Earlier this week, Walmart announced it is shuttering five stores in three states. The stated reason? All of the stores have longstanding plumbing problems. But the manner in which the closing was handled has a lot of people wondering if Walmart is telling the truth.
On Monday night, employees at Walmart stores in Pico Rivera, California; Livingston, Texas; Midland, Texas; Brandon, Florida; and Tulsa were told their stores would be closing for anywhere from six months to a year. However, the manner in which it was announced was the first red flag. The workers were given only a few hours’ notice before the stores closed at 7 p. m. local time, rather than the weeks or even months that most employers give for major renovation and remodeling projects. According to WFTS-TV in Tampa, the store in Brandon was well stocked with perishable items when a short-notice “going out of business” sale began five hours before the store closed. The manager of a Liberty Tax Service kiosk located inside the Midland store said she was told that she had to be out by 5 p.m.–giving her only a few hours to get her files and computers out for safekeeping.
At least one of the affected Walmarts had plumbing work done fairly recently without the need for a closure. According to WFTS, the Midland store had 70 plumbing fixtures replaced three years ago, and still remained open. Indeed, the manager of the Midland Liberty Tax kiosk said she never saw a plumber or an “out of order” restroom in the three years she’s worked there. Codi Bauer, a plumbing technician at the Brandon Walmart, told WFLA-TV in Tampa that replacing the entire sewer line isn’t something that normally takes six months.
Perhaps the brightest red flag of all is that there doesn’t appear to be any evidence that Walmart has sought the permits required to fix the supposed plumbing problems. WFTS did some digging, and could not find any records of permits being pulled for the affected Walmarts. Indeed, a building inspector in Midland was actually turned away when he offered to help get the necessary permits.
Several officials in Hillsborough County, Florida said they were blindsided by the Brandon closure, saying that Walmart usually gives plenty of notice that it plans to do major renovations and applies for permits several weeks in advance. Indeed, Hillsborough County commissioner Victor Crist said that he didn’t hear anything about plumbing when he was told about the closings. When Livingston city manager Marilyn Sutton demanded answers, she was told that while the plumbing problems were “ongoing and pervasive,” no permits had been sought because they didn’t know what repairs were needed. That explanation wouldn’t pass the smell test if we were talking about a mom-and-pop business. It definitely wouldn’t for the largest retailer in the world.
Some employees at the Pico Rivera Walmart don’t think it’s a coincidence that Walmart decided to shutter a store whose employees were among the first to demand better pay. Venanzi Luna, a deli manager at that store, told KCBS-TV in Los Angeles that she and her colleagues were trying to muzzle “the first store that went on strike” for better pay. Luna is also a member of the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart), a group aligned with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, and has helped lead strikes and sit-ins at her store.
Walmart didn’t do much to calm the workers’ suspicions with its announced relief measures. The displaced employees will be transferred to nearby Walmarts and Sam’s Clubs, provided there are suitable openings available. Some of them may have to make a very long drive if they want to stay with the company. In the case of Livingston, the nearest Walmart is 30 miles away. There’s also no guarantee they’ll get their old jobs back. Walmart communications director Della Garcia said that when and if the stores reopen, “we’ll be hiring to restaff … everyone will have to reapply as if new employees.”
Whatever is the case, Walmart won’t be able to stonewall for long. After years of catering to rural and suburban areas, Walmart has begun a push to expand into cities. Many of those cities have demographics that aren’t as friendly to Walmart, and you can bet they’ll demand explanations for why no one in Bentonville or anywhere else bothered to apply for permits in advance. At some point, either Walmart is going to have to tell the truth–or someone will discover the truth.
