Walmart: No More Greeters at Night

In a decision that probably won't generate very many complaints, Walmart executives have decided to stop its longstanding practice of keeping store greeters on duty around the clock.  There are no greeters after 10 PM.

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is removing greeters from the overnight shift at its U.S. supercenters, chipping away at a 30-year tradition of making sure all shoppers are welcomed to the store any time or day or night.

A Walmart spokesman says this will save money and help them maintain the right staffing levels during peak and non-peak hours. For the past six months, Wal-Mart has been reassigning greeters at its approximately 3,000 U.S. supercenters from the third shift, which runs from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., to other jobs.

Founder Sam Walton added greeters in 1980 to make his giant low-price stores friendly and welcoming.  A financial analyst says cutting back shows Wal-Mart is rethinking longheld traditions to boost profit margins and guarantee low prices.

The analyst also thinks it's a risky move, because many consumers have shopped at Wal-Mart for years, and greeters have become an expectation, a tradition.  They're part of Walmart's "brand".

via Wal-Mart Pulls Greeters From Night Shift as Walton Legacy Ebbs - Bloomberg.

The Walmart spokesman says no one is losing his or her job.  He says overnight greeters who want to stay with the company are getting reassigned to different duties.