The Garden City Telegram
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Walmart sporting new look
Published 10/29/2009 in Local News
By MONICA SPRINGER
Months of repainting and relocating merchandise came to an end this week, as Walmart and its employees celebrated the grand re-opening of the store, marking the end of its remodeling project.
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Laurie Sisk/Telegram Garden City High School junior Dustin Worden joins other members of the GCHS drumline as they perform at the grand reopening of Walmart on Wednesday morning.
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Laurie Sisk/Telegram Walmart manager Stephanie Sullivan, left, prepares to hand a $2000 check to Kansas Children's Service League Development MAnager Lisa Knoll, center and Early Head Start Coordinator Lisa Horyna on Wednesday morning at the store during its grand reopening.
On Wednesday morning, Walmart employees and members of the community gathered at the store's north entrance for a ribbon cutting ceremony and cake. The occasion also marked the store's 25th anniversary since opening in Garden City.
"I couldn't be happier with the end result," said Stephanie Sullivan, store manager.
Sullivan said the remodel started in August. Now that it is complete, the store expanded its fresh offerings, such as vegetables, fruit and baked goods, repainted the interior with bright colors, added new cash registers, replaced the floor tiles and moved merchandise. The store also added a new sign in its parking lot.
The valuation on the building permits for the remodel totaled more than $1 million, according to the city's Community Development Department. The arcade room in Walmart also was remodeled, at a valuation of $30,000.
The self-checkouts in the store were removed. Those tended to be more difficult to use and slower for the customers, Sullivan said.
"Everything has been replaced, inside and out," Sullivan said.
The store also features an expanded electronics department, with interactive displays for hi-definition Blu-ray, video gaming and portable electronics. A new department also was added called Celebration Station, which features party supplies, greeting cards, balloons and helium tanks, cake supplies and gift wrap.
At the grand re-opening, Sullivan congratulated 13 employees who have worked at the store for 20 years and five employees who have worked at Walmart for 25 years. The store employs about 425 people in full- and part-time positions.
Sullivan said it's also Walmart's duty to give back to the community. During the re-opening ceremony, employees presented four Garden City service organizations with grants from the Walmart Foundation. The organizations include the Veteran's Fund of the United States, United Methodist Youthville and the Finney County Health Coalition, all of which received $1,000 grants, and the Kansas Children's Service League, which received a $2,000 grant.
Cindy Wallace-Horney, a Walmart employee who came to the ceremony on her time off, and Emma Showalter, who retired from Walmart after working 15 years, said they liked the store's new layout.
About 75 employees at the store helped with the remodel. Wallace-Horney, a hard-line zones supervisor, said she helped clean up the store and different departments after they were remodeled.
"It's nice and clean. Hopefully we'll be ready for Christmas when that time comes," Wallace-Horney said. She has worked at the store for 18 years.
"It's different," Showalter said of the new design in the store. "It's nice and open."
Found 4 comment(s)!
A little appreciation??
If you can't find anything, it's not Walmart's problem! Why are people so quick to critize but not to praise? I bet all those who critize still shop at Wal-mart and benefit greatly. Wonder how all those people would feel if someone constantly complained about their work? I just wish people would first think of and acknowledge the hard work put forth by Walmart's employees.
Posted by: Supporter on 11/11/2009
Time is Money
Why do stores have to have a new look all the time? Time is money and money is time. It is a time of short money. Therefore, it is a time of not enough time in the day. Most of us don't have the time to spend a whole day shopping in one store, looking for something, only to leave the store not finding what we came for. Not only that, the employees don't know if they carry it or if they do, where it might be. I rarely shop at Walmart anymore, and I probably will shop there even less! Don't they realize that the customer is what keeps their store going, paying their wages? They think if they remodel, that people will come in and spend more time looking for the item they came to the store for, only to pick up numerous other items they happen to run across. It's all a marketing scam. Don't fall for it. Are you going to waste your time to go on a scavenger hunt? When I go to the store, generally I know what I'm looking for and don't dally around. I have other things I would rather be doing. And yes, the self check out were the quickest way to get checked out. You might have to spend ten minutes in line, but at least it wasn't an hour.
Posted by: Not a customer on 10/30/2009
Cant find anything in there
I cant find anything in the new remodeled store.
Posted by: Gary on 10/29/2009
YEAH!!
I'm so glad Wal-Mart has a new look!...Now let's hope They hire more workers to fill up the cash registers...It takes an hour just to get checked out!
Posted by: Happy me! on 10/29/2009
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