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Walmart de Mexico (Walmex) (WALMEX.MX) in April said it had bought Trafalgar, a payment app, to compete in a market dominated by Grupo Salinas' Baz, Oxxo's (FEMSAUBD.MX) Spin and MercadoPago of MercadoLibre (MELI.O). Executives at the Walmart unit expect the deal to "unlock Cashi's potential," starting with transfers, withdrawals and remittances while keeping open the option of loans and other financial services in the future. "We want to be the best financial services application in Mexico, and that requires constant investment," Marcelino Herrera, Walmex senior vice president of financial services, told Reuters. Walmart plans over $15 billion in capital expenditures for automation and alternate revenue streams in 2023, including its ad business, third-party marketplace, and deliveries. SYNERGIESWalmart has not defined fintech as a top investment priority but has poured money into it over the past year.

☆ If you get an email from Walmart, there's a good chance it's fake. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Walmart was the most imitated brand in phishing schemes in early 2023, per a new report. Walmart warns customers about the dangers of phishing and other types of scams on its website. The Walmart name appeared in 16% of all phishing attempts globally in the time frame, per Check Point Research. Those brands were imitated in 13% and 12% of phishing attempts, respectively. Under a category that explains "phishing," the website says a "scammer sends an email to an unsuspecting customer that may look just like a legitimate Walmart email (including use of the Walmart logo.)"

☆ Sam's Club is testing out a robot that can grill and assemble your burger. And you can order and pay for it without even speaking to a human.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sam's Club recently unveiled a robot that can assemble a burger start-to-finish without humans. Walmart-owned Sam's Club is testing out a robot that can assemble your burgers — toppings, seasoning, and all — at a location in Fayeteville, Arkansas, not far from the company's headquarters of Bentonville. Sam's Club declined to comment when Insider reached out about the robot. Sam's Club does not have any current plans to roll out this robot nationwide, Tim Simmons, Sam's Club senior vice president and chief product officer, told Axios. Have you tried the Sam's Club burger or do you want to?

☆ Where Walmart's jilted exes are now: what happened to the e-commerce brands it gobbled up and spit out like Bonobos and Moosejaw
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Walmart has sold three digital companies — Moosejaw, Bonobos, and Eloquii — this year. In the past couple of months, Walmart announced it was selling outdoor recreation apparel and gear company Moosejaw, upscale e-commerce apparel company Bonobos, and plus-size clothing company Eloquii. Under Lore, despite big revenue growth, the Walmart e-commerce division incurred major losses, sometimes annually upwards of $1 billion. Recently, Walmart's e-commerce goals have shifted. Here's a look at each of the companies Walmart has offloaded this year.

☆ Walmart is using AI to negotiate prices with suppliers, report says — and the suppliers are loving it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Walmart is using technology from Pactum AI to negotiate with suppliers, per a Bloomberg report. The retailer tells the AI chatbot its budget, and the chatbot communicates with a human vendor. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail giant has embraced artificial intelligence a lot recently. Walmart is using a chatbot to conduct negotiations with equipment vendors, according to a recent report from Bloomberg. Walmart's shopping app also uses AI technologyThis is not the first time Walmart has embraced artificial intelligence.

☆ Walmart is giving away $98 memberships to moms — and it shows how desperate it is to boost its Amazon Prime rival
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Walmart is giving away $98 Walmart+ memberships to mothers who give birth to children in May. Walmart+ vs Amazon PrimeThis is just the latest move Walmart has done to bolster Walmart+, the company's membership service that launched in 2020 in response to Amazon Prime. During the holiday season in 2022, Walmart+ members had early Black Friday shopping deals. Recently, Walmart+ members even had the chance to try a new Oreo flavor before it hit shelves nationwide. Walmart does not publicly disclose how many members Walmart+ has.

☆ Fmr. Arkansas Gov. Hutchinson formally announces presidential run
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsFmr. Arkansas Gov. Hutchinson formally announces presidential runPostedFormer Republican Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday (April 26) formally announced his 2024 U.S. presidential candidacy, officially launching his campaign in Bentonville, Arkansas.

☆ Walmart says its CEO earned 933 times its median employee's pay last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Walmart CEO and President Doug McMillon received total compensation of $25.3 million in the last fiscal year. In other words, McMillon got roughly 933 times the median compensation of a Walmart employee. The increase was met with mixed reactions from Walmart employees, as many said they were already making above $14 per hour. Though the pay difference between McMillon and his employees is above that average, Walmart hasn't cracked the top 20 for biggest pay gaps between CEOs and workers. Are you a Walmart worker?

☆ Even Walmart needs a side hustle. Here are 4 other ways the store chain makes its money – besides selling merchandise.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

WalmartLike Walmart Connect, Walmart Luminate — a data monetization platform — has grown in spades since its launch in October 2021. Walmart has been working hard to increase its number of sellers on Walmart Marketplace. Walmart GoLocal launched in 2021. By the end of 2022, Walmart GoLocal delivered from more than 5,000 business and retail locations. "Through Walmart GoLocal, any merchant from national retailers to small town shops can use Walmart's growing delivery platform to power their local delivery efforts.

☆ Walmart's US CEO tells workers not to worry about their jobs despite announcing a major push into store automation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

More specifically, one area where Walmart is seeking to increase investment is in market fulfillment centers (MFCs), which are automated fulfillment centers built within, or added to, a store. Walmart piloted this concept at a store in Salem, New Jersey, in 2019, using automated robot technology from Alert Innovation — a robotics company Walmart acquired in October 2022. Those include "manual MFCs," where associates pick items for online orders but in a separate area from the sales floor. Walmart will still need at least the same level of workers to help in stores even as automation picks up, company leaders say. Still, Walmart is laying off workers at fulfillment centers nationwide.

☆ Walmart customers and employees can now play pickleball for free at dozens of courts across the US. Here's how to sign up.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Walmart is partnering with a racket-sports booking platform to create access to pickleball courts. Walmart did not respond directly when asked who is paying for use of the pickleball courts, only reiterating that it is "offering 125,000 court reservations." And on the website link to book courts, Walmart advertises its "favorite" pickleball supplies. How to reserve a free pickleball courtTo book a pickleball court through the partnership, Walmart employees and customers can go to www.breakthelove.com/x/walmart and select a court and time in their area. Walmart employees can access the comped reservations by entering a code on the booking platform.

☆ Walmart aims for 65% of stores to be automation serviced by 2026
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Siddharth Cavale | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The announcement, amid the U.S. retail giant's annual investor meeting in Tampa, Florida, comes as Walmart increasingly uses its huge stores to handle online-order deliveries and invests heavily in automation to speed up order processing at its e-commerce fulfillment facilities. Walmart, which operates more than 5,000 U.S. stores, did not immediately respond to questions about whether the moves will result in any near-term layoffs. It also kept its forecast for first-quarter sales to rise between 4.5% and 5% in constant currency. On a post-earnings call in February, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said he was "most excited about the automation opportunity we have" with plans to increase investments in automation technology as part of its more than $15-billion capital spending budget this year. Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in New York and Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Walmart's new website design might look familiar to Amazon users
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The redesign offers a "product-focused experience," according to Walmart's e-commerce lead. Walmart's new website and app represent its latest move to try to gain ground on rival Amazon. At the end of the company's second quarter in 2020, it reported e-commerce year-over-year sales growth of 97%. For comparison, Walmart's e-commerce sales grew a healthy, but not as remarkable, 17% year-over-year in the most recent quarter. What do you think of Walmart's redesign?

March 30 (Reuters) - Walmart Inc (WMT.N) was sued on Thursday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency's second lawsuit this week accusing the largest U.S. retailer of discrimination against workers with disabilities. The lawsuit was filed three days after the EEOC sued Walmart for firing Adrian Tucker, a deli worker in a Statesville, North Carolina store, because she had too many "unauthorized" absences related to her Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel condition. Both lawsuits accused Walmart of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, and sought back pay and punitive damages. The case is EEOC v Wal-Mart Stores East LP, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina, No.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which on Tuesday accused the largest U.S. retailer of illegally firing a North Carolina deli worker with Crohn's disease. According to a complaint filed in the Charlotte, North Carolina federal court, Walmart did not excuse several absences though Tucker provided doctor's notes, and rejected her requests for periodic leave or a transfer to a job nearer the bathroom. Crohn's disease is an chronic bowel disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract, and can lead to diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue and weight loss. Tucker was a long-term employee who needed "flexibility" from Walmart because of her debilitating health condition, EEOC lawyer Melinda Dugas said in a statement. The case is EEOC v Wal-Mart Stores East LP, U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina, No.

☆ Walmart Helped Put Northwest Arkansas on the Map. Now Everybody Wants a Piece of It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Libertina Brandt | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Clio and Adam Mills didn’t know much about Northwest Arkansas when, in July 2021, they visited a friend who lived in Bentonville. Mrs. Mills, who lived with Mr. Mills in Los Angeles at the time, said they immediately fell in love with the “growth and excitement” happening there. She said the Cocoon Yoga Lab, a local yoga studio, is the best studio she’s ever been to. The day after they arrived in Bentonville, Mrs. Mills, 37, founder of the digital and talent marketing agency Booje Media, asked to meet with her friend’s real-estate agent. About a week after their visit, the Mills put an offer on a three-bedroom home on over 3 acres in Bentonville.

☆ Walmart has designed inclusive uniforms for workers, ranging from a 'women's cut vest' to a 'hard of hearing or deaf vest'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Walmart displayed seven types of store-level employee vests at a meeting for managers in Florida. The new uniforms included "maternity vests" for pregnant employees and "wheelchair user vests." The new selection comes after Walmart introduced customizable uniforms for workers in 2019. Walmart has designed a vest for individuals who are hard of hearing or deaf. Previously, starting in 2014, Walmart employees could only wear white or navy collared shirts with khaki or black pants and close-toed shoes.

☆ Walmart says it charged Beauty Box subscribers nearly $700 instead of $6.98 due to a 'coding error'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Walmart Beauty Box products cost subscribers $6.98 without taxes every three months of the year. On Tuesday, customers took to social media to say that they were charged for 100 boxes, at $698. Some customers took to social media Tuesday to say that Walmart charged them for 100 Beauty Boxes instead of one, a grand total of $698 before taxes. Beyond the refunds, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail giant will also be giving customers $100 Walmart gift cards and complimentary spring and summer Beauty Boxes, according to Walmart. Are you a Walmart Beauty Box customer who was overcharged?

☆ Walmart says it charged Beauty Box subscribers for 100 boxes instead of one due to a 'coding error'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Walmart Beauty Box products cost subscribers $6.98 without taxes every three months of the year. On Tuesday, customers took to social media to say that they were charged for 100 boxes, at $698. Some customers took to social media Tuesday to say that Walmart charged them for 100 Beauty Boxes instead of one, a grand total of $698 beofre taxes. Beyond the refunds, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail giant will also be giving customers $100 Walmart gift cards and complimentary spring and summer Beauty Boxes, according to Walmart. Are you a Walmart Beauty Box customer who was overcharged?

☆ Sam’s Club Adding Distribution Centers to Speed Up Online Fulfillment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Sam’s Club is expanding its supply-chain network as it looks to build on recent e-commerce sales growth by speeding up order fulfillment while cutting shipping costs. Sam’s Club said its plan is to shrink the average distance between its supply-chain facilities and its stores and members. Sam’s Club said it is designing its new stores to have more space for curbside pickup and delivery orders. The first new Sam’s Club fulfillment center is expected to open near Atlanta in the third quarter of this year. Mr. Godsey said Sam’s Club will employ the same number of people it would have without automation so it can handle more volume.

☆ Customers are loving Costco. But Walmart? Not so much, new survey says.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Ben Tobin | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Costco topped a ranking of customer satisfaction with general merchandise retailers. The annual survey polled nearly 36,000 customers and distilled responses into a 100-point scale. Neither Costco nor Walmart responded to requests seeking comment on the survey results. In the supermarket category, Costco lost out on the top spot to Trader Joes, while Walmart still trailed the pack. Do you shop at Costco or Walmart and want to share your thoughts on the survey?

☆ Walmart is offloading outdoor brand Moosejaw six years after acquiring it as DTC brands prove tricky to integrate into large companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Ben Tobin | Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The sale is part of a trend of large companies struggling to integrate direct-to-consumer brands. Dick's Sporting Goods is buying outdoor retailer Moosejaw from Walmart, the company announced Wednesday. Walmart purchased Moosejaw in 2017 for about $51 million to bolster its outdoor and e-commerce offerings. That same year, the retail giant purchased another direct-to-consumer company, the apparel brand Bonobos. Integrating direct-to-consumer brands is often a challenge for big companies.

☆ Walmart and Home Depot are spending heaps of cash on pay raises because they can't afford to lose workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Ben Tobin | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Home Depot is spending $1 billion to increase wages for hourly workers, the company said Tuesday. Walmart similarly announced last month that it would raise its minimum wage to $14 per hour. Both Walmart and Home Depot said they hoped the raises would boost employee retention and recruitment. The investments show how tight the labor market remains for retail workers, even amid warnings of a potential recession and a rush of layoff announcements among companies in tech, media, and other industries. Retail workers are quitting at faster rates than the national average, and retail had the second most job openings of any industry as of December 2022.

☆ Walmart is closing a batch of stores in 2023 — here's the full list
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Ben Tobin | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Walmart will close five stores in four states: Illinois, Wisconsin, New Mexico, and Florida. The company is also winding down its two remaining pickup locations in Illinois and Arkansas. The recent closures follow a trend of Walmart closing a handful of stores across various states each year, with the company saying that the stores are "underperforming" without providing specifics. In addition, the retail giant is ending its nine-year experiment with two pick-up only locations in Illinois and Arkansas. SE, AlbuquerqueWisconsin:10330 W. Silver Spring Dr, MilwaukeeDo you shop at one of the Walmart stores above and want to share your thoughts?

☆ Walmart is cracking down on its remote tech work, closing 3 offices, and forcing hundreds to choose whether to relocate or leave
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Walmart is closing three tech hubs in the US, a company spokesman confirmed to Insider. The tech hubs are located in Carlsbad, California; Portland, Oregon; and Austin, Texas. Workers at those hubs will either have to relocate to a different hub or leave the company entirely. Walmart currently has 16 tech hubs that span across the globe, according to the company's website. Are you a Walmart employee who works in one of the three tech hubs that are set to close?

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