Angel Lanhan and her husband Kevin were worried and stressed about their finances last spring.
In January the couple moved from Wyoming to Siloam Springs to be closer to Kevin's mom. Kevin had retired with a small pension after working at UPS for 25 years and hoped to get a job in the area to boost their income.
He kept applying for jobs but the months were dragging by and there was no response. Meanwhile the couple's health insurance benefits were running out.
Angel said she and her husband had always used wisdom in their finances and had never had to worry about money before. She found the insecurity unnerving. She decided it was time for her to look for a job too, so in June she applied for a job at Siloam Springs' yet-to-open Walmart Neighborhood Market.
Angel received a first interview and then a second. Then a phone call came offering her a job in the store's cash office. While she was on the phone accepting the position, her husband's phone rang. The store called to ask him to come in for an interview. Soon he had accepted a job in the meat department.
"It was a God thing," she said.
Angel broke down in tears as she recounted the relief and joy of feeling the security of both she and her husband having full time jobs with health insurance.
"It was an answer to my prayers to not have to worry anymore," Angel said. "Sometimes blessings come in the form of a J-O-B."
The Lanhans aren't the only ones to benefit from the opening of the new store.
The Neighborhood Market, which officially opened on Wednesday, Sept. 10, created up to 95 new jobs in Siloam Springs, according to store manager Billy Cunningham. He estimated that 75 percent of the jobs in the store were new hires and 25 percent were transfers from other stores.
Cunningham himself is a success story who started as a cart pusher at the Walmart in Jay, Okla., 14 years ago and worked his way up to his current position.
As a community member Cunningham has also been pleased to see Walmart bring more jobs to Siloam Springs.
Angel said she's talked to many people in the break room who have had experiences similar to her own.
"I think they've helped a lot of people," she said.
Angel, who began work on June 30, has spent the past months training for her job and helping get the store ready to open. It's been a lot of hard work but the experience has been very positive, Angel said. She has especially enjoyed the people she works with, comparing her fellow employees to "a little family." She is also impressed by the respectful way the managers treat the employees.
"We took a risk but with wisdom," she said. "We can be the grandparents that send presents again."
The new Siloam Springs store is part of Walmart's plan to open an additional 270 to 300 small-format locations this year, according to a press release. The first Walmart Neighborhood Market opened in 1998 and today there are approximately 300 Walmart Neighborhood Market stores nationwide.
Many people relate the Neighborhood Markets to grocery stores and don't realize that they offer many more services, Cunningham said.
The store, approximately one-fifth the size of a Walmart Supercenter, offers health and beauty aids, pet products and cleaning supplies in addition to grocery items. It also features a pharmacy and a gas station.
The store has a service center where customers can send money-grams and pay bills. Customers can also order online and pick up the order at the store, Cunningham said.
The store held an opening ceremony on Wednesday morning. Pastor Chris Whitaker of Overdrive Church dedicated the store and the VFW presented the colors. Siloam Springs High School Band and Choir performed the national anthem. The high school cheerleaders led the Walmart cheer, Cunningham said.
On Friday, Cunningham said he had already received a lot of positive feedback about the store from customers.
"It's been good for us and good for the community," he said.
The new store is located at 935 S. Holly St. and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
General News on 09/17/2014