Guess what old tradition Walmart is bringing back?

The employees who once greeted shoppers with a friendly “Welcome to Walmart” are making a comeback.



Walmart is reviving and updating its door-greeter program in an effort to improve customer service and also deter shoplifting.



The greeters were the invention of company founder Sam Walton, who saw them as a way to put a friendly face on the chain’s large stores. But in recent years, most of the employees who served as greeters were moved to other parts of the store.



The move to revive the program comes after a pilot program last year in which the chain deployed greeters and also introduced the new role of customer host. Outfitted with bright yellow vest, the hosts not only welcomes customers and makes them feel comfortable, but also check receipts and assists with returns.



The reaction was positive, Walmart said, with customers saying they liked being able to easily spot someone to go to for help and advice. Based on the successful pilot, Walmart will start rolling out the new program to all its U.S. stores by mid-summer.



Stores will feature either a standard greeter or a customer host, with about two-thirds of the locations having a greeter and one-third having a host, a Walmart spokesperson told Chain Store Age.



“We know a one-size-fits-all-approach to our door coverage won’t work for our more than 5,000 stores,” stated Mark Ibbotson, executive VP—central operations, Walmart U.S.A, in a posting on the company’s website. “To help ensure each store has the coverage it needs, we’re using data on safety, security and shrink risks to guide us on how best to staff our entrances. Where our data tells us the risk is higher, we’ll add the new customer host.”