Ep. 150 - Shelf Space Strategies: Tasha Tandy’s 19-Year Walmart Journey

Profitability in grocery retail isn't built on a whiteboard; it is won or lost in the margins of everyday execution. Scaling categories to fit a multi-billion-dollar footprint means solving immediate customer problems before they become massive supply bottlenecks. In this episode, we sit down with Tasha Tandy, Vice President of Merchandising for Breakfast, Baking, and Commodities at Walmart, to pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to feed millions of families while maintaining price leadership.

We get into the operational realities of transitioning a traditional brick-and-mortar giant into an agile e-commerce power. Tasha walks us through the complexities of dual-sourcing staple commodities like sugar and flour, navigating global supply shocks in the coffee market, and managing heavy-volume logistics during seasonal spikes. She also shares a unique perspective on running massive corporate categories with the mindset of a agile small business owner, revealing how two-thirds of Walmart's massive supplier base is actually made up of small businesses.

The reality of high-volume merchandising means dealing with constant cost accounting pressures, managing complex grocery waste, and making strict trade-offs in time management using a rigid prioritization grid. Viewers will walk away with a functional understanding of how to pitch products for a digital shelf versus a physical store footprint, and why true product innovation must always precede channel selection.

If you care about retail distribution, global supply chains, and consumer product innovation, you’ll get a lot from this conversation. Be sure to subscribe for more boots-on-the-ground retail insights and share this episode with your team.

What is the biggest operational hurdle your business is currently working to overcome on the digital shelf? Let us know in the comments below.

Transcript

Welcome And Why It Matters

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Well, hello everyone, and welcome to Doing Business in Bentonville. I'm Andy Wilson and thank you so much for being with us today. Such a great guest. I can't wait to get to this. But before I do, something I want to say to all of our viewers and listeners, thank you so much because of you. You have moved us around the world now. As we were just visiting, we're in over 200 countries. We have over 2,000 people every day to tune in and listen and watch us. So thank you so much for what you're doing. Continue to share it, please. We really like that. So let's get straight in and let me welcome our guest, Tasha Tandy. Welcome. Thank you, Andy. I'm so happy to be here today. It is so great to have you. You know, Tasha and I, we worked together, Tasha and I worked together uh on a nonprofit that's back about two years ago. That's right. And that's where we really connected. I met your great husband. Yes, he's great. How's he doing? He's doing great. He says to tell you hello. Okay. Well, I'm gonna tell you, uh, you know, anyway, it was just a great conversation. And we stayed connected. And so thank you, Tasha, for that. I mean so much. So Tasha has a just a great career at Walmart. We're gonna get into that career. We're gonna get into what she does, and she's gonna teach us so much this uh today on our podcast. But as we ease into this career, why don't you talk a bit about yourself and what you do at Walmart, and then we're just gonna ease into some really great conversation.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

Yeah, that'd be great. Um again, thank you for having what the incredible reach. 200 countries, 2,000 people over. That's an incredible little bit of pressure there. I hope I do a good job today. I'll do my best. I'm not worried about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

You're gonna do great.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

I um, you know, I uh my my official title is Vice President Merchandising, Breakfast Baking and Commodities. No one ever really knows what that means. Um I've been with the company for 19 years. I started as an hourly when I started. Um I think we'll probably talk a little bit about my background. We are. We are gonna talk about that. Um, but you know, I I like to think of my job as just solving customer problems. Um, just as simple as that. I get to work with a great group of people. We bring merchandising to the customer in all the ways the customer shops today, and uh within my purview of responsibility. I we always say breakfast baking commodities, and everybody's like, what like what does that mean? So I always feel compelled to explain. Um, it's cereal, coffee, tea, um, everything that's in a can except for chili or meat. So I have when we talk about commodities, if you think about canned fruit, canned vegetables, shelf stable cheese, all of that falls within my area of responsibility, spices and salts and seasonings, batters, all the things, the seasoning packets that come in, you know, the little packets that we've been forever used to have, and all of that falls within my area of responsibility and everything baking. So everything sweet, non-sweet, sugar, flour, vinegar, oil, and everything that you use as a mix. Um, that's what breakfast baking commodities is. So there's a few aisles within the Walmart store if you think about a physical footprint that that represents.

SPEAKER_00 3:06

It represents in fact, I wore I walked your categories yesterday. Okay, I did. I had it uh as our one by our local stores in Fayetteville, the store week 359. Yeah. So I was I thought I I can't do this, do this with you without walking in the store. You gotta you gotta put your eyeballs on some stuff. I did. And so I did my research on your categories, and I went, she's got like third of the store. I got a pretty good chunk. Yes. I went to this is huge. Yeah. Well, all right. So you just heard the categories. So all right, we're gonna get in. But so congratulations on 19 years. Yeah, thank you. Just slap 19 years. I'm working on that 20. Oh, yeah. I feel it in my sights. Oh, you do it. You'll do it. Well, congratulations. And uh let me just say right up front, thank you, thank the team at Walmart um for all that you're doing. And you're you're really working really hard to keep prices low. Yes. So thank you for that. Yes. It's obvious. Uh, as I walked the store yesterday, the store uh the company has worked very, very hard on that. It's obvious in when you walk the store and you see this, you see the prices, you see the rollbacks, you see all that going on. So thanks for that. We really need that in America and you're making it happen around the world. We do, you're right. You're right. We are certainly doing our part. Okay. Now, before we get in, now I gotta I gotta ask you a question.

Martial Arts Lessons For Business

SPEAKER_00 4:26

Now, talk a bit about when you were a martial arts instructor. Sure. Okay. We we have got to talk about that. Let's just do it.

SPEAKER_01 4:34

Sure. Yeah. It's um, you know, it's usually my fun fact. Let's somebody says a fun fact about you like, well, I'm a third degree black belt or a certified instructor. Uh I, you know, that's what I did for a living. So it was um something that started as a hobby, um, became a passion very quickly, and um something that honestly I thought I would probably do for the rest of my life. I was a martial arts instructor. And by way of that, a small business owner. So it's kind of the the trend the translation between, you know, what I do today and and how all of those years actually, the experience I had shows up in a lot of ways in what I what I have done at Walmart and what I continue to do at Walmart. Um, but that's what I you know I did for a living. I served customers. Um I served with a service versus a product, but first and foremost, we were servicing customers and you know, in in something that they were looking for in their life. Um and I ran a small business. You know, we I think there's a misnomer that Walmart is this big corporation and and and we are. But one of the things I love about my job is it feels very much like running a small business, right? Like we are, you know, we get the benefit and the privilege of the scale of our company, yeah, um, the efficiency that we drive. But when we run those individual PLs like myself and on the peers that I have and the teammates that we have, we're running small businesses. We're, you know, we're managing small, we're in a lot of instances, we're doing it through small businesses of our supply base, which by the way, are two-thirds of the suppliers we interact with are small businesses. Right. Uh and so all of those things translate uh in a meaningful way. Probably the one of the things I love the most is the people aspect. You know, we had a creed, if you would, um things that we lived by in the martial arts community, um, perseverance, integrity, courage. There were things that we we quoted these before classes. It really was a creed and something that we instilled in the spirit of martial arts. Um, it's very similar to how I view Walmart culture and the things that we do, um, you know, that sets us apart from just being a company that we work at and a company that we're really committed to and how we show up for others. Um, that's just been something that's been rooted in me since my martial arts days. And it's just been something that it actually really created some translation and connection between my old world and my new world, if you would.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

Well, I can imagine I I I know people that have gone through the training and accomplished, you know, the different levels that you talked about. It's got to be a tremendous amount of discipline to create that. Yes. That you bring to your job now.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

Yeah, yeah. And you know, and it's not, you know, it it yes, it it requires discipline. Perseverance is one of the, you know, one of the things we talk about, indomitable spirit. Yeah, there's a level of commitment that um that you you sign up for. If you want to be a black belt, you don't show up and you just get a black belt. Like you are, you have to earn it and you have to test along the way and pass thresholds. And so there's a level of commitment. There's times you want to quit because it's hard, or you know, the the skills you need to go build are not inherently the skills that you're good at. And so you've got to build that skills. You've got to you've got to live through failure points, you've got to live through the failure points so you can get to the other side. It takes time. Yeah. And then once you get to black belt, it's not the it's not the final thing you do. Like, okay, well, I'm a first degree black belt, but now I want to be a second degree black belt or a third degree black belt or a master of the skill that I'm in. And all of that comes with, you know, increasing levels of expectation, pushing yourself past points that you didn't think you're capable of. All things that I've experienced in my career at Walmart. Uh, you know, I wasn't, I didn't start at Walmart as a vice president of merchandising. I started as an hourly who did barely knew how to work the spreadsheets, you know. I mean, honestly, um, so much of what I've learned has just been on the job. It's very similar to training in the martial arts and not quitting, right? The level of discipline and commitment it takes uh to do anything worthwhile than life, honestly.

SPEAKER_00 8:24

So you took all of that, yeah, and now you applied it to the business side.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 8:29

And the leadership side with a team. That's right. Much of a larger team now. That's right. So you you've applied those principles to it. Yes. And it's worked for you now 15 years later.

SPEAKER_01 8:39

It's worked for me. You know, um, one of the things that at Walmart we talk a about our culture, um, you know, you hear any of our leaders, uh, certainly Doug speaks about this. We are a people-led, and people-led comes first. We're people-led, um, you know, tech-powered company. The people aspect of what we do will always be the thing that sets us apart. We are human, um, we interact with other humans, and we are just a bunch of humans making decisions to support other humans. And so that um that piece will never go away. We're we will can increasingly be a tech-powered company and something that will fuel us into well into the future. Right. Um, but the people aspect, the interrelation, like that there's nothing more. I got to spend some time with my team this morning on some thing, business things that we spent some time. And it was a, it was a, you know, it's a it's how we interact with each other. It's reading each other, like, how are you feeling about this? What questions do you have? Um, you know, how can I alleviate any concerns like that, you know, just being able to be in an environment where you feel seen and heard and that your opinion matters, even though we have business to go do. Um, I've always had that personal experience at Walmart. I take it very serious as something in the day job that I do today to show up in the same way that great leaders have shown up for me, that it's allowed me to expand my capabilities along the 19 years I've been

Growing A Career From Hourly

SPEAKER_01 9:58

doing.

SPEAKER_00 9:58

Wow. So as you've as you as you've grown up at Walmart, now what are before you this current role that we'll talk more about in the books, what were some of your additional additional your other roles you had?

SPEAKER_01 10:11

Oh yeah. Um I was a buyer's assistant when I started, which is was a super fun job working alongside, you know, merchants who bought categories and helping them with all the things that they needed to to do. Um I did store of the community, which was a title that 19 years ago exists in today. I remember it it applies differently. The job uh was floor planning. So I used to draw floor plans by hand, by the way. That's what I did 19 years ago. We do we do floor plans and we did category space analysis to determine, you know, footage and the footprint and what that should look like in stores. Right. Um, I did process and strategy work for a period of time. And so um, as we were evolving into this matrix organization that we have today, that didn't exist 15, 17 years ago. Uh and so we were we were developing the muscles and building out the teams to support that transition. I worked on a on a project team that did that. Um I did analytics within modular, uh, within modular development for a period of time. I that was one of my most fun jobs. Um, doing analysis, looking at assortment, seeing where we had assortment gaps, um, and doing that across several businesses and getting to be a leader in that space. So not just an individual who did the work, but a person who started leading teams of people who did that work. I stayed in that space for probably eight or nine years, modular analytics, modular execution, bringing assortment to life in store. And I did all those roles before I moved to food. And probably about seven years ago was when I moved to food. I took in merchandising operations. Today they're known as merch X, but it's analytics, business analytics replenishment, modular development, the PL management. And I started that when I came to food, I went straight into fresh, um, which was cost accounting and managing, you know, managing a business that has waste. That was super awesome learning for me, especially as I was managing a PL and a team of people. Um, you know, our job was to save the company money and to help our operators be more efficient and understand how they could manage waste. Um, that was my first step into food. I've been in food for seven plus years. Um, I love you talked at the beginning about, you know, saving people money um uh on their grocery bills. Uh man, I love that that's part of the expectation of the job that I do every day. Right. You know, I I tell people my job is to save people money so they can so they can feed their families and uh and to do it on their grocery bill. I mean, there's something pretty special about that.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

You know, one of the things that I, you know, when I walk a store and I see the customers like yesterday, and as I walk in the aisles looking at a product, I know that not far up the road at that home office of Walmart, there's people like you all over the place thinking about the customer every almost every moment. Yes. And then thinking about how you save that customer money. Yes. Because you you take that to heart. Yes, that's right. That's part of who you are. And those people, all of those people, you know, in the stores and the in the home office, but you you go to work every day for the customer, don't you?

SPEAKER_01 13:09

That's right. Every day.

SPEAKER_00 13:10

That's all.

SPEAKER_01 13:11

Yeah, and and with the intent of building trust with that customer. And the way we build trust is through showing up consistently on prices that they can trust, on products that they want, in the way they want to shop. Um, we do take it very personally. We all feel very connected to the cause. And how can you how can you not feel connected when you know that you're you're you're helping a family save money on their grocery bill so they can buy their kids shoes or school supply? You know, we just came back through back to school. Man, we thought about that a lot. Yes. How do we help them how do we help the customer save money on the lunches they need to make for their kids or you know, help them afford the school supplies? And the school supply team, guess what they're working on? Low prices so they can afford those, right? So, you know, we're uh we're all feel very, very connected and committed to the cause.

SPEAKER_00 13:52

That's right. Yeah. Well, uh, I tell you we could share so many stories today, and and we and and m most of my guests know that I spent 25 years plus at Walmart and I grew up there. Uh and I won't go there, but I will tell you uh I I love the culture where it is today. It's continuing to be even better when I was there. And you all are just making it better and better because you're focused on the customer. Yes. And that piece, it's it's wonderful. So thank you for that.

SPEAKER_01 14:23

Yes, well, thank you for your 25 years. I'm working, I'm gonna try to catch up to you.

SPEAKER_00 14:26

Oh, you will, no worries. Okay, now um let's talk about your roles and responsibilities, because you know, your merchandise categories you talked about, you know, with breakfast baking and all that you do within that category, the food, um, and then as we already talked talked about, keeping prices slow. Talk about your role and responsibilities. I know our guests would love to hear

Solving Food Problems For Customers

SPEAKER_00 14:50

about that.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

Yeah. You know, um it's it's about solving customer problems, bringing great products to, you know, we at the end of the day, we we're bringing great products to our customer, products that they want, products that they need, and we're in food. So if you think about um the dietary complexities that customers uh you know encounter today, if you've got a gluten allergy, it's important that somebody's out there working on products that you can love to eat that taste good, that that won't harm you, right? You need someone working on you know product lines that support that, or if you are a diabetic and you, you know, you need to eat more carb, you know, carb-friendly items, you need someone to to see you and to know your dietary, you know, restrictions and to be servicing that. You know, one of the biggest trends we see in food right now is protein inclusion and the need to, you know, to have protein-infused product.

SPEAKER_02 15:38

Right.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

That's something that shows up in you probably saw as you were walking through 59 yesterday. It shows up a lot in my assortment, right? Um, in being able to bring baking items to the shelf that are clean label, but that have protein inclusion, that a customer can feel good about eating a you know, a great tasting muffin, but it's serving a dietary purpose for them. You know, we think about we think about that a lot. And so it's about bringing great product, inspiring product, um, democratizing that product. You know, we also believe products should, you know, that's good for you, better for you, um, shouldn't be more expensive. And so working to, you know, to support that in this space is important. But it's as much about bringing products to life as it is in my responsibility, is the work that I do with my suppliers. Like we, you know, Walmart's got a, you know, a meat, a beef processing plant. We've got a milk processing plant, but by and large, we don't manufacture product, right? Right. We we count on our suppliers, our manufacturers, um, to bring great product to life. And so we, there's this synergy that happens with our supply base that's so very important in the job that I do. And so strong partnerships with my suppliers is a big part of what my day-to-day job looks like. It's partnering with them, it's innovating with them, it's co-creating. One of the funnest things we get to do is create product with a supplier that we get to bring to our customers that they can only get at Walmart. Man, I love a good exclusive. You know, like you can only get this in our stores and and and our supply, you know, our customers get to benefit from that. And so um, those are, you know, day in and day out in the management of the team. You know, I I don't buy anything, and my my buyers are the ones, the merchants are the ones who who do those, you know, those interactions. And so, you know, inspiring that, creating room for that creativity and that partnership and uh and ensuring that they're moving along those same paths as well.

SPEAKER_00 17:21

I think it's wonderful. Now, um we already talked about low prices, and and we talked about uh and that there's such a demand, and you've talked about the high quality of the product, yeah, and then low prices. Do you work on that every day? Every day.

SPEAKER_01 17:38

Every day. Um, you know, because there's an inherent, you know, in order to get you know higher higher quality ingredients to get a you know a better improved product, there's inherently cost that comes along with doing that. And so, you know, there's the work that we have to do to democratize healthy food, cleaner label is important. I think about it in terms of value creation, right? And how are we creating value for the customer and approachability? Um, and that can come in all things, right? It can come in a lower price point, it can come in approachable pack sizes, all of the things that we have as levers, um, you know, it's important. And our customers are telling us more than ever that clean label in a dry grocery environment. So that's it's you know, it's really easy for you to go, yep, you know, fresh meat is absolutely the cleanest way you can get protein in your body. That's great. There's product that's being produced in my space than an ambient, dry environment that sits on a shelf that can play a role in a better for you as well. And so, you know, not ignore one, not ignoring that and creating product. We've got some suppliers that do this really, really well. And then they create great tasting food that a customer can be inspired to want to eat. And then my job is to make sure that they can afford those things. And so, yeah, we work on this every day. Uh, it's the fun part of the job. Like, how can you how can you get creative in this space and and offer all of those things for the store? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

Wonderful. Okay, I'm excited. I'm excited about your what you're talking about. I know our guests are too already.

Low Prices Through Value Creation

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Now, in today's environment, there's a lot of challenges.

SPEAKER_01 19:11

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 19:12

I mean, you know, no matter. So when what are some of the challenges you face, you and your team? How do you how do you work through some of those challenges? Oh, and if you can, what's the biggest challenge?

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Yeah. Gosh, it'd be hard to uh they're all there's always there's always something, there's always some hurdle, right? Yeah. Um I'll talk a little bit about just like some internal challenge and then I'll talk a little bit more about the business side. But I'll tell you honestly, and I'm probably I'm not my me and my team and anybody in business is not unique. Time time management is so important in uh in what we do, honestly. Um there's always a laundry list of things that we can work on and never enough hours in the day to do all the things. And so um I talk to my team about this, and I tell anybody who asks me about time management. I'm I'm a big fan of a two by two grid, right? And like working on the things that are really important that add value. Um sometimes those things are the level of importance determines on where it's, you know, the ask is coming from, but focusing on those things and being okay with the things that are on your list that you're not working on. As long as you can feel good about like, I know why I'm not working on those and I know why I'm working on these. So time management is always a hurdle. Um, you know, this some of the things that we've talked about already are are really those business elements of, you know, what's the biggest challenge to overcome? Um, you know, it's about that, it's about bringing great product to life, ensuring that we do it in the most cost-effective way, um, maintaining our price leadership in the market and and bringing that product to shelf in all the ways that a customer wants to shop. And probably the single thing that I see as a hurdle, uh, maybe not a hurdle as much as it is, it's not natural yet. Walmart has been a brick and mortar retailer and has built, you know, this legacy as a brick and mortar retailer. We are also an e-commerce retailer. Yeah, a massive, a massive retailer. A massive e-commerce retailer. And um, and it's in in some instances when you're working with suppliers who have been forever producing product for a shelf in a store, that's their natural first inclination, right? It's like um, you know, success is unlocking that shelf distribution, right? And it's really not how we how we should or do think about product uh evolution today. Bringing a product to life is bringing a product to life first and thinking about product development first. And then where should it live?

SPEAKER_00 21:34

Right.

SPEAKER_01 21:34

Should it live in a digital shelf? Right? Should that be in a fulfillment fulfillment center that gets shipped to a customer's home in a day? Right. Because we have that capability. Should this live closest to the customer on a physical shelf in store because we can get it to them within a few hours? But that should be secondary to creating great product, having an assortment of product, broad assortment of product, and then determining channel. And it's just not it's not always natural. And so Working through that with both our internal teams, with our suppliers is something that's the the the thing that's on my mind most and something I talk about probably every single day.

SPEAKER_00 22:10

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 22:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:11

That's a great view of of how hard you and your team work to to get that product to the store, to the customer ultimately in the right way. And and all of those obstacles. Thanks for sharing that. That's that's really a lot. That's a big role. Yeah. Just a big role. That by itself is a huge role. And and thanks for sharing that. How you overcome that, how you work through that. It's wonderful. Well it's also fun.

SPEAKER_01 22:36

Can I tell you the best part of it? I work in food. So part of my job is to eat great food. I just show up and be like, we're doing a tasting for two hours or eating great tasting food. That's that's a real fun day.

SPEAKER_00 22:47

Okay. All right. That's the day you need to invite me up. I'll invite you next time. That's right. It'll be the plus one. I'll have to ride a few more miles on my bike if I do that. I'm gonna tell you. Um Tasha, this is so good. Thank you. You're you're just you, you know, as we navig walk down this this this time together, you you you're just laying it out so well. So thank you. No, you're welcome. And um appreciate that. Now, sourcing is big.

Time Management And Omnichannel Shifts

SPEAKER_00 23:12

It is. And you know, the I would I would love for you to talk about, you know, as you get new products or or you know, the expectation change from customers to suppliers, uh, this as you think about sustainability, all of those things. And then of course we have thousands of Walmart uh suppliers that service Walmart here in Northwest Arkansas. That's right. Thousands. I don't even know how many. Yeah, I don't it used to be a quick counting, but it you've got uh uh the supplier team in Northwest Arkansas is massive. For one thing, to support Walmart and Sam's in the brick and mortar on the L line piece, it's both now. And congratulations on the growth on the L-line. That's what's happening. Uh I was reading about after your last uh uh rear release of your quarter. Awesome. Yes, you're making more to do. Yeah, but man, it's it's it's it's firing away. So as you think about sourcing and relationships with the suppliers, talk about some of the things that you that you have on your mind about that.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

Yeah, we you know, man, I gotta give our sourcing team credit. We have a a best in class sourcing organization. We really do, and they are a key come key part of my my team makeup and the you know, the individuals that I work with on a on a regular basis. Um, if you think about my business specifically, I've got some pretty core commodities, sugar, right, flour, uh, vinegar, oil. These, you know, these are you know, the importance of sourcing these and sourcing them, you know, for supply is one, but sourcing them responsibly is is important too. Um and so we need a team of people who are experts in this whose day-to-day is to look at additional manufacturers, ensure that we have surety of supply. You know, my my commitment to the customer is when they come to whatever shelf they're shopping, whether they're on the app and they're shopping there or they're shopping in a store, that they see what's available to them and that I'm keeping that shit that that physical or digital shelf full. Um and sourcing is the team that helps us ensure that that is possible. Um, when we are single sourced in a product, the volumes that we do uh can put a lot of pressure on a particular supplier. That supplier needs relief. And so being, you know, dual-sourced, uh multi-sourced is in most, almost all instances, because of the volumes that we do is really critical. Um I'll talk a little bit about you, you talk about sustainability, and so I'll talk a little bit about um a business where all of that is so tied together and it's coffee. So um, you know, the the coffee business is a commodity. It's not a pure commodity to me because I'm not selling the purest, I'm not selling it in or buying it in its purest state, but very close to, right? And so um, you know, it's a commodity and it's a commodity that is impacted by global factors. So if you've got a bad crop two or three years in a row, um right now we're we're in an environment where the the the commodity, the coffee commodity is at probably at record highs. And it is because of, you know, some couple of years of bad crop. And, you know, buying responsibly in this space is really important for surety of supply, but it's also important for us to buy responsibly to protect farmers. And um for it first starts with knowing what the responsibility is in that space, understanding what the implications for farmers are, and then knowing where we're sourcing our product from. And then agreeing to source only from the places where farmers are protected and they're earning a, you know, a the a good wage and that they're that their crop is protected and that we're infusing back in those, you know, in those uh in those communities. Uh and it takes a tremendous amount of work to do that. Walmart and Sam's, this is a place where Walmart and Sam's and the scale of Walmart and Sam's together and can can partner together and and do things, you know, in the right way. It comes with being really transparent with our supplier partners in this space too, right? Um, of when we're entering into an agreement with a supplier that we understand where they're sourcing from. And so it's both buying for surety of supply as much as it is for buying responsibly for the communities that are impacted by the purchase as well.

SPEAKER_00 27:08

Well, I I really appreciate you diving into that because it's so it's on you know, top of mind for so many people today. Sure. As you look at look at the sustainability, look at the ethical sourcing that's important. You it's it's one of the you take all of that and you work really, really hard to have a great product. Yes. A product that's everybody can feel good about price. Right. Because that you know, that is so top of mind to customers today. It matters to customers. It does. And it is and I know you are taking the same approach as a customer would that's they're passionate about it and they're concerned about it. Because it's really important to protect that farmer. That's right. And uh and then but yet it's ethical throughout the whole process. So wonderful. Yeah. Thank you for spending some time on here. That's a really key

Responsible Sourcing And Coffee Reality

SPEAKER_00 27:54

point. Okay, as we step back for a moment and think broader retail, think industry trends, you know. So talk to us about maybe some things that that you're working on if you can. And there could be some competitors listening, I mean you know that, but but you know, is there anything you can share with us as you think, if you step back, you know, we we know you've talked some about e-commerce. Can you talk some more about that? Or, you know, but again, just some things for the future.

SPEAKER_01 28:24

Yeah, sure. You know, um, I'm in food, I'm in ambient food, and so, you know, that's that first and foremost is always on my mind. Yeah. Um, and creating great, we talked about great quality food, ensuring that we understand what the customer is looking for and then infusing that in our space is super important. So um I mentioned earlier protein inclusion. Fiber is another, another space. So if we were to talk about, you know, just um, we talked about it in terms of functional eating. You'll hear that term used a lot usually in a Walmart meeting or in a supplier meeting. Functional eating is something that's super important to a customer. Protein and fiber inclusion in anything they're gonna consume means that, you know, they're, you know, if they're if they're trying to hit a protein goal or trying to hit a fiber goal, this is something that uh helps helps them reach that objective. And so, you know, that's a trend that we can't ignore. Right. And I see it happening. Uh, and then clean label, the other of like when I look at a bag, if I can pronounce everything on it on the ingredient space, we're probably in the right space. I'm telling you, pick some stuff up and look at it and see how many words that are there, you're like, I don't actually know what that is. Right. Customers want to know what they're putting in their body and on their body. Consumables also think a lot about this.

SPEAKER_02 29:31

Right.

SPEAKER_01 29:31

Um, if you what I'm putting on my face or on my body, you know, lotions, like all of that stuff matters. What I'm putting in or on my body, do I know what it is and am I okay with it? And so in in my space, we think about this a lot. And then it's about creating product that still tastes good, that I want, you know, is can I have a pancake mix that has protein in it, that still feels like I'm eating a pancake, tastes like I'm eating a pancake, but I can read that label and I can get 10 grams of protein added to my day. Then success, right? Um, that's a thing that shows up quite often in our space. I also like to think about um, you know, things that delight our customers that maybe they didn't know that they, you know, that they wanted or needed. And can we create product that gives them something new or uh or fun in that space? We've got lots of examples of you know of items that we've brought to life in in that space as well. Um and so those are the things that we we pay super, you know, close attention to in a in an ambient environment. Um and then, you know, the secondary piece is always that like, and then are we servicing that customer with the broadest of assortments? Some of the products that I described may not have enough velocity to warrant being on a physical shelf in a store. Right. And that's okay. They can live on a digital shelf in one of our, you know, X number of fulfillment centers across the US. So then it is shipped to their house and get it in a day. Right. Get it in two days.

SPEAKER_02 30:49

Right.

SPEAKER_01 30:50

Uh and having that offer for the customer, the customer more and more often is shopping on their phone, right? Uh, and not always shopping. I'm a heavy user, by the way. I'm a heavy, like I am personally a heavy user of the of the deliver to my house in three hours or less. Oh, yeah. Love it. Right. I love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 31:05

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 31:06

Even if I don't need it in three hours or less, I can still get it and I know I will. And you know, it it's it it's a it's an awesome service to me. But, you know, the customer doesn't always think in physical linear terms anymore, and how they're feeding themselves is super, super important for us to pay attention to. Wonderful. Yeah.

Operators Feedback And Holiday Readiness

SPEAKER_00 31:22

Wonderful. You know, uh before we began our podcast, uh, we we talked a bit about the holiday meeting in Houston that that just happened. Yes, that's right. Uh and um it's a time for our guests, it's a time where uh Walmart uh brings their operators uh together twice a year. So right. And uh and then you listen to the operators. The operators are there that you you spend time with the operators training them. We do. Can you talk a bit about um how things went to Sheridan and any exciting things that came out of that that you can share?

SPEAKER_01 31:59

Yeah, uh, you know, this um is such a fun meeting for us. We do this twice a year um with the intent of inspiring our operators and showing them hopefully one that we we we also take a lot of feedback from our operators in those in those in those meetings. And usually that that meeting is a fuel for the next part of the work that we do. So we hope that we show up and we're like, we heard you, and we've done some things that you can look at and go, you did hear me. You got it right. You listen. You listen and you got it right. You know, they're on the front lines with our with our customers physically in stores, you know, all the time. And so they see things, hear things that we don't, that we don't always get exactly right. And so if we listen to them, we can unlock some additional growth and serve customers in a better way. It's an awesome opportunity for that for us to show things we're so proud of. I have, you know, I have baking goods. So I have a segment in my store called the Bake Center, which is a 12-foot fixture that sits in our action alley. Oh, yeah. And I'm sure you've seen it. It's so fun. We do a lot of um, you know, we talk about assortment, we do a lot of limited time offer and seasonal relevant flavors. So think pumpkin and peppermint and apple uh cinnamon and all of these wonderful flavor profiles, a product that you can only get at Walmart that's limited time. It's only going to be here for this season. Um we get to bring those things to life, showcase all that for our operators and hopefully show them how we've created product lines that can inspire our customers and ultimately the customer gets you know an incredible experience. There's a ton of operational things that happen that have to happen in a store. We move a lot of volume of a lot of items. Um I talked about canned goods being one of mine. So canned vegetables, if you think about Thanksgiving, we move a lot of green beans. A lot of green beans, millions of millions, but I can't even tell you how many millions we move. Um and so getting that efficiency right, keeping those stores full so that they can serve their customers. Yeah, there's a tremendous amount of work that goes into that. And we want to make sure that we uh show them, you know, the things that we've done differently from last year that we learned from last year. Maybe we didn't get quite right that helps get there, you know, get them all the way there. Um, you know, how we service turkeys was a big topic this last uh Thanksgiving or for Thanksgiving this year of you know, how we're easing the the burden of selling small and large turkeys and how a store operator can, you know, can pick up on the difference in sizes from the way that we're flagging them, how we price them so that makes it super easy for the operators. We get better and better every year because of the feedback we get from our operators, and then hopefully we can show up in a way that they see that we're that we're hearing them and then and making their jobs easier so they can be focused on servicing serving customers.

SPEAKER_00 34:28

Right.

Culture Legacy And Final Takeaways

SPEAKER_00 34:29

Well, you know, Tasha, uh I mean I think about all that you've talked about. You know, the thing that that just pleases me so much, and and uh this is a personal thing, is because what all of you have done is kept the culture at Walmart that Sam began. You just continue to make it better. And so thank you for that.

SPEAKER_01 34:50

I'm glad that that's your experience after being gone, that you can still feel it and that we're I do that we're building on that is that I feel it enough. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 35:01

Well, you know, one of the things that in in my time at Walmart, and this is not about me, but but you've inspired me today so much. But one of the things I remember traveling with Sam, and and as I think about some of the trips I had with him in the early days, you know, one of the things that Sam taught me was how that you and you know, how you really inspire people. And that Sam was great at that. Yes. You know, he inspired us, he connected us, and and he and actually just you just wanted to run faster when you were surrounded. And and space right after his motivation. But one of the things that came through today, and I thank you for that, was how that you I know you inspire your team, and you work with your team, and you listen to the operators and you listen to your team, you listen to the customers ultimately. So thank you for that. Yes. It really came through loud and clear. Thank you. It means so much. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 35:54

I uh one, I'm jealous that you got opportunities to spend time with with Mr. Sam. Um, you know, I feel him and his spirit in in my 19 years. I never got the opportunity to be close enough to him, but I feel him because we've got great leaders in our company still today who did have that opportunity and who were passing that on, hopefully to the rest of us who can continue to pass that spirit on. You do uh I like you say run faster. I've we we've said things like run through walls. We'll run through walls for people because we want to go do awesome things.

SPEAKER_02 36:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:25

Um, you know, we I thank you for for the kind words there. I'm grateful that that's the that that's how you were perceiving this. But we've got and some incredible leaders who are continuing to to build and inspire in this way. But Mr. Sam was the very first and the ultimate, you know, um customer-focused associate who's inspired all of us to think first of the the customer, and then the rest of it was just stuff we're supposed to go figure out.

SPEAKER_00 36:50

But the key though is that you all are passing you generation after generation, and you're doing that, and that's wonderful. Tasha, this has been phenomenal. We could go on and on. I would tell you, I just I was like, okay, we're just gonna lock the door now. Now and I'll let you out of here. Tasha, as we wrap, um again, thank you for being here. Anything you want to leave our our guests, our viewers and listeners with, anything you'd like to just close on?

SPEAKER_01 37:14

Yeah, I um one, just always remain inspired by solving the customers' problems. Inspiring and delight in our customers will lead us the right direction, always. Um and to to think about from my purview, we should always be thinking about assortment without constraints. And if we do that and we focus on the customer, uh the rest of it are just the other details we go figure out. And whether you're a supplier who does business with Walmart or you're a Walmart associate or you're a customer, you should be able to count on Walmart to to do those things and be should be thoughtful in that space. So um, this is a fun business. Retail is fun, retail is detail, um, but retail is fun, and I'm just grateful to get to do the job that I do every day.

SPEAKER_00 37:55

Congratulations on your career. Thank you. Thank you for what you're doing. You're there's gonna be other great things come from you and your team. Yes. And um I I'll tell you if you haven't been in to see the assortment, get in there to see that. Uh, that baking center, you got to see that. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 38:12

That product is good.

SPEAKER_00 38:13

But Tasha, it's been a pleasure having you at doing business in Bidenville. Thank you. Thank you for taking time out to be here with with us today. And to all of our viewers and uh listeners, thank you so much for what you're doing. Continue to pass it on. You can message me on LinkedIn if you like. If you have any questions, I will answer your questions. With that's my customer right there. So I gotta talk to them, right? Okay, Tasha. Tasha Tandy, thank you, thank you, thank you for being here. Thank you so much for having me. All right, have a wonderful day. Thank you very much, everyone. Have a great day.