WAYNE ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Employees who were with the Walmart Supercenter in Wayne when it first opened back in 1999 helped cut the ribbon Friday on a newly remodeled version of the store.
During a ceremony Friday at the store at 100 McGinnis Drive near Wayne, in addition to the ribbon cutting, people also had the opportunity to stop by the tables of a variety of vendors who were giving out free food, drinks and other items during the event and to interact with vendor mascots including those for Walmart, Cheetos and Pepsi.
During the ceremony, store Manager Alan May expressed his appreciation to those who played a role in the remodel, including the store associates whose hard work he said was reflected in the new store around them, and to the storeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s customers for their patience during the remodeling process.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI cannot express enough the excitement I feel for the new look and the feel that our store now represents thanks to the nearly $6 million investment that Walmart has made in the community,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ May said.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œAlthough the remodel process has not always been easy, this investment in our store and community will expand our ability to better serve our customers, and that has been our goal throughout this process.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
The remodeled store includes expanded online pickup and delivery areas, including more parking spots for pickup and more room to do more orders; an updated pharmacy; updated grocery and apparel sections with expanded offerings; additional self-checkouts; new signage; and various other updates.
A new mural was also added at the storeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s entrance as part of WalmartÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Community Mural Program, representing the local community through images of people involved in activities such as camping, hunting, fishing, riding recreational vehicles, listening to live music and spending time out on the water. According to a Walmart press release, the mural was created by artist Christopher Thelin.
Additionally, May said almost 40 people were hired for the remodel, and the Wayne store was able to retain several of them post-remodel, while some others moved on to other local Walmart stores.
In an interview Friday, May said the storeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s remodel took 16 weeks, beginning at the end of January and concluding on Friday, and the store was able to remain open with normal business hours during that process.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe made every effort to be open and all services available the entire time,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ he said.
He also said the most recent remodel before the current one was in 2014, but it was not as extensive.
Mary Sword, 66, a retired secretary from Genoa, said she comes to the Wayne Walmart often and she loves the remodel so far.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s going to take some getting used to big time, but if youÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve been in other Walmarts around, itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s laid out (similarly), so it wonÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t be bad,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ she said.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThe aisles seem bigger, I think,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Sword said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThere seems to be more room, and it looks like the clothing department has a lot more to choose from.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
She also said she was pleased with the pharmacy and loves the new mural because ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œit represents our area.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
Clayton Nelson, 19, a college student from Wayne, said he comes to the Wayne Walmart often. He said he liked the remodel so far, and he feels the remodel was something the store ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œhas needed for a long time.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ He also said he was happy for the increase in provided goods and the refurbishment.
He said he thought the store looked better and more convenient to navigate. He said his favorite part so far has been the increased self-checkout, and he also likes how signs above the aisles have been redone and he can know what is in the aisles.
He also said he liked the new mural.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a nice change of pace to walk into a Walmart and have that here,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ he said.
Also at FridayÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s ceremony, Wayne HighÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s SchoolÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s JROTC presented the colors; WHSÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s band played the national anthem and a community member gave an opening prayer. May also spoke and presented grant checks to community groups: $500 each to Access WV, the Wayne High School Band Boosters and the Wayne Central Little League, and $2,500 to the Town of Wayne, which Mayor Danny Grace said is for a coat and shoe drive that has helped more than 1,000 children in the past 10-12 years.
Jesten Richardson is a reporter and can be reached at jrichardson@hdmediallc.com and found on X (formerly Twitter) at @JRichardsonHD.
