Walmart Reassigning Greeters at Least a Thousand Stores

It's a customer service standard that we see every day, the Walmart greeter. We may return the greeting or we're on a mission and we'll blow past the greeter. Walmart is eliminating greeters and they'll be trying a new approach to greeting guests, among other things. 

Traditional greeters are being removed from about 1,000 stores across the country beginning near the end of April.

The company is changing the requirements for what they will now call "customer hosts". These hosts will not only greet customers but they will assist with security and/or assisting shoppers.

This change will mean greeters who have a disability will maybe not be able to perform the additional tasks, therefore, they may lose their jobs. Workers must be able to lift up to 25 pounds, clean up spills, collect carts, and stand for extended periods of time.

The company addressed the concern:

"We recognize that our associates with physical disabilities face a unique situation. With that in mind, we will be extending the current 60-day greeter transition period for associates with disabilities while we explore the circumstances and potential accommodations, for each individual, that can be made within each store. This allows associates to continue their employment at the store as valued members of the team while we seek an acceptable, customized solution for all of those involved."

This isn't the first time greeters have been shown the door. In 2012, 80 percent of the greeters were redistributed to other parts of the store to assist customers. Thus, the customer host isn't a new idea.