There have been rumors that a Wal-Mart might be coming to North Auburn. It is true that Placer County is debating this and that a Wal-Mart would be put into the Bohemia site off of Highway 49, a little bit outside of the Auburn city limits. This would be right near the new Mel’s Diner and Uncle J’s Yogurt & Ice Cream. The responses from locals have been mixed. Some hope that it would give Auburn more job opportunities for the unemployed, but others worry about what would happen to the mom-and-pop atmosphere of Auburn that it is known for.

Many of the people around Auburn find this issue highly controversial considering some people really need jobs and would like to have a place to buy all there necessities cheap and at the same place.

“Wal-Mart is amazing,” stated sophomore Frankie Marino. “It’s cheap: you can get anything you get at different stores for so much cheaper there. It needs to come.”

Frankie Marino is one of the many supporters of the Wal-Mart coming to Auburn for its cheap products.

Another Placer student, Alex Phillips, has a good feeling about Wal-Mart coming to Auburn. “Wal-Mart is good for Auburn so we don’t have to drive all the way down to Roseville to get our items and groceries,” he explained.

But Phillips also looked at the other side of the argument and expressed that he could see all the smaller business owners losing profit from the addition of Wal-Mart. This is exactly why Alex Hargrove, junior at Placer High School, doesn’t want to see a Wal-Mart in auburn at all.

He stated, “It’s going to ruin all the other shops around town like Sally’s Beauty Shop and Tribal Weaver.”

Others also think that it would take away the quality of Auburn.

Auburn is a small town and could do with more jobs, and—some think—a place to buy all of your needs in one place. Others argue that the mom-and-pop essence that would be taken away by Wal-Mart is essential for Auburn.Will Wal-Mart be a good addition to our small town or will it take our small-town feel away?