Walmart observations

[dcpeachy]

I went to the Albuquerque/Carlisle Blvd. Walmart yesterday and they have removed all self-checkouts. Now, there are 30+ manned checkouts. Evidently, they went in overnight this past week and removed everything they had done in the past couple of years, and went back to manned checkouts to reduce theft. It looks like they to piece together some materials, as the lane number signs were not all the same (some with the spark logo and some without), along with some having temporary numbers printed on paper. The registers are newer (black Toshiba), but just as slow as always.

[Romr123]

I suspect Albuquerque is a tough place to operate. It is the one place where I feel a bit of ...menace... driving through and stopping for gas/snacks just west of the big Interstate interchange (I-40 and 25)...the Coors Blvd exit. Feels uncomfortable and dystopian at the same time--the gas station we normally use has rest rooms in a separated building (a QuikTrip would go down so well there). I imagine that the suburban areas are quite lovely, but the central corridor is not a pleasant place to be.

[Alpha8472]

I have seen Walmart stores add self checkout machines and then months later remove most of them in the San Francisco Bay Area. The theft rate is so high that manned checkouts are the only way to keep people from robbing the store blind.

These neighborhoods are really scary with dangerous and dishonest people.

Costco is wary about self checkout in this area. Sometimes the self checkouts are not even open.

Some Safeway stores do not have self checkout. They have a walled off liquor department with its own cashier to keep people from stealing the alcohol.

[Knight]

I returned to Walmart Supercenter twice in the past month. Regular checkouts were manned and moving fast. I wonder if stores in my area are operating better than other areas.

[ClownLoach]

The Temecula "flagship" remodel is done enough that they held a Grand Reopening last weekend. This might be the single nicest Walmart I have ever seen, and I'm really surprised how many vignette displays such as baby rooms, kitchens etc. they built along with custom displays and store specific murals, graphics and even neon signs.

Foods is definitely operating on a level unseen at Walmart, although their prices are not competitive. They have a large selection of USDA Choice Beef along with Prime, and I was floored by the quality and freshness. I never thought I would see the day Walmart has better meat than the big chains. Will be interesting to see if it sticks.

I am more certain than ever Walmart's systems, which customize planograms and SKU assortment over time on a store by store basis, are reset to chain standard on all remodels. This may be why we see them remodel troubled stores and then they close less than a year later. The store has a new large section of snow chains and cables for car tires along with ice melt. Obviously it ain't going to sell in Wine Country.

What might be interesting to all is the checkout configuration. Two banks of registers each with a single queue line (!!!). They can run half the register banks or all depending on the need. Each bank has 18 registers, 4 traditional full service checkouts and 14 of the new large format self checkout kiosks. They have a brand new to Walmart self check POS that looks like the one Target uses now, it is on NCR hardware but it is completely different. Fast, slick, and allows customers to do their own voids. But it's one line and they have a employee who asks if you want self check or a regular register then directs you to what station to use by number. They also have new dedicated Walmart+ Scan and Go lanes at either end but they aren't yet operational. With those the store has moved up to 40 total registers at the front end, an increase of a dozen, even though they had about 20 full service lanes which have reduced to 8. They never had more than a couple full service lanes open anyway so it was nice to see all 8 open for Grand Opening weekend. They have added a Dollar Shop just like Target's Bullseye shop up front at one end, and the other end is basically a gas station convenience store with three or four aisles of chips and snacks and cold drinks (including single beers which I think is a bad idea, if you saw the setup you'd agree). Like mentioned above, the regular check lanes were not new fixtures and they had mismatched signs with printed numbers on some, indicating they might have originally planned to move this location to the standard in the previous prototype seen in Lake Elsinore with only 2 full service lanes (I haven't returned there since it opened but I can't imagine they haven't added more because of the massive lines of customers who had alcohol in their cart, all self checkout basically destroys the liquor business).

They still are not done with the exterior rebuild, probably because of the rains earlier this year, so the new covered pickup lanes are still a mud pit. When they're done they will have 40 pickup spaces, and they're far enough to the side of the store they won't get sucked up by regular shoppers as it's inconvenient to park there and walk all the way to the entrance (a smart idea Target is working on too, I've noticed their remodels now move pickup to the opposite end of the entrance).

The million dollar question is if Walmart will be able to maintain the condition of this store. Earlier in this thread it was mentioned they only have a dozen or so stores in this flagship format and they were all on the East Coast. It was always a solid store for them and I think if they did things correctly this format could be a serious threat to Target and others.

[retailfanmitchell019]

The Temecula "flagship" remodel is done enough that they held a Grand Reopening last weekend. This might be the single nicest Walmart I have ever seen, and I'm really surprised how many vignette displays such as baby rooms, kitchens etc. they built along with custom displays and store specific murals, graphics and even neon signs.

Foods is definitely operating on a level unseen at Walmart, although their prices are not competitive. They have a large selection of USDA Choice Beef along with Prime, and I was floored by the quality and freshness. I never thought I would see the day Walmart has better meat than the big chains. Will be interesting to see if it sticks.

I am more certain than ever Walmart's systems, which customize planograms and SKU assortment over time on a store by store basis, are reset to chain standard on all remodels. This may be why we see them remodel troubled stores and then they close less than a year later. The store has a new large section of snow chains and cables for car tires along with ice melt. Obviously it ain't going to sell in Wine Country.

They still are not done with the exterior rebuild, probably because of the rains earlier this year, so the new covered pickup lanes are still a mud pit. When they're done they will have 40 pickup spaces, and they're far enough to the side of the store they won't get sucked up by regular shoppers as it's inconvenient to park there and walk all the way to the entrance (a smart idea Target is working on too, I've noticed their remodels now move pickup to the opposite end of the entrance).

The million dollar question is if Walmart will be able to maintain the condition of this store. Earlier in this thread it was mentioned they only have a dozen or so stores in this flagship format and they were all on the East Coast. It was always a solid store for them and I think if they did things correctly this format could be a serious threat to Target and others.

I just wonder if this strategy will backfire. This "flagship" model isn't the first time Walmart has gone "upscale". Back in 2006, they opened a store in Plano, Texas (upscale Dallas suburb) with upscale items like designer clothing, sushi, wood flooring, expensive wines, high-end electronics, higher-end meat, etc. Ultimately, it's probably just another plain Walmart by now.

Selling winter car supplies is questionable in SoCal, except for the time the Temecula Valley got snow on New Year's Eve, 2014.

What would be considered a "troubled" store for Walmart in SoCal? Encinitas, perhaps? I know Walmart does the least profitable in upscale suburban areas.

[storewanderer]

The Temecula "flagship" remodel is done enough that they held a Grand Reopening last weekend. This might be the single nicest Walmart I have ever seen, and I'm really surprised how many vignette displays such as baby rooms, kitchens etc. they built along with custom displays and store specific murals, graphics and even neon signs.

Foods is definitely operating on a level unseen at Walmart, although their prices are not competitive. They have a large selection of USDA Choice Beef along with Prime, and I was floored by the quality and freshness. I never thought I would see the day Walmart has better meat than the big chains. Will be interesting to see if it sticks.

I am more certain than ever Walmart's systems, which customize planograms and SKU assortment over time on a store by store basis, are reset to chain standard on all remodels. This may be why we see them remodel troubled stores and then they close less than a year later. The store has a new large section of snow chains and cables for car tires along with ice melt. Obviously it ain't going to sell in Wine Country.

What might be interesting to all is the checkout configuration. Two banks of registers each with a single queue line (!!!). They can run half the register banks or all depending on the need. Each bank has 18 registers, 4 traditional full service checkouts and 14 of the new large format self checkout kiosks. They have a brand new to Walmart self check POS that looks like the one Target uses now, it is on NCR hardware but it is completely different. Fast, slick, and allows customers to do their own voids. But it's one line and they have a employee who asks if you want self check or a regular register then directs you to what station to use by number. They also have new dedicated Walmart+ Scan and Go lanes at either end but they aren't yet operational. With those the store has moved up to 40 total registers at the front end, an increase of a dozen, even though they had about 20 full service lanes which have reduced to 8. They never had more than a couple full service lanes open anyway so it was nice to see all 8 open for Grand Opening weekend. They have added a Dollar Shop just like Target's Bullseye shop up front at one end, and the other end is basically a gas station convenience store with three or four aisles of chips and snacks and cold drinks (including single beers which I think is a bad idea, if you saw the setup you'd agree). Like mentioned above, the regular check lanes were not new fixtures and they had mismatched signs with printed numbers on some, indicating they might have originally planned to move this location to the standard in the previous prototype seen in Lake Elsinore with only 2 full service lanes (I haven't returned there since it opened but I can't imagine they haven't added more because of the massive lines of customers who had alcohol in their cart, all self checkout basically destroys the liquor business).

They still are not done with the exterior rebuild, probably because of the rains earlier this year, so the new covered pickup lanes are still a mud pit. When they're done they will have 40 pickup spaces, and they're far enough to the side of the store they won't get sucked up by regular shoppers as it's inconvenient to park there and walk all the way to the entrance (a smart idea Target is working on too, I've noticed their remodels now move pickup to the opposite end of the entrance).

The million dollar question is if Walmart will be able to maintain the condition of this store. Earlier in this thread it was mentioned they only have a dozen or so stores in this flagship format and they were all on the East Coast. It was always a solid store for them and I think if they did things correctly this format could be a serious threat to Target and others.

I went to a Wal Mart in WI that had some of what you are describing in clothing, also it had different price signs for clothing (not the plastic scoreboard type signs, but rather just printed paper signs) back during the summer. It was already sort of messy due to freight piled around.

The Dollar area and Convenience center are not new; they put those into the remodels they did back in 2021 in Sparks/Carson City. I haven't seen either added to any stores since 2021.

Any Wal Mart can get that meat you saw, and does get it. But it is all about properly handling the department, getting stuff out efficiently- immediately, doing proper rotation/markdown (they are supposed to mark meat down 2-3 days before sell by) and in some cases not putting out at all the packages that do not look good. I think this meat may come from the same place as that Kroger Mercado meat. I am going to try to look at the EST numbers on the packs to figure that out. I've said before here on ground beef- Wal Mart is one of the few chains at least offering "Ground Chuck, Round, and Sirloin" as opposed to just generic specified fat content "Ground Beef." Other major grocers use pre-ground beef anymore and just break it into smaller packages so I see no difference in buying it at Wal Mart pre-pack as opposed to buying grind at say Safeway or WinCo who gets it in a giant 20 pound vat and just breaks it into smaller packs or in some cases with Safeway just takes a pre-packaged package and sticks a store label on it (just like Wal Mart). I have bought these specific cut grinds at Wal Mart many times and quality is great. Currently these grinds have higher everyday prices at Wal Mart than their everyday price at Smiths so I quit buying at Wal Mart for the time being. Wal Mart is probably the largest meat retailer in the US so we can say their meat program is bad, pre cut, whatever, all we want, but with the decline in quality of meat department at many conventional grocers the lines keep blurring between them and Wal Mart.

I have been in a situation where 371 required chains outside Temecula to Anza... but these things only last hours... easier to wait it out than mess with chains in this type of area. What is interesting is chains are typically a vendor item for Wal Mart, not something that comes through their distribution network.

At the end of the day Wal Mart is Wal Mart. I don't think they will maintain the condition of this store but at the same time some ideas from it may stick.

What this store sounds like it does is just repackage Wal Mart and make it look better. It doesn't sound like they're bringing in a bunch of non-congruent merchandise or doing anything completely over the top. Wal Mart could certainly stand to look better, as long as they can figure out how to get the shelves stocked... their product mix is really quite good. Their presentation and handling of items really brings down their reputation.

[jamcool]

Also mountain towns like Big Bear and Idyllwild are not very far from Temecula….and they can get a lot of snow (like earlier this year)

[veteran+]

I looked at the photos and it really looks like Walmart's version of Target.

I would never shop at Walmart BUT if they could maintain this, Target is done!

I continue to be disappointed with all the Targets in my area. Their OOSs are never ending. Their disrespect and indifference to food is overt and loud. I am visiting less and less as a result. Wasting my time is not my M.O.

[ClownLoach]

I looked at the photos and it really looks like Walmart's version of Target.

I would never shop at Walmart BUT if they could maintain this, Target is done!

I continue to be disappointed with all the Targets in my area. Their OOSs are never ending. Their disrespect and indifference to food is overt and loud. I am visiting less and less as a result. Wasting my time is not my M.O.

They always ran a good store here and the area is affordable, which is why you see mini mansions everywhere that are well maintained with an RV and Jet Skis plus two out of three homes have a nice pool. You can have a great lifestyle and buy a massive, quality home around 4,000 Sq ft on a nice lot in a safe neighborhood for $750K and up. Same house on a smaller lot and 30 years older in Irvine would be $3M-$4M. Perfect place for Walmart to operate this format as people actually have disposable income even if they're not rich, unlike the majority of California. That's why we bought here because otherwise we would have had to leave California.