Overview

Walmart, a company known for its poor treatment of employees and ability to run local businesses into the ground under the guise of "low prices" and "convenience" has recently decided to open up shop on Richmond's VCU campus.  Considering most local businesses rely on students as customers, Walmart would be devastating to the local economy. It is also an unnecessary addition, as there are local Walmarts accessible by either car or public transportation as close as five miles to campus.

Please, don't let Walmart ruin another economy. Let's band together in support of local businesses, and keep Walmart from taking over our campus, as well as the city we know and love!

Background

On August 6th, 2014, the school’s Vice President of Business Services, Diane Reynolds, announced that the school has invited Walmart to open a small store on the ground floor of a new West Grace Street VCU building which will also provide classrooms for students.  The stripped down Super Center will sell everything from VCU Rams merchandise to pharmaceutical products and BBQ ribs for less than three dollars a pound.    

VCU has made no secret about its intentions to acquire every inch of West Grace Street for development.  The 900 block whose theaters, music venues, restaurants and boutiques have served Richmonders as a cultural hub for years has slowly been eroded and chipped away by VCU development.  The fact that VCU is excited about a Walmart on this block shows how very unaware the school is of its impact on the face of our city.  Many of us know that the low prices and convenience of a Walmart come with a high cost to the greater Richmond community.  In today’s economy, it is time institutions like VCU do more to invest in local businesses who pay higher wages and are more capable of contributing to a vibrant urban landscape. A Walmart on Campus is simply a step in the wrong direction.