Bernie Dave, a regional manager for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT, -2.98% near Detroit, starts his weekly store visits in the backrooms of the produce departments.
Dave checks the “crisping” stations where workers keep lettuce fresh longer by washing it, cutting off the browned ends and culling any crushed leaves. It is one of several upgrades Wal-Mart is making to its produce areas — improving lighting, training staff to better care for fruits and vegetables, and putting produce in bins that mimic wood grain and aim to give the section the feel of a farmers market.
“There has been a massive improvement on fresh from where we were at,” says Dave, who started at the company managing stores nine years ago.
While Wal-Mart and other retailers, including Ahold USA and Meijer Inc., are pouring money into ramping up online sales, the grocers are also buckling down on the basics of the produce department. That’s because high-quality fruits, vegetables and other fresh foods are emerging as a physical store’s best defense against growing competition from Amazon.com Inc.
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