7 ms·

They want people in Bentonville. The new headquarters is being built faster than anything of that size that I've ever seen being built. There's something like a

They want people in Bentonville. The new headquarters is being built faster than anything of that size that I've ever seen being built. There's something like a dozen buildings going up at once. Maybe more, it's hard to keep track.

kylehotchkiss 4y ago
What’s the draw to get tech workers to migrate there, other than lower home prices? Seems like a notable decline in quality of life compared to their soon to be closed hubs.
- Pegasus930 4y ago
  While I don't have any plans of working for Walmart, a nice campus and decent pay in an affordable, beautiful, very low cost location is alluring.
- justin66 4y ago
  Requiring hires to live in Bentonville is one way to ensure they are a "culture fit."
- SV_BubbleTime 4y ago
  It may be hard to believe, but there are lifestyles that don’t thrive in California.
  - tjr225 4y ago
    [dead]
  - seanmcdirmid 4y ago
    California became so popular because it accommodated lots of different lifestyles, its main drawback ATM is that it’s too popular (so lots of people are priced out). Bentonville is us in northwest Arkansas, right in the Ozarks, I wouldn’t really consider it in the same boat with the rest of the state. I hear it’s actually a nice place to live if you can bare living in a red state (which, these days, has lots of legal drawbacks).
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
- jkdufair 4y ago
  Heard they have outstanding mountain bike trails and other good outdoor activity options.
  - davidw 4y ago
    Yep, one of the Walmart heirs is big into biking and they have apparently sunk a whole lot of money into trails and amenities in NW Arkansas. There are some other good things happening here and there in that area, like Fayetteville getting rid of arbitrary, expensive, parking requirements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUhOFUQDLQk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUhOFUQDLQk
    - milleramp 4y ago
      Yes, I have heard there are a large number of bike trails and mtn biking. I would like to visit and see for myself. Also Walmart was a major sponsor of the Cyclocross World Championships last year. https://www.cyclocrossfayettevillear2022.com/ https://www.cyclocrossfayettevillear2022.com/
- yCombLinks 4y ago
  Not that I'm saying Bentonville is my dream destination, but it's a lot more like my ideal place than San Francisco or any major tech hub is. Being in a dense metro isn't everyone's idea of "quality of life".
- mc32 4y ago
  It depends. Some people don't care about surf or hot new holes in the wall for grub. They are happy in a low key town with a couple of strip malls a brewery and peace and quiet and especially look forward to less city grime and crime.
  - agrippanux 4y ago
    Carlsbad, CA is pretty laid back and not associated with city grime and crime. Source: I live in Encinitas on the edge of the border with Carlsbad.
    - kylehotchkiss 4y ago
      It’s so green too compared to San Diego a few minutes down the road!
- fencepost 4y ago
  I've not been there, but Bentonville sounds like a combination of suburbia plus cultural options you'd expect in a much more urban area. If you're interested in living in a semi rural smaller town (~55k) it's probably among the more stable options you'll find in the US.
- MaxHoppersGhost 4y ago
  I’ve heard it’s a pretty nice town with good outdoors options. If you have a family it’s probably a better option than overpriced Austin or the concrete jungle of Dallas (just to pick on two popular transplant options recently).
  - ravel-bar-foo 4y ago
    > I’ve heard it’s a pretty nice town with good outdoors options. A US military vet once told me that "the base has good hunting and fishing" is code for "it's in the middle of nowhere".
- sakopov 4y ago
  Arkansas is beautiful but of course the quality of life doesn't come close to watching a homeless person shit on your driveway and pitch a tent on your front yard.
  - seanmcdirmid 4y ago
    You’ve been to Little Rock or west Memphis before? There is a reason north west AK is popular these days while the rest of the state has huge problems.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- dougmwne 4y ago
  Honestly, you’d have to be a sucker. Imagine you have an established life in a well regarded city at a nice salary. You have friends, a home, hobbies, a routine, local knowledge. The job market is the best it’s been since your parents were kids. Then suddenly you are told you need to leave that all behind, take a massive cost of living paycut (because no corporation will pay you CA rates to live in AR), and move to one of the most economically troubled states in the country. Why would you let some amorphous entity jerk you around like that, upturn your life, without any appreciation of the sacrifice? The only people taking this deal are either at a career inflection point or completely trapped.
  - NDizzle 4y ago
    Median income in Bentonville is $83k. You might be surprised.
- linkjuice4all 4y ago
  Other sibling comments are mentioning what a nice place Bentonville is compared to California/Texas/any other major population center. I’m sure there are a lot of nice things but what happens when you and Walmart split ways? There’s not a ton of other employers so you’re back to remote work. So then why even move there in the first place?
  - NDizzle 4y ago
    This area has a lot of options really. Tysons foods, JB Hunt, Simmons Foods, and of course you also have the companies that have a local presence to support Walmart.
- irrational 4y ago
  This is what I wonder. It’s in a conservative state, which is a bad thing for a lot of tech workers. They would have to pay me at least 500k/year to convince me to move to the Bible Belt. Even then…
- dcchambers 4y ago
  There's a world class art museum there, if that's your thing. Funded by the Waltons, of course :) Ozarks are beautiful but that's gotta be a total culture shock. Biggest issue is - what do you do when you want to leave Walmart? You'll have to move again, or work remotely. https://crystalbridges.org/ https://crystalbridges.org/
ravagat 4y ago
They must be building and working on something very important there. Lots of interesting hardware-tech companies in Arkansas now

kylehotchkiss 4y ago

What’s the draw to get tech workers to migrate there, other than lower home prices? Seems like a notable decline in quality of life compared to their soon to be closed hubs.

Pegasus930 4y ago
While I don't have any plans of working for Walmart, a nice campus and decent pay in an affordable, beautiful, very low cost location is alluring.
justin66 4y ago
Requiring hires to live in Bentonville is one way to ensure they are a "culture fit."
SV_BubbleTime 4y ago
It may be hard to believe, but there are lifestyles that don’t thrive in California.
- tjr225 4y ago
  [dead]
- seanmcdirmid 4y ago
  California became so popular because it accommodated lots of different lifestyles, its main drawback ATM is that it’s too popular (so lots of people are priced out). Bentonville is us in northwest Arkansas, right in the Ozarks, I wouldn’t really consider it in the same boat with the rest of the state. I hear it’s actually a nice place to live if you can bare living in a red state (which, these days, has lots of legal drawbacks).
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
jkdufair 4y ago
Heard they have outstanding mountain bike trails and other good outdoor activity options.
- davidw 4y ago
  Yep, one of the Walmart heirs is big into biking and they have apparently sunk a whole lot of money into trails and amenities in NW Arkansas. There are some other good things happening here and there in that area, like Fayetteville getting rid of arbitrary, expensive, parking requirements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUhOFUQDLQk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUhOFUQDLQk
  - milleramp 4y ago
    Yes, I have heard there are a large number of bike trails and mtn biking. I would like to visit and see for myself. Also Walmart was a major sponsor of the Cyclocross World Championships last year. https://www.cyclocrossfayettevillear2022.com/ https://www.cyclocrossfayettevillear2022.com/
yCombLinks 4y ago
Not that I'm saying Bentonville is my dream destination, but it's a lot more like my ideal place than San Francisco or any major tech hub is. Being in a dense metro isn't everyone's idea of "quality of life".
mc32 4y ago
It depends. Some people don't care about surf or hot new holes in the wall for grub. They are happy in a low key town with a couple of strip malls a brewery and peace and quiet and especially look forward to less city grime and crime.
- agrippanux 4y ago
  Carlsbad, CA is pretty laid back and not associated with city grime and crime. Source: I live in Encinitas on the edge of the border with Carlsbad.
  - kylehotchkiss 4y ago
    It’s so green too compared to San Diego a few minutes down the road!
fencepost 4y ago
I've not been there, but Bentonville sounds like a combination of suburbia plus cultural options you'd expect in a much more urban area. If you're interested in living in a semi rural smaller town (~55k) it's probably among the more stable options you'll find in the US.
MaxHoppersGhost 4y ago
I’ve heard it’s a pretty nice town with good outdoors options. If you have a family it’s probably a better option than overpriced Austin or the concrete jungle of Dallas (just to pick on two popular transplant options recently).
- ravel-bar-foo 4y ago
  > I’ve heard it’s a pretty nice town with good outdoors options. A US military vet once told me that "the base has good hunting and fishing" is code for "it's in the middle of nowhere".
sakopov 4y ago
Arkansas is beautiful but of course the quality of life doesn't come close to watching a homeless person shit on your driveway and pitch a tent on your front yard.
- seanmcdirmid 4y ago
  You’ve been to Little Rock or west Memphis before? There is a reason north west AK is popular these days while the rest of the state has huge problems.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
dougmwne 4y ago
Honestly, you’d have to be a sucker. Imagine you have an established life in a well regarded city at a nice salary. You have friends, a home, hobbies, a routine, local knowledge. The job market is the best it’s been since your parents were kids. Then suddenly you are told you need to leave that all behind, take a massive cost of living paycut (because no corporation will pay you CA rates to live in AR), and move to one of the most economically troubled states in the country. Why would you let some amorphous entity jerk you around like that, upturn your life, without any appreciation of the sacrifice? The only people taking this deal are either at a career inflection point or completely trapped.
- NDizzle 4y ago
  Median income in Bentonville is $83k. You might be surprised.
linkjuice4all 4y ago
Other sibling comments are mentioning what a nice place Bentonville is compared to California/Texas/any other major population center. I’m sure there are a lot of nice things but what happens when you and Walmart split ways? There’s not a ton of other employers so you’re back to remote work. So then why even move there in the first place?
- NDizzle 4y ago
  This area has a lot of options really. Tysons foods, JB Hunt, Simmons Foods, and of course you also have the companies that have a local presence to support Walmart.
irrational 4y ago
This is what I wonder. It’s in a conservative state, which is a bad thing for a lot of tech workers. They would have to pay me at least 500k/year to convince me to move to the Bible Belt. Even then…
dcchambers 4y ago
There's a world class art museum there, if that's your thing. Funded by the Waltons, of course :) Ozarks are beautiful but that's gotta be a total culture shock. Biggest issue is - what do you do when you want to leave Walmart? You'll have to move again, or work remotely. https://crystalbridges.org/ https://crystalbridges.org/

ravagat 4y ago

They must be building and working on something very important there. Lots of interesting hardware-tech companies in Arkansas now