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Walmart is getting rid of their iconic blue vests — find out why

The vests worn by Walmart employees are about to get a lot more colorful.
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/ Source: TODAY

Don't be alarmed if you're in Walmart later this year and can't seem to find a store employee wearing one of its traditional dark blue vests.

The giant retailer has given its famous blue vests a makeover, replacing them with "neutral steel gray" vests featuring trim in either neon green, blue or pink.

Walmart is getting rid of their iconic blue vest
The new Walmart vests have neon trim to help customers better find store associates, the company says. Walmart

The company announced the new look in a news release on Wednesday, showing off the new vests that also include a large spark design on the back and "Proud Walmart Associate" on the front.

"Our new vests have a modernized style that takes advantage of trim detail and screen printing to introduce color in an eye-catching way,'' the company said in the release.

The employees at Walmart's traditional Supercenters will be wearing the new vests with the blue trim.
The employees at Walmart's traditional Supercenters will be wearing the new vests with the blue trim. Walmart

The vests also have bigger pockets than the old blue ones and are made with a fabric created from recycled bottles.

Walmart believes the neon trim will help customers better spot store associates.

Walmart is getting rid of their iconic blue vest
Say goodbye to the old dark blue vests at Walmart. Getty Images

Walmart Supercenter associates will wear the gray vests with the bright blue trim. Employees at its Neighborhood Market stores, which are smaller than the average Walmart, will wear the vests with the green trim. Meanwhile, associates managing self-checkouts will wear a yellow vest with gray trim.

Walmart plans on introducing other vest styles later this year, including pink, and allowing employees to choose according to their personal style.

Employees will get the new vests later this year for free and can upgrade to one of the other new designs or a different trim for up to $11.

The latest change comes after Walmart relaxed its dress code last year, allowing store employees to wear jeans and sneakers.

"Uniforms are important, but looking exactly like everyone else isn’t,'' the company said in the release. "We all want to be able to express who we are, and the new Walmart vest will allow associates to do just that."