FAYETTEVILLE — The world’s smallest Wal-Mart store opened Friday on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.
The prototype store, called Walmart on Campus, is 3,300 square feet in size with a 2,100-square-foot sales floor. That means it is about 2 percent the size of a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Fayetteville has two Supercenters, but neither is near the UA campus.
“I’ve lived on campus for four years, and this is the greatest thing that has happened on campus in those four years,” said Lukas Malone, a UA senior from Southlake, Texas.
While shopping at the store Saturday, Malone complimented the convenient location on Garland Avenue between Maple Street and Douglas Street as well as the selection, but he had two requests for the managers: cheese and chocolate milk.
Malone said he knew the store stocked chocolate milk in 16-ounce containers, but that’s too big. He wanted a smaller size.
John Garrard told Malone he would make a note about the cheese and chocolate milk. Garrard manages a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Fayetteville and was assisting with the new store opening. He said the managers were taking suggestions from customers and would tweak the inventory to try to accommodate them.
“We’re listening to our customers as they come in, and we’re making a list of those things,” he said. “We’ll be doing a review.”
The new store is all about small. Snacks, frozen food and other items come in small sizes.
“They have small refrigerators in the dorm rooms, and this food is perfect for that,” said Jeanie Richardson of Roland, who was shopping Saturday with her daughter, Ann Richardson, a UA freshman who lives on campus within a block of the new store.
“Right now, I just need food,” Ann Richardson said.
The spring semester begins Tuesday.
The store has a small produce section with lemons, limes, oranges, bananas and three kinds of apples: Fuji, Gala and Red Delicious.
The Walmart on Campus sells a wide variety of items that students, faculty and local residents might need, including screwdrivers, light bulbs, bicycle locks and electronics.
The store has a pharmacy where prescriptions can be filled and over-the-counter medicines purchased. It’s also equipped with a digital photo kiosk.
“We’ve had a wide variety of faculty, staff, students and community members come in over the past two days,” said Eric Wright, manager of the store and pharmacy. “We’ve had a pretty positive experience so far. We’re happy to bring something to the community that’s needed.”
Wright said the store will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. The pharmacy will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The pharmacy will be closed on Sundays.
The store has seven employees.
Wal-Mart Supercenters are often 200,000 square feet in size. The company rolled out its first 40,000-square-foot Neighborhood Market store in 1998 in Bentonville. Now it’s looking at even smaller stores that can go into spaces where zoning and land acquisition might prohibit Supercenters or even Neighborhood Markets.
As a seasoned retail industry expert with a deep understanding of the Walmart business model, store formats, and market strategies, let me delve into the concepts mentioned in the article about the opening of the world's smallest Walmart store on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.
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Walmart on Campus Prototype Store:
- This is a smaller-format Walmart store designed for university campuses, specifically tailored to the needs of students, faculty, and local residents in a smaller space.
- The store is significantly smaller than traditional Walmart Supercenters, with a total size of 3,300 square feet and a sales floor of 2,100 square feet.
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Customer Feedback and Inventory Management:
- The article highlights the store's responsiveness to customer feedback, exemplified by the store managers actively seeking suggestions and making adjustments to the inventory based on customer preferences.
- John Garrard, a manager from a nearby Walmart Supercenter, emphasizes the importance of customer input and mentions a review process to optimize the store's offerings.
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Product Selection and Size Considerations:
- The Walmart on Campus store focuses on providing smaller-sized products, especially snacks, frozen food, and other items suitable for students living in dorm rooms with limited space.
- Lukas Malone, a UA senior, provides specific feedback on the desire for smaller-sized items such as cheese and chocolate milk, catering to the needs of the university community.
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Convenience and Location:
- The article mentions the convenient location of the store on Garland Avenue between Maple Street and Douglas Street, emphasizing its accessibility for the university community.
- Students appreciate the proximity of the store to their living spaces, enhancing convenience for quick and accessible shopping.
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Product Range:
- The store offers a diverse range of products, including snacks, frozen food, produce (lemons, limes, oranges, bananas, and different apple varieties), as well as non-food items like screwdrivers, light bulbs, bicycle locks, and electronics.
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Pharmacy and Additional Services:
- The Walmart on Campus store includes a pharmacy offering prescription services and over-the-counter medicines.
- The store is equipped with a digital photo kiosk, providing additional services beyond typical grocery offerings.
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Operating Hours and Staffing:
- The store operates seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the pharmacy having slightly reduced hours on weekends.
- The store currently has seven employees, reflecting the smaller scale of this campus-focused retail model compared to larger Walmart outlets.
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Evolution of Walmart Store Formats:
- The article mentions the evolution of Walmart store formats, starting from the massive Supercenters to the introduction of smaller Neighborhood Market stores in 1998.
- The Walmart on Campus concept represents a further adaptation, exploring even smaller stores that can fit into spaces where zoning and land acquisition constraints may limit the establishment of larger stores.
In conclusion, the opening of the Walmart on Campus store reflects Walmart's strategic adaptation to diverse consumer needs and locations, demonstrating a commitment to providing tailored retail solutions in varying environments.
