Walmart is shutting down over 4,600 stores nationwide for 24 hours soon — here are the key details
It isn't usual for a retailer like Walmart to close its doors for several hours, but that is exactly what shoppers will have to prepare for. In a matter of weeks, more than 4,600 stores all over the country will remain shut for a full 24 hours, according to a report in The US Sun. Shoppers will also have to get their shopping done quickly the day before, as the stores will close before their usual time.
It might not have done so in the past, but for some years now, Walmart has been closing its doors for Christmas and Thanksgiving every year. That will continue in 2025 and seemingly for a long time ahead. Stores across the country will be open on Christmas Eve, but will operate from 6 am to 6 pm. That’s a lot earlier than their usual closing time.
Operations will resume normally from December 26. It is not the only retailer that will close its doors on Christmas, as many others will also do the same. The timings are different for each. Costco and its competitor, Sam’s Club, will be closed on the day as well, with operations active the day before. Sam’s Club members can avail their services from 8 am to 6 pm, while non-members can enter its stores from 9 am.
Costco’s executive members can shop at their stores from 9 am to 5 pm, while others can enter stores from 10 am. Target will also be closed for the holiday, but the retailer has claimed that shoppers will still be able to take advantage of their online services. Customers might have liked Walmart to keep its delivery operation active, as well, since it has been such a huge success in recent times.
An earlier report stated that high-income earners had started shopping at the retailer, and it was all thanks to the delivery service. As a result, Walmart decided to make that service more efficient by experimenting with dark stores that no one would be allowed to enter. These stores would only keep customer-favourite delivery items to get them to them as soon as possible.
"Certainly, with a more affluent customer base that's coming to Walmart now, there's an opportunity to serve [them] in maybe more of a dark store format, where you don't have customers going into stores, but we can serve them through eCommerce," CFO John David Rainey said at a conference. "We're experimenting with that, and the early returns are encouraging," he added.
One of the big indicators of this was the fact that Walmart’s most popular item on Black Friday was AirPods, which is something higher-income individuals usually purchase. "One of the top-selling items was AirPods, which is maybe more attractive to the more affluent customer," Rainey said at the conference, before mentioning, "It's indicative of how Walmart is changing, and how our customer base is changing."
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