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Walmart confirmed changes in the use of the carts that its employees use to prepare online orders.
The new instructions, distributed in an internal memo, reduce the maximum load of containers per cart and set clear rules on when to push them and when to pull them.
The measure comes in the midst of the chain’s e-commerce boom, which grew 27% in the last quarter —the eighth straight quarter with growth above 20%—.
Walmart processes hundreds of online orders per day in each of its more than 4,600 stores, which operate as distribution centers for delivery and in-store pickup.
In addition, the chain announced the remodeling of more than 650 stores in the United States during 2026.
Why Walmart carts are changing now
The new rule sets a maximum of six blue containers per fulfillment cart, down from the previous eight. Employees must push the cart when they have clear visibility and pull it only when visibility is limited.
The change partially reverses a policy adopted days earlier that required carts to be pulled in all cases.
The company has legal precedents on the issue: in 2024 it paid $1.2 million for a customer injured by a cart in 2020.
Reducing the load by 25% per cart could slow order-picking speed, although Walmart seeks to offset this with digital shelf labels —already installed in half of its network— that guide employees with LED lights.
What the remodeling of Walmart’s 650 stores in 2026 will be like
The renovation announced by the chain covers more than 650 Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets across the country. In Pennsylvania, 32 stores are confirmed, four of them in the Philadelphia region, in Montgomery and Berks counties.
The changes aim to modernize the shopping experience with new layouts, updated technology, and more personalized checkout assistance, with reduced self-checkout at several locations.
Planned improvements in the remodeled stores
- Redesign of the sales floor and new layouts
- Updated technology to streamline shopping and deliveries
- One-hour delivery for some customers
- Free pharmacy delivery for Walmart+ members
- In-store app to navigate aisles and book appointments at the auto center