In early November, Walmart celebrated the grand opening of 117 stores across 30 states that it has spent nearly a year redesigning into “future” stores.
The company said it spent more than $500 million on the project, or an average of about $4.3 million per store, including widening aisles, enhancing signage and expanding self-checkout zones.
I decided to visit Wisconsin’s one newest supercenter (location number 1515) in the Milwaukee suburb of Germantown to see the changes for myself.
Some features have been noticeably improved, such as new signage and wider walkways, but some areas still appear to be unfinished.
This is what I saw.
The first thing I noticed was the fenced area near the outdoor section.
The fence was covered with a banner explaining the upgrade project in Spanish, but not in English as far as I could see. One of his banners says, “We’re improving the way you shop at Walmart.”
The inside of the store was bright and spacious compared to other Walmarts I’ve been to.
The sales floor was surprisingly orderly for a Monday after the busiest shopping weekend of the year.
There was one automated checkout area with two self checkout zones on either side of it.
Most shoppers I saw seemed to prefer self-service options.
The large signboard was very conspicuous.
Walmart has focused its marketing materials on highlighting its signage, with large blue and white letters that make it easy to see where a particular item is located from a distance.
Some workers filled blue containers on carts for online orders.
Walmart has doubled down on the use of its stores to fulfill e-commerce orders, and the renovation includes several behind-the-scenes enhancements to further that strategy.
The aisles are also noticeably wider.
It looks like at least three carts can be lined up side by side, giving the space an even more open feel.
We also paid attention to the exhibits in the new section.
Walmart says the showcases allow shoppers to touch and feel more of the products before making a purchase.
Scanning the QR code opened the Walmart app.
The app had a collection of products, some of which were on display and others that customers could order online.
The product trays on display in some of the showcases appeared to have been picked up.
I can understand what planners had in mind with these little boxes that house featured accessories, but in practical terms they need to be properly stocked and accurately labeled by employees. It also means one more location.
Most electronic items were stored in shiny new sliding glass cabinets.
Maybe you saw a Bluetooth speaker on sale and bought it on impulse, but you didn’t want to ask the store clerk to unlock your door. This is a fundamental conundrum of modern retail.
This Reebok apparel section was one of the few brand partnership areas.
The brand partnership is one of several cues the redesign borrows from Target, which has an in-store presentation similar to the likes of Levi’s and Ulta Beauty.
One more note about signage. You can read it from even half the store.
I was impressed by the combination of large letters and clear sightlines that made it easy to see where the various sections were from almost anywhere in the building.
The highest shelves were in the seasonal section and another area near the center of the floor.
Tall shelves are common in regular Walmart stores, but this one really shows how open a space can feel when the fixtures are low.
Christmas trees and decorations took over the outdoor section.
Behind the trees, a seemingly temporary bulkhead made of plywood separated an area that was still under construction.
The shelves in the cosmetics department had thousands of small lights to brighten the display.
I haven’t seen this kind of lighting built into many big box store shelves, but it helped give a little pop to smaller items.
Walmart is also taking a page from Target’s playbook with its new Dollar Stores.
Similar to Target’s store layout, the section near the front door features seasonal items and décor items that cost less than $5 each, but I didn’t find the items to be of great value. If you venture a little further into the store, you can often find higher quality products at similar prices.
Another Target style addition is the new “Grab & Go” section.
Primarily stocked with drinks, bagged crisps, and single-serve snacks, this section has less variety than I expected and is more of a full checkout lane offering than a mini-convenience store. It looked like.
On my way back, I noticed a poster for a new map feature.
In its announcement of the renovation, Walmart touted new digital-physical hybrid shopping experience features, in this case an in-app map that helps customers find items in the store. As it happens, the map is still “under construction” so to speak.
Overall, the makeover will be a welcome change for Walmart shoppers and will especially help the retailer attract new customers.
If I lived between a renovated store and a non-renovated store, I would definitely go to the new style store. At the same time, if this Milwaukee location is any indication, other renovated stores still have some loose ends a month after their official “grand reopening.” there is a possibility.
Here are all 117 redesigned Walmart stores:
Alabama
Birmingham (store number 762)
Gardendale (store number 1201)
Huntsville (N) (Store #433)
Carrera (store number 3271)
Northport (store number 2306)
Winfield (store number 362)
Dothan (store number 2534)
arkansas
Jonesboro (store number 128)
arizona
Coolidge (store number 2778)
Phoenix (store number 5331)
California
La Puente (store number 3133)
Stanton (store number 4134)
florida
Pensacola (store number 1222)
Deland (store number 860)
Lake Worth (store number: 5759)
Orlando (store number 5179)
Orlando (Oak Ridge) (store number 5871)
Orlando (Stable) (Store No. 5875)
Orlando (store number 3617)
Orlando (Türkiye Lake) (store number 4332)
Winter Springs (store number 5132)
Inglewood (store number 1874)
Cape Coral (store number 6941)
Fort Walton Beach (Store #919)
georgia
Lithia Springs (store number 3205)
Americas (store number 758)
Cartersville (store number 615)
Locust Forest (store number: 5709)
iowa
Clinton (store number 2889)
illinois
Savoy (Store No. 3255)
Indiana
Muncie (Store No. 3747)
Columbus (N) (Store No. 4216)
Greensburg (store number 1180)
Goshen (store number 1378)
Lafayette (Store No. 1547)
Princeton (Store No. 1783)
Avon (store number 2786)
Crawford Building (store number 1655)
kentucky
Mayfield (store number 430)
Middlesboro (store number 739)
louisiana
Baton Rouge (Burbank) (store number 4683)
Baton Rouge (store number 839)
Harvey (Store No. 5722)
Derrider (store number 505)
Shreveport (store number 450)
Baker (store number 1102)
Massachusetts
Worcester (store number 4387)
maine
Lincoln (Store No.1919)
michigan
Roseville (store number 2959)
Dearborn (store number 4383)
Livonia (N) (Store No. 5844)
minnesota
Bloomington (store number 2198)
missouri
West Plains (15th store)
Jackson (store number 122)
Kennet (store number 190)
Dexter (30th store)
mississippi
Natchez (store number 874)
Amory (store number 118)
north carolina
Henderson (store number 2256)
Murphy (store number 515)
Gastonia (W) (Store No. 5298)
Washington (store number 1354)
Denver (store number 4274)
High Point (store number 1613)
Clayton (store number 5046)
Weaver Building (store number 4334)
north dakota
Devil’s Lake (store number 1695)
new jersey
Howell (store number 2195)
Ohio
Oregon (store number 5029)
Netherlands (store number 3445)
Dublin (store number 2471)
Cincinnati (Evendale) (store number 3749)
oklahoma
Duncan (Store No.1116)
Choctaw (store number 4195)
Ardmore (store number 129)
Lawton (store number 269)
pennsylvania
Baden (store number 4643)
Delmont (store number 3228)
Clarion (store number 2540)
south carolina
Somerville (E) (store number 1037)
Orangeburg (store number 616)
Greenwood (store number: 1382)
tennessee
Antioch (store number 5058)
Cordoba (store number 2322)
Memphis (store number 6807)
Nashville (store number 4435)
Nashville (store number 5119)
Nashville (Harding) (store number 3717)
Nashville (S) (store number 688)
Jefferson City (store number 724)
Millington (store number 94)
Knoxville (E) (store number 2310)
Knoxville (SE) (Store #1320)
texas
Arlington (store number 2977)
Dallas (store number 2427)
Dallas (Ledbetter) (store number 3014)
Stafford (store number 915)
San Antonio (store number 4131)
Waco (store number 5389)
Garland (store number 1800)
Livingston (store number 275)
Port Arthur (store number 408)
Mesquite (store number: 5824)
Mission (Brian) (Store No. 6850)
Bay City (store number 1405)
Desoto (store number 3432)
Amarillo (northwest) (store number 5216)
Humble (store number 7309)
Liberty (store number 1186)
Utah
Center Building (store number 3366)
Virginia
Henrico (Store No. 7032)
Wythe Building (store number 3270)
Stanton (store number 1344)
Chesapeake (S) (Store No. 3644)
Norton (store number 1302)
Washington
Yelm (store number 3705)
wisconsin
Germantown (store number 1515)