Saturday-- two months and one day after it burned-- the local Walmart reopened. It's open in a limited capacity until March or so, but more is open than I expected. And faster. The grocery department is complete and full-size; every other department is smaller.
I foolishly went to check it out. Due to being blind on my left side for now, I did have one small mishap when I got caught on an empty hook and knocked it off. My greatest accomplishment is that I didn't crash into any people, though.
Perhaps the shopping public will be happier now. And the employees of the other stores, as well.
I had imagined that other local businesses would enjoy the boost in sales they'd get while their big competitor was closed. How silly of me.
Everyone complained about the larger crowds in the other stores. They couldn't wait for Walmart to reopen so all those "Walmart people" would be out of their hair. Not just the shoppers expressed this opinion, but the employees of the other stores did too. Yes, things were crowded and shelves were often empty, but that's what happens when the largest retailer in the area closes-- the people have to go somewhere.
Now that the store is back they'll probably go back to complaining that Walmart is taking their business. You can't make people happy.