Wal-Mart Opens Supercenter in Amish Country

(Middlefield, Ohio) Yesterday was opening day and upwards of 5,000 people visited Geauga County's first Wal-Mart Supercenter, right in the center of a rural Amish region. Notably, the Middlefield store provides special parking for Amish buggies. Employing 350 people, the store is one of 25 new Wal-Marts inaugurated Wednesday, said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien. Other new Supercenters include ones in Kenton, west of Mansfield, and Oxford, southwest of Dayton.

Additionally, according to Lyndhurst developer Mitchell Schneider, the planned Wal-Mart Supercenter for the $90 million Steelyard Commons Shopping Center southwest of downtown Cleveland has been given the go ahead. When opened, it will be Cleveland's first Wal-Mart. Inexplicably, the unions haven't weighed in yet. It's certain that they will have some comments about non-union Wal-Mart entering an area largely populated by union supporters. I expect some protest.