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Walmart confirmed changes in the use of carts that its employees use to prepare online orders and announced the remodeling of more than 650 stores in the United States during 2026.
The new instructions, distributed in an internal memo, reduce the maximum load of containers per cart and establish clear rules on when to push them and when to pull them.
The measure comes amid the chain’s e-commerce boom, which grew 27% in the last quarter, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of expansion 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 deliveries and in-store pickup.
The end of Walmart carts as we knew them
The new guideline 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 sight is limited.
The change partially reverses a policy adopted days earlier that required carts to be pulled in all cases. Workers complained massively in forums and Facebook groups: they reported repeated hits to their heels.
The company has a legal history on the issue: in 2024 it paid US$1.2 million for a customer injured by a cart in 2020. Reducing the load by 25% per cart could slow order-preparation 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 will the remodeling of Walmart’s 650 stores in 2026 look like?
The renovation 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 service, with fewer self-checkouts at several locations.
Planned improvements in the remodeled stores
- Redesign of the sales floor and new layouts
- Updated technology to speed up 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.