increase campus life.”

Matt Johnson, a communication major, takes a different perspective. “I love the new Walmart,” he said. “Meijer still has better sales, but gas prices make me go to Wal-mart because it’s so convenient.”