Questions Swirl Over Bizarre Walmart Closures
Customers, employees skeptical of claim that "plumbing" is reason for shutting down five stores for six months
As we reported yesterday,
Walmart stores in Pico Rivera, California, Livingston, Texas, Midland,
Texas, Brandon, Florida, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, all announced that they
were abruptly closing for the exact same reason – plumbing problems that
would take six months to resolve. The explanation caused consternation
given that entire Walmart stores have been built within the same time
frame.
Employees were told the same day that
they were going to be laid off, prompting questions as to why the repair
work was not planned in advance. Director of Public Works James
Enriquez said a Walmart in Pico Rivera, California, had not even
notified authorities of plumbing problems, despite the fact that the
company would be required to pull permits before undertaking extensive
work.
Customers reacted to the announcements by expressing their skepticism at the “plumbing” explanation.
“Why is it just plumbing problems? It’s gonna take them six months to fix up the store?” John Mambrl told WTSP.
10 News also reported that no
plumbing trucks were seen at the Walmart in Brandon, Florida, while city
officials said they had no record of any code violation at the store.
Officials also visited the site and found no evidence of any repair work
taking place.
When asked why the five different
Walmart stores all closed at the same time for the same reason, a
Walmart spokesperson merely reiterated the plumbing explanation, leading
shopper Norma Espinosa to ask, “How many things have they not said?
That’s scary,”
As the video below shows, police resources are also having to be used to guard the closed Walmart in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Customers there also thought that
the “plumbing” explanation sounded dubious, with one employee relating
how she had asked about the issue in a meeting. “They would not give me
an exact answer to anything,” she told NewsOn6.
The city of Tulsa also denied that any plumbing permit applications from Walmart had been received.
ABC Action News reported that, “None of the five affected stores have sought any plumbing permits for future repairs.”
“I think it’s a lie, I think it’s something else,” another shopper said in reaction to the closure of the Pico Rivera Walmart.
A Walmart official at another closed store in Midland, Texas denied that the closure was a method of trimming highly paid employees, who earn $14-an-hour.
Footage shot at the Walmart in Livingston, Texas shows shelves being emptied before the closure of the store.
Watch the video below for a summary of all the closures.
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