Walmart adds twist to membership program to help shoppers revisit missed moments

Walmart’s new membership program is looking to “plus up” some of the birthdays, vacations, and other special events canceled due to COVID-19.

Walmart+ is launching a new program, called “Walmart Plus Up,” designed to provide select customers with experiences they have missed and could not otherwise undergo during the pandemic. The first Walmart Plus Up event happens Sunday, Sept. 20. Eliot Fagley, an anesthesiologist who leads the critical care unit’s COVID-19 response at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, and his family will be the only family in attendance during the NFL pro football team Seattle Seahawks’ home opener and lead the team’s raising of the “12” flag.
 
During the next four months, the Walmart Plus Up initiative will also feature an immersive Halloween “trunk or treat” contact-free trick-or-treating experience, a home classroom setup, a wedding redo, a virtual Thanksgiving with all the trimmings, an at-home movie theater experience, a socially distanced birthday party, a quinceanera celebration, an at-home vacation designed around a canceled trip, and an at-home Super Bowl tailgate. Walmart says surprise celebrities may also participate in some of the events.

Walmart is opening the selection process for some of the events to consumers who post a picture or video to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or YouTube using the #WalmartPlusUp and #contest hashtags and tag @walmart. Consumers should share their story and why they want Walmart+ to bring back a canceled event. Entries will be accepted Sept. 18 – Oct. 9 2020.

“It’s no secret that 2020 has been, well, different,” said Rich Lehrfeld, senior VP of retail and digital marketing, Walmart U.S., in a corporate blog post. “Over the last six months, we’ve had to adapt to a new normal. We’ve had to change how we shop, how we socialize and how we celebrate some of life’s biggest moments. Since this year has been about finding happy compromises for our best laid plans, Walmart+ is going to ‘plus up’ some of our customers’ most-missed moments, making them bigger and better than before.”