Walmart Is Closing Stores in These Locations, Starting Now
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Walmart services millions of shoppers throughout the U.S. every week. This isn’t likely to let up anytime soon: Over the next few months, we’ll be shopping at the mega-retailer’s stores for discounted Halloween candy, Thanksgiving necessities, and gifts for Christmas. But some shoppers could have their plans thwarted by new Walmart closures. Read on to find out which Walmart stores are closing, both temporarily and permanently.
READ THIS NEXT: Walmart Is Banning Shoppers From Doing This in 4 States, as of Next Year .
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Unlike many other major retailers, Walmart has not been forced to downsize significantly among pandemic setbacks and rising inflation. Nevertheless, the big-box retailer has had to make several closures for different reasons.
In the spring, Walmart permanently closed five separate stores in four states: Kentucky, Ohio, Connecticut, and Washington. More recent closures were just temporary: In September, the retailer was forced to close hundreds of stores throughout Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia as Hurricane Ian made landfall in the U.S. Just this month, Walmart had at least six different locations closed throughout the country .
Now, Walmart is shaking up its store count once again.
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The post said that Walmart is working to “assess any damage and reopen as quickly as possible” because the location is essential to the community. But the store is still closed according to the retailer’s Store Status tracker, and the Walmart Barnwell Facebook confirmed this in an Oct. 29 update post : “Your local Barnwell is still currently closed to customers but all associates please report on your regular shift. Thank you customers for your patience, we will reopen to the public soon.”
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It’s not just temporary closure Walmart shoppers have to worry about. On Oct. 24, Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reported that the city will be losing its only Walmart store in the coming weeks. According to the local news outlet, a Walmart spokesperson confirmed that the location at the Waterworks shopping center on Freeport Road will close permanently by Nov. 11.
“We have been, and will continue to be, supportive of our store leadership and associates at our Pittsburgh store,” Walmart spokesperson Felicia McCranie told Action News 4. “This decision is in no way a reflection of their hard work and customer service. We are hopeful the associates at the store will want to continue their career with Walmart by transferring to another store.”
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In a separate interview, McCranie told CBS News that Walmart’s decision to close its Pittsburgh location was made after a review of thee store’s finances. “This decision was not made lightly and was reached only after a thorough review process,” she said. “Our decision is based on several factors, including historic and current financial performance, and is in line with the threshold that guides our strategy to close underperforming locations.”
This is the same reasoning that was given for the company’s earlier permanent closures in April and May of this year. Back in March, Walmart spokesman Brian Little assured the Louisville Courier Journal that underperforming store closures are “done on a case-by-case basis” and not indicative of a larger nationwide trend of shutdowns. “These are never easy decisions, but actively managing our portfolio is essential to maintaining a healthy business,” he explained at the time.
Walmart Is Banning Shoppers From Doing This in 4 States, as of Next Year
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The shopping experience at Walmart is nothing if not consistent. The megaretailer has changed with the times to keep giving customers what they want, from a convenient shopping experience to maintaining their low prices despite soaring inflation. Typically, this involves adding features or perks that endear fans to the store even more. But even as the world’s second-largest retailer, some changes are inevitable for the company—including ones that could affect the shopping experience. Read on to see what Walmart is banning shoppers from doing in four states as of next year.
READ THIS NEXT: Walmart Shoppers Can Now Buy This “Award-Winning” Product in Stores .
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There’s no question that the pace of change in the retail industry has quickened in recent years. But unlike some other once-iconic stores that have all but disappeared , Walmart has managed to keep customers coming back by embracing new technology and fine-tuning its customer experience.
In July, the store unveiled a new augmented reality (AR) feature built into its app that allows customers to see how a piece of furniture or décor will look in their home before they decide to buy it. The company also announced it had updated its website to optimize the experience for Spanish speakers shopping on its website. And the retailer also kicked off a partnership with streaming platform Roku that allows customers to shop for items using their TVs.
Devoted Walmart customers have also likely found more reasons to return to the store lately. Earlier this summer, the retailer announced that it was updating its Walmart+ subscription service, allowing members to bundle their package with InHome Delivery for an extra $40 annually. The service provides customers with the convenience of having the items they ordered brought straight to their doorstep, garage, or fridge. But despite these recent additions, there’s one thing Walmart shoppers in some areas won’t see in stores for much longer.
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Originally, signage had announced that the changes would take effect beginning Sept. 15. However, those notices have since been removed from the store, with representatives telling KRDO that the new policy will go into effect at a later date in the coming months.
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News of the major change comes after the state government passed Colorado House Bill 1162 last year, KRDO reports. Even though the new legislation will ban stores and restaurants from giving out single-use plastics such as shopping bags beginning in 2024, the company said it would be getting a head start on the changes—and has even instituted similar policies in other states.
“Walmart has been exploring alternatives to single-use carryout bags from our stores since 2021 while prioritizing our customers’ convenience and product safety, including through the Beyond the Bag Consortium. In the U.S., we have transitioned from plastic bags in Vermont, Maine, and New Jersey, and, starting early 2023, we expect to eliminate single-use carryout bags in Colorado as well—with reusable bags available for purchase at multiple prices,” a corporate spokesperson for Walmart told KRDO in a statement.
“For in-store and curbside delivery, we will continue to encourage our customers to bring their own bags and/or purchase reusable bags and will be switching to reusable paper bags for delivery. Walmart remains committed to identifying solutions that are scalable, convenient, and sustainable,” the representative explained.
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Despite how convenient they may seem, plastic bags have become a major ecological issue , with less than 10 percent of those put into use ending up recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As a result, state and municipal governments around the U.S. have begun to institute their own local ordinances similar to Colorado’s that limit or outright ban retailers and other businesses from furnishing plastic bags. As of February 2021, eight states had enacted bans on single-use plastic bags , including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon, and Vermont, per the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Other areas, such as Montgomery County, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., have also required businesses to charge a five or 10-cent fee per bag used by a customer.
But it’s not just plastic bags: Walmart’s latest decision aligns with the company’s commitment to becoming a zero waste operation in the U.S. in Canada by 2025. After announcing the initiative last year, the retailer says it aims to switch to “100 percent recyclable, reusable, or industrially compostable packaging” for its own brands by 2025 while also “aiming to label 100 percent of that packaging with recycling instructions to educate our customers and eliminate non-recyclable packaging by the same time frame.”
