The Doing Business in Bentonville Podcast
To create an ecosystem that connects leaders of all kinds – industry, community, student, educational, civic, investment and entrepreneurial – to help overcome Omnichannel Retail barriers through exclusive, insight-rich content.
The Doing Business in Bentonville Podcast
Ep. 90 - Apparel to Omnichannel: Walmart Veteran Deanah Baker's Journey
Walmart retail veteran Deanah Baker steps into a new role at Doing Business in Bentonville, bringing three decades of transformational leadership experience to the podcast.
As the former Senior Vice President of Omni-Channel Merchandising at Walmart, Baker offers unprecedented insights into navigating retail's most challenging transitions - from brick-and-mortar to omnichannel and beyond.
Baker's story is one of strategic vision and practical execution. During her 32-year Walmart career, she managed a $25 billion P&L while orchestrating massive transformations in how customers shop for apparel.
From consolidating private brands to implementing game-changing RFID technology that revealed 30% "ghost inventory," her innovations fundamentally changed how Walmart serves its customers across physical and digital touchpoints.
What makes Baker's perspective particularly valuable is her focus on "navigating the gray" - making decisive moves despite incomplete information.
"You have to be comfortable making decisions without knowing all the answers," she explains, revealing how successful retail leaders balance the certainty of customer-centricity with the ambiguity of transformation.
Her implementation of the "Store of the Future" concept for apparel departments demonstrates how retailers can evolve their physical presence while embracing digital integration.
Baker's upcoming podcast series will feature respected industry leaders, beginning with Terry Truffles from Interdeco discussing how to maintain win-win supplier-retailer partnerships despite today's challenging business environment.
Her story of learning the sock business from supplier Vic Stober exemplifies her leadership philosophy: stay humble, use intuition to build trusted relationships, and recognize that humility isn't weakness but "quiet strength."
Join us monthly as Deanah Baker shares the insights, strategies and leadership principles that transformed Walmart's approach to omnichannel retail - lessons that remain essential for anyone navigating today's rapidly evolving retail landscape.
Hello everyone and welcome to Doing Business in Bentonville. My name is Andy Wilson, I'm your host today and thank you so much for joining us. Before we get started in our podcast this morning, I want to tell you how much we appreciate your feedback and your viewing and sharing and all the great things you're doing. Because of you, we continue to grow. We're now viewed in over 90 countries. We have up to 2,000 plus views a day. So thank you so much. We couldn't do this without you and it means so much to us here at Doing Business in Bentonville that you're supporting us, so thank you for that. My guest today is Deanna Baker. Deanna, welcome, thank you so much. Okay, listen, this is a big. I'm just saying I have been like trying to get Deanna Baker for a year. She finally is back and we're going to make some announcements about her. I mean, she's back like big time at doing business in Bentonville. I can't be happier.
Speaker 2:I'm telling you Well, thank you. I love your cheerleader number one, Thank you.
Speaker 1:Oh, I'm telling you I'm so happy. Well, thank you, I love your cheerleader number one, thank you. Oh, I'm definitely a big cheerleader, no question about it. Today, what we're going to do is this Deanna and I are going to talk about her past at Walmart stores and what she's going to be doing in the future. But the thing that we're going to announce today that Deanna Baker will become a Doing Business in Bentonville contributor.
Speaker 1:Now, what is that, andy? What is a contributor? Well, you're going to get to see more of her in the future. She's going to be here hosting her own program for DBB and with her guests, and she's got some wonderful guests that she's working with and she's going to be focused around, of course, omni-channel and retail, and there's so many stories that she can talk about her career. So what we're going to do is dive a bit into her career so you can get to know her and appreciate her, and then we're going to get into some things we're going to talk about around retail and Omnichannel. So, deanna, again, I can't be more happy that you're going to be part of doing business in Bentonville.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you, Andy. Thanks to you and to the team at doing business in Bentonville, it's quite an opportunity for me, and you know, reflecting back but then how it applies to today's business environment and where to go forward. To me is just that continual love of retail, and so I am fortunate to get to still share that.
Speaker 1:You do so.
Speaker 2:I'm really happy with the opportunity, Good Well.
Speaker 1:I would say that we grew up at Walmart together. Deanna. If I said that, you would think she started when she was a baby. So we just spent we worked at Walmart together for a long time and had such respect. But, Deanna, what I'd love to do is just share with our viewers about your time at Walmart, what you've done, and then a bit of what you're going to do in the future, and then we'll get into some of the more details about your expertise and the impact that you have had on retail and on each channel and what the impact you'll have in the future. So share a bit about yourself.
Speaker 2:Well, as you said, majority of my career was with Walmart 32 years to be exact, and I hang on to those two years because so much happened in the last two years that were beneficial and such an education I can go into that. But merchandising the entire time, primarily in apparel, but also about three years in outdoor living, so you know the ends of the box, I guess, and learned so much I've referred to it as an incredible education that I was able to achieve and of the retailer you work for, the supplier that you work for, it begins with an appreciation for who you serve and then you make all the right decisions for that customer. So, 32 years at Walmart. The last role was senior vice president, omni-channel merchandising. I specifically had both channels for men's, kids', baby' and footwear, and in 2020, I retired in 22, we merged the two channels together brick and mortar and e-commerce.
Speaker 2:So not only did I have to lead a team, I had to learn quickly for myself what it meant to lead both channels and how to make both successful and actually synergistically better together than they were apart.
Speaker 2:And so that was a quick, quick learning for myself and the team. But then there were so many other transformational things that were already underway, specifically at store level, which we can get into later, but just in how we managed the assortment at store level and how we brought that to a place, we could leverage the technology that the whole company was utilizing. I desperately wanted my apparel team to be part of that solution, in goodness and I'm referring to curbside pickup and delivery and my team being a part of that and so there was a huge transformation going on in the midst of putting together a team, an omni-channel team, and being a student of an entirely new way to me at the time of doing business through e-commerce. Right, and you know, my peers had the flip experience where they were raised in an e-commerce environment and needed to learn a 4,500 store chain business and how do you manage that? So rich learnings in those last two years for me.
Speaker 1:Wow. You know, so many of our viewers are in that transition and that's why I think you're going to be so helpful, because you're going to be able to help teach and help our viewers navigate the transition that you have been part of. And that's one of the reasons we're so excited that you're going to be part of doing business in Bentonville and from going from brick and mortar to e-commerce. It's huge, and a thing that Deanna will be doing is really helping you navigate that space, because you've done it successfully. And now some of the things that you have done I think would be good from a standpoint of really people understanding your credibility and your background is let's talk about some of those key areas that you did navigate and let's just start with the strategic growth and market insights. Talk about that one.
Speaker 1:There's all of these things about navigating that space. Really, I mean not only your career, but I will tell you I talk to people almost daily that, okay, andy, how do you navigate Omnichannel? How do you make sense of this whole crazy thing? Because you know, and especially, people that are brick and mortar and want to get into e-commerce. So, anyway, that's going to be really great. So let's talk about strategic growth and market insights.
Speaker 2:Well, if I go back to my experience in this space, like I said, you know transformations Well.
Speaker 2:When you take in 30 plus years, you're going to have a few transformations right, and I was privileged to have a seat at the table through those as Walmart matured and progressed in retail.
Speaker 2:But if I go back to the example in 2020, I was fortunate enough with the leadership team of the apparel group cross-functional, by the way to put together a five-year strategic plan and it encompassed what I knew well and what I was like I said, rapidly learning into Omnichannel, and not one of us it didn't matter where you came from and what your discipline had been in the past had all the answers and trying to understand how they can work together synergistically to, to you know, create a five-year plan was was challenging. You know, we started with from the facts of what we knew and what we knew ourselves to be, but then where did we want to go and, most importantly, at what speed? And we didn't have all the answers. So to me, that was a crash course in understanding what a true strategy is, in that you know where you want to go in the future, don't exactly know the path to get there.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And so we all had to work together and revisit it a lot to make sure we were still on the path that we wanted at the speed we wanted, and that entailed everything from. You know, I was doing it from the SVP level and up for total apparel. I was concerned with how that dovetailed into where the company was putting resources and what the company cared about. Right To be an offshoot wouldn't have helped anyone, right, and I wanted to be part of those resources that were being created and being deployed for the benefit of the customer. But it wasn't just total apparel.
Speaker 2:I then had to work with my direct team of vice presidents and what did their part of the puzzle look like for their business? I mentioned like one of my teams was kids and boys and girls at a VP of that. What did he need for his team to be successful in the kids industry and grow market share in the kids space, market share in the kids space, and how could we work that into the overarching strategy to where it wasn't just total apparel winning, but they got to win as a team as well in the kids business. So all of that being put together was an incredible education for me today the way I apply that in consulting is, whenever I work I'll use the example of a supplier. I have to think about it from their vantage point of who are their retail partners and who do they serve the ultimate customer? How has that worked in the past for them? Do they need to switch gears? Do they need to resource for the future? Are they structured appropriately to do that future business? And really guiding them to think further than making that year's budget to what do you need to be thinking about now that you won't even benefit from until two years from now? Because it's two years is like that in retail, we know, but so much of the time we get mired in the most critical of the moment stuff.
Speaker 1:You know, one of the things that Deanna will be sharing on future podcasts is really how to do this, how she navigated that. Plus, as she mentioned, she has her own company, dino Baker Consulting, and so she'll be uh, we'll be sharing all that information with you so you can reach out, how to contact her and and and and work with her through navigating all of this. Um, so that's going to be exciting. And then, uh, uh. Now you know, one of the things you talked about in your expertise and impact was this whole retail and business intelligence. Talk about that, because I know so many of our viewers are dealing with that today really how to equip leaders and teams and today, this fast rocket ship we're riding on each other.
Speaker 2:Share that. I think it's imperative that we all stay current and that's reading a lot of articles staying close to different retailers, different suppliers, both e-commerce, brick and mortar, the way they are applying the two together, because you'll see different approaches and being a fast student of what's going on. As we know, there's so many variables at play right now and how people navigate. That will be interesting to see the take on it from different companies. But you know again on it from different companies. But you know again, applying what I know to how it can help in the future In retail.
Speaker 2:We all are aware that no two days are alike. Right. The variables keep changing. That's what keeps it interesting but also can be frustrating. But applying great experiences and the outcomes to the trends and what I see happening in front of us today, I think can help predict outcomes. So you know, if I can teach and train through different scenarios that companies have issues that they're facing with my past experiences for a great fit that will lead them into the future with today's environment, then I feel like we can create some real winning outcomes together.
Speaker 1:Right, you talked about a few minutes ago about the transition that you went through from brick and mortar to omnichannel online to Omnichannel online and I know one of the things that you focus on in your company is this business model adaptability, Because your business model changes and I know we have a lot of viewers today like, yes, my business model is changing. How do you approach that? What's your thoughts on that?
Speaker 2:Well, I think you have to be uh, you have to have a future vision of, let's say, a couple years from now. I'm going to be need to be good at this. Or even further out, five years, even better. Um, I'm not there today, my, my company is not there today, but I see the future and the way it's trending. I'm going to need to be good at that. And so I think you have to start laying plans out now that make that a slow and steady progression towards that, not hanging on until the bitter end with an old business model, because to me, that leads to pain. It's hard for people to change, and the longer you procrastinate, the harder that change is going to be and it's going to be under duress. So, if you can start the process now and again, there is no perfect blueprint or people would have already done it right. So you have to stay nimble, you have to be curious and you have to change before You're forced to.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And so to me, that's really what the business model, adaptability, is Right. And let's just say you get into year three of the five-year example, and what if the goal has changed? Yeah Well, are you better for have at least progressed in that direction? I would argue every time, absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Right, well, I mean your five-year business plan. It's like you mentioned earlier. It's continually changing and you know, at Walmart we were taught by Mr Sam. The most consistent thing at Walmart was change and we have a, you know, and today, even because of that philosophy it was ingrained in us, because we talked about it every week, because we changed it every week that's how we run our lives almost now. Yeah, you mentioned nimble and I love that word. Curious, because you should be curious. Is there any companies that come to mind that are doing it really well and some that still got a ways to go that just come to mind?
Speaker 2:Well, goodness, I mean, we know who's winning in the retail space, right? And I think what I admire about each of those companies is they are true to who they are and the customer they serve, and they do that very well, and it doesn't mean that you always stay the same Again. If you keep the customer that you serve at the center of all of your decisions and that's what we were taught as well right, you're innovating for them, you're staying close to what they're telling you through what they purchase feedback, close to what they're telling you through what they purchase feedback, and you're driving your future state of where you know that your customer wants to go. I would say, though, as a merchant and I use the term merchant broadly I don't care if you're in supply chain or if you're in operations or you're a buyer. That's your day job.
Speaker 2:You have to get comfortable living in the gray. You have to be comfortable in making decisions without knowing all the answers, and I think that's okay, because I think progressing forward requires that If you make a misstep, you can quickly correct, and then, as a leader, the real trick to me is how do you lead people in a gray area? Right, and so what? That comes back to the values of your company, what your company stands for, again, who you serve, and and just being really transparent with your team on. Here's what we're thinking today, here's why we're doing it and leading your team through that so they can manage that state, because you know some people are comfortable with making decisions without having 100% of the answers and I think that's a skill in itself to be able to navigate in that area.
Speaker 1:I think you just gave us all a great lesson in leadership, because you're right about navigating the gray, and when you said that, what comes to my mind it's like, you know, driving in the fog and we had some fog driving in today here and you know, if you brighten your lights, it's more difficult to see in the fog, and so you have to navigate through it, and that's navigating it great, and I think all the points you talked about just now is a great leadership lesson to all of us on how we navigate and lead in this ever-changing world of Omnichannel. You know, and so, so, perfect, this is great. Oh, um, I told you this is going to be good, right, and so anyway, let's let's talk about a couple of things. Then I want to get to some of the leadership and some of the achievements. So, so people could really, so people really really understand all that you've done. But you know, one of the things that your company is going to do is help people go to market. Going to market is different now, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Talk about some of that. What are your thoughts around that? Well, to me, my first love within the job is the creation of products and services for the customer and bringing those ideas to bear. Um, and so many good ideas fail, not because they were a good idea, a great idea, but they just weren't separated through the entire process and um. So when I think of you know, a go-to-market strategy, it's literally shepherding a conceptual thought into physical product or brand. It could be a solution for the customer. It doesn't have to be a thing, a widget that, through to final purchase, whether it's on e-commerce or a brick and mortar experience, is part of the go-to-market strategy for your item.
Speaker 2:In my example and I've had, I mean, school of hard knocks I learned as a young merchant growing up it wasn't enough just to say look at this wonderful item that I found and I've curated this great assortment. Well, I quickly found out if my operations partners couldn't execute it at store level and it couldn't be intuitive to 4,000 different store associates that worked in that area, it was probably going to fail. If not fail, it was going to be suboptimized. So I love taking ideas with clients and you remember in Walmart if you took that idea and carried it through, it would energize the entire organization. It was the lifeblood of our sales growth, and so how you take those ideas and give them the care and concern they need is the difference between success and failure.
Speaker 1:Right, you know, I remember Deanna, it reminds me of you. At the time I was running a region of 100 plus stores in the West and we had what we called Friday Merchandise Meeting and that's where Deanna and many of the merchants would come in the West and we had what we called Friday merchandise meeting and that's where Deanna and many of the merchants would come in and they would present items to the operating group and talk about the item. And I know that on Monday when I hit the stores I would begin looking for that item and I would talk about that item to the store associates and I would talk about that item to the store associates. And so what merchandising was doing was teaching operations how to be a merchant, how you know the product, and they would pass the product around or have it there in a rack. We could see it, touch it.
Speaker 1:But you all were developing operations. In operations you develop with merchants and we all fell in love with merchandising. And if you're in a retail company today, you need to fall in love with merchandising. The item, understand it, see how it's displayed, let the experts teach you how that should be displayed in the store and the quality of the product, all of that that should be displayed in the store, and the quality of the product, all of that. And we would walk the stores as operators and we would go to that item that you showed us on a Friday, on a Monday and we'd talk about it.
Speaker 2:It was so exciting, but that feedback loop with operations was the main reason why we then transformed our working model within apparel. Um, it was around 2017 and sales were fantastic. Sales had grown so much, but in the quest to keep growing sales, we as a merchant team had grown too many skews. We were fitting within our sales budget, yeah, but we had too many different things for them to be displayed appropriately. And so I would walk stores with operators and I would be like why doesn't this look like the guide that we sent? And they're like well, deanna, we need a home for each item. It's complicated. Y'all are making it too complicated for us and no one gets what you're trying to do. Making it too complicated for us and no one gets what you're trying to do.
Speaker 2:Well, ultimately, that led to us sunsetting 12 different private brands throughout apparel. We launched four new private brands, so from 12 to four really cleaned up the floor. You might even say a little too, am I lacking, because you know I love items, but we cleaned up the floor and that led us then to being able to modularize more key items. So the items that really mattered for the foundation had a home and they stayed in stock, and then that led us to RFID. So you can just I can see a thread throughout and again, you know where you're going strategically. You may not know exactly how you're going to get there, but when I review back on the history, that's the thread I see.
Speaker 1:Well, since we're there, talk about more about RFID, because I think that's so important, especially in the apparel area that you're talking about. So share some more there.
Speaker 2:That's really good apparel area that you're talking about. So share some more there. That's really good. Well, rfid I had zero knowledge about, when I was like what is that and why are some retail competitors adopting it? The first early adopter that I was aware of was Lululemon, and then I started seeing some others. Target had it, not on everything, but I'm like, okay, there must be some goodness here that I need to learn about.
Speaker 2:It turns out that our company had tested it years earlier, but it didn't really go anywhere. It was very expensive, it was clunky, there was lots of friction, but technology had progressed, and so I was fortunate enough to be given the go-ahead to study it with a cross-functional group of peers, and we got the plane, went to Auburn University. They have a lab, rfid lab. They educated us and we're like, wow, could this be the unlock so that we can be included in Walmart pickup and delivery? At the time it was just curbside, curbside delivery. Would store associates feel confident enough, knowing where product is on the floor, to include the apparel team? And so we went through it, and the more I delved into it, the more I'm starting to sweat it. I'm like, well, this is getting bigger than I even anticipated to it, the more I'm like starting to sweat it, like well, this is getting bigger than I even anticipated.
Speaker 2:It wasn't enough to have everything tagged RFID, which was already in negotiation with suppliers. You know it took a full year to run through the inventory and have everything tagged. We needed to create an internal process for store associates to be able to scan and take the measurements needed and to set and fulfill racks as they sold. So there was a whole system that needed to be created and tech-enabled to connect the Walmart systems to RFID. The day we turned it on we were kind of forewarned of this from the Auburn University team. They said on average, when this goes live, a retailer will see a 50% drop in inventory dollars or units, whichever measurement you're using. And we're like, oh what 50? I know ours is off, but the day it went live, inventory dropped 30 percent.
Speaker 2:Wow, which meant it was on paper, said it was there, but technically it wasn't. It was ghost inventory. Yeah, it could be everything from um. It came in the back door with, let's say, something was supposed to be a pack of 12 and it was a pack of 10. You're already two off before it ever hit the floor. Various reasons it could be misplaced, and then an account it's like it doesn't exist. So all of that has now led to successfully knowing real time how much inventory down to a size small, blue, three quarters that pull over, like you're wearing that we have on a rack and you can trust it.
Speaker 2:Rack, and you can trust it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So operations can trust it and they can actually show the customer now on their phone. It's on rack A1. And we have it ready for you to come pick up or we can deliver it to you. Yeah, and that's over on top of the goodness that they could always get it from a fulfillment center if they wanted. But if you want it now, we've got you covered and from what I understand, it's been so successful that it's rolling out to general merchants.
Speaker 1:Right, right, yeah, and I've heard that and I've had some experts in before talking about it and that's exactly where it's going and they're looking forward to getting it done because the success has had an apparel Wonderful. Okay, let's talk a bit about you for a moment, because I really want our guests to understand what you've done and just tell them how much P&L management that you've had. And let's talk about that.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, it's Fortune 1, so it's big and more than it being like, you know, roughly $25 billion was at the largest. That almost seems paralyzing to people when they hear the number. I think for all of us who worked in a large organization, you quickly realize that if you don't think a store at a time, you've kind of missed the mark. And it's that store at a time thought process that then you know you roll up and, yes, they're very big decisions that you're making. But thinking small is where it begins. But, yes, an awesome responsibility, an awesome responsibility of a large team of people that you're charged to develop and lead in the right direction. So I did and I'm very proud of it. So I did and I'm very proud of it.
Speaker 1:But it's not about the number as much as the accomplishments and the people that are there now, the people that came after me and to talked about the multiple launches, from private label to national brands, that you have helped launch and that's generated billions of dollars.
Speaker 2:launching that, and that's no small task. No, there's a lot of coordination that happens in that. You know I mentioned the four private brands that we launched in 2017. And you know, it was not just that, it was. How do you manage the markdowns and the transition from the 12 you had to the four you're bringing in and not miss a beat on your P&L?
Speaker 1:Because you know what, no one cares. They want you to make your numbers right, we all want to make your numbers, we all want to make our numbers in 2021.
Speaker 2:I was fortunate to be able to shepherd in Reebok and that was across the box Justice, which is found in the girls department, us Polo Association and there were others. But that was part of that strategy that we developed together for Omnichannel, bringing in more national brands, and so that was so exciting and that entailed working with the partners who had the brands and making sure that the timing was right, the marketing was right and it's a 360 marketing program at this point. That's what Omnichannel is right. It's no longer just a sign on a rack Right, and it's literally showing up at the same time on the website as the stores in social media and really bringing it to the full market. So really proud about that, and that continues on. Today. I see what the team is doing in the store, and so you know I love that. Other creative things that I got to be a part of.
Speaker 2:I was called the architect of Store of the Future, which you know it wasn't just me, let's just be clear. It was a lot of people but helping shepherd in the store of the future for the apparel floor. With that new strategy, we wanted to invite more customers in than the loyal customer, which we absolutely love and want to continue serving. But we wanted to appeal to more customers, and so that meant bringing in the national brands and having those brands show up well, in a different light than we had done before. It was about opening up space for the customers. That meant removing racks from the floor Remember, we still want to make our P&L, but I'm going to take some racks off the floor, which is a little bit of a nail biter.
Speaker 2:We wanted to entice the omni-channel approach through digital displays, through merchandising on mannequins, to show different solutions for the customer, you know, to be able to tell them there's even more assortment on Walmartcom than you see here today. And so crafting that but still making sure it worked for my operations partners, we could still stay in stock, you know. We could still manage the floor from the back room to the floor Was really the art and the science coming together, and to me, I'm very proud of the team and what we're able to create. It's rolling out to every remodel and so me, yes, it will continue to change. You know it won't be great forever. There'll be tweaks. You know they're going to respond to what the customer is telling them and they'll keep it relevant to the customer. But to me that was another transformative thing that needed to happen and it was part of that overarching strategy.
Speaker 1:Wonderful. Okay, I know you love this because I'm having such a great time sitting here listening and learning. What I'm going to do is talk about a bit where you're going to go with this doing business in Bentonville. I know you have to for our viewers, listeners, share some of your thoughts about the future podcast and if you can talk about guests, uh, what you're doing and, as I mentioned at the top of the show, uh, you know Deanna's, uh, she's agreed to be doing business in Bentonville contributors, so she again, as I mentioned, she'll have her, uh, she'll have her own show, she'll have her guests and, um, uh, you know I would. You can share about that. But I just want to say this After this I just want to go to a Walmart store now and I want to tour a pair with you. I mean, that's exactly where I want to go, so maybe we could do that on a podcast someday.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. You know, I think that would be fun, that would be so much fun.
Speaker 1:I'd love to have you teach us all as you. We can do this, so let's work on that. I want to put that out there before I forget it.
Speaker 2:Well, let's not just do Walmart, let's do other competitors too.
Speaker 1:Oh, yes, absolutely, Because you found great ideas you know, in so many different places.
Speaker 2:Oh you're right, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And, as you know, when we went out on Walmart store visits, we always had to go to the competitors and we came back and talked about it, because if you, well, we just won't go there, if you didn't. Anyway, talk about what you're thinking about the future.
Speaker 2:Well, I am so excited to be able to discuss the conversations that I've been having in my community, business colleagues and my friends Of course you know funny, if you spend 30 years in the industry, a lot of your friends are from the industry as well and relevant topics that don't always make it to the front lines.
Speaker 2:I'm very excited to be able to delve into some of those and I'm thrilled to say my first guest is a gentleman that I've known, I feel like forever, forever, but Terry Truffles, who just retired recently from Interdeco stellar, a stellar career in the supplier community and a good, great partner actually not good, great partner to Walmart through all the decades.
Speaker 2:He and I are going to discuss the current business environment that we're in and, yes, that could take an entire episode just that, but we really want to cut through almost in light of the situations that we're all facing. How do you still strive for a win-win partnership a supplier and a retailer and how truly, if you can focus on that through the noise how it can be a competitive advantage to both and really digging in for a deeper understanding from the opposite side of the disc and truly how it can be a competitive advantage. And he and I have some examples that I've worked directly with him on, that I've worked directly with him on, and I think that it will serve many people well, because there is so much to distract right now and I truly think the person or the retailer, the supplier that can cut through and focus ultimately on that win-win relationship for the customer, they'll be the ones that win Right.
Speaker 1:And that podcast will be available in April. Focus ultimately on that win-win relationship for the customer. They'll be the ones that win Right? And that podcast will be available in April. It's just less than a month from now. So perfect, that sounds wonderful. And you'll be hearing a lot more Adina. You're on LinkedIn. That's a good way for people to to introduce themselves to you. Also, on our website, doing business in Bentonville, you'll see a bio of Deanna. You'll see her email, her company logo and also you can reach out to her, and so all that will be available. So I will tell you, I'm so excited that you're going to be part of doing business in Bentonville. It's wonderful and your knowledge, your expertise, your you know all that you have. All you have done is just preparing you for what you're going to do in the future and that's going to be exciting to watch and we're excited doing business in Bentonville. You share some of that with us.
Speaker 1:Now, as we close up anything you want to leave our viewers with.
Speaker 2:Well, I was thinking about you know what could I share earlier, and in light of the conversation I'm going to have with Terry about supplier relationships and building trust for win-win outcomes, I thought I'd share a story of my own when I was a new buyer. So we're talking like I really want to timestamp it. It was about 1995. And I was a new sock and activewear buyer for women's and I'd been an associate buyer in men's prior to that. But I had scheduled a meeting with this particular gentleman, one of the sock suppliers, and he came in and introduced himself. His name is Vic Stober and he brought in some packaged socks that he had purchased from my new category in Walmart, so the current assortment right.
Speaker 2:And he said, if you'll allow me, I would like to show you something. And so he, you know, first opened all the bags of socks and laid them out and he goes I would like to teach you the difference between a cheaply made sock and a fully fashioned, well-made sock. And he went through it and he was like this one is a very generic tube sock. This is how long it takes to make it, here's how you make it, and it relatively costs this amount. And then he showed me the other sock and why it was better, right, and all the components of it. And he he proceeded to tell me all these differences and he even said now here are the questions you need to be asking all the suppliers. He said I just want a level playing field when you and I visit so that you know what's in that bag and what you're purchasing.
Speaker 1:It is.
Speaker 2:And he goes I'll even give you one better. Many will come in here and they'll say that this certain weight of a sock is what the customer prefers. You should always buy this weight sock, he goes. In reality, deanna, that sock is made off a particular machine. That machine can only make that sock, he goes. Odds are, those are the machines that they have and they want you to make socks from that machine. And so he said it's not necessarily what the customer wants and you need to be aware of that. And so that started a business relationship that the years that progressed after.
Speaker 2:Every time I got promoted into a new category or new level, he would wish me well, and we even stay in touch via his son, rich, today. Just how's the family, how's everyone doing For me? It? Just when I think back on that example. If I have any advice for anyone, it's humble, and use your spotty sense. Use your intuition for the people that you can trust, and just remember that while you've been in a category for a short amount of time, in most cases they've devoted their whole career to that category and they have so much knowledge to teach you and it behooves them for you to be successful Right. So use your intuition and listen and take a chance on trusting someone, and you know, you'll find out. If you can't Right, you've got to verify.
Speaker 1:But to me those are the relationships that change the trajectory of my career. Wow, that's powerful. Stay humble, be open. You know that and that's powerful, and you know we. We have a leader that taught us that too. St Walton taught us that. About humility you know humility, like Sam. You know we all had the opportunity to listen and work and travel with Sam and do all those wonderful things. But what I learned of what you just said from Sam was that humility is not a weakness, it's a quiet strength, and that's exactly what Sam taught us and Tossie taught us that. You did that example and that's powerful, deanna, it really is. You can see why she's here. So, deanna, thank you, thank you, thank you. We're looking forward for many things with you, sharing with our guests I mean from our viewers and so what a great morning and what a great start.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I'm so excited, let's go.
Speaker 1:All right. So we're going to. You'll be seeing her and listening or seeing her video she talked about in April with her guests, so be looking for that and, of course, we'll be communicating that to all of you. Again, thank you to all of our viewers, all of our listeners. Thank you so much for what you're doing. We are very humbled that you have chose to make doing business in Bentonville part of your life. So thank you, deanna, it's going to be so.
Speaker 2:Thank you, deanna, it's going to be great. Thank you, andy, okay.
Speaker 1:Thank you, wonderful job. Goodbye everyone, have a wonderful day.