The cardinal rule of grocery shopping is simple: Don’t shop for groceries when you’re hungry. Empty-stomach shopping makes you way more likely to shove a bunch of junk food into your cart and it might lead you to break open a bag of chips before you even get to the check-out. One of the best things about shopping at Walmart is how easy it is to grab a snack and coffee when you get hungry along the way — at least it used to be. After a 30-year run, McDonald’s has been slowly disappearing from Walmart locations across the country. The exodus began with the pandemic in 2021, when a surge in online shopping drove sales down at in-store McDonald’s restaurants. Over time, it became clear that it was no longer financially viable to keep so many Walmart McDonald’s locations open, especially since they don’t offer drive-thru service. Out of the more than 1,000 restaurants inside Walmart stores, only 150 them are still open for business. What will happen to that space once McDonald’s leaves? Walmart is already replacing the former McDonald’s storefronts with other popular fast-food chains, including Taco Bell and Domino’s. So, your in-store snacking activities may be temporarily disrupted, but it won’t be long before you’ll be back in snacking business.
