Scott Swanson
Of The New Era
Dave and Barbara Heagy of Brownsville were among the first customers to check out the new Wal-Mart Superstore that opened July 20 on Highway 20 in Lebanon.
?It?s wonderful,? Dave Heagy said as his wife looked over the displays of glassware. ?There?s lots of selection for almost everything we?ve looked at. I?m sure it?ll be a hit. There are a lot of people here today.?
The 188,000-square-foot store opened to a crowd of eager shoppers who crowded into the foyer area while the managerial staff and associates engaged in some spirit-building cheers, led by Lebanon High School cheerleaders. At 8 a.m. the ribbon was cut and the shoppers swarmed into the store to check out the merchandise and the bargains.
Some shoppers spent the night outside the store, hoping for a chance at tickets to the Sweet Home Jamboree that were awarded to those first through the doors.
Chris Kropf, 18, of Lebanon, said he arrived at 11 p.m. on Tuesday with his friends Trent Killgo and Brian Sears. The trio brought a barbecue and had a good night waiting through the night, Kropf said.
But they were at the wrong door, Kropf said. When managers opened another door first, the teens were left to claim grab bags of housewares instead of big-ticket prizes. Still, they appeared to be enjoying themselves as they inspected their gifts and checked out the store.
The new store was ?overwhelming,? said Deborah Brewer, who said she lives within walking distance of the giant building. ?Just the size. And it?s new.?
The store is twice the size of the old Wal-Mart a block to the west, which is 94,000 square feet, said Manager Brian Bradley. Bradley said he moved to Lebanon four months ago from Pendleton, where he managed another Wal-Mart Superstore.
Features added to the new store include a full-service tire and lube express, full-service nursery, bakery and produce sections, a McDonalds restaurant, portrait studio, hair salon, vision center and Family Fun Center (video games), he said.
Martha Wells of Sweet Home said the size of the store makes it ?kind of neat.?
?There?s lots of selection,? she said. ?I think I?m going to like the oil change (service). It?s $20.?
The store employs 420 people ? roughly 40 more than the old store, Bradley said. More than 70 percent of those are full-time employees, he said.
Gayle Davis, of Sweet Home, said she appreciates the store?s prices and selection.
?Living on disability and child-support payments, this is where I can afford to shop,? Davis said. Her daughter Lacey, 19, is a checker at the store.
Rose Kilpatrick, also of Sweet Home, shopping with her daughters Amanda and Sarah, said she likes the size of the store too.
?It?s a little closer to Sweet Home,? she joked. ?I think parking will be a lot better here.?