Wal-Mart unveils super expansion

WASILLA — An energetic cheer marked the grand opening Wednesday of the Wal-Mart Supercenter — Alaska’s largest Wal-Mart with more than 220,000 square feet of space dedicated to groceries, clothing and other general merchandise.

“This grand opening is the moment we’ve all been waiting for,” said Marlene Munsell, Wal-Mart store manager.

For the past three months, employees have worked diligently to prepare for the official unveiling of the Supercenter expansion, Munsell said. From national associates to new hires, employees joined the store planning team to transform the original Wal-Mart into a super-sized Supercenter.

“It was beyond my expectations,” Munsell said of the Halloween grand opening. “We’ve had so much support from the community.”

Customers, vendors and local government officials ventured to the event to show their super support, including Gov. Sarah Palin and Wasilla Mayor Dianne M. Keller.

Wal-Mart first planted roots in Wasilla in 1994 where Sears is now located, Munsell said. In 1999, Wal-Mart found a new home down the street at 1350 S. Seward Meridian Parkway.

With more than 64,000 square feet of new space, the expanded store houses a wide variety of items including groceries, deli foods, frozen foods and apparel. The store also has a pharmacy, Regal Hair Salon and Wells Fargo bank branch. The expansion brings more for shoppers, but it also adds 240 new jobs to the Wasilla outlet, the company reports. On average, full-time Wal-Mart associates in Alaska earn $12.05 per hour.

Crissy Butts, a Wasilla resident, patiently browsed the aisles of the new grocery section of the Supercenter, impressed by the variety of food.

“I think it’s cool,” Butts said. “I think its great to have options for shopping.”

Butts likes having more local businesses to chose from, but she’s also glad to have an assortment of products and services under one roof.

“You can get everything done in one place,” she said.

Wal-Mart is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Contact Chris Gillow at chris.gillow@frontiersman.com or 352-2284.