So by now you have heard we have the first "Wal-mart of weed" right here in Sacramento. According to The Sacramento Bee, "the store, the first franchise from an Oakland warehouse outlet that opened last year, requires customers to present proof of a physician's medical marijuana recommendation before staff guides them on equipment purchases to grow their own. The store will also offer classes in cultivation." So this place is an expansion of the IGrow operation in Oakland which was also called "The Wal-mart of Weed."

It's all hype. Read the reviews of the Oakland shop at Yelp. Here is what one reviewer has to say, "yes it is 15,000 Sq ft but could have fit in 3000. It really is a sham, a wal-mart type of vibe where the pricing is no different than the many hydro shops closer to me." They continue, "I rather support many smaller stores that have been working in this industry for a long time now than some 'honest' costco type."

I had a hard time wondering why anyone would want to be the Wal-Mart of anything? The image I get of a Wal-mart is cheap, boring, huge, and "made in China". Why did the people opening this warehouse hydro-shop want to be compared to Wal-mart? They saw dollar signs, and decided that bigger was better. Like the reviewer above said, "support many smaller hydro stores that have been working in this industry a long time." So it appears the hydro-biz is starting to deal with many of the same concerns the nursery biz has been dealing with. It's fragmenting between the huge players and the little guys. Box stores vs. the indies.  While the smaller hydro-stores battle it out with the IGrow super stores there is a huge opportunity for the locally owned garden center. Just saying...