Ugh. I agree it’s really limited but it was so nice to stop in for non grocery items without having to drive all the way up to Pittsburgh Mills.

Yeah, it definitely wasn't that great of a store and I don't really care for Walmart in general, but it absolutely served a purpose for that area. I'm not sure what could be interested in taking that store space too. There is a Target not that far from there already, and the days of smaller regional discount department store chains like Ames has been over for 20 years now.

I don't think I've ever heard about a Walmart closing before. Though I'm sure it's not the first time it's happened in SWPA

Probably Spirit Halloween next year 😂 😭

Oof. I don’t shop at Walmart very often but when I did, it was here. Closest one by a decent margin, and even then it was not that close.

The real reason is theft.
A friends wife works there and the theft is insane.

What's nearby now, I think a Ross? So probably another one of those types... Marshalls, TJ Maxx, etc. At least that would give an option for some basic housewares. Wouldn't be a bad spot for an Ollies.

Not a huge fan of Walmart either but sorry to see it go, it was convenient although I haven't lived/worked in that area for half a decade now.

Usually they close because they are opening a much bigger one across the street

I think there's already a TJ Maxx and Marshalls at that mall, unless they've closed in the nearly 5 years since I frequented that area. Ollie's would be a good thing to have there I think.

Yeah, I can only imagine what it’s like now but back in 2014 this Walmart used more anti theft measures than any store I had ever seen. They were removing security tags from everything including plastic bins

Does that mean they’ll have a closing sale?

Maybe if it's still empty 🤣. I just remembered that there's also a Target in Harmar as well, if it's fine that it's not Walmart for a discount chain!

My suspicion is that they would have kept it if there was space to convert to a "super Walmart" with larger grocery selection... they've been moving away from stores that have limited space. Usually it's just a move right down the road but probably not an option for this one.

Not too surprised to hear that.

I wouldn't expect anything big from what I've heard. They'll just send any unsold inventory to other nearby stores.

A few years ago the one in Robinson started locking up their men's underwear shortly after implementing the self-checkout lane. Bonkers. Like I'm not even going to look at electronics in a Walmart because you can never find an associate to unlock the case for you, I'm most certainly not going to deal with the hassle of doing that for a 5 pack of Hanes.

I'm sure Walmart has a formula of shrinkage vs staffing where it's still in their favor to let people walk off with stuff. Sounds like this store tipped the scale too far.

Exactly, I guess I meant that I've never heard of Walmart pulling out of an area like this

Yeah, I don't drive and this was an accessible destination where I could pick up generic dry goods. I just took a trip out there, which I do about every six weeks. The E Liberty Target isn't nearly as convenient. Sad, but oh well.

...crap

given that the 2 locations closest to the city, Carnegie and Waterworks, have been in the state they’ve been in for… years? I cannot say I’m surprised, especially when all of the Targets seem to be pushing updates

My money’s on Homegoods or Going! Going! Gone! for that space.

Neither of those would be a bad idea

[deleted]

Yep the fact that this store was on the 91 busline made it very easily accessible to Lawrenceville. All I can hope for is something else useful to go into that space.

a Going going one would be amazing there

Or a really, really big vape smoke shop.

They might be in talks to develop a store nearby but the info isn’t public yet.

There is a Target up the street, however critically it is not on a bus line. This Walmart seemed to be a solid location for folks to access without needing their own transport.

Edited! Didn't realize the Target is on the bus line, although it's probably an extra transfer away now for most folks.

Marshall’s is already in that plaza.

Looking at it on Google Maps, it 's not nearly as large as I thought. Looks like the square footage is about the same as that of the Giant Eagle in the same plaza.

The problem I'm having is that I'm picturing like 10 different plazas in my mind and trying to remember which is where (without pulling up a map). I should have just pulled up the map. lol thanks. I usually stop by that area when I go to the Aspinwall VA but I haven't been there since pre-pandemic.

Dollar General bought the property.

Both still there, next door to each other, over by the book store.

My thought also, can’t remember seeing one close.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Aldi moved in. that plaza is unusually far away from the nearest store for as high traffic as it is, they’re pretty aggressive about expansion and probably don’t like how much area Giant Eagle’s getting to itself there.

The giant eagle by my house puts anti theft tags on their hoagies. It’s insane.

That Walmart got so much ire from the locals when it went in. Everyone I grew up around liked to say that as soon as it went in crime a the mall went straight up. We'll see how things go now that it'll be gone.

The narrative will probably flip back to it being a bussing problem.

They’d have to split the building, bc Aldi only needs about 1/4th that space.

The West Mifflin Walmart has the underwear locked up too

That whole shopping center is like that I’m guessing. I used to go to Ichiban a lot when I lived down there, and it’s the only place I’ve ever eaten where I’ve watched at least five groups I can remember get caught trying to skip out on their bill.

Still a bummer, but isn’t there a giant Eagle, another grocery store the next plaza down, as well as like 5 clothing stores? Nothing really is being lost that isn’t able to be found in that area. Plus something similar gonna love in.

Theres an Ollie's a few miles away where the old Kmart was on Route 8.

I think they should just put a Best Buy In there.

I remember not everyone was thrilled in that area about a Walmart being next door when it opened.

Eh, that building is way too large for an Aldi.

Thought so. They've been there forever

theres also a target in harmarville on the bus line

I heard Fischer's Big Wheel is moving in

So it's interesting they've been moving away from stores with limited space in some places but in other places they now have neighborhood markets which are like small grocery stores with a few other odds and ends.

Putting it lightly

I’m honestly surprised it lasted this long. That area is pretty snooty (from what I remember anyway) and a lot of people weren’t pleased with the Walmart since it made the plaza “less desirable”.

>in other places they now have neighborhood markets which are like small grocery stores with a few other odds and ends.

I haven't seen that. Walmart? Good business move if they're doing that now. Sounds like the Dollar General model.

Holy cow, what store?

I believe only the 1 goes out to that Target, so those in the city who would have taken the 91 or 75 would have to transfer to get out to that Target.

Ahhh... Remember when Hills closed and turned into Ames?

Ahhh... Remember when Ames closed and turned into WalMart?

Ahhh... Remember when WalMart closes? I wonder what it'll be next.

Ya visited some friends recently in Myrtle Beach and they have quite a few.

Aldi

This Walmart looks vintage af inside

Build a Bear

I didn’t even know it was there. I would have frequented it had I known…

Nope, the parcel is still owned by Wal Mart Corporate

I remember a lot of people hated how it was inside from the day it opened.

The only thing missing is getting free smiley face stickers when you walk in

It's crazy to think of but when I was born in the early 90s, Walmart wasn't even in Pittsburgh and was barely in the Northeast before its presence exploded throughout the 90s and early 2000s. I'm old enough to remember when it was Kmart, Hills, and Ames for the discount chains of choice here.

Sale starts monday

[removed]

Fun fact: according to wikipedia, a few days ago on October 19th was the 20th anniversary of Ames shutting down all of its stores.

We actually really need this, since Bed, Bath and Beyond closed over the pandemic. I need a good place for towels and bedding

Giant Eagle fights to keep other grocers out, that’s why the Walmart there never had full groceries. I’d love a Trader Joe’s

That’s intentional. Giant Eagle kept them small they have some ownership control over the plaza and work hard to keep other supermarkets away. If they’re leaving finally it’s because GE kept them small and unprofitable

It was already considered a discount mall with TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Ross. Never really upscale like ones in Cranberry

The 1 goes to the Target in Harmar. It is 100% on the bus line.

That store used to be an Ames back in the day.

Harmar Target just had a huge renovation.. so it's apparently doing great.

Thunderdome style please...

Six mattress stores enter one mattress store leaves.

Not enough business? Really? The parking lot is jammed when I visit.

Target knows how to do a nicer shopping experience

I'm old enough to remember when it was. These days, Walmart prefers Supercenters or their Neighborhood format places over spaces of this size in the middle too.

yup they have non-competes in their leases. sometimes they don’t get re-upped but it’s definitely a blocker in many areas.

Respectfully, please don’t get personally offended … over a Walmart. 😂 I mean old and dingy and out of date, very small grocery sections.

Frankstown and Verona road. Border between homewood and Penn hills.

Down bad for a Chick-fil-A, mini/market Walmart, Nike store a lot closer to downtown ;)

So today? Or next week?

Can we get Hills back now?

Next week. Walmarts rarely close but when they do, the entire store gets written off as a loss and everything starts at 25% off and will eventually go to 50 the last week or so. Least that’s what happened back in 2016 when I was working there.

I loved that place as a kid! It's a shame mid-sized regional discount chains like that don't really exist anymore.

I foolishly got a cheese and meat plate thing from the grocery area in September, and grabbed one while in a rush, and the one I purchased was in the front, and it's sell by date was in 2020. I knew that place had to have been suffering for a looong time. I hope they replace it with something better maintained!

RIP - We are officially old.

Recently I was doing some home renovations and was replacing a light switch. . . The old one still had a Fischer's Big Wheel price tag on it.

It reminded me of a Kmart

Those stores are for higher economic areas, they'd never build there.

And pier one :(

[deleted]

good.

This is bad news for folks like me that don't drive. There's still a Giant Eagle at Waterworks, but their prices have gotten ridiculously expensive.

Damn, really? Wow I’m actually surprised. Maybe those folks just didn’t like Walmart 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

It' the absolute worst Wal-mart. Good riddance! Hope something cool moves in.

I liked Hills but to be honest I always just wanted to go to Service Merchandise next door. Something about just writing down what you wanted and having it come down the conveyor after you paid was intriguing to young me

When you realize just how old you are (I'm 41)... I remember going there as Hills and Zares (or Zales my ancient brain can't rember exactly) and if they didn't have what mom needed it was off to phar-mor we walk

[removed]

I recently just moved to butler county. I have according to Google maps, 9 DG stores within 6.7 miles of my house 2 of them are 1.8 miles exactly from house !!

I hope!

With the mills a few exits up 28 they may just be cutting thier losses unless going somewhere in sharpsburg or etna maybe but don't know where enough available land is besides the old forms and surfaces warehouse that been up for sale

[removed]

I know one thing - when prices drop to 25-90% off that week, it will be like Mad TJ Maxx. I cannot wait.

[removed]

Hill’s. Full circle.

Wonder why they would close at the very start of their busiest time of year? I mean, why not wait till at least Jan 1st?

So they don't have to hire the help and bring in holiday inventory.

I vaguely remember that place, not as well as Hills though.

At least there's Marshalls, Ross, and TJ Maxx for clothes at a decent price. I agree though that the prices at Market District are obscene for even basic goods compared to Walmart

Amazing throwback find

Hopefully that mall is slightly less of a zoo this holiday season without Walmart there.

The Aldi in Peters Township was built in a portion of an old KMart. The rest of the old KMart still exists / is attached to it.

Wegmans!!!!!!

It's not the Tennant we need, it's the Tennant we deserve.

As someone who works at the mills

Fuck

Pharmore about to make a come back, let's just hope Little Caesers next door finally makes a pizza worth the $5 they charge.

No they don't.

Wegners!

Wasn't it Zayres? I don't remember one being at that location -- I only remember Hills -- but I think that was the name of the chain.

Lolol, but really we need a Wegmans or some other competition to Giant Eagle.

I worked there as a temp and that was a shady back door Walmart in many ways

More than once, I've emailed Trader Joe's and recommended the vacant Community Market in the next plaza over on Freeport. No response. The rumor I heard is that Giant Eagle bought the space for the express purpose of keeping competition out, which wouldn't surprise me much.

For a while, Fresh Market was planning to open a branch there. It's a Whole Foods-type organic food market; the existing local store is by the Galleria in Mt. Lebanon. They eventually backed out.

A Trader Joe's on that side of the river would be fantastic. More likely, they'd plunk another Aldi in there, but it's just been sitting there empty for years now.

Jokes on you it’ll be another Upmc building

I miss Phar More! But the owner or majority stockholder (I forget which) went to court over unpaid taxes or something shady financially.

I never thought the number of bars and churches in rural PA could be topped... but DG was like "hold my beer!"

That’s my Walmart - Carnegie - it’s busy all the time! The parking lot is a nightmare. Hopefully, they will be able to figure something out with the lot and exiting there.

Downtown Target: and where did that bring you?

Back to me.

Too much theft.

Hell yeah, boost up the surrounding community.

:( i always ride 91 up there and relive my (middle of nowhere) childhood and walk around Walmart. I will miss that nostalgia sanctuary.

Fuck the Gumbergs

https://www.wtae.com/amp/article/carnegie-mellon-ira-gumberg-resigns-sexual-misconduct-allegations/37211797

https://paydayreport.com/cmu-board-member-ira-gumberg-resigns-following-sexual-misconduct-inquiry/

I drove from Pittsburgh up to Maine on all non highway roads last autumn. There were so many Dollar Generals.

Nah, neighborhood markets appear in hyper-low-income areas all the time in the Southeast.

Holy shit!

That or an auto parts store

In nice suburbs the Neighborhood Walmart format is quite excellent. Everything you’d have at a normal grocery, wide selection of home supplies like cleaning supplies, pharmacy and beauty.. all at the expected low Walmart prices.

I always wondered why this watermarks WM didn’t get turned into a neighborhood WM but I guess the GE lease exclusivity situation someone mentioned above is probably why

Oh lord, can rt 50 handle that kind of traffic? It's already a goddamn clusterfuck trying to get in and out of there.

My mom was a Hills stores manager when I was little. Now it's a Roses. I miss Phar-Mor & Kmart too!

TIL Waterworks is not in Aspinwall

I’m hoping Meijer comes to Pittsburgh eventually. They’ve come as far east as Youngstown / Cleveland.

Maybe they could buyout the Ford dealership and McDonald’s to reconfigure the entryway / light?

They also have what I like to call the prison gates at the entrance which don’t let you go back out through the entrance should you not find what you’re looking for.

I think the plaza will be missing electronics, hardware, automotive, and general household items as categories.

Nothing in Cranberry is upscale. It’s like five versions of the same plaza as Waterworks. They have Ross and Marshall’s too.

That’ll actually hurt the smaller retailers and restaurants since they won’t have one of the two anchors open.

That is the worst "Target" on yhe planet. It's a glorified CVS.

The smokers outside + the synthetic retail fume wafting out the front door = the exact smell of Dart Drugs in Rockville, MD circa 1979. 🎯 (It's where I bought JAWS 2 trading cards on the way to school. ⚡️🦈⛵️🚁)

Definitely the worst Walmart around

Yes we do. Bad.

I think of that plaza as about 10 different plazas because it's loooooong.

Oh ghod yes! Signed, Michigan girl

There's a Chik-fil-A one plaza down from that Wal-Mart.

Is that the one that has all merchandise over $10 locked up in glass showcases? And no one to open the showcases. I walked around for awhile searching for an employee -- I had wanted some socks -- but eventually gave up, went home and ordered them from Amazon.

It was always a weird experience shopping in there. Gonna miss it though

They are building one in Midway, FFS! I am stoked. Between it and Amazon, I will never have to go to town again ...

Huh? 🤔

[deleted]

What "city limits"?

Def one of the worst.

bring back Hills!

I've been in a Meijer once, and it was definitely way larger than what the soon to be vacant space in the Waterworks offers. I didn't realize they were now in Youngstown and so close to Pennsylvania. Though I guess if BJ's found two places to put their large warehouse stores this year, so could Meijer.

The City of Pittsburgh? The Waterworks Mall is part of the city.

Right? I don’t like having to go far out of town. It’s too much of a hassle.

Down south, like Biloxi and panhandle Florida, they have Walmart Neighborhood Markets. Instead of a full blown store, it's like our Get Go Marketplace. Gas and almost an entire food section compared to a normal Walmart, but the other half is minimal housing and vehicle sections. It was our place to shop while visiting family down there. I don't understand why we're lacking places like that up here. Especially within the city limits. Edit, spelling

Giant Eagle owned the space already, leasing it out to the Community Market, through their Echo Realty division. Giant Eagle was also the distributor for the store, so they made money through wholesaling and rent.

You ain’t kidding there. That’s so bad now. Can’t even comprehend what that will be like after it turns into a super Walmart.

YES! Look at 50 down the bottom of the hill in Bridgeville. That is only getting worse.