Walmart Just Announced Another Permanent Closure
This center was temporarily closed, but Walmart has confirmed it will stay that way.
Walmart is a weekly destination for many shoppers, whether they're browsing for groceries or big-ticket items. The big-box retailers low prices are just one benefit of being a regular shopper, in addition to the convenience that Walmart offers through delivery services and its exclusive Walmart+ membership. But a handful of Walmart locations are expected to close by the end of May, and the company just announced an additional closure that could affect how you shop. Read on to find out what Walmart is closing for good.
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A Walmart facility has gone from temporarily closed to permanently closed.
Following a destructive fire in March 2022, a fulfillment center in Plainfield, Indiana was temporarily closed. But while the cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed, Walmart has announced that the doors will stay permanently shut.
"Unfortunately, the property damage is too significant to reopen the facility for the foreseeable future," Walmart said in a notice of facility closure on April 22.
This closure could have an impact on online shopping.
According to Walmart's website, fulfillment centers are primarily used for end-to-end fulfillment services for third-party e-commerce sellers. In simpler terms, these centers store inventory from sellers, and when an order is placed online via Walmart.com, the team at the fulfillment center will pick, pack, and deliver the products. Walmart also takes care of the return process in this instance, which is similar to the model that Amazon uses.
The Plainfield site was not responsible for serving other stores in the area and was strictly focused on online sales, a Walmart spokesperson told the IndyStar last month. After the fire, Walmart did not anticipate the closure affecting in-store sales, but the company wasn't sure how it would come into play with online orders. However, the spokesperson confirmed the facility did serve Walmart's online shoppers across the U.S.
Walmart did not immediately respond to Best Life's request for comment on the potential ramifications of this closure.
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Fulfillment center employees have been offered jobs at other Walmart locations in the area.
A total of 2,089 employees worked at the Plainfield fulfillment center, but none were injured in the fire, WYFI News reported.
In its notice of facility closure, Walmart confirmed that 957 of these associates had accepted other jobs within the company across the Plainfield area. For the remaining 1,132 associates that did not take this option, Walmart said that it will continue to offer a paid job search period. This period ends for hourly workers on July 1, 2022, and for salaried employers, the period ends on July 15, 2022.
Other Walmart locations will also permanently close in the coming months.
The closing of Walmart stores has made headlines lately, affecting shoppers in different U.S. states. Two Walmarts are being closed in Ohio—one in Forest Park, which closed its doors on April 22, and another in Mayfield Heights, which is anticipated to close on May 20. Other locations closed earlier this month, including a Walmart in Louisville, Kentucky, and one in Bellevue, Washington. Walmart shoppers in Connecticut will also be affected, as a location in Guilford is set to close on May 20 as well.
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