MARYSVILLE — Its exact open date remains nebulous, but from its absence of back-to-school items and its already stocked shelves full of Halloween candy and spooky decorations, the Marysville Walmart at the intersection of Highway 9 and State Route 528 is opening sometime after the start of the new school year and before Halloween.
“The construction schedules are still very liquid,” said Sonia Smith, manager of the Marysville Walmart. “We’re looking at early to mid-autumn right now. And we do still have some store employee positions open.”
Of the approximately 300 employees already working at the Marysville Walmart, only 30 were transfers from other stores, while the rest were new hires who received training at the Tulalip, Arlington, Lynnwood and Mount Vernon Walmart stores. Those interested in joining their ranks can either apply at any Walmart location, or stop by the Marysville Walmart’s hiring center in Suite E at 1289 State Ave. in Marysville. Applicants may also apply online at http://careers.walmart.com.
“You walk into an empty building that’s nothing but shelves, and it gets so full thanks to these amazing associates,” said Smith, a Washington State University graduate and 14-year Walmart employee for whom the approximately 147,000-square-foot Marysville Walmart is the second such store that she’s managed. “We had an eight-day stretch of two to three trucks coming a day just to fill this place.”
While the store has yet to stock any perishable goods, its frozen goods are already chilling in energy-saving cooler aisles that only light up when they sense customers approaching.
Most of the Marysville Walmart’s layout will be familiar to customers of other Walmart stores — groceries leading into pet food and then cleaning supplies, entertainment equipment leading into hardware and auto care equipment, and sporting goods leading into children’s toys — but with those departments, there are a few other new wrinkles, including a refrigerated case for fresh pet food.
“We try to make it as convenient as possible for the customer,” Smith said. “All the like areas are grouped together, to give it a better shopping flow.”
The Marysville Walmart also boasts a selection of Pacific Northwest-themed knickknacks, including a Bigfoot coffee mug that Smith touted as a strong seller in the region.
“Folks around here are always looking for more souvenirs and local merchandise of their stomping grounds,” said Smith, who encouraged local vendors who wish to have their own merchandise considered to be sold by the Marysville Walmart, to contact her through the store’s phone number at 360-658-3658. “After Arlington, Quil Ceda, Everett and the two stores in Lynnwood, Marysville’s is the sixth Walmart store to be opened in Snohomish County.”
The Halloween candy and matching decorations are part of the store’s seasonal section, which will expand during Christmastime to cover the garden sections as well, with Christmas trees outside and winter holiday decorations inside. In the meantime, the garden sections are opening too late to display summer lawn furniture, so they’ll be offering everything from charcoal and barbecue sets to rakes and other equipment for fall yard work.
“And right behind our party goods area and seasonal greetings cards are our arts and crafts supplies, including tools for scrapbooking and four shelves of fabric bolts that can be cut to order,” Smith said. “That custom fabric-cutting service is available at no other Walmart, area customers have been asking for it.”
Another request that area Walmart stores have been receiving more often has been more food and support for local food banks, so Dell Deierling of the Marysville Community Food Bank and Jerrie Inman of the Arlington Community Food Bank were pleased to meet for Marysville Walmart staff to discuss possible donations.
“We’re happy to have the new Walmart here, especially since it’ll mean a huge boost of food for us,” Deierling said.
“Walmart is one of the largest food donors for either of our food banks,” said Inman, who pointed out that Walmart matches its employees’ donations and volunteered hours of time, much like Boeing and Bank of America. “Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”
“This is a good location for us,” Smith said. “We have great in-and-out access to both Highway 9 and SR 528, and we’re surrounded by residential neighborhoods.”
