The Overnighters

Every evening, across 4,600 Walmart U.S. locations, overnight teams ready the stores for a new day. During these late hours, you can walk from grocery to cleaning supplies to seasonal and not encounter another customer. Walmart Radio is heard clearly. Footsteps echo.

At 10 p.m., Store #4255 in Elyria, Ohio, is winding down. Customers are wrapping up their evening to-do lists and it seems like a stillness is creeping over the aisles. But steps away, in the breakroom, a workday is just beginning. There is laughter. There are yawns. There are energy drinks in the fridge. And there is a quiet focus. Here, the holidays aren’t just celebrated. They’re built, one night at a time, by associates.

They gather on the sales floor for the start-of-shift meeting. Soon, the store becomes theirs alone.

A decade in, the night shift is just normal routine for Brett Johnson on maintenance. He moves through the store with the kind of unspoken authority that doesn’t come from a title but from time, from having learned every corner, every fix, every quirk.

When asked what the years have taught him, Brett doesn’t talk about tools or techniques first. He talks about honesty and the importance of speaking up when something’s wrong or when the workload gets heavy.

It’s an approach he models for the rest of the team because he believes in the importance of leading by example and taking pride in a job well done. For Brett, a clean floor isn’t just a task; it’s a promise that customers will walk in safely come morning for their holiday shopping. A repaired fixture isn’t just crossed off a list; it’s part of the foundation for a great holiday shopping experience, for both customers coming in the store and associates prepping items for pickup and delivery. He’s proof that a steady presence is its own kind of leadership.

For Rafiel Torres, the late hours are a time for introspection, self-reflection and clarity.

“I’m more in my thoughts,” he said. “I feel like it makes me love myself more, working overnight.”

Rafiel has been with Walmart for four years, starting when he was 16, and has been on the night shift for the last year. While he moves pallets and fills shelves, the aisles become a place where his mind settles, where the noise of the day finally fades enough for him to hear himself — and plan for the future.

“I actually just applied for HVAC school for next year,” he said. “I’m looking at doing that for a few years and then maybe going back for a degree in marketing or something, maybe starting my own business.”

Even though Rafiel prizes his time for late-night revelations, his favorite part of the holiday season at Walmart is the connection with his teammates and the moments they share.

“We always take a big picture, like when it’s Christmastime or Thanksgiving. We always take a big picture with our coaches. It’s always our pictures we remember….And being in Toys, especially with the whole crew there, just everybody being around each other during the holidays. We all get to talk about plans and things that we’re going to be doing, and it keeps the energy up.”

Chase Stevanus knows a thing or two about keeping energy up, and he stays on the go. As an overnight stocker, he works where he’s needed across the store, ensuring items are easy to find during the day shift. He also works to stay tuned in to what his teammates need.

“I like to make sure everyone is keeping their spirits up while they work, because it is night. Everyone’s tired,” he said. “If I can stop them from feeling like that, I take pride in that.”

There’s a certain determination, he says, that overnight associates share, a focus. That no matter how tough or busy or hectic it gets, especially during the holidays, they always come through. For Chase, hitting the 5 a.m. hour is his favorite time because that’s when day crews start to arrive, and customers soon after.

And while he didn’t start out thinking of Walmart as a place to build a career when he started 10 years ago, he now finds himself looking ahead to the next 10.

“I’ve always wanted to be a team lead, to be the person people can rely on and help them out. There’s plenty of things to learn. There’s plenty of opportunities, different departments to go to.”

In the tea and coffee aisle, there’s singing, voices trading made up lyrics to a tune from Mulan. All night, four associates on the modular team have been shoulder to shoulder, making steady progress from one end to the other. Now, each box and bag fit neatly together like tiles revealing a clear pattern, an aisle hit hard during the holidays reset and refreshed.

“I love when things come together. It’s really satisfying,” said Mary-Jane Helton.

And for Olivia Ruth True, the camaraderie of the mod team is essential to a job well done and making spirits bright.

“Sometimes we’re in a four-foot section together, working above and below each other, so we can spot each other,” she said.

But it’s not just about tackling the task at hand. It’s about being able to share when they’re having a rough day, when they might need some space or rooting for each other on goals outside of work. Mary-Jane plans to go to school for teaching and Olivia, a classically trained vocalist, hopes to finish up her degree and become a vocal coach. Sharing their dreams during their nights at Walmart have proved inspirational for both.

But the best part of the night shift? “We never miss a sunrise or sunset,” Olivia said.

Sunrise
 

Few outside these teams see the transformation that takes place each night, but its impact is unmistakable. The overnight crew turns truckloads of freight into a ready-to-shop environment. They prepare departments before opening, solve problems in the quiet hours and rebuild the store from the inside out, ensuring the holidays start on time, every time and stay festive all season long.