We go behind the scenes at a store that truly shined in 2020, despite all that the year brought with it.
Did you know that Walmart has 3,570 supercenters across the U.S.? Of all those amazing teams, only one was named Supercenter of the Year in 2020 (one of the toughest years for stores and their communities!) Congratulations to Store 2483 in Las Vegas, Nevada!
When you ask store manager, Candace Vandervaart, why they’ve been so successful, her answer is simple: “The passion of this team is the best.”
And Candace knows great teams. She started working at Walmart as a part-time cashier in college in Saint George, Utah, 21 years ago. She’s been with Walmart ever since.
Teamwork Above All
Her current team at Store 2483 inspires her with their hard work and great attitude: “Whether we have a bad day or a good day, they always pick themselves up as a team, brush themselves off and march forward.”
Candace contributes to that positive, can-do attitude. When she started with the store at its opening four years ago, she brought all the learning she’s gained through her journey in Walmart. “You can learn from every leader you interact with,” she says.
When the pandemic disrupted life in 2020, Candace’s experience—and her team’s tight bonds—helped them shine. “Everybody had a tough year,” Candace admits. “But this team persevered through the dark days and stayed focused on the basics.”
It helped that the team is cross-functional, making it easier for them to jump in and help one another. When people started panic shopping, Candace and her team kept their cool.
Control What You Can
“We had a calmness. We were controlling what we could control—clean shelves, on-hands being accurate and features being filled with whatever we could fill them with.”
That calm unity helped the store, its associates and, ultimately, the community.
Candace always made sure to say thank you to her team. Whether it was through snacks or encouraging words, she focused on keeping them engaged and connected.
“People in this building will run through walls for each other,” Candace says, “because they know that if they need something they are there for them and it just goes both ways.”
