NEW FOR MONDAY: New Walmart To Open Wednesday

BERLIN – The new Walmart on Route 50 will open to customers at 7:30 on Wednesday morning.

According to company officials, 85 new jobs will be created with the new store.

In recent months, Walmart has taken major steps to refresh its stores, merchandising and customer experience. The improvements have all come together in the company’s newest stores, such as the Berlin Walmart. 

The new Walmart features wide aisles, enhanced service and a layout designed to make the shopping experience more convenient for customers. Walmart aligned the departments that customers shop most frequently.

“The layout of the store is easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities,” said store manager Scott Ficca. “By grouping the products that our customers most often purchase, including health and beauty and pet supplies, we are making one-stop shopping even easier.”

A bright interior color palette creates an inviting shopping experience and helps define the store’s merchandise areas. Lower shelving creates an improved sightline and directional signage on every aisle helps customers find what they are looking for quickly. Customers now have easy access to these services, as well as associates on hand to help meet their needs.

As part of Walmart’s commitment to the communities in which it operates, $5,500 in grants from the Walmart Foundation will be presented during the grand-opening celebration. The following organizations will each receive funds to support programs that serve the community: Atlantic United Methodist Church, Ocean City Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Committee, Inc., Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department, Snow Hill High School, Stephen Decatur High School, Stephen Decatur Middle School and Stevenson UMC Spirit Kitchen.

The Berlin Walmart, like all new Walmart stores, includes energy-efficient technology and environmentally friendly features to reduce energy and water consumption and minimize waste. The store’s skylights harvest daylight and reduce the amount of energy required to light the store by up to 75 percent daily. LED lighting in the store operates 70 percent more efficiently than traditional fluorescent lighting.

The cement used in the concrete flooring is made with recycled materials, and the floor’s finish reduces the need for chemical cleaners. Low-flow toilets and faucets reduce the water used in the bathrooms. The new store also operates a recycling program and will promote sustainable product purchases.

Community and business leaders will join Walmart associates at 7 a.m., Wednesday, April 11, for a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Store associate Tabitha Cartwright will perform the national anthem, American Legion Post 166 will present the colors and store associate Cathy Shockley will give the invocation. Ficca and store associates who have been with the store since its original opening will cut the ribbon to the new store.

During parking lot construction, a shuttle service will be transporting customers between five shuttle stops and the new store. An attendant will be on each shuttle assisting customers, and shopping carts will be available at each of the shuttle stops for transporting shopping bags. Shuttles will operate 24 hours a day. Additionally, eight temporary handicapped parking spaces will be available in front of the new store.