COLDWATER — The coaches and associates at the Coldwater Walmart store #1593 will celebrate a ribbon cutting and then show off four months of renovations at the West Chicago Street store at 9 a.m. Friday.
Since January, construction crews have modernized and updated the 24-year-old store, which was last remodeled around 10 years ago. Much of the work occurred at night when customers' doors were closed between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
General manager Gale Fix was all smiles this week as managers from other area Walmarts, with some help from the Coldwater distribution center staff, put the finishing touches on the work.
Walmart provides a remodel team with temporary associates for the third shift. "We've had about 55 extra associates to put this store together," Fix said.
Fix proudly said, "We have pretty much redone the building from the outside to the inside. We changed the departments around, got more varieties to sell, and just made the store more beautiful."
You first notice that all the floor tiles are gone. Now, smooth, polished, easy-to-clean concrete floors are throughout the store.
A significant change is that the apparel is now front and center, with name brands in well-lit displays. New LED lighting brightens the store.
Fix said, "Our online business is growing like crazy. We had to give them bigger spaces."
On the east side by automotive, there is a pick-up center with parking for 37 vehicles, "Because we expect to grow that much," the manager explained.
New coolers and a pick-up room are where online orders are delivered to customers.
Check out the checkouts. Gone are the single cashier lines. Customers enter "sort of a bullpen at one location," Fix explained. They can go to one of eight regular registers or one of 16 self-checkouts.
A new Bose sound system makes announcements clear and can be heard in the parking lot.
Next to the west entrance, there are new grab-and-go areas for food, beverages, and convenience items. At the east entrance, a dollar area features items priced at $1, $3, and $5.
The store looks like a department store with "vignettes," products in homewares, infants, and clothing, displayed to show how they look together, Fix said.
There are products and selections in the store. More brands and selection of pet foods fill the expanded sales area.
Fix said, "Our Equate brand, or Great Value brands is really our biggest seller. Obviously, you get a better price for that. That helps everybody out."
The bathrooms were ripped out to the studs and completely rebuilt. New signage is posted both inside and out.
With everything brighter and louder, the store offers a quiet time for those with sensory issues. From 8 to 10 a.m., the store turns off the sound and dims the lights to make it easier for them to shop.
HR manager Heidi Murphy said the store went from needing to hire to being overstaffed. With 55 new associates, how long they stay depends on the sales. New hires will be needed with the new store's expected increased sales.
Fix started at the Coldwater Walmart at age 16, pushing carts and stocking shelves after school. After 25 years with Walmart, he managed the Jonesville store until October, when he returned to Coldwater.
His familiarity with the community helped him pick the subjects for a mural on the west entrance wall the company commissioned.
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The design features Tibbits, Little River Railroad, and the Children's Museum.
— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com
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