Wal-Mart was able to move into a building that was already zoned for a Kmart, so it was able to avoid the controversy that it frequently faces in establishing new stores.
Wal-Mart has hired about 325 employees for a store that will carry Wal-Mart's usual vast array of general merchandise and food items.
Many retailers, particularly independent grocers, see their sales plummet 10% to 25% after the opening of a Wal-Mart discount or super-center store, says Ken Stone, a retired Iowa State University economics professor who has followed the giant retailer for years.
A coalition of unions and community organizations picket the store's opening, arguing that Wal-Mart's low-wage jobs would hurt the area's largely unionized grocery industry.
Wal-Mart defends itself, pointing out it has nearly 60 stores in Minnesota, employing more than 16,400 workers. In fiscal 2002, the company paid $96 million in sales taxes and $24 million in state and local taxes.
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