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This Walmart bus is brand new, holds 20 people and it does have a lift towards the back and also very comfortable with a/c and we really needed it today. There is a gal, Jackie, and the bus driver - Jackie acts like a hostess and is a regular employee of the Federal Way Walmart. The Home Office of Walmart asked her if she would like to do this with the bus and she jumped at it as she's worked for Walmart for 16-1/2 years.
This is a pilot program for this part of WA and they even go all the way to Tacoma and Auburn to pick up residents to go to the Federal Way store. That store has to be a good two blocks long and Jackie said it is probably the biggest Walmart built any place but, it has to cover a very large area - no other Super Walmarts even close. When we get back on the bus, Jackie keeps track of what each person spent in the store. She has like a spreadsheet, we all give her our first names and give her our receipts, she writes down down the amount we spent and gives us back our receipts. This is to see if what we buy will pay for the bus.
They know this is new in WA so she said it will take them awhile to get word around. Portland OR has been doing this for 1-1/2 years and they have 72 pickup places where they go. Jackie said it has more than paid off down there so they are hoping it will do the same up here. She said they've been up here 6 weeks - 3 weeks here - and last week was their biggest week yet.
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