Ladies and gentlemen

I do not,as a practice, establish a new thread. But this time I think that I should.

To begin this siting I thin I should stae that we (my lady and I go to pick up her grand daughter from school in the afternoons. And we pass the Super Wal Mart here in our city of about 97,000 population.

Today there was something different about Wal Mart! The store now has over 30 trailors (minus the tractors) parked to the side of the store and in the back of the store. These trailors (the cloed box 18 wheeler kind) are in excellent shape, but are not Wal Mart insignia marked, and all of them looked to have been stored for some amount of time, as they are in need of a good washing.

Upon closer inspection, I noted that some of the trailors had rental companies small insignias on their sides. And that all of them (the trailors), from the shape of their tires (slightly bulged at the bottom) were heavily loaded. And there where shiney new pad locks on their doors ( I noted this and the insignias fro my truck as I dove slowly by.(didn't want to draw attention to myself you know).

As I was about to leave, I notice that three more tractor / trailors pulled into the parking lot. One of them, the one in front was a regular Wal Mart tractor and marked traior. They proceeded on to the loading docks. Bu the other two tractors, though they were marked Wal Mart, where each pulling one of the unmarked, dusty trailors. And they pulled off to the side and parked the trailors in line with all the others.

Being a curious sort, as this has never ever happened before. I waited for the tractors to unhook and leave the parking lot. And when they pulled in to refuel, I managed to "need" to fill up my self. Any way, I did talk to the driver, and he said that they had been locating these rented trailors at all the stores on his route. Now has any one else noted something like this around their neighborhood Wally Worlds? Oh! And he added thatthe trailor he had pulled down from Arlington was filed with canned goods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Getting a bit shakyer now~~~~~~~~~

-- Shakey (in_a_bunker@forty.feet), November 18, 1999

Answers

The junky trailers are cheaper to rent for longer periods of time because they might not pass a weigh station inspection. They are used for local shipments and/or temporary storage. Since the stores do not have large volumes of warehouse space (not effecient) this is a way of staging loads at sight. This might contain some expected Christmas season material, remember Thanksgiving weekend is usually a heavy shopping time. If there is no information from insiders or info. on what is in the trailers I wouldn't necessarily make a y2k connection.

-- squid (Itsdark@down.here), November 18, 1999.

squid--not so fast. i saw the same thing outside a kmart near dc. too coincidental because i have never seen that before, either.

-- tt (cuddluppy@yahoo.com), November 18, 1999.

The stores put their lay aways in these trailers. They do not have enough space in the store for all the lay aways that people make for Christmas. It is indeed temporary seasonal storage.

-- Lay (me@away.edu), November 18, 1999.

This is GOOD NEWS! It means that the stores are actually taking ACTION, even if Joe Public isn't.

I AM LAUGHING WITH JOY AND RELIEF!

-- Colin MacDonald (roborogerborg@yahoo.com), November 18, 1999.

Shakey, get yourself a typing tutor program for use in the bunker.

-- Blo Snerdly (sinkspur@thegov.com), November 18, 1999.

Shakey, you would make a GREAT reporter!! What enterprise. And don't worry about the typing. Most reporters can't type or spell anyway. Thanks for the snooping. We appreciate it.

-- (normally@ease.notnow), November 18, 1999.

Could it maybe be a little of both? Maybe JIT ISN'T JIT for the holiday shopping. And yes, where would they put all their lay aways. Also, they remove some of the regular stock for the Christmas items. On the other hand, I remember reading a post from, I believe was a board member of a large church. The Red Cross had contacted them and wanted to contract church for a shelter. Shelters needed a min of 30,000 sq ft and generators to provide heat etc. I believe it was he that said that FEMA and Red Cross had contracts with WalMart and Home Depot for supplies for Y2K. Also said that FEMA was warehousing stuff around the country. So maybe the truth is in the middle! (where it usually is) I think this is all positive stuff if there is a grain of truth in it. Personally, I really like my own JIT delievery system. Its only as far as what used to be the guest room.

Taz

Taz

-- Taz (Taz@aol.com), November 18, 1999.

Sorry to break this to you, but it is standard practice for all retailers to lease trailers for the Xmas season. When you start seeing 30+ trailers at your local NG armory, then get concerned....

-- John 9.5 Galt (jgaltfla@hotmail.com), November 18, 1999.

John 9.5,

I have worked retail, have done so a number of times in my life, and I never saw "holiday trailers" all sitting about in parking lots, not in CA and not in AZ.

It is more on the rare side and what we are reading with all the spottings goes into abnormality.

If Tyler Mall in Riverside, CA which services millions and millions of shoppers during the holdiday didn't have "trailers" how is it a WalMart in a town of less then one hundred thousand has many?

No offense guy, but I think you're over rationalizing these spottings. A trailer someone spotted is one thing but not all these multiple trailers and now in go nowhere towns.

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 18, 1999.

Humm.

My question is Shakey, are they "refridgerated" or not?

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 18, 1999.

To the person concerned about my typing. Sir you, as a teacher in school might be commended for your observations of my typing skills. Which, admittedly are self taught; and that with the two finger method (in pracice).

But here, I must and do consider it as the tactics of a TROLL.

Ladies and gentlemen; current up date, there are now 35 tractorless trailors parked on the the outlying edges of the Wal Mart parking lot. And I feel that I must point out that these trailors are coming in fully loaded, and are not positioned to be unloaded at the docks.

The arguement about lay-a-way storage does not work. For I have passed by the store and have shopped in the store for over five years during the holiday season. And this has never, ever occured before!!!! The entire complex is beginning to look like a second hand truck / trailor sales lot. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shakey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-- Shakey (in_a_bunker@forty.feet), November 18, 1999.

Why don't you ask them?

-- (duh@duh.duh), November 18, 1999.

To answear your question Diane

No, not one of the trailors are of the refrigerated varity, And the diver that I talked with a the truck stop said that he and the other two drivers had picked up their trailors at the food warehouse part of the Wal Mart depot. One can only asume that the food being of the type not needing refrigeration, means that at least part of it is canned.

On another topic, but fear not unrelated. Our University is the site of the ewly build stae of Texas emergency communications / computers complex. The current, new science building, which was finished two years ago. Has the main frame power to run all emergency communications both in Texas and do a goodly part of the National networking also.

The science building come complete with with it's own buried in the ground fueled generator (30 kwh) and a two thousand gallon fuel bunker. I helped "wire in" both the building and the sub flooring linkage between the computer room and the generator controlls. So there is a reason why I want out Dodge when /if TSHTF...This city will become the governer's head emergency HQ.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shakey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-- Shakey (in_a_bunker@forty.feet), November 18, 1999.

I live in Weston, WV and there are at least 30 of these containers sitting in the parking lot of our new Super Walmart in Clarksburg, WV. We also have a Walmart in Weston which has about 8 of them parked outside. Last year, aroudn Xmas time, there was one extra one here at this local Walmart in Weston. There is something in these trailers and they are coming loaded, not empty. Just food for thought.

Donna

-- Donna (Donnaeli@yahoo.com), November 18, 1999.

Folks...I am definately not with it today. The generator's ampherage cap. was supposed to read 30,000 amp hours ( a big mother, the motor is twice the sixe of a diesel truck engine.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shakey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-- Shakey (in_a_bunker@forty.feet), November 18, 1999.

In middle TN as well, same thing at the same kind of Wal-Mart, same kind of "stockpiling. The trailers (and shipping containers) are definitely NOT normal, and have not ever been used before (as theorized) for pre-Christmas, pre-Thansgiving, etc.) for storage.

On the other hand, perhaps as much as 15-25% of WalMart's stuff comes from Red China, and another 20% from other countries - outside of Mexcio/Canada.

If there are shipping, distribution, re-shipping or merchant ship/container handling/train/trucking troubles, it is very easy to see WalMart geatly concerned about running out of inventory from overseas early in the year 2000. This could give them 2 weeks to 3 weeks "reserve" that could be moved from stoe to store based on a simple phone call.

What did their 10-Q filing say?

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 18, 1999.

So what exactly are your "suspicions" about these trailors which would cause you to consider it as being somehow Y2k related?

-- CD (not@here.com), November 18, 1999.

[note: I had not seen Robert Cook's post prior to posting my last message. Regardless, I highly doubt that Shakey (or most others) looked at it from Robert's angle when commenting on these trailors.]

-- CED (not@here.com), November 18, 1999.

Went by WM on my way home for lunch. And yes there were about 30 railroad/truck transport containers and two semi trailers stored in the parking lot. Must have just arrived 'cause I didn't see them last week. Come to think of it, I never saw any of this activity last year. If they are stocking up, I consider it good news, but, it also demonstrates the seriousness with which they are taking the issue.

-- loveitinthecountry (marshall2@iname.com), November 18, 1999.

My guess is that Walmart's management has come to the same conclusion that I have, namely that the Stockup-for-Y2K rush will occur in the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve. It appears that they intend to position themselves for it.

Look for massive advertising for a week-long Y2K preps sale beginning on Sunday, December 27.

that is, assuming that the Russians don't choose that particular date to launch a massive first strike...

-- Cherokee (Cherokee@qtmail.com), November 18, 1999.

Shakey, I live about 40 miles from Grants Pass OR, a small city of about 20,000. Last time I went to town several weeks ago, the local Wal Mart had six somewhat rusty and banged-up, rental semi- trailers parked out behind the store. I have never seen that happen in previous years...and I doubt it is for layaways or holiday shopping. Will try to pry some info out of store personnel next time I go to town. (I go once a month, whether I need to, or not!)

-- Norm Harrold (nharrold@tymewyse.com), November 18, 1999.

Oops, sorry-- Sunday, December 26.

one less day to dig your fallout shelter.

-- Cherokee (Cherokee@qtmail.com), November 18, 1999.

Shakey,

I am reporting another 31 trailers minus tractors, row by row, next to the Howell, MI Wal Mart. No distinctive markings on them except fluorescent stickers numbering 1 to 31 on each trailer and they were older and somewhat weathered. I didn't ask anyone in the store about the contents. I walked around them, but couldn't see anything of note.

-- PJC (paulchri@msn.com), November 18, 1999.

The first time that I noticed this practice was this past summer at Ames. I attributed it to the fact that they had just opened and maybe they did business differently from the store (similar in content) which was there previously. I will go back soon to see if they have more than the 12 trailors I remember seeing then.

I also noticed about 3 months ago that our local IKEA (cheap home furnishings store in the NE) had a trailor in back of their store which they decorated with a banner to make it look less ugly. It's got to be a generator since their store IS a warehouse.

Walmart just got here, so I don't think they are a good indicator, but I'll count trailors when I'm out that way again.

-- nothere nothere (notherethere@hotmail.com), November 18, 1999.

i saw the same thing in pittsburgh at a sams club last week, 17 trailors, been shopping there for years never been ther before. i guess you can draw your own conclusions but this is not just a local event seems to be all around the country.

steeler

-- steeler (steeler@ironcity.com), November 18, 1999.

30+ at Kmart (@ each store) in Decatur, AL and Cullman, AL. These are the kinds you normally see on hauled on trains... no tires on them. They have been there about a month...

-- sandi (sandihere@mailcity.com), November 18, 1999.

After reading this thread I got in my car and drove 15 miles to our Wal-Mart, there were 18 of these trailers, I called a friend who works for Wal-Mart, she said )she has been working there 8 yrs)they do this every year, and some of the trailers are used for the large number of lay-a-way they have. I never noticed them before. I suppose that Y2K has made us more alert to things.

-- Marli (can'tget@it.duh), November 18, 1999.

i used to work for a dept. store as the head cashier and we used to store about twenty trailors full of stuff from about oct till after christmas. mainly the big stuff, christmas trees, furniture, and stuff like that. when people would put them on lay-a-way we would say they were stored on trailor number ?... they do also provide extra lay-a-way storage space as it is usually four times higher the last three months before christmas....hope this helped.

-- kathleen brown (hbkrbrown@kih.net), November 19, 1999.