By Lauren Schregardus, On Behalf of Walmart—
MUNCIE, IN – Celebrating Walmart’s largest single-day rollout of re-grand openings in company history, Walmart customers in Muncie will soon be welcomed inside the newly transformed Supercenter at 1501 East 29th Street as the much-anticipated remodel is now complete. The Muncie store is part of re-grand opening celebrations representing more than half a billion dollars in capital investments in local communities across 30 states.
Walmart associates will mark the occasion with a ribbon cutting ceremony, community celebration, music from the Cowan Jr/Sr High School band, multiple vendors, and the unveiling of a community inspired mural by artist Kristin Amelia Altine on Friday, November 3 at 9 a.m. The event is expected to be attended by several local Muncie organizations and elected officials, including members of the Muncie Crime Stoppers, the Crossroads of America Council, the local Fire and Police department and Mayor Dan Ridenour.
In the past two years, Walmart has invested nearly $9 billion to upgrade more than 1,400 stores across the country. Each store’s reopening is part of Walmart’s Signature Experience, which seeks to inspire customers and provide them with a seamless, high-quality shopping experience.
During the celebration, Walmart store manager Eric Gray will highlight the store’s transformations as well as the new interactive features that will soon be available to customers, including:
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Optimized grocery department with expanded selections in Liquor, Wine, and Beer
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Front end transformation with increased numbers of staffed self-checkout lanes for customer convenience, including Walmart+ shopper express lanes
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Expansion of Grocery Pickup and Delivery, with an increased number customer stalls to for customer convenience
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New apparel mannequins
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Refreshed pharmacy with new private screening rooms for pharmacist consultations and services and privacy checkout lanes
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Added mother’s room for a clean, comfortable, and private option for nursing mothers
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New pet department with Fresh Pets and refrigerated food and Pure Balance offerings
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Added a new dollar shop at the store entrance with seasonally relevant products
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Improved the layout throughout the store to expand selection and streamline the customer shopping experience
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Added a new grab and go section in grocery area for quick meal and drink options for customers
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New signage, including some digital
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New flooring in certain areas
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New vestibules at entrances with slip-resistant flooring
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New paint, inside and out
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Improvements to the parking lot which include repaving, restriping and repainting
“This community has been very supportive of our Walmart since we opened so, when given the opportunity to remodel, we listen to our customers’ feedback to give them a better shopping experience.” says store manager Eric Gray. “We are proud to give them even more than they asked for, including more registers, more associates, and a better selection through the store. We think they are going to love the changes and we look forward to serving them in our newly remodeled store.”
To reinforce Walmart’s dedication to the communities it serves, the store manager will present $5,000 to Muncie Crime Stoppers, $1,000 to the Boy Scouts of America/Crossroads of America, and $1,000 to the Boys and Girls Club.
The store’s new mural, designed and illustrated by artist, Kristin Amelia Altine, is an eye-catching installation that reflects the beauty and landmarks of Muncie. She says, “I am inspired by both nature and architecture and wanted to capture the local landmarks in the painting while paying homage to the area’s natural landscape. I chose to do this by painting the White River right through the center of the piece and finishing it with a beautifully colorful sky to reference the “magic” of the city’s history.” 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 transformation and furthers Walmart’s commitment to the local community.
The new mural at Walmart by artist Kristin Amelia Altine.
The Muncie store will also recognize 2 associates for their years of work and dedication to the local store and customers.
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Judith Ruff-32yrs
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Jacquelyn Perry-32yrs
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Allison Bradley-30yrs
Muncie’s Walmart transformation is part of Walmart’s Signature Experience, which seeks to inspire customers and elevate their in-store experience. Upgrades at the Muncie Walmart Supercenter include:
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More space to discover: Walmart has purposefully created more space for customers to explore and discover the breadth and depth of what their local store has to offer.
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Digital touchpoints: These new touchpoints located throughout the store help to communicate to customers the vast range of products and services Walmart offers online through the use of QR codes.
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For example, in Walmart’s Pets area, a customer may scan the QR code to find additional dog bed options, learn about Walmart’s pet insurance service options or have a 20-pound bag of kibble delivered to their door.
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In addition, Muncie Walmart customers can save time and money by shopping when, where, and how they want. The Muncie store continues to offer the following innovations:
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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.
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Delivery – Walmart’s convenient delivery service is also a hit with customers. Even more, Walmart has now made both pickup and delivery contact free. Express delivery – customers now have the option to have their deliveries made in under two hours.
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Walmart Pay – a touch-free way to pay
Walmart+
Walmart+ is a membership program designed to save our members time and money on their everyday essentials, plus so much more. For us, that means giving them access to great benefits like free delivery from store, free shipping with no minimum order, a Paramount+ Essential subscription, mobile Scan & Go, member pricing on fuel, ability to earn to Walmart Rewards and early access to deals. Walmart+ costs $98 per year and includes a 30-day free trial period. You can sign up or get more information at Walmart.com/plus. To take advantage of these Walmart shopping features, customers can download the Walmart app through Apple Store or Google Play.
