What makes Walmart a great place for veterans? Just ask Jeff!
Say you’re in “asset protection” and many people may think you prevent shoplifting. But Jeff Goode, the asset protection operations coach at Store 2073 in Cleveland, Ohio, says the role is much bigger than that.
“People always think,’ Oh, you catch shoplifters?’” Jeff says. “Yeah, that's probably the funnest part of my job, but it’s not the biggest part. I have a team that does that for me.”
Jeff, who served in the Air Force from 2006 until 2012, joined Walmart in 2019. We got to talk to him about being a veteran at Walmart and exactly what he does in asset protection.
Putting service to work
Jeff says he hadn’t thought about working for Walmart — he had no retail experience — until another Air Force veteran recommended he look at the company.
“He said to me, ‘Have you ever thought about working for Walmart? We love hiring veterans here. You should apply and see where it goes.’ So I applied and almost five years later, this is my career,” Jeff shares. “It's amazing.”
Jeff says five of the seven veterans at Store 2073 work on his team.
“Those are people that I love to hire, because I know their work ethic,” he explains. “My dad will always tell people that the military changed who I was as a person. And learning those things I learned in the military transitioned well to being management at Walmart.”
How Walmart helps veterans
Our hiring system welcomes veterans and service family members. The company also supports veteran-owned business. T-shirts on Veterans Day and veteran badge backers are other ways we show our support of veterans.
“Walmart's really amazing at pushing veterans to the forefront,” Jeff says, adding that he now encourages other veterans to apply.
“One thing I would love to portray to all veterans is, maybe it's not something you've ever thought about. But I can tell you, Walmart's taking care of me and my family. We have a quality of life that I would have never really thought was imaginable. The things that they've done, and the way that they're able to support us is huge.”
Inside asset protection
As an asset protection manager, you could say that Jeff is protecting our products, cash, customers and associates.
“I tell the new hires in orientation, ‘You walk in with 10 fingers and 10 toes to start your shift. I want you to walk out with 10 fingers and 10 toes.’” he says. “I’m making sure that our stores are safe, not only from potential violence, but are our top stock standards right. So nothing falls off a shelf and hits a customer or associate, for example.”
His job can be very serious. On occasion, a situation can arise that causes those military fight-or-flight instincts to kick in. But those instincts serve him well in his role. “It's who we are and it's what we do. You never lose that mentality.”
Thankfully, most of Jeff’s responsibilities are a little lighter. Among his various duties, he oversees the door hosts at Store 2073, prevents cash loss, acts as the store’s social media champion and community engagement champion and manages inventory.
“When I applied, I never thought this would be my career,” he admits. “Next July, I get a five-year badge. And to me, that's huge. Then eventually I'll get a 10-year one, then eventually I'll get a 15-year one.”
Thank you for you service, Jeff — in the Air Force and closer to home!
