Walmart: 154 U.S. Stores Closing by January 28th (+ Kmart Closing 27 Stores This Spring)
If you’re a regular Walmart shopper, you may be interested in this news… Walmart announced today that they will be closing 269 stores globally and laying off more than 10,000 U.S. employees by the end of January. The closings will consist of 154 U.S. locations, including 102 Walmart Express stores, 23 Neighborhood Market stores, 12 Supercenters, 4 Sam’s Club locations, 6 discount stores, and 7 stores in Puerto Rico. Head on over here for details and to see if your local Walmart store will be closing.
If you’re a Kmart or Sears shopper, you may also be interested to know that more than two dozen Kmart stores and select Sears stores nationwide will be closing this Spring, with liquidation sales beginning later this month. These closures are an effort to reduce on-going expenses, adjust their asset base, and accelerate the transformation of their business model. Go here for more details.
What are your thoughts on this news?
(Thanks, Natoli, Lena & Lisa!)
Just feel bad for all the people who will lose their jobs
i dont consider losing your job a win, cletus.
Wow. How do people end up with a mindset like yours?!
tha’s absolutely rude to say that
It’s one thing to practice your freedom of speech and another thing to make others disgusted just by scrolling through your post. There was no need to make a comment like you did. It just made you ‘sound’ uneducated and I’m sure that’s not the case. I realize this might be an advice you didn’t ask for but have a filter. My son is 11 and that’s something we are currently working on. But reading an adult comment like that just makes me shake my head.
Seriously? That is the most disgusting thing I’ve read on here. If you don’t like walmart or shop there than why waste your time.
Cletus, If anyone threw water on you, would you melt as in “The Wizard of Oz”, or remember Suicide is painless as the title song from “Mash” says.
Wow you’re a total embarrassment to Hip2save! Unreal and UNEDUCATED
Me too
That part is sad…though I never go to Walmart unless absolutely necessary!
There’s one Walmart and one Sam’s club closing by me and neither are on the list.
I am excited to hear that Walmart will be putting more of the resources towards e-commerce and customer pickups in store. Hopefully more locations will get the Walmart grocery pickup which is such a convenience!!
YES! I am hoping for the same thing… That would be wonderful instead of towing 4 kiddos in the store to grocery shop!
I think chick fillet has that service now. Sorta. U go they the drive-thru and order to eat in, then park your car and take the kiddos in and they will bring your food to your table. Prob need to check my info tho. Lol
Oh, I wish we had one of those near by! I live in the boonies, and NOTHING is close to me except pizza hut, mcdonalds, BK, and subway. And those are all a 15 minute drive- and not even in the same town to boot… 3 different towns! 🙁
We lost all the kmarts in our area a couple of years ago so I know this loss will affect everyone…I worked for Kmart for several years and loved working there. When i first started every employee got their birthday off with pay. Things were going well, until Walmart bilt a Super center 1/2 mile up the street…They keep giving me the shop your way max shipping for free so I shop quit often through their online!
Also, I am glad to see Walmart isnt doing so well these days! I really hate shopping there. I will go without than go into my local store. The company thinks it can just bend the rules and do whatever they want to. My husband was a vendor in a Walmart for years and knows how shady they are ( he doesnt vend there anymore!!!). They would have his company donate computers and other items than Walmart would say they were the ones “donating” them and other crazy stuff like that…Maybe the world is changing and people will go back to shopping small…or online more…
You can count on me to shop local. Im done with Walmart.
My town has one of the Walmart Expresses that is closing. I hate that…it was handy to get gas there, plus the prices were cheaper then the grocery store in town. It opened last January.
That’s too bad, but it speaks volumes about how desperate they are to save their company. I’ve never heard of any sore closing after only being open for only a year.
Wal-Mart said that it’s still sticking to its plan announced last year to open 50 to 60 supercenters, 85 to 95 Neighborhood Markets and 7 to 10 Sam’s Clubs in the U.S. during the fiscal year that begins Feb. 1. Outside the U.S., Wal-Mart plans to open 200 to 240 stores.
I think they’re doing what normal retailers do, close underperforming stores and try to build in areas with better real estate. However, Walmart’s problems run deeper than underperforming stores. There’s an obvious problem with cooperate level managers, employee training, and ecommerce being unable and unwilling to compete with Amazon. Even Target is on board with offering online subscriptions. I have a feeling this is the beginning of the end of an era.
Well said.
I agree!!! I probably shop at Walmart 3 or 4 times a year and that’s mostly online but even then I wait till they have free shipping days because unlike Amazon and target u have to spend $50 to get free shipping that’s absolutely crazy yes prices are cheaper but I wind up just buying from target maybe spending an extra dollar not to have to pay for shipping even my mom who use to be a complete Walmart shopper has started going almost half as much as she use to
I feel bad for the people losing their jobs but I think WalMart gets away with mistreating people & don’t mind if they lose $$$!
I’m wondering if they plan to give any kind of compensation to people who’ve paid for memberships to Sam’s and won’t have a local store anymore? Granted, it’s not a huge amount of money but when you’re only 6 months into a year long membership it stinks to suddenly be told they are closing.
Go in and cancel your membership before they close and you’ll get a full refund.
Is there a list of the Kmart and Sears stores closing? Thanks!
I know most people will disagree with me but honestly wish that all Walmart stores would close. They treat their employees horribly/unfairly, discriminate again women, have deceptive business practices and by way too much from outside the US. I did in depth research for a college and paper plus have a family member that used to work there and personal connections with companies that do business with Walmart. They will do anything to get the cost of their inventory reduced so they can make more from the consumer.
I couldn’t agree more. I stick to buying pre-packaged items there and would never use items such as meat or diary from there, since the quality of Walmart brand items is probably questionable at best. Stopped using the bakery after I needed some stuff at a late hour, walked up to their front door and a rat the size of a large kitten ran out and between my ankles and onto the sidewalk. Guess he wanted outta there too.
They have totally oversaturated the market with their presence. That’s what they get for squeezing out mom & pop stores. The WM stores in my state closing are in small towns that probably had no business investing in WM to begin with. But I’m sure WM execs promised them fields of green!
AFA food, I bought meat once from WM and never again. It was funky smelling even though the “use by” date was still a few days away. Fruit always goes bad within a day or 2. I probably shop once every 2-3 months since I get better deals at the drug stores & Target.
I haven’t shopped there since 2012! The fire at the Bangladesh clothing factory that killed many and Wal-mart supposedly having no idea their clothes were made in that factory was terrible. Wal-Mart provided no aid, remorse, or apology. They are beyond dishonest. They knew the conditions were unsafe and about the circumstances before that incident. They also use child labor oversees and illegal immigrants in this country.
I don’t disagree–there are stories of them locking their employees in the store and forcing them to work overtime. They have already been in the news for firing any employees that even speak of unions. The Sam Walmart Family is rich because they cheat consumers and abuse their employees!
I can confirm this. This was done to me when I worked for them almost 10 years ago.
Does anyone know of they will have sales to get rid of existing items in the stores? Or will they just pack it all up and send back to the warehouses I wonder?
One of the stores here in my area is closing THIS sunday, the 17th (I guess that’s tomorrow lol). Which leads me to believe they will not be having a “closing sale”. I would have to guess that this particular store is sending everything back to warehouses..
It’s strange, because this store that is closing is in an area that is considered “lower income” and the people that live in that area are VERY upset about losing their walmart. (we have TONS of Walmarts in the area…)
However, my *guess* is that location is seeing a loss in profits because there may be lawsuits against it…About a year or so ago, 2 people shot & killed 2 police officers at a neighboring restaurant, then ran into that walmart. Shot an killed a man in the walmart, then took refuge in the store until SWAT finally got them. They both died in the walmart. If patrons filed lawsuits against walmart, and employees filed injury claims etc., that location would see a drop in profits for those reasons…Otherwise why would a store close in an area that needs discount shopping?
I feel for the employees, losing their job with such short notice. And for the residents of that area that depend upon discount stores such as Walmart. Now me, I would have been happy to see the walmart closest to my area close. It has 3 Targets within 4 miles of it either direction, and a Winco within a 1/2 mile. No one would have been sad to see it go lol. I personally HATE shopping at walmart and will grace their doors maybe a couple times a year for something specific…
Off topic but did anyone receive their $4.99 Poo-pourri from January 5? I ordered then and it said 3-7 business days and I still don’t have it.
got it a few days ago
Darn! Thanks for letting me know. I might have to send out an email.
Doesn’t make me feel bad, except for employees, but then maybe they can find something better. I love couponing because it helps me be freer to shop at smaller grocery stores and still save money.
Yes exactly!!!! that’s a big reason I coupon too!!! I can’t stand going to Walmart… But I do hate it for anyone losing their jobs even if it’s not a good job it’s better than no job 😞
Yet they are opening a brand new one in Beaverton Oregon! This company makes no sense.
Wow, closing dates of 1/28/16, not much of a notice for the poor folks working at those locations who will be unemployed. I feel so bad for them. 😔
I can’t stand Walmart so no biggie for me. KMart in my area is in an awful condition too, so not a huge surprise. They all should look up to Target that continues to satisfy customers and I never see grumpy employees there either..
Yes I wish I had a target nearby!!! My closest target is almost an hour away 😣
Walmart is closing 4 stores in my area and they just got approval to build another store here that nobody wants. Makes no sense to me!
It wasn’t until I started couponing and paying attention to sales/deals that I realized just how expensive Walmart really is. Yes, there’s price-matching and savings catcher, but what a pain in the butt. I rarely shop there any more now, as Fred Meyer and Albertsons sales have them beat on a weekly basis.
I really never feel like I am saving money when I shop at Walmart. Typically if I buy clothes of any sort there I know they are not going to hold up. I LOVE sales. I do not want to have to go through ads and show them that the other stores are selling items for less. I do shop there some, but never feel like I am getting a bargain. I feel bad for the employees though.
I feel bad for the people losing their jobs.But i avoid shopping at walmart at all cost.
I agree 100%, JHNicole!
In my city, Walmart has been opening Neighborhood markets..within close proximity (like right across the street or a few blocks down) to Target and Food Lion Stores. There was talk of them renovatimg a recently closed Kmart…and that location is directly across the street from a Super Target.
Strategy is working in their favor….at least in the city I live in, Virgina Beach, Va.
Sorta like what Wawa has been doing….opening in close proximity to 7-11 stores.
According to local news media, none of the closing Walmart stores are located in Virginia.
The Walmart stores here stay packed with customers.
I’m disappointed about the closing Kmart stores.
Nothing mentioned of which ones are going to get the ax.
Customer service is A-1 at a couple of the Kmart stores in this city.
Staff is friendly and very helpful. I’d miss them if they were to go.
Sears…not much of a loss in my eyes. My last trip there found that something or another had taken half my layaway items from the storage area. They were scrambling to find replacements on the display floor.
And not to mention them screwing up the points thing for the small kitchen appliances deals from the Black Friday time. Points showed on my orders, my initial order email, etc….
It’s been a while and nothing is resolved. Customer service contacts I’ve dealt with…well…I’d rather not comment further. Too bad they don’t deliver better with the points “guarantee” like Kmart. I have had zero issues with getting “bonus points” applied for purchases. And all in a timely manner as well.
7 stores closing in Puerto Rico- bad news for an island that already has a ton of economic trouble.
I don’t shop Walmart ! Feel bad for people that are going to be unemployed ! But, there is resources those can get unemployment and maybe they can coupon too and see how they get treated ! I was couponing at this store and I have $ and I have a job and my daughters have a good paying job earn more than my husband and me! This lady was talking so loud about me hanging a mk purse and how I didn’t have $ for my groceries since I was using coupons !!! She picked the wrong person to say this to ! Manager came to cash her out !! I coupon because , I love to have beautiful and nice things and , able to give my mother and family members and especial adults at this center nice beautiful things ! Thank you Collin and everyone the best wishes to employees and they will close walmarts but, they will open other stores —
Exactly…I don’t coupon because I’m poor, I do it because I’m smart.
whenever I go into our local super Kmart there seems to be more employees than shoppers
Lol
Haha, same here. It surprises me that Kmart is still around at all.
I heard something about ALL Chipotle Restaurants closing on February 8, 2016. It was reported over the radio. Something about a clean up. Is this true?
They are only closing for the day for food training.
https://money.cnn.com/2016/01/15/news/companies/chipotle-food-safety-meeting/
wow, so what about the employees that are hired after this one day of training?
I assume they would have new hire training that will incorporate some sort of food handling safety.
Yes, it’s true. Not sure about the date but they are closing all restaurants for one day.
Somehow I don’t think one day of training is going to fix their problems. Their food issues are so widespread that I know I won’t ever eat there again.
Its sad for the employees. Kmart and Sears just seem to have been neglected. The stores where I live are usually empty, have old stock, and those poor employees that deal with those outdated cash registers!! They need to focus more on rotating stock and deals instead of giving surprise points away .
I hope they at least gave the employees much more notice than it looks like they are giving the public! It’s January and stores are closing in January….yikes!
Karma is a bit*h as they say! Our small town fought to keep out Walmart for years, they forced the small Mom/Pop stores out of business, now we no longer have a main street-those small stores simply could not compete with the Walmart giant.
Good riddance I say! Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out of town !!!!
The only thing about Walmart that I like better then target is the fact that they have more brands and variety of the same products.
I personally know someone that works for Kmart. The liquidators are in the process of marking up prices. She said that starting mid March, will be going down. She also said that they may or may not take coupons. The store in prattville, al will close April the first.
The KMart by me closed about 2 years ago. They did the same thing, jack up the prices and say 40% off. My neighbor went in there to get some Craftsman items, and the prices were still outrageous. Now, the old Kmart sits abandoned because Sears won’t sell the property (same thing with other Kmarts that closed in the area). It’s really an eyesore and make the neighborhood look run down.
I love Walmart and shop there often. I actually get great service from my stores cashiers. I save a lot by shopping there. There are 2 closing in my area, neither have been open long and both are located in smaller rural towns. Itwas such a big deal for thosr towns to have a big retail grocery store and pharmacy and for the employment opportunities. Makes mne sad for the loss of jobs and convenience for the towns citizens.
I shop walmart online all the time. If theres an issue they have live chat to fix the problem and they are super helpful. I dont go in their stores however because they are too big and i tend to spend too much money.
I only shop at Walmart in between shifts in the early am, Usually 3-5am. The staff is super friendly and nice. I am selective with what I buy but find items to be cheaper than the gas stations open during those hours. None of these appear to be in my area for closing but it still stinks that several WM are closing in areas where they’ve become the only major supplier in the area. And 7 stores in PR?! Shame on them for building 56 stores on that island to begin with! Every other block is a walmart!
Walmart desperately needs to step up there online shopping in order to stay relevant. For a billion dollars company it is unreal the amount of problems I have had placing online orders. My mom works for Walmart and she said today they called a special meeting to tell employees about the closings in order to stop rumors and that they are going to focus on building supercenters instead of the small storea because they just werent paying off but it makes you wonder why because stores like Dollar General can do it. We have them popping up all over the place
I spoke yesterday to the pharmacist at the Walmart near me, and he said, their closing most of the Walmart’s where they were just leasing the properties, didn’t the post office threaten to close branches they were just leasing the properties, but didn’t own out right in the past? Seems to me the new business trend is to look at rent rather than salaries, sales ect. Business 101 is going to be to forget the profit and loss statement, look at the monthly rent.
There are 3 walmarts(2 of which are super enters) and a Kmart all within 15 minutes of my house. I hate Walmart, but do sometimes shop there because it’s close
It’s Funny in a sad way, in the Christmas movie “Miracle on 34th Street”, they talk of Macy’s & Gimbles Department Stores, I was old enough when the movie was first filmed to remember Herald Square in New York City, (34th Street) to remember the stores then, there was a Woolworth, sores are long gone, E.J. Korvetts, stores long gone, S. Klein, stores long gone, Alexanders Department stores long gone, Sizzler restaurants long gone, Howard Johnson’s stores long gone. Gimbles Department stores, long gone, Macy’s Department stores, now closing stores Now, Walmart, K-Mart, closing stores I can still remember when the big occupations were in retail and merchandising. Now it’s making your products look needed on computers for shoppers.
How did our parents manage, they had to go to stores, no computers to shop with, we have computers, I wonder how or children will shop.
Our parents taught their children to behave in public, or they disciplined them for being naughty.
You also have to have reasonable expectations for their age. I take my two year old shopping, but it is for short trips. Only two to three hours max. We come home for snacks and meals as needed. Two to three stores (Target and grocery store). I am not potty training him yet, which can throw a wrench in the time factor.
I saw a mother of six walk into the large used book store the other day. The eldest boy was carrying the 18m old baby on his hip, he was about ten. The three year old boy was very well behaved and walked with mommy, and the other three children inbetween were very polite as well. They were there about twenty minutes. I was in the store with my 4yo, 2yo, and sleeping 5w old (in the car seat), and we were there about 30 minutes until mine started going a little bonkers while I was checking out. The imaginary leash needs to be appropriately slack or tight depending on the kids.
This announcement did scare me since I have a brother working in Walmart and a job is a job so for all these people who are losing their job must be terrible 🙁 that’s a horrible way to start the day
Here are stores I remember that are now long gone…Prange’s, Gimbel’s, TA Chapman, Montgomery Ward, Marshall Field’s, Woolworth’s, Ben Franklin. I wonder if I missed any?
Oh my, I forgot about many of these.
Montgomery ward isn’t a store anymore but they are now selling items via catalog.
I wish my Walmart would close. The cashiers are rude. I actually took a picture of our cashier one time for being on her phone with back turned to us. The store is filthy and the stock is – well… Not stocked.
They dont mention 405 new supercenters will be opening trying to compete with online giant Amazon. Im honestly done with walmart. Mom and pop shops need more of the love. Ill learn to live simpler so I need less junk and waste less money.
One of my Knarts closed last summer. We have 1 in town. It’s a junked up mess in there and their prices are extremely high.
I feel sorry for the employees, not much of a warning. The billionaire owners knew this situation long before Christmas.
I don’t shop at Walmart unless someone registers there for wedding/baby/birthday. I used to work in anesthesia billing, and Walmart BCBS insurance does not cover anesthesia for screening colonoscopies. They will for diagnostic (if physician suspects something is wrong), but not for screening. Billing for anesthesia is in 15 minute increments—so a 30 minute procedure costs $400 for anesthesia charges.
How many of you would undergo a colonoscopy without anesthesia because it cost $400? Remember that the next time you wave to that nice elderly greeter at the front door. The one who has to work to keep the lights on because social security has failed them and they didn’t plan for retirement years being so expensive.
Wish they would close them all! I’ve never had a good experience at Walmart.
Thats nice, wish tens of thousands of people to be without jobs because you’ve had some bad experiences. Very selfish and childish
Yes b/c YOU were put out let’s just take it out on 10s of thousands (more?) Other ppl. Open your eyes do you see how many elderly ppl work there? The ones long past retirement age that have no choice for different reasons. Others who lost a spouse too early and find themselves needing to for insurance
or to pay the mortgage alone now. There are a LOT of widows that work at my local store. What about the single parents with little mouths to feed? So selfish to only think of yourself, you might need to reexamine your compassion and ability to empathize.
I hate that this is happening for the ppl losing their jobs, jobs that would normally be available will now be fought over and these small towns have to drive to big cities to shop now. I know cause one of mine is closing. The only silver lining is that today til the 28th EVERYTHING in these stores are 50% off. It was worse than Black Friday today!