Store 3041 has been serving its community for three decades.
Kapuskasing in Ontario, Canada, has a population of only about 8,000 people, which means that a place like Walmart Store 3041 has a significant impact on its community. The store opened 30 years ago — when Walmart Canada launched — and ever since then, it’s been essential to helping locals save money.
The store has been open since 1994, but it relocated to its current address in 2000. Recent renovations include a new roof, a new floor and fresh paint. The facelift comes just in time for associates to celebrate Walmart Canada’s 30th anniversary. (They’re planning a party with a Wild West theme, complete with cowboy hats.)
We talked to four long-time associates at the store to learn about their careers and how Walmart fits into the town.
Nathalie Lebel, Andrea Nolet-Hachez, Judy Thibeault and Suzanne Papineau have all been with Walmart Canada from the beginning.
Nathalie started at the store as a cashier to earn money for college. “I was really, really shy,” she admits, explaining that she had a hard time with her English back then. Working on the register gave her lots of practice. “That helped me a lot with the customers.” Now department manager for fashion, she says she enjoys seeing new brands and fashions coming into the store.
Suzanne, the store’s personnel manager, came looking for a job once her kids started school. She says she enjoys talking to people and worked as a department manager for several departments before moving to her current position.
“My purpose was to be HR manager,” she says. “That’s my place to be right now.”
Judy, a pharmacy assistant, started working part-time as a teenager, then took some time off to have her children, returning once they were in school. She proud to see new foods, like fresh fruits and vegetables, coming into the store.
“That's really something to look forward to,” she says. “I come and check every morning.”
Walmart is a major provider of food to the town. So, when it added 400 SKUs for dry groceries last year and tripled the number of produce, the community definitely benefitted. There’s only one other grocery store in town, and its prices may not be as competitive as Walmart’s, explains Store Manager Chris Knighton.
Since adding the new groceries, Chris estimates Store 3041 has helped lower costs for local shoppers by 20 percent, saving about CA$500,000 for the local community.
“I think lower prices are good for the community,” Judy says. “People talk to us. Even on the street, they see us and they're really happy with what's going on here.”
Store 3041 also pitches in to help the community through donations to the local food bank and to local schools. During the winter holidays, the store puts up an angel tree so customers can shop for a child in need.
Paula Courchaine has been with Walmart for 25 years. As lead compliance associate, she’s in charge of safety and regulations at the store. She says she likes to encourage new associates to make the most of their Walmart benefits, from profit-sharing to Live Better U. “It's always good for the community to have a place like this,” she says.
Chris has only been in Kapuskasing for two years. He takes every opportunity to celebrate his team. “I think about my role in the store and it's mostly around supporting the associates that have been here and supporting their community. These are the folks that make it happen and have made it happen for the last 30 years,” he says.
We couldn’t agree more, Chris! Associates across the country have been making it happen since the start of Walmart Canada!
