Wal-Mart celebrates facelift at North Monroe location

Photo (R) caption:
With his staff watching, manager Michael Hicks gives a brief history of the store and the
renovations.
Photo by Haylee Bell.

By Haylee Bell
Outlook writer

The outside of the building had a fresh coat of paint. The landscaping looked lush and the stripes that separate spaces in the parking lot were also freshly painted.

 
Inside there was more space around the perimeter of the building, with shelves pushed to the center of the store.

 
Welcome to the new-look Wal-Mart store, which celebrated a grand reopening this past Friday. While the changes might not be totally obvious to casual shoppers, Shandra Jackson seemed to appreciate them for the convenience.

 
“I feel good about the changes,” she said.

 
The new look is part of a Wal-Mart policy that calls for renovation of its stores every five years. It was the first renovation for the location at 33221 North Monroe.

 
Although there wasn’t any addition to the actual size of the 107,000 square foot building, the remodel provides a new fresh produce experience, expanded deli and changes in the pharmacy. The arts and crafts, party and wedding sections are among the additions.

 
Supporters of both FAMU and FSU would also have a larger inventory to choose from. Seasonal shoppers also will find a more spacious area to shop.

 
The celebration culminated 12 weeks of remodeling. But manager Michael Hicks said it was worth the effort.

 
“We had some unique challenges due to the size of the store and we needed to give our customers what they wanted,” Hicks said. “There were a lot of logistical hurdles that had to be overcome to get it done and do that safely and do it in a manner that our customers were able to shop in the facility. I think we met that challenge all the way.”

Despite the limitations due to the size of the store, which is 73,000 square feet smaller than the normal average Wal-Mart store, Hicks said he felt the changes meet their customers’ need.

 
“They wanted the merchandise in the middle but they need the space, so a lot of this was about moving all the merchandise around the perimeter,” he said. “It’s a tight store but it’s a very busy store.”