Job-seekers flock to new Huntley Wal-Mart

Mary Lou Kroll needs a job.

Badly.

Nearly two years ago, when she was still 79 years old, she bought a home in Huntley's Sun City retirement community, thinking her home in Hinsdale would be quick to sell.

But with the real estate market in the tank, that house is still for sale. She fears she could lose her Huntley home if she doesn't find a permanent job soon.

"Who would have known that was going to happen?" the former insurance agent said.

On Friday, Kroll decided to try her luck at Wal-Mart, applying for one of roughly new 350 positions at its new supercenter in Huntley, which will open April 29.

The company is accepting applications for supervisors and later on will open the pool for entry level slots, store manager Thomas Pearse said.

Kroll's predicament, unfortunately, is not that uncommon.

Pearse said he receives nearly 100 applications a day for the Huntley store, the vast majority of them online. And 600 applications were awaiting his staff by the time Wal-Mart opened the hiring center's doors earlier this month.

So far, Kroll is one of 1,500 people vying for a job in the Huntley store. That number is expected to double in the next two months.

Huntley resident Robert Peterson also applied for work Friday at Wal-Mart's hiring office.

The 70-year-old retiree most recently worked for Tucker Automotive Corp. in Palatine, where he drove vehicles back and forth for installation of sunroofs and the like,

"It was an easy job, a no brainer," said Peterson, formerly of Arlington Heights. "If that job was still available, I would be working there."

But Tucker Automotive went out of business in October, leaving him and his wife, Diane, looking for ways to earn money.

Between them, the Petersons have put in applications for positions at 10 retailers in the area.

But the phone remains silent.

"It's just discouraging going out there and getting no reply," he said. He and his wife are financially secure but want to work to break the monotony of everyday life, he said.

Kroll, meanwhile, fears her age might put her out of the running for a spot at Wal-Mart. She turns 82 on Tuesday.

But the grandmother of seven, who lives just a few blocks away from the store, remains upbeat about possibly working there one day.

"Wal-Mart of course, you know, it's the greatest store," she said. "People are friendly and, plus, I can roll out of bed and come right to work."