I visited a Walmart 'store of the future' and got huge Target vibes

The fence was covered with a banner that had a description of the upgrade project in Spanish — but, from what I saw, not in English. "We are improving how you shop at Walmart," one of the banners said.

The sales floor was impressively tidy for the Monday after the busiest shopping weekend of the year.

Most shoppers I saw seemed to prefer the self-service option.

Some items had low quantities, but I find that grocery stores often must play catch-up with restocking on Monday mornings.

Walmart made a point to highlight its signage in its promo materials, and the large blue-and-white lettering made it easy to see where certain products were from afar.

Walmart is doubling down on using stores to fulfill e-commerce orders, and the renovations include several behind-the-scenes expansions to facilitate that strategy.

It looked like at least three carts could fit side-by-side, and the extra space really adds to the sense of openness.

Walmart says the showcases will allow shoppers to touch and feel more products before buying.

The app featured a collection of items, some of which were in the display, and others that customers could order online.

I can understand what the planners had in mind with these little bins for featured accessories, but in practical terms, that also means one more spot that employees must keep adequately stocked and accurately labeled.

I did see a Bluetooth speaker on sale that I would have bought on impulse, but I didn't want to ask an associate to unlock the door — a fundamental conundrum of modern retail.

The brand partnerships are one of several cues the redesign borrows from Target, which has similar in-store presentations with Levi's, Ulta Beauty, and more.

I was impressed with the combination of large text and clear sight lines that helped me quickly see where various sections were from almost anywhere in the building.

While the taller shelves would be typical for a regular Walmart store, they really illustrate just how much more open the space feels with shorter fixtures.

There was also a placeholder on the banner where a QR code for a free trial for Walmart+ would go, but the code was missing.

Behind the trees, a seemingly temporary dividing wall made of plywood set off an area that was still under construction.

I've not seen this kind of lighting integrated into the shelving in many big-box stores, but it helped give the tiny products a bit of pop.

Similar to how Target organizes its stores, the section near the front entrance is filled with seasonal and decorative items for $5 or less each, but I wasn't convinced the items were all that good of a value. There's often a better-quality product for a similar price if you take a few more steps into the store.

Mostly stocked with drinks, bagged chips, and single-serving snacks, this section had a little less variety than I was expecting: It seemed like more of a souped-up checkout-lane offering than a mini convenience store.

In its announcement of the renovations, Walmart hyped up the new hybrid digital-physical shopping-experience features, in this case an in-app map to help you find items in the store. As it happened, the map is also still "under construction," so to speak.

A new style of shopping cart has been rolling out to stores across the country for the past few years. One would think Walmart might want the latest and greatest in cart tech for their newly remodeled stores, but who knows?

If I lived between a remodeled location and an unremodeled one, I'd certainly prefer to go to the newer-style store. At the same time, if this Milwaukee location is any indication, other remodeled stores may still have a few loose ends to tie up a month after the official "grand re-opening."

Alabama

Birmingham (Store No. 762)

Gardendale (Store No. 1201)

Huntsville (N) (Store No. 433)

Calera (Store No. 3271)

Northport (Store No. 2306)

Winfield (Store No. 362)

Dothan (Store No. 2534)

Arkansas

Jonesboro (Store No. 128)

Arizona

Coolidge (Store No. 2778)

Phoenix (Store No. 5331)

California

La Puente (Store No. 3133)

Stanton (Store No. 4134)

Florida

Pensacola (Store No. 1222)

DeLand (Store No. 860)

Lake Worth (Store No. 5759)

Orlando (Store No. 5179)

Orlando (Oak Ridge) (Store No. 5871)

Orlando (Stable) (Store No. 5875)

Orlando (Store No. 3617)

Orlando (Turkey Lake) (Store No. 4332)

Winter Springs (Store No. 5132)

Englewood (Store No. 1874)

Cape Coral (Store No. 6941)

Fort Walton Beach (Store No. 919)

Georgia

Lithia Springs (Store No. 3205)

Americus (Store No. 758)

Cartersville (Store No. 615)

Locust Grove (Store No. 5709)

Iowa

Clinton (Store No. 2889)

Illinois

Savoy (Store No. 3255)

Indiana

Muncie (Store No. 3747)

Columbus (N) (Store No. 4216)

Greensburg (Store No. 1180)

Goshen (Store No. 1378)

Lafayette (Store No. 1547)

Princeton (Store No. 1783)

Avon (Store No. 2786)

Crawfordsville (Store No. 1655)

Kentucky

Mayfield (Store No. 430)

Middlesboro (Store No. 739)

Louisiana

Baton Rouge (Burbank) (Store No. 4683)

Baton Rouge (Store No. 839)

Harvey (Store No. 5722)

Deridder (Store No. 505)

Shreveport (Store No. 450)

Baker (Store No. 1102)

Massachusetts

Worcester (Store No. 4387)

Maine

Lincoln (Store No. 1919)

Michigan

Roseville (Store No. 2959)

Dearborn (Store No. 4383)

Livonia (N) (Store No. 5844)

Minnesota

Bloomington (Store No. 2198)

Missouri

West Plains (Store No. 15)

Jackson (Store No. 122)

Kennett (Store No. 190)

Dexter (Store No. 30)

Mississippi

Natchez (Store No. 874)

Amory (Store No. 118)

North Carolina

Henderson (Store No. 2256)

Murphy (Store No. 515)

Gastonia (W) (Store No. 5298)

Washington (Store No. 1354)

Denver (Store No. 4274)

High Point (Store No. 1613)

Clayton (Store No. 5046)

Weaverville (Store No. 4334)

North Dakota

Devils Lake (Store No. 1695)

New Jersey

Howell (Store No. 2195)

Ohio

Oregon (Store No. 5029)

Holland (Store No. 3445)

Dublin (Store No. 2471)

Cincinnati (Evendale) (Store No. 3749)

Oklahoma

Duncan (Store No. 1116)

Choctaw (Store No. 4195)

Ardmore (Store No. 129)

Lawton (Store No. 269)

Pennsylvania

Baden (Store No. 4643)

Delmont (Store No. 3228)

Clarion (Store No. 2540)

South Carolina

Summerville (E) (Store No. 1037)

Orangeburg (Store No. 616)

Greenwood (Store No. 1382)

Tennessee

Antioch (Store No. 5058)

Cordova (Store No. 2322)

Memphis (Store No. 6807)

Nashville (Store No. 4435)

Nashville (Store No. 5119)

Nashville (Harding) (Store No. 3717)

Nashville (S) (Store No. 688)

Jefferson City (Store No. 724)

Millington (Store No. 94)

Knoxville (E) (Store No. 2310)

Knoxville (SE) (Store No. 1320)

Texas

Arlington (Store No. 2977)

Dallas (Store No. 2427)

Dallas (Ledbetter) (Store No. 3014)

Stafford (Store No. 915)

San Antonio (Store No. 4131)

Waco (Store No. 5389)

Garland (Store No. 1800)

Livingston (Store No. 275)

Port Arthur (Store No. 408)

Mesquite (Store No. 5824)

Mission (Bryan) (Store No. 6850)

Bay City (Store No. 1405)

Desoto (Store No. 3432)

Amarillo (NW) (Store No. 5216)

Humble (Store No. 7309)

Liberty (Store No. 1186)

Utah

Centerville (Store No. 3366)

Virginia

Henrico (Store No. 7032)

Wytheville (Store No. 3270)

Staunton (Store No. 1344)

Chesapeake (S) (Store No. 3644)

Norton (Store No. 1302)

Washington

Yelm (Store No. 3705)

Wisconsin

Germantown (Store No. 1515)