VIDALIA — Renovations recently completed at the Vidalia Walmart Supercenter in October expanded departments throughout the store, while also adding some features to help shoppers.

Store manager Wayne Lewis said the renovations, which were done from Sept. 3 to Oct. 17, stemmed from a goal to utilize as much of the 105,000-square foot store’s space as possible.

“Even though it’s a smaller size Walmart store than some of the other supercenters, we wanted to be absolutely sure the store was very open and easy for the customers to shop,” Lewis said. “Everything we changed we did with the customers in mind.

“And so far all the comments from the customers have been positive.”

The Vidalia supercenter opened in 2006 after moving from the Town of Ferriday, and Lewis said the renovations are the first major ones for the site since its grand opening.

“The stores normally get updated about every six or seven years on a normal basis to keep up with customer demands, but the Vidalia site had not been updated since it opened,” Lewis said. “So we had a re-grand opening on Oct. 18 to help celebrate.”

Lewis said a majority of the store’s departments were renovated inside the store, including electronics, toys, sporting goods, produce and the pharmacy.

The sporting goods department, for example, expanded by 35 percent and now includes firearms, as well as a large display case to showcase the items.

“That was a big deal that helped our assortment in that department,” Lewis said. “Every department was also redone by what we call “modularize,” which means we make sure all the departments are using their space efficiently and displaying the products in the best way possible.”

The produce department, Lewis said, was expanded by 15 percent and received new lighting fixtures and displays to help customers easily view the products.

“We also opened the whole department up to make it easier for the customer to shop,” Lewis said.

Another store renovation included the addition of four new self-checkout lines at the front of the store.

The lines offer an alternative to those with just a few items who might not necessarily need to wait for a line with a cashier, Lewis said.

“It’s always our goal to not have lines in the checkouts, but this offers customers another option when they’re ready,” Lewis said. “It started a little slow at first, but now that the customers learned how to use it, we’re seeing a positive response from them.”

Natchez resident Leigh Pyron and Vidalia resident Jamie Sanders were on their way to checkout with a cashier Thursday afternoon when they noticed the new self-checkout lines.

Their paths quickly changed.

“It’s a lot easier and quicker when you only have a few things,” Pyron said. “It’s kind of fun, too.”

The outside of the Vidalia store also received a facelift with a new coat of paint and a new sign that features the company’s redesigned logo.