I visited a Walmart 'store of the future' and got huge Target vibes
Dominick Reuter
- In November, Walmart reopened 117 stores "of the future" with more than $500 million in upgrades.
- I visited the redesigned supercenter near Milwaukee to see the changes for myself.
Earlier in November, Walmart celebrated the grand reopening of 117 stores across 30 states that it had spent nearly a year redesigning into stores "of the future."
The company said it spent more than $500 million on the project — or an average of about $4.3 million per store — widening aisles, enhancing signage, expanding self-checkout zones, and much more.
I decided to visit the one updated supercenter in Wisconsin — location No. 1515 — in the Milwaukee suburb of Germantown to see the changes for myself.
Some features, such as new signage and wider aisles, were a noticeable improvement, but several areas didn't look finished yet.
Here's what I saw.
The first thing I noticed was a fenced-off area near the Outdoors section.
The fence was covered with a banner that had a description of the upgrade project in Spanish — but, from what I saw, not in English. "We are improving how you shop at Walmart," one of the banners said.
Inside, the store was brightly lit and more spacious than other Walmarts I’ve been to.
The sales floor was impressively tidy for the Monday after the busiest shopping weekend of the year.
There was one assisted-checkout area flanked by two self-checkout zones.
Most shoppers I saw seemed to prefer the self-service option.
I started my lap around the store on the grocery side, where shopping carts had ample room to navigate around fresh-produce displays.
Some items had low quantities, but I find that grocery stores often must play catch-up with restocking on Monday mornings.
The larger signage really stood out.
Walmart made a point to highlight its signage in its promo materials, and the large blue-and-white lettering made it easy to see where certain products were from afar.
There were also workers filling blue bins on carts for online orders.
Walmart is doubling down on using stores to fulfill e-commerce orders, and the renovations include several behind-the-scenes expansions to facilitate that strategy.
The aisles were also noticeably wider.
It looked like at least three carts could fit side-by-side, and the extra space really adds to the sense of openness.
I also kept my eye out for the new section displays.
Walmart says the showcases will allow shoppers to touch and feel more products before buying.
Scanning the QR code opened the Walmart app.
The app featured a collection of items, some of which were in the display, and others that customers could order online.
The product trays at some of the showcase displays seemed picked over.
I can understand what the planners had in mind with these little bins for featured accessories, but in practical terms, that also means one more spot that employees must keep adequately stocked and accurately labeled.
Most electronics merchandise was locked in shiny new sliding-glass cabinets.
I did see a Bluetooth speaker on sale that I would have bought on impulse, but I didn't want to ask an associate to unlock the door — a fundamental conundrum of modern retail.
This Reebok apparel section was one of a few brand-partnership areas.
The brand partnerships are one of several cues the redesign borrows from Target, which has similar in-store presentations with Levi's, Ulta Beauty, and more.
One more note about the signage — you really could read it from halfway across the store.
I was impressed with the combination of large text and clear sight lines that helped me quickly see where various sections were from almost anywhere in the building.
The tallest shelving was in the seasonal section and another area near the middle of the floor.
While the taller shelves would be typical for a regular Walmart store, they really illustrate just how much more open the space feels with shorter fixtures.
This banner was another sign that the work was still in progress.
There was also a placeholder on the banner where a QR code for a free trial for Walmart+ would go, but the code was missing.
Christmas trees and decorations took over the Outdoors section.
Behind the trees, a seemingly temporary dividing wall made of plywood set off an area that was still under construction.
Shelves in the cosmetics section had thousands of little lights to brighten up the display.
I've not seen this kind of lighting integrated into the shelving in many big-box stores, but it helped give the tiny products a bit of pop.
Walmart is also borrowing a page from Target’s playbook with the new "Dollar Shop."
Similar to how Target organizes its stores, the section near the front entrance is filled with seasonal and decorative items for $5 or less each, but I wasn't convinced the items were all that good of a value. There's often a better-quality product for a similar price if you take a few more steps into the store.
Another Target-style addition is the new "Grab & Go" section.
Mostly stocked with drinks, bagged chips, and single-serving snacks, this section had a little less variety than I was expecting: It seemed like more of a souped-up checkout-lane offering than a mini convenience store.
On my way out, I noticed a poster for a new map feature.
In its announcement of the renovations, Walmart hyped up the new hybrid digital-physical shopping-experience features, in this case an in-app map to help you find items in the store. As it happened, the map is also still "under construction," so to speak.
Another thing I noticed, while walking around the store: This location is still using the old-style shopping carts.
A new style of shopping cart has been rolling out to stores across the country for the past few years. One would think Walmart might want the latest and greatest in cart tech for their newly remodeled stores, but who knows?
All told, this remodel will bring welcome changes for Walmart shoppers and especially help the retailer attract new customers.
If I lived between a remodeled location and an unremodeled one, I'd certainly prefer to go to the newer-style store. At the same time, if this Milwaukee location is any indication, other remodeled stores may still have a few loose ends to tie up a month after the official "grand re-opening."
Here are all the 117 Walmart locations featuring the redesign
Birmingham (Store No. 762)
Gardendale (Store No. 1201)
Huntsville (N) (Store No. 433)
Calera (Store No. 3271)
Northport (Store No. 2306)
Winfield (Store No. 362)
Dothan (Store No. 2534)
ArkansasJonesboro (Store No. 128)
ArizonaCoolidge (Store No. 2778)
Phoenix (Store No. 5331)
CaliforniaLa Puente (Store No. 3133)
Stanton (Store No. 4134)
FloridaPensacola (Store No. 1222)
DeLand (Store No. 860)
Lake Worth (Store No. 5759)
Orlando (Store No. 5179)
Orlando (Oak Ridge) (Store No. 5871)
Orlando (Stable) (Store No. 5875)
Orlando (Store No. 3617)
Orlando (Turkey Lake) (Store No. 4332)
Winter Springs (Store No. 5132)
Englewood (Store No. 1874)
Cape Coral (Store No. 6941)
Fort Walton Beach (Store No. 919)
GeorgiaLithia Springs (Store No. 3205)
Americus (Store No. 758)
Cartersville (Store No. 615)
Locust Grove (Store No. 5709)
IowaClinton (Store No. 2889)
IllinoisSavoy (Store No. 3255)
IndianaMuncie (Store No. 3747)
Columbus (N) (Store No. 4216)
Greensburg (Store No. 1180)
Goshen (Store No. 1378)
Lafayette (Store No. 1547)
Princeton (Store No. 1783)
Avon (Store No. 2786)
Crawfordsville (Store No. 1655)
KentuckyMayfield (Store No. 430)
Middlesboro (Store No. 739)
LouisianaBaton Rouge (Burbank) (Store No. 4683)
Baton Rouge (Store No. 839)
Harvey (Store No. 5722)
Deridder (Store No. 505)
Shreveport (Store No. 450)
Baker (Store No. 1102)
MassachusettsWorcester (Store No. 4387)
MaineLincoln (Store No. 1919)
MichiganRoseville (Store No. 2959)
Dearborn (Store No. 4383)
Livonia (N) (Store No. 5844)
MinnesotaBloomington (Store No. 2198)
MissouriWest Plains (Store No. 15)
Jackson (Store No. 122)
Kennett (Store No. 190)
Dexter (Store No. 30)
MississippiNatchez (Store No. 874)
Amory (Store No. 118)
North CarolinaHenderson (Store No. 2256)
Murphy (Store No. 515)
Gastonia (W) (Store No. 5298)
Washington (Store No. 1354)
Denver (Store No. 4274)
High Point (Store No. 1613)
Clayton (Store No. 5046)
Weaverville (Store No. 4334)
North DakotaDevils Lake (Store No. 1695)
New JerseyHowell (Store No. 2195)
OhioOregon (Store No. 5029)
Holland (Store No. 3445)
Dublin (Store No. 2471)
Cincinnati (Evendale) (Store No. 3749)
OklahomaDuncan (Store No. 1116)
Choctaw (Store No. 4195)
Ardmore (Store No. 129)
Lawton (Store No. 269)
PennsylvaniaBaden (Store No. 4643)
Delmont (Store No. 3228)
Clarion (Store No. 2540)
South CarolinaSummerville (E) (Store No. 1037)
Orangeburg (Store No. 616)
Greenwood (Store No. 1382)
TennesseeAntioch (Store No. 5058)
Cordova (Store No. 2322)
Memphis (Store No. 6807)
Nashville (Store No. 4435)
Nashville (Store No. 5119)
Nashville (Harding) (Store No. 3717)
Nashville (S) (Store No. 688)
Jefferson City (Store No. 724)
Millington (Store No. 94)
Knoxville (E) (Store No. 2310)
Knoxville (SE) (Store No. 1320)
TexasArlington (Store No. 2977)
Dallas (Store No. 2427)
Dallas (Ledbetter) (Store No. 3014)
Stafford (Store No. 915)
San Antonio (Store No. 4131)
Waco (Store No. 5389)
Garland (Store No. 1800)
Livingston (Store No. 275)
Port Arthur (Store No. 408)
Mesquite (Store No. 5824)
Mission (Bryan) (Store No. 6850)
Bay City (Store No. 1405)
Desoto (Store No. 3432)
Amarillo (NW) (Store No. 5216)
Humble (Store No. 7309)
Liberty (Store No. 1186)
UtahCenterville (Store No. 3366)
VirginiaHenrico (Store No. 7032)
Wytheville (Store No. 3270)
Staunton (Store No. 1344)
Chesapeake (S) (Store No. 3644)
Norton (Store No. 1302)
WashingtonYelm (Store No. 3705)
WisconsinGermantown (Store No. 1515)
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