Store closures have been hitting far and wide over the last few years, affecting companies both large and small. Major retailers like CVS and Bed Bath & Beyond have kickstarted ongoing initiatives to shutter hundreds of locations throughout the U.S. But even if plans for a significant downsize aren't on the table, almost every retailer is losing locations in some way. That includes Walmart, one of the country's most popular and successful companies. Read on to find out which stores Walmart says are closed to shoppers right now.
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Walmart has already closed several stores this year.
ShutterstockWalmart has not set into motion any permanent mass closures, unlike many other retailers. But the big-box retailer has dealt with several shutdowns—both temporary and not. In the spring, Walmart closed several "underperforming" stores throughout the U.S. Locations in Louisville, Kentucky; Forest Park, Ohio; and Bellevue, Washington, were shuttered in April, and then in May, the company closed stores in Guilford, Connecticut, and Mayfield Heights, Ohio.
Just last week, Walmart also had to temporarily close over 240 locations. The retailer briefly shut down certain stores in Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia as Hurricane Ian made its way through the East Coast. Most locations affected by the storm appear to have since reopened, but now there are other closed Walmart stores affecting shoppers within the U.S.
The retailer says other stores are closed to shoppers right now.
Peopleimages / iStockAmid the mass temporary closures during Hurricane Ian, Walmart shared its "Store Status" tool with shoppers. The continuously updated map provides consumers with real-time operation status information about every location in the U.S. As of Oct. 6, there are currently 6 different Walmart stores closed throughout the country. But some closures appear to fluctuate quickly—throughout the day, there were points at which as few as 3 stores and as many as 10 stores were listed as "currently closed," per Walmart's map.
The current closures affect several different states.
ShutterstockThe 6 U.S. locations Walmart says are not open at the moment are spread all over the country. In California, there are two stores listed as currently closed: a Walmart Supercenter in Milpitas and a Neighborhood Market in Clovis.
The other locations include Walmart Supercenters in Yankton, South Dakota; Orem, Utah; Aurora, Ohio; and Peachtree City, Georgia. (The map has two separate listings for Peachtree City, but they both appear to be the same store.)
One of these locations has been closed for over a month.
Jonathan Weiss / ShutterstockWalmart does not provide any reasoning behind the specific closures on its store status map. But there is an explanation for why at least one location is closed to shoppers. The Walmart in Peachtree City, Georgia, has been closed since Aug. 25. The store said it would be "closed temporarily until further notice" after an overnight fire spread throughout the building, per NBC-affiliate WXIA.
According to Fox 5 Atlanta, the fire was started by a 14-year-old girl while she was shopping with her mother. In early September, Walmart opened a mobile pharmacy in the store's parking lot to help serve customers' pharmacy and vision needs. But the main store is still being rebuilt as of October.
"The fire caused extensive damage, and we are still assessing losses and developing a timeline for reopening," Ashley Nolan, a spokesperson for the store, told the news outlet. "This will obviously take time, but we are making progress daily."
