How technology is transforming roles in our fulfillment centers, stores, and clubs

Technology has a significant role in our business and is changing how many of our associates operate in their day-to-day roles. We spoke with several frontline associates, who shared how their roles have evolved over time as more solutions and technologies are introduced into our fulfillment centers, transportation fleet, stores and clubs.

Lisa Espinosa, Outbound Associate, Fulfillment Center, DFW-5 in Lancaster, Texas

Lisa joined Walmart in May 2020, and began her career in a conventional fulfillment center (FC). It was in this role that she learned the traditional methods of picking and packing products and felt the physicality of the role. Everything was manual and required a lot of lifting and carrying boxes of products, and walking. 

After several months, Lisa transferred to a 1.5 million-square-foot next generation FC in Lancaster, Texas, one of five high-tech facilities enabling increased fulfillment capacity and speed for Walmart.com orders. Like the other next-gen FCs, the Lancaster facility features an automated, high-density storage and retrieval system that streamlines a manual, 12-step process down to five steps: unload, receive, pick, pack, and ship. She notes tools like the ergonomic platform she uses to raise and lower items, including heavy boxes of products, have been game changing.

“I’m amazed at how this technology has personally benefited me. Having an ergonomic platform which raises and lowers helps me easily handle heavy items like dog food,” she said. “Previously, I would have to walk to the item, pick it up and maneuver totes to put it in — it would quickly become a very strenuous task. Now, the work comes to me, and I can quickly drop items in the tote, and then it moves on to the next step.”

Lisa feels transferring to the next-gen FC was the right move for her career. She was able to get up to speed quickly as her training in the facility progressed and did not have any problems adapting to the processes. She also wants to advance and take on new technical roles. 

Walmart’s FCs and supply chain will continue to evolve as new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, are implemented to improve efficiency, capacity and accuracy. Over time, the entire network will be re-engineered to connect everything—stores, distribution centers, FCs, and more—to create a single omnichannel fulfillment network. 

Further, we’re designing the network to operate with advanced technology that can predict what customers want, with more precision than ever before, in addition to identifying where products sit within the network before mapping the quickest and most cost-effective fulfillment options. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all-approach when it comes to automation. We’re looking at facilities and designing unique solutions that match our unique needs and help our associates.

Oscar Romero, Store Manager, Store 1859 in Calexico, California

Oscar started as a seasonal associate, joining the company each holiday to help stock Christmas trees. Eventually, that part-time role turned into a more than 30-year career as he worked his way to a store manager position of a store that won “Supercenter of the Year.”

Over the years, Oscar has seen in-store processes and technologies evolve from digitalized HR processes and inventory management to changes in how associates answer customer questions through tools like AskSam and GenAI Search . But VizPick, a tool that uses augmented reality (AR) to help associates identify which boxes to pick from the backroom, or on the top shelf, based on products that are low on stock on the sales floor, has remained one of Oscar’s favorite solutions.

“Instead of having to dig through boxes to see what’s inside, you can just use your phone – which Walmart provides – and scan the custom labels. It makes the entire process so much faster, and our associates love it. It takes so much frustration, manual labor and wasted time out of their day,” he noted. “That frees up time for our associates so they can focus on things that are more impactful than looking through boxes, like answering questions from our customers and making sure our shelves look great.”

Above all, Oscar believes it has always been store associates that bring the tech to life, and encourages his teams to adapt, learn and grow as they build careers within the company.

Alexandria Lujan, Member Services Team Lead, Sam’s Club 4819 in Bakersfield, California

Alexandria joined Sam’s Club in 2021 and has quickly become a leader in her club. From day one, she has embraced Sam’s Club’s “member-obsessed” culture, making it her goal to ensure every member has the best possible experience.

During this time, she has also become a huge advocate of leaning into the latest tech for both members and associates, attributing it as a huge advantage in enabling great experiences.

“I was a big fan of technology before joining Sam’s Club, and seeing how tech is implemented throughout the club has been exciting,” says Alexandria. “But, when I think about what’s made the biggest impact on the experience for our members, it has to be Scan & Go. Being able to use your own phone to pay for items as you walk through the club, and then exit without waiting in line to check out is huge. We see a ton of members in our club using Scan & Go, and they’re always commenting about how much they love it.”

Alexandria notes that a feature members have found especially helpful is an AI-powered prompt that understands members’ shopping preferences over time to suggest items they may have forgotten as they’re checking out. Reminding members of items they might have forgotten keeps them from having to make short return trips, which, she adds, has boosted satisfaction and helped create an outstanding member experience. And the edition of the seamless exit experience which eliminates the need to wait in line for a receipt verification when leaving the club, is an innovation Alexandria is sure will make members even happier.

Scan & Go is just one example of how Sam’s Club is looking to improve the member experience. Sam’s Club is also leveraging AI for inventory management by using autonomous floor scrubbers equipped with inventory scan towers that capture insights such as inventory levels and price accuracy. The tool helps associates stay on top of product availability on the floor without having to physically walk through every aisle, so items are always in stock as members browse.

Felicia Boyd, Digital Team Lead, Store 3354 in Henderson, Nevada

Felicia joined the company in 2017 as a produce sales associate, before moving into a leadership role that has her overseeing her store’s pickup and delivery operations. Her role has changed dramatically in recent years, as more and more customers opt for the convenience of pickup and delivery. 

As order volumes increase, technology has become indispensable to her team’s day-to-day work, helping them with everything from tracking orders to organizing team schedules. 

An AI-powered solution called Smart Substitutions, for example, has made it a lot easier to determine item substitutions and communicate order changes with customers. It uses shoppers’ preferences and purchase histories to identify the next best item, with more than 95% accuracy. Customers then have the option to approve or decline the substitution. This eliminates guessing, and the risk of selecting a brand, flavor, or item the customer might not like. Most importantly, Felisha adds, it aids her team in ensuring customers get exactly what they want.  

She also uses technology to help manage her team, touting the Me@Walmart app as her go-to tool for managing schedules and for keeping track of birthdays and work anniversaries so she can be sure to celebrate them.

“Technology definitely plays a big role in how we handle our work, and having so many different tools and apps accessible in a handheld device has been extremely helpful.”