Last Friday, May 9th, Clinton’s Walmart opened its “new” store with a celebration. Granted, Walmart is in the same space at the junction of Highways 7 and 13, but inside and outside, the store has undergone a transformation. It’s no longer the old Walmart from five months ago.
Walmart has a long history in Clinton. The company first opened a store here in 1972, making the Clinton store the company’s 20th. In the 53 years since, Walmart has increased its stores to 4600 in the United States and has 10,000 “operating units” worldwide. Walmart has had three locations in Clinton. One was across Highway 13; another was where the Bealls store currently is.
The grand reopening was May 9th, but the actual work in the store started on January 20th. That’s 16 weeks of continual change that blended with customers shopping during the work. For some, the process was confusing with departments moving from one part of the store to another. But now, the interior changes to the store are done.
The changes are not superficial; it’s more than new paint on the outside or the Clinton-themed mural on the wall inside of the west entrance. It’s a rebuilding of the way the store works. “The remodeling will help us continue to help the customers save money,” said store manager Matt Cable, who took over running the Clinton store when Jane Marshall retired last year. Cable previously managed Walmart stores in the Blue Ridge and Independence areas of the Kansas City metro area.
It’s easy to see the changes as you walk through the store. The aisles are wider, the shelves taller, and there seems to be a greater choice of products. “We added several hundred new items in the dairy section alone,” said Cable. “And we’ve put in new refrigeration in the dairy, deli and bakery as well as rebuilt the jewelry department.” The liquor, wine and beer selection is greater also. Actually, nearly every department seems like it has a wider variety and more items on offer.
“We’ve also remodeled the pharmacy, vision area and even the restrooms.” Cable added that the store has expanded the variety of “consumable” items. It’s the new shelving and layout that has increased the display area without requiring more construction.
Surprisingly, even though there are more products on store shelves and various departments have expanded, there was no change to the store’s footprint; it is still the same size.
Cable said that next project will be working on some of the parking lot “structures”.
The event opened with the presentation of colors by the Clinton Junior ROTC. The Chamber of Commerce’s David Lee emceed the event and introduced the speakers including Mayor Carla Moberly, market manager Mark Heller, store manager Matt Cable and retired store manager Jane Marshall.
After the colors were presented, Randy Hargis, a Walmart employee and Baptist minister, led the ceremonies with a prayer and recitation from Numbers. The Lakeland Band and the Lakeland Girls’ Choir provided musical interludes between speakers.
As part of the celebration, Walmart’s Spark Good Local Grant program donated $10,000 to Clinton non-profit organizations, including Lakeland High School, the Clinton JROTC, Henry County Health Center, ByGrace Performance Studio, Forged by Christ, the Clinton Senior Center’s Meals on Wheels, the Sunrise Optimist Club and Share & Care for Special People. Also, both the Henry and St. Clair counties sheriff’s departments received grants for their Shop with a Cop programs.
The event concluded with the unveiling of the mural in the west entrance area. It has a Clinton theme that includes the Katy Trail’s green caboose, the water tower and one side of the square with a parade going by-- and a fisherman with a jumping fish.
