If You Shop at Walmart, Prepare to Get "Even More of What You Need" in August
The retailer announced a new partnership, which comes with some exciting changes.
If you've ever shopped at Walmart—and chances are you have—you know that these stores stock pretty much any necessity you have on your list. Pots and pans? They've got it. A new phone? Take your pick. Windshield wiper blades? You'll find those when roaming the aisles, too. But in addition to its reputation for one-stop shopping, Walmart has been pushing forth new initiatives to make browsing even simpler, including everything from new in-app features to completely remodeled stores. Now, the retail giant has announced another update coming your way in August, ensuring you'll be able to get "even more of what you need." Read on to find out what Walmart has planned, and where you can take advantage of it.
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Walmart has been working to improve your shopping experience.
Recently, Walmart has introduced a number of different updates to help facilitate simple shopping. Earlier this month, the retailer announced a new translation feature for Walmart.com, making it "easier and more convenient" for customers to search for items in Spanish. And in June, Walmart made an unprecedented change, partnering with the popular video streaming company Roku so that you can now purchase products directly on the device and have orders fulfilled by Walmart.
New brands are also being introduced, including Bubble Skin Care products and Waldo contact lenses, which just became available on July 26. Following its annual Open Call event on June 30, the retailer announced that an additional 330 products—pitched by both small businesses and manufacturers—received deals and would be added to Walmart's shelves or to its online inventory.
Now, the retailer is taking another step that will include small businesses.
Walmart is opening a new kind of store.
Because Walmart is so well known for having everything you could want at one location, you might be surprised to learn the retailer is moving away from this model—at least in certain parts of the country.
Walmart plans to open smaller stores in case you want to do a little shopping when you're off the beaten path. The stores will be called "The General Store by Walmart," opened in partnership with the vacation rental company Getaway, according to a July 28 press release. Shops will be located near Getaway's "outposts," which are basically a collection of rentable, tiny cabins—between 140 to 200 square feet—nestled in isolated locations (roughly two hours from major cities).
"These might be our most remote stores," Casey Schlaybaugh, vice president of brand marketing at Walmart U.S., told Forbes. "They're out in the woods and are so cute."
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Several of these stores will be up and running before the end of the year.
Five General Store by Walmart locations are set to open before the end of 2022, the press release states, and you can visit one as early as August at the Getaway Hill Country in Wimberley, Texas, which is situated between Austin and San Antonio.
The General Store by Walmart locations will be 75 square feet in size, the retailer told Axios, enabling Walmart's "first micro-retail shopping experience."
Before the end of the year, these general stores will also be coming to Getaway Big Bear in Running Springs, California; Getaway Western Catskills in Roscoe, New York; as well as Getaway Ozark Highlands in Osceola, Missouri; and Getaway Machimoodus in Moodus, Connecticut.
Here's what you'll be able to buy.
According to the press release, these stores will provide all of the vacation necessities you might have forgotten at home, particularly those you would need in more remote locations—think hiking gear, sunscreen, campfire equipment, cast iron skillets, blankets, lip balms, and even cameras.
Walmart intends to stock stores with products manufactured by small businesses local to each outpost. At the Texas Hill Country location, for example, customers will be able to shop for Texas Hill Country Olive Oil and Slow North candles, for example, Forbes reports.
Schlaybaugh confirmed to Forbes that the move is part of an initiative to expand into the hospitality space, and the retailer is actively partnering with other brands. And while you're still technically shopping at Walmart, you'll also be able to support small businesses and stay in vacation mode.
"At Getaway, our mission is to help people disconnect and spend time in nature," Carlos Becil, chief experience officer at Getaway, said in a statement. "In partnering with Walmart, we are able to amplify our efforts to a larger audience and provide our guests with more free time, helping them prepare for their stays and enjoy the comforts of nature once they arrive."
