4 Major Walmart Changes Coming to Stores This Summer, and How They’ll Affect You
For Walmart, competing with Target and Costco is child’s play. The big-box retailer is in a strategic game of chess with Amazon to become America’s No.1 all-things retailer. From drone delivery and new AI innovations, Walmart is blazing a strong path forward, with an emphasis on consumer satisfaction and technology. Here are four major changes coming to Walmart locations across the U.S.—including news about a back-to-school sale.
RELATED: 4 More Major Walmart Changes Coming to Stores, and How They’ll Affect You.
1
Walmart is opening “dark stores.”
If a new Walmart facility opened up in the neighborhood but has yet to throw its grand opening, it could be a dark store.
Dark stores resemble typical storefronts, but they function as mini warehouses. They’re stocked with merchandise (especially, frequently-bought items and essentials); however, they aren’t open to the public. Instead, they serve as fulfillment centers, allowing for quicker delivery to nearby areas.
Walmart has opened its first dark store in Dallas, sources disclosed to Bloomberg. It’s reported that another dark store could pop up in Bentonville, Arkansas, with more locations on the horizon.
“The new dark stores will carry some of the most popular items that shoppers buy, amplifying the reach of existing stores and bigger warehouses that fulfill orders. Walmart operated a handful of similar warehouses during the mid-2010s through the pandemic before closing them,” reports Bloomberg.
2
Walmart opened its own Angus beef distribution center in the Midwest.
In June, Walmart opened its first-ever owned and operated case-ready beef facility. The project comes three years after the retailer made a sizable investment in the Nebraska-based Angus company Sustainable Beef LLC, “as part of its continued efforts in creating an end-to-end supply chain for Angus beef,” according to a press release.
Part of what makes Sustainable Beef so unique is that all cattle are procured from within a 250-mile radius of the plant. Located in Olathe, Kansas, the new facility spans more than 300,000 square feet and processes fresh beef into case-ready cuts, then packages and distributes them to Walmart stores across the Midwest.
“With more customers seeking greater transparency about where their food comes from, this investment demonstrates Walmart’s commitment to delivering traceable, high-quality products while strengthening supply chain resiliency and control,” Walmart said in a statement.
RELATED: 4 Major Sam’s Club Changes Coming to Stores, and How They’ll Affect You.
3
Walmart just announced a ton of back-to-school offerings.
Back-to-school season will be here before you know it, and to help lighten the financial load, Walmart is slashing prices on the 14 most popular school supplies. On top of that, families can score backpacks for as little as $5 and cross everything off their list for under $65.
Additional savings include:
- More than 200 back-to-school rollbacks (temporary price reductions)
- 100+ supplies under $1
- 1,000+ supplies under $5
- 2,000+ supplies under $10
“As the go-to destination for back-to-school shopping, we’re proud to offer another year of incredible value — including school supplies, must-have styles and essentials. We’re especially excited to introduce Weekend Academy, our new private fashion brand designed for tweens, featuring trendy, affordable looks that are dropping just in time to be first-day ready,” Denise Incandela, executive vice president, Fashion, Walmart U.S., said in a press statement.
In addition to discounted school supplies, Walmart is offering the following incentives:
- Free tech setup and a year of tech support on select laptops and tablets.
- College and grad students can snag a Walmart+ membership for 50 percent off.
- “Classroom Registry” feature for teachers at Walmart.com
- School lunch essentials for under $2 per day
- Most clothing items in Walmart’s new private tween fashion brand, Weekend Academy, are priced under $15.
4
Walmart has cut over 1,500 jobs since May.
Walmart is terminating hundreds of store-support roles. Those affected include market manager assistants and some Walmart Academy coaches and coordinators, who oversee new employee/manager training, as reported by CNBC.
But apparently, these employees won’t be totally out of a job. It’s reported that both market coordinators and academy coaches will be offered new jobs in their respective fields.
In late May, it was revealed that Walmart would be letting go of 1,500 employees within the U.S. global technology businesses sector.