Walmart closes 415 stores, Amazon closes delivery stations because businesses have tough weather

Walmart has closed 415 stores and Sam’s Clubs and put together an interactive map to help Texas shoppers determine if their neighborhood is open or not.

And if you don’t see Amazon delivery trucks in your area on Monday, the online retail giant has closed its delivery stations in Dallas-Fort Worth to protect its drivers from treacherous roads.

Businesses facing unprecedented bad weather in Texas and elsewhere in the southern United States had to decide on Monday whether worker safety outweighed expectations that they would be open to customers in need of food and other necessities.

“We are reviewing the status of our facilities and will continue to operate as long as it is safe to do so,” Walmart said in a statement. Its closures spanned ten states, including Texas.

Walmart has recommended that customers check an interactive map before proceeding. Some closed stores continued to drop off and deliver.

The prospects for a second snowstorm make decisions more difficult during a week of sub-freezing temperatures.

“The safety and well-being of our employees, customers and the drivers who deliver packages is our top priority,” said Amazon spokesman Daniel Martin.

Amazon will continue to monitor the aftermath of the storm in Texas, instructing customers to check order status on their app or amazon.com. Martin said Amazon will continue to take orders, but the date of delivery promise may be delayed depending on the item and location.

Grocery stores, one of the main stops for people riding out the storm, were open Monday but planned to close early.

Kroger, which usually keeps stores open until 1 p.m., closes its doors at 8 p.m., Central Market’s Dallas-Fort Worth stores close at 6 p.m. Kroger will reopen stores on Tuesday at 8 a.m., two hours later than usual.

Empty shelves and freezers, reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic, are temporarily back at grocery stores.

Deliveries from the warehouse to stores took place at a much slower pace on Monday, Kroger spokesman April Martin said. Most large chains have their own truck fleets, but are supplemented with third-party drivers and vehicles.

Martin’s backup generators also did not work in many places.

Spokeswoman Christy Lara, spokeswoman for Tom Thumb and Albertsons, closed Monday at 5:30 p.m. The plan is for stores to open Tuesday at 8 p.m., “if it’s safe for employees and customers,” she said. Some Tom Thumb and Albertsons stores could not open Monday due to power outages.

Target closed 20 stores across Texas on Monday and closed early in about 20 other locations in Texas, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. Stores will reopen as soon as it is safe, the retailer said by email. It works for hours on Target.com.

Dallas’ two major centers were closed Monday. NorthPark Center did not open. Galleria Dallas initially urged buyers to call individual stores before the mall closes around 12:00 p.m.

Golden Triangle Mall in Denton also closed, along with Stonebriar Center in Frisco and Firewheel Town Center in Garland.

Kalltny Garrett, chief executive of downtown Dallas, said many of the hotels in the central business district, including The National and the Omni, are open and there are at least a few restaurants. The Flying Horse Café and the Crafty Irishman put their employees in hotels.

Hotels also helped accommodate first responders. Staff from Dallas’ police station stayed at the Lorenzo Hotel. And Garrett said most of the calls from the 12,000 downtown residents were to report homeless people without shelter.

As for electricity, Garrett said downtown towers are being asked to turn off their lights. Reunion Tower confirmed that its distinctive air ball would go dark Monday night.

It’s not clear how much energy savings the skyscrapers in the city can generate, she said, but Downtown Dallas Inc. called for non-essential lights to be turned off to help the state’s protracted power grid.

Twitter: @MariaHalkias

Looking for more retail coverage? click here to read all retail news and updates. click here to subscribe to D-FW Retail and more newsletters from The Dallas Morning News.