MONROE TOWNSHIP -- The friendly faces you normally see wearing blue vests when you enter Walmart will soon be changing.
Walmart officials confirm that greeters, many of whom are disabled, will be replaced by "customer hosts." The host program is one that was started at the retailer in 2015.
The new greeters will still welcome you at the entrance but will have a more physically demanding responsibility.
This new role and the added responsibilities would be hard for many of the current Walmart greeters who are disabled.
A long-time greeter working at a Walmart in Monroe Township spoke with our sister station in Scranton.
Adam Catlin of Middleburg has cerebral palsy and was told he has until April 26th to comply with the new corporate policy for greeters. This includes working an entire eight-hour shift and be able to lift 25 pounds.
If he can’t comply he will have to find a new place to work. Adam says he won’t be able to do that.
"i want to keep my job past April 26 because I’ve made a lot of good friends and a lot of good memories over the years."
The new policy will also require the greeters to climb ladders and stand for long periods of time.
Walmart has not said how many workers will lose their jobs, but they did release a statement saying
“We will be extending the current 60-day greeter transition period for associates with disabilities while we explore the circumstances and potential accommodations, for each individual, that can be made within each store.”
Walmart customers are now rallying behind their familiar greeters. Walmart’s across the country are receiving complaint calls and tens of thousands of people are signing online petitions demanding their local greeters be able to keep their jobs.