Walmart held a grand reopening on Friday, October 6 to celebrate the updates to the store, welcoming customers inside the newly transformed Supercenter to mark the end of the much-anticipated remodel. Walmart associates marked the occasion with a ribbon cutting ceremony, community celebration, and a community inspired mural unveiling by local artist, Bob C. The local VFW chapter provided the presentation of colors.
“As we celebrate the eagerly awaited renovations of our Supercenter, we’re excited to introduce the new upgrades to the Stuart community,” said Sam Barnette, Walmart Store Manager. “Customers can expect an elevated shopping experience, helping them save time and adding access to more items.”
Barnette said Walmart invested $6.1 million in the renovations, one example of the company’s commitment to the community.
“Through these investments, we got to do a lot of major upgrades. We upgraded our online pick-up where we have a dedicated space for it to make it more accessible for our customers” and added additional parking spaces for pickup, he said.
Barnette said the store’s pharmacy area now has a health clinic room that will allow it to better serve the community. He also highlighted the store’s transformations and new interactive features, including:
- New self-checkout registers and expanded Grocery Pickup with more parking spaces for expedited experience
- Additional shopping carts for customer convenience
- New signage for easier store navigation
- New fixtures and LED lighting throughout the store for better line-of-sight and easier shopping
- Refreshed interior and exterior, including paint and new flooring in almost every department
- Updated food departments, including deli with hot meals and expanded beer and wine selections
- Updated Pharmacy for customer care
- Expanded pet department with fresh pet food selection
- Updated Customer Service area
- New private mother’s room for nursing mothers
- Modernized, remodeled restrooms
“Although this process has not been easy,” but “it has been a better thing for us as to bring better services to our customers,” Barnette said. “This has been our goal throughout the process. This helps us enable it to make it reach our mission as Walmart to have our customers live a better life, and to save money, and to be better for the community.”
Walmart reinforced its dedication to the community by presenting $6,000 in grants to local organizations, including:
- Patrick County Sheriff’s Office
- Stuart Rotary Club
The store’s new mural, designed and illustrated by local artist, Bob C., is an eye-catching installation that displays the area’s iconic landmarks, including the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Bob White Covered Bridge and Marby Mill. The mural is part of Walmart’s Community Mural Program, the largest public-facing art installation celebrating communities across America. Walmart’s Community Mural Program is an important part of each store’s improvements and furthers Walmart’s commitment to the local community.
Stuart Walmart customers can save time and money by shopping when, where, and how they want. The Stuart store continues to offer the following innovations:
- Pickup– Walmart’s Pickup option has become a favorite among busy shoppers. It provides the convenience of online shopping and allows them to quickly collect their groceries without stepping out of their vehicles. The best part is that Walmart Grocery Pickup is completely free of charge. Furthermore, customers using SNAP in most states have the option to avail themselves of the pickup service as well.
- Delivery– Walmart’s convenient delivery service is also a hit with customers. Even more, Walmart has now made both pickup and delivery contact free.
● Walmart Pay – a touch-free way to pay.
