Walmart, Inc., based out of Bentonville, Arkansas, is already Arizona’s third-largest employer and is looking to add more employees to their headcount. This increase of 700 people is to help with Walmart’s growth, mainly due to the new services they have begun offering to their clientele.
Tiffany Wilson is the Communication Director for the superstore and explains that in today’s world of instant gratification and want for convenience, the national retailer has begun adding services such as pickup, delivery and more to keep up with the competition. She expanded on the thought stating: “We are also expanding services like grocery pickup and delivery and investing in new technology, which provides local customers with more convenient ways to shop. These services create new jobs that didn’t exist before, such as personal shoppers, e-commerce roles and more.”
Within the Valley, many stores such as Fry’s Food Stores and other local franchises have already been offering these services to great reception. For that reason, though the hiring increase will include the entire state, the focus will be on areas within the Valley. Wilson clarified that though they are hiring in central Phoenix, Glendale and elsewhere, “Our needs are mostly concentrated in the North Phoenix, Scottsdale and Cave Creek area.” she said.
With 33,600 people already in Walmart’s employment throughout Arizona, an additional 700 people is a small amount of what may be added if the increase of these offered services helps to draw people back to them and away from online stores such as Amazon.
Many online retailers have already reported issues with delivery in certain parts of the country due to the spread of COVID-19, better known as the Coronavirus. As that virus continues to increase difficulties with online shopping fulfillment, Walmart and other stores are preparing for even more customers to use personal shoppers and pick up or delivery to get what they are looking for while still avoiding going into the stores as fear spreads in correlation to the illness.
