Tausi Insider

A Walmart store in Washington, on Nov. 2. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images Walmart Inc WMT-N on Tuesday lifted its annual sales and profit forecast as demand for groceries holds up despite higher prices, while discounts on clothing and electronics helped it cut back excess inventories ahead of the busy holiday season. The company also announced a new $20-billion share buyback plan, sending its shares as much as up 7 per cent in morning trading to a six-month high of $148.40. Its results boosted stocks of other major retailers, including Target Corp, Costco and Macy’s Inc. Target reports results on Wednesday. Amid persistent inflation, investors have been nervously eyeing how consumer spending pans out during the crucial holiday season, when retailers make more than a third of their annual profits. “In this period of macroeconomic uncertainty … we are well equipped to continue gaining market share in an environment where consumers need to stretch their dollars further,” Chief Finan...

Walmart WMT-N proposed a $3.1-billion legal settlement on Tuesday over the toll of powerful prescription opioids sold at its pharmacies, becoming the latest major drug industry player to promise major support to state, local and tribal governments still grappling with a crisis in overdose deaths. The retail giant’s announcement follows similar proposals on Nov. 2 from the two largest U.S. pharmacy chains, CVS Health CVS-N and Walgreen Co. WBA-Q, which each said they would pay about $5-billion. Most of the drugmakers that produced the most opioids and the biggest drug distribution companies have already reached settlements. With the largest pharmacies now settling, it represents a shift in the opioid litigation saga. For years, the question was whether companies would be held accountable for an overdose crisis that a flood of prescription drugs helped spark. With the crisis still raging, the focus now is on how the settlement dollars – now totalling more than $50 billion – will be use...

Canadian shoppers are out deal-hunting during a muted Black Friday as decades-high inflation weighs on consumers and prompts some to rein in spending. Retailers have stretched deals over several weeks and offered similar discounts online, taking some of the frenzy out of the holiday shopping event. Several big box stores in the Toronto area, such as Best Buy and Walmart, lacked the usual early morning lineups that once epitomized Black Friday. Malls in the area appeared busy around lunchtime, but not swarming with the crowds and queues seen in previous years. Few stores appeared to have lines of waiting customers. “We’re seeing a dilution of Black Friday as a physical shopping event where you go to the store early in the morning,” retail analyst Bruce Winder said Friday. “It’s finally sort of hit that tipping point where it’s much less about the day and it’s more about the shopping period.” Inflation-weary shoppers were expected to turn out in record numbers for deals on Black Friday...

A fast-moving conveyor moves packages to delivery trucks at an Amazon fulfillment centre in Robbinsville, N.J., on Nov. 29, 2021. MIKE SEGAR/Reuters Spending on Cyber Monday, the biggest U.S. online shopping day, may hit a record $11.6 billion, according to a report, as discounts on everything from pajamas to AirPods drive shoppers to buy even under the strain of inflation. The Adobe Analytics report is predicting Cyber Monday spending of $11.2 billion to $11.6 billion, an increase of up to 8.5% from a year earlier, as inflation-weary consumers have been putting off holiday shopping for weeks in the hopes of deep post-Thanksgiving markdowns. Adobe Analytics, which measures e-commerce by analyzing transactions at websites, has access to data covering purchases at 85% of the top 100 internet retailers in the United States. Cyber Monday sales fell 1.4% last year as retailers spread out promotional deals across weeks from as early as October to better manage inventories amid widespread p...

Photo : Joel Cunningham Have you ever seen a car commercial on TV and wondered where those big red bows come from? You’re not the only one— Capital One Bank even assembled an entire fact sheet about them . As silly and over-the-top as it is, there’s no denying that a car with a huge bow on it offers a certain sort of appeal. If it is an appeal that appeals to you , here’s how to buy a gigantic bow of your very own—just in time for the holidays. Although it’s obvious in retrospect, it had never occurred to me that those comically large bows were something you could just buy. (I mean, the car companies have to get them somewhere , right?) As it turns out, you can get them just about anywhere you like: Amazon , Etsy , Walmart , and Michaels all sell at least one option, and they’re not the only retailers that do. Most options fall into the classic “big red bow” category, but there are plenty of other colors, styles, and sizes available too . Some are even waterproof—which is nice i...

Rising retail theft could drive companies like Walmart to close stores or raise prices, said Walmart CEO Doug McMillon at an appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Tuesday. "Theft is an issue. It's higher than what it has historically been," he told the program. Companies have faced increasingly organized and brazen thefts from retail stores. In Palo Alto, California in late November, two men stole devices from an Apple store in a large crowd of people, making off with some $35,000 into a getaway car, according to Palo Alto Online . "If that's not corrected over time, prices will be higher, and/or stores will close," McMillon also said on the show. The National Retail Federation said in its 2022 Retail Security Survey that 32.8% of surveyed retailers said organized retail crime has become "much more" of a priority and increased risk in the past five years. "Violence is an increasingly important concern among retailers...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. One, partly owned by Walmart, is a fintech startup ready to take on a growing buy now, pay later (BNPL) industry dominated by existing businesses like Affirm — whose shares reportedly dipped Friday in response to the news. Samuel Corum | Getty Images CNBC cites an unnamed source in reporting that One is planning to launch a service for Walmart shoppers that they can use both in stores and online. It is set to launch within the next year and is viewed as an answer to economic volatility and consumer anxiety over inflation. According to CNBC, Americans are feeling inflation's effects on the costs of necessities, like housing and food, and this has spurred continued interest in alternative payments. With BNPL, consumers can take the stress off their bank accounts by making fixed, smaller monthly payments. The Information fi...

Photo : Emils Vanags ( Shutterstock ) If you’re buying Apple devices as last-minute gifts this holiday season, there’s an easy way to figure out if you still time to get them delivered before the big day. When ordering directly from Apple’s online store, you can quickly check if the iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and Apple Watches you’re looking for are indeed available to ship in time for you to wrap them. Head over to Apple’s holiday shipping page to check if the gadgets you want will be shipped on time. The “Order By” dates on the page reflect the last date you can place an order on Apple’s online store in order to get the gifts by Christmas. It’s too late for these items shipped from Apple At the time of writing, the following gadgets are listed as unavailable to ship in time for Christmas: iPhone 14 Pro iPhone 14 Pro Max AirPods Max (engraved) AirTag (engraved) Some other options, such as the iPad mini or non-engraved AirTags, are close to the cut-off dates for online orders on A...

Photo : VDB Photos ( Shutterstock ) We have officially entered holiday-shipping-panic season, that period of less than 10 days before Christmas when we suddenly realize how quickly the 25th snuck up on us, once again. If you are strategic, though, your packages can (maybe) still make it to their final destination before the big event. Here are some dates to keep in mind, depending on whether you’re sending the packages out via the USPS, UPS, FedEx, or if you’re ordering online from one of the major retailers. One important thing to keep in mind: Dec. 24 is a Saturday, so not all mail services will be available on that day; if it comes down to delivery “business days” for you to make your deadline, the 24th will not count as one. 2022 holiday shipping deadlines for USPS, UPS, and FedEx If you’re using the post office to send your gifts, these are the deadlines to mark on your calendar so your gifts arrive by Dec. 24: USPS 2022 Holiday Shipping Deadlines Ship by Dec. 17 with Retail...

A looming recession might provide a big push in the adoption of AI as weak economic conditions always provide the impetus for using machines to cut costs and raise productivity. Martin Meissner/The Associated Press As we prepare to kick off 2023, we are doing so knowing that the global economy is faltering while organizations are still being squeezed by high costs. On top of that, even a recession might not make much difference to the tight labour market they face. With technologies improving by leaps and bounds and companies looking for ways to improve the bottom line, the timing is just right for a huge uptick in AI use in a way that could transform the economy and labour market. When it comes to embracing AI, Canada is near the forefront. According to the 2021 Global Vibrancy Ranking on artificial intelligence from Stanford University, the country is in fifth place, behind the United States, China, India and the United Kingdom. The index is calculated using a number of metrics, i...

Photo : Sampajano_Anizza ( Shutterstock ) Between ongoing product shortages , supply chain issues, and stores left with excess inventory , 2022 has been unpredictable when it comes to retail. So what does that mean for the traditionally deep discounts offered at the end of the year? Here’s what to know about 2022's after-Christmas sales, including when they start. How to get the best deals during after-Christmas sales For some people, the real shopping doesn’t begin until after the gift-giving holidays are over, when inventory may be diminished, but the prices are low. Here’s what to keep in mind when looking for the best deals: Not everything will be discounted While it’s safe to assume that some items—like holiday decorations, or regular products in festive holiday packaging—will be on sale after Christmas, that’s not the case for everything. For example, hold off on buying any fitness/exercise equipment, devices, or clothing until a few weeks into the new year (when pe...

Walmart Marketplace is a popular destination for third-party companies to sell their products through the retail giant's website. But one item slipped through the cracks recently, causing quite a controversy. A pair of men's hiking boots with a bright red "KKK" logo written on the tongue appeared on Walmart's site. KKK is an abbreviation frequently used by the white supremacist hate group, the Klu Klux Klan. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) alerted Walmart about the shoes to "respectfully ask that they be removed," according to Insider . The store yanked the offensive boots off the site soon thereafter. "We thank Walmart for dropping an online listing for oddly/poorly named "KKK" boots after we brought this to their attention," said a CAIR in a press release. The boots have an impossibly long name, Harsuny Men's Tactical Military Hiking Ankle Boot Outdoor Trekking Shoes, and sell for around $50. It ...

Photo : Ken Wolter ( Shutterstock ) Right now, Sam’s Club is offering their basic tier membership for 50% off right now, which means you can get a year’s worth of wholesale shopping for just $25. And you can sign up online here , using code “C2C44" at checkout. What is the difference between Sam’s Club’s membership levels? Sam’s Club offers two different memberships: the Club and Plus. The Club, the store’s basic tier, is usually $50 a year and has everything the Plus tier does except for their cash back rewards program, free shipping on eligible online orders, and pharmacy and optical savings. You can see the full breakdown here . The fine print The offer is for new member s only—and t he terms say new members can’t have been a member within the p ast six months. ( This also applies if you had their higher tier Plus membership.) T he terms say you also accept their automatic membership renewal unless you cancel the membership 24 hours before your membership is due in ...

Walmart announced an increase in base pay on Tuesday for its associates that will bring its average hourly pay to "more than" $17.50 an hour. Bloomberg / Contributor I Getty Images Walmart employee in Canada. "We're proud to continue investing in Walmart's legacy by introducing new job opportunities and raising pay," John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S., wrote in a note to employees. As part of the move, base pay for Walmart's associates will increase from $12 an hour to $14 an hour, per CNBC . It's also now reflected in the company's " Working at Walmart, " page. "Walmart's starting hourly wage rates vary by region and role and have the following ranges: For store formats (e.g. Supercenter, Neighborhood Market grocery format): $14 to $32 per hour," the site says. Walmart's 1.7 million U....