Walmart Supercenter Changes Small Town

Crime, traffic, and light pollution are among the chief impacts of Wal-Mart in western Chester County.

1 minute read

April 13, 2004, 9:00 AM PDT

"West Sadsbury, with a population of 2,500, is an exurb with rolling hills, farms and Amish buggies, about 40 miles west of Philadelphia. Wal-Mart opened its Supercenter at the West Sadsbury Commons in May 2002 at Routes 30 and 10.'This is a great place for somebody who doesn't go to college or have any aspirations or a hobby or whatever,' said a 21-year-old Wal-Mart employee outside the Supercenter the other day. 'If it hadn't opened, I'd probably be at some mom-and-pop around here.' He asked that his name not be used, because the store does not allow employees to be interviewed... The cost of providing police service to the shopping center in 2003 was more than $39,000, which was far greater than the municipal taxes of $10,400, officials say, that West Sadsbury collected from developer Wolfson-Verrichia Group Inc. of Plymouth Meeting, which owns West Sadsbury Commons." [Editor's note: free registration required.]

Thanks to Adam Krom

Read the full story: With bargains come trade-offs

Monday, April 12, 2004 in The Philadelphia Inquirer

Community / Economic Development Pennsylvania

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