[StBernard] Target, Wal-Mart Check Out St. Bernard

[Westley Annis]

Target, Wal-Mart Check Out St. Bernard

POSTED: 1:04 pm CDT October 17, 2007
UPDATED: 5:34 pm CDT October 17, 2007


CHALMETTE, La. -- Target and Wal-Mart are looking at St. Bernard Parish to
decide if they'll open stores there.

A corporate team from Target will tour the hard-hit parish next week and
meet with parish leaders.

Wal-Mart executives did the same last week.

"They're coming in about a year, supposedly, but we've heard that before,"
Parish President Junior Rodriguez said.

The two companies are trying to decide whether or not St. Bernard is a
viable market based on population.

"We need at least 45,000 people. We only have 30,000 people," Rodriguez
said.

But resident Richard Totorico said both stores are missing out on a big
opportunity.

"Thirty-thousand people need everything to rebuild. They will buy double
what people in other areas would buy," he said.

Beside not having a big retailer in town, people in the parish say they're
not happy about seeing their tax dollars go to other areas when they go out
of the parish to shop.