SAN ANTONIO – Walmart is turning to virtual reality headsets to assist in training its employees as the retail giant gears up for the holiday season.
"Seeing it for the first time, and seeing all the way around and the interaction with the associates and the customers, it’s so real," Walmart employee Johnny Arocha said.
Walmart employee Leeyvette Clark said part of the course includes videos that show different scenarios of the busy season.
"When that holiday rush comes, it’s time to take care of our customers,” Clark said.
Walmart officials said they work with a company called STRIVR to make the videos. It's their hope that the training can create a smooth experience for customers, too.
"(We want to make) sure that we can get them in (and) get their products -- what they came for -- and get them out the doors," Clark said.
Walmart officials said they would not want to recreate in-store events like Black Friday for safety reasons.
The training academies are relatively new nationwide and they want to expand and eventually use this technology to train all their employees.