Wally World Woes

[CarlV]

I was reading this NYT article that kept making me chuckle so here it is.

VALLEY STREAM, N.Y. — The dairy section in the Walmart supercenter here, just across the border from Queens, was sparsely stocked. Some gallon jugs of milk were dented, others soiled with what looked like dirt. The meat aisle had run out of ground beef patties and strip steak, and residue streaked some shelves.

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The memo, marked “highly sensitive,” tells Walmart marketing managers to make sure that the company’s 4,965 United States stores discount aging meat and baked goods to maximize the chance that those items will sell before their expiration dates. The memo — leaked for public use by a Walmart manager unhappy about understaffing — also tells stores to be sure to “rotate” dairy products and eggs, which means removing expired items and adding new stock at the bottom and back of display cases.
In discussing produce, the memo tells managers to “validate that stores are fully executing on ‘Would I Buy It?' ” — a plea to make sure that every store removes moldy or rotting fruits and vegetables.
Sent on Oct. 2, the memo reminds managers that their No. 1 concern must be sales. For the last 18 months, Walmart’s sales have been sluggish in stores open at least a year. The memo also urges managers to reduce backup inventory to trim costs, and warns them not to exceed budgets for their stores.
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But one assistant store manager in the South, who insisted on anonymity for fear of retaliation, said the company was refusing to let him add more employee hours to complete needed daily tasks, like discounting older meat or eggs. As a result, he said his store had been forced to throw out far more milk, eggs and produce than in previous years.
Indeed, a visit to the back of the Valley Stream store, as well as various YouTube videos apparently shot by employees, point to great clutter and thousands of cases waiting to be put on shelves.

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The memo calls for comprehensive markdowns across 32 departments and for stores to find creative ways to merchandise clearance items. It also says stores should keep “complete records of daily throws” of meat and poultry.

For meat departments, the memo says markdowns should start at 7 a.m. and be executed multiple times daily. The memo points to other practices that might not have been followed, saying “confirm stores water plants 7 days a week,” and “ensure Deli oil is tested and filtered daily.”

Link

I have yet to visit one of these stores and I guess that has been a good move on my part.


Carl