Why are there no Walmart stores in New York City?

While many of its competitors can be found in the Big Apple, the retail giant Walmart has no locations in the United States’ largest city.

Push back to Walmart

On the one hand, NYC residents, unions, and political leaders have pushed back against Walmart establishing stores in their city. For over a decade, the company has made efforts to open locations in the city, but New Yorkers have pushed back over concerns that it could threaten local businesses, create traffic, and destroy better-paying jobs. During the mayoral tenure of Bill DeBlasio, Walmart announced its intentions to open up stores in Staten Island, Queens, and Brooklyn that were shot down by labor and political leaders.

However, other big box stores like Costco and Target have been able to open up locations across NYC, raising questions about why Walmart is being singled out.

Target has been growing its presence in all five boroughs since 1997. The Minnesota-based chain has been much more effective in presenting a cleaner image to the public, which makes it appear as a much more ethical company compared to Walmart. Nevertheless, many of the complaints that keep Walmart out could be levied against Target, yet the company has been allowed to operate freely. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, a worker in New York City must make at least $25.65 per hour to cover their basic costs, and if they have one child, the living wage rises to $44.92 per hour. The starting salary for a ‘Guest Advocate’, which includes those who work as cashiers or in guest services, has a starting salary of $18 per hour.