Before last week, students living on the Tempe campus were more than two miles from the nearest Wal-Mart and Target and at least a mile from a grocery store.
This changed on May 15, when Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., opened Wal-Mart on Campus in the Vista del Sol plaza on East Apache Boulevard and Paseo del Saber. The store is the second location in a pilot program to bring Wal-Mart to college campuses, company communications director Delia Garcia said.
"We're trying to bring Wal-Mart value to student shoppers," she said.
At approximately 5,000 square feet, the store is much smaller than the company's other locations.
It also has a more limited assortment of merchandise. Instead of the vast arrays of food, household items, electronics and clothing offered at many stores, the Wal-Mart on Campus sells basic groceries, some beauty and hygiene products and ASU apparel and souvenirs.
All products in the store are things that college students may need, Garcia said.
"We're always looking for ways to serve our customers better and serve them in the ways they shop," she said.
While the Vista del Sol location has a much smaller selection of items than the Wal-Mart Supercenter on East Southern Avenue and South Rural Road, prices are consistent at both stores.
They're also much cheaper than prices for similar items at the on-campus Provisions on Demand Market, which is operated through the University's food service contractor, Aramark.
A package of chicken-flavored Top Ramen, which costs $0.18 at both Walmart locations, is $0.69 at the P. O. D. market.
A stick of deodorant, which costs between $0.97 and $3.77 at each of the Wal-Mart locations, and a bottle of shampoo, which is available for between $1.50 and $4.97 at the Wal-Mart stores, both sell for $7.29 at the P. O. D. market.
Meredith Maher, an incoming accounting junior who lives at Vista del Sol, said the price difference is great.
"It's a lot better than the P. O. D. Market," she said. "I would only shop there if I had (Maroon and Gold Dollars)."
She said she was glad that the store opened inside her apartment complex, because it's more convenient. Maher said she used to drive to Safeway on East Broadway and South Rural roads for all her grocery shopping, but she's just gone downstairs to shop during the past week.
"I love it," she said while shopping. "It's awesome. It's just super-convenient."
This makes Wal-Mart on Campus a "wonderful amenity" for ASU students, Tempe Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mary Ann Miller said in a statement.
"To be able to get off your elevator or get on your bike and be able to pick up a prescription or just basic necessities will add to the convenience of living on or next to campus," Miller said.
The store employs 10 associates and includes a full pharmacy. It's open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Supply chain management junior Maria Garza, who just transferred to ASU and lives at Vista del Sol, said the store is really convenient but that she thought it should have more fresh produce.
"It's really nice that everything's so close," she said. "I just wish it had more fruits, vegetables, something to cook with."
Reach the managing editor at julia.shumway@asu.edu or follow @JMShumway on Twitter.
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