PHOENIX — A dedicated customer of the Walmart near Dunlap and Central avenues was recently recognized for coming to the store every day since it opened 10 years ago.
Don Gandolfo was presented with a special plaque and named an honorary associate of the Sunnyslope Walmart due to his commitment to visiting the Phoenix store every day for the last decade.
Gandolfo said he's come to personally know the store's employees and visiting the store has become the "highlight" of his day.
"The employees are wonderful, most of them know my name," he said. "I just love coming here."
Gandolfo said he even made time to visit Walmart on the same day he underwent surgery.
The Walmart store hosted a special ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 3 to recognize Gandolfo and celebrate the completion of the store's remodeling.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.