When the new Wal-Mart opened its doors in Silvis on March 4, store manager John Smith got the opportunity to welcome shoppers and give back to the city of Silvis.
They gave out $18,000 to the community which went to the police and fire departments, Bowlesburg Elementary and George O’Barr School.
“That was money that was generated through the Wal-Mart Foundation to give back to the community on opening day; and our associates raised over $1,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network,” Smith said.
Each store is allotted so much money per year based on the size of the store. They make a determination based on the non-profit organizations that apply for the funding.
“We have matching grants, community grants, Hero Awards, Volunteerism Always Pays program – where if an associate donates 25 hours of their time in a 6 month period Wal-Mart will donate $150 in that associate’s name to the not-for profit organization that they are donating their time to,” he said.
Smith, who began his career with Wal-Mart in his hometown of Galesburg, Ill., plans on getting involved with the local Chamber of Commerce and the Silvis Business Association.
New to this Wal-Mart is the Money Center which is Wal-Mart owned and accepts bill payments for utility bills, which lets their shoppers take care some bills without having to make an extra trip to the post office.
“We’ve taken those money services from the service desk and moved that to the Money Center, to where the customer who is just coming to buy a money gram or money service they can just go directly there and they don’t have to wait at the service desk for a return to be processed or vice versa, if the customer has come to process the return, doesn’t have to wait for the money services to get processed.”
Another unique sight is the maroon concrete floor shoppers will be pushing carts through. It is made of 100 percent recycled concrete. Smith says they are entering a phase of “personal sustainability” where they are challenging employees to recycle their pop or water bottles in bins placed throughout the store, which shoppers may also use. Wal-Mart’s goal is to have zero waste within ten years and is working with suppliers to make packages smaller since it most packaging ends up in landfills.
Facebook Comments