My local Walmart is undergoing a huge retrofit. Taking all the old shelves and rotating them 90 degrees and getting rid of at least one of the WIDE main “price leader aisles” where they cram all the special stuff they want to move.
At first I thought they were only rotating the shelves but then I noticed they were REPLACING them. Replacing them with ones that are almost 2 feet higher where they can store more product on top to restock lower shelves. I also started looking hard at their aisle spacing. It’s narrower by a bit - enough to squeeze in another row or two.
I think they’re doing it to take advantage of any larger, unanticipated shipments they get and accommodate fluction....a sign of an unsure distribution system. I haven’t seen any numbers yet, but my guess is that those extra shelf heights and added rows will give them at least a 25% higher ‘warehouse’ capacity. On that note, the person responsible for the plan earned his/her pay, IMO.
Walmart is closing locations and the retrofit will be to accommodate more stock, since they will have less stores.
Plus they are changing their business The first reason is that the retailer is changing its business model to become more attractive to online shoppers. More customers are shopping online than ever before, which explains why the company is shifting its focus towards the digital realm.
Let’s hope the have more cashiers for the remaining locations.