Walmart Bringing New Technology To Sacramento Area — And It’s 16 Feet Tall
Source: Sacramento Business Journal, Sonya Sorich
Photo: A “Pickup Tower” from Walmart will make its local debut in Elk Grove. This is a location elsewhere. (WALMART)
Walmart Inc. is continuing to invest in its Sacramento-area stores, with upgrades expected to debut at some locations this year.
As part of those upgrades, the area will get its first “Pickup Tower” — a 16-foot-tall vending machine where in-store customers can pick up their online orders. A Pickup Tower is expected to open at an Elk Grove store at 8465 Elk Grove Blvd. before spring, Walmart (NYSE: WMT) representatives confirmed Tuesday.
The tower will be the first one in the Sacramento area. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer says more than 1,211 of its stores have a Pickup Tower.
To use the towers, shoppers select items on Walmart.com and choose the “pickup” option at checkout. They get a notification when the item arrives and scan a barcode on their smartphone upon arriving at the tower.
In addition to the Pickup Tower, Walmart is remodeling three local stores this year, company representatives said Tuesday. The sites are at 900 Pleasant Grove Blvd. in Roseville, 255 Lincoln Blvd. in Lincoln and 7901 Watt Ave. in Antelope. The Roseville and Antelope locations are Walmart Supercenters, while the Lincoln store is a Neighborhood Market, according to the retailer’s website.
The stores will remain open while the upgrades are underway. The locations are expected to hold grand reopenings this summer. The retailer says each store remodel is generally a multimillion-dollar investment.
“We are proud to continue to introduce new technology that empowers our associates and enhances our customers’ shopping experience,” said Todd Siron, Walmart regional vice president, in a news release. “By continuing to introduce new initiatives — such as Pickup Towers, Grocery Pickup and Check Out With Me — as well as updating our existing stores, we are showcasing our commitment to ensuring customers are able to shop when and how they want.”
Last April, the retail giant announced a separate set of local remodeling projects, months after disclosing plans to close a Walmart store and a Sam’s Club warehouse store in Country Club Centre, on the southwest corner of Watt and El Camino avenues in Arden-Arcade.