Inflation has become enough of an issue to rattle Walmart’s everyday low price positioning and the chain is considering taking a drastic move that may keep its customers happy, but likely have the opposite effect on some of its suppliers. How effective will Walmart’s threat of delisting products be in getting center store grocery suppliers to moderate prices?

Tomorrow is going to be a big day for retail, perhaps the biggest. A record number of consumers are expected to go shopping tomorrow (AKA Super Saturday), according to a forecast by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. How important will Super Saturday be to retail’s final results for the 2022 holiday selling season?

The World Cup has been a missed opportunity for the major players in the retail industry. Only one retailer, Walmart, has created a meaningful, themed campaign to run during the month-long World Cup, which ends Dec. 18. Did Walmart gain a marketing advantage running commercials during World Cup broadcasts?

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon yesterday told CNBC that his company has a growing theft problem. Mr. McMillon said that theft has reached levels that are “higher than what’s historically been” the case for the retailer. “If that’s not corrected over time, prices will be higher, and/or stores will close,” he said. Do you see Walmart raising prices or closing stores in some areas in response to increasing theft?

A study finds online prices are on average 13 percent less expensive on Amazon.com than other leading U.S. retailers across 15 categories, narrowing from 14 percent lower in 2021 and 16 percent in 2020. Is price still the primary reason consumers choose to shop on Amazon?

Walmart’s savings message is resonating with Americans across income levels and helping the company dramatically reduce its inventory in the process. How likely is it that the new customers coming to Walmart for groceries will stick with the chain once inflation becomes less of a factor?

Amid a continued tight labor market, holiday help appears to be less in demand this year due to the souring economy. Is it prudent or hasty to significantly pull back on seasonal hires amid inflationary pressures and the uncertain economy?

Walmart plans to open Netflix Hub shops selling merchandise from the streaming platform’s films and television series in more than 2,400 U.S. stores as it seeks to build on an online-only deal introduced last October. What will Netflix Hub in-store shops do for Walmart?

Kroger has opened a grocery pickup location for students at the University of Kentucky. The initiative melds retail’s experiments with grocery pickup points and serving colleges, both of which have faced challenges. Is establishing pickup points the best path to bringing e-grocery to college campuses?

Walmart has grown its Secret Treasures private label into a $1 billion business that has the largest customer base of any brand in the women’s intimates and sleepwear market. But that isn’t stopping the retailer from replacing the brand. Does the decision to end the Secret Treasures line suggest that it lacked brand equity even among the consumers who purchased it?

A new university study exploring BOPIS finds consumers are more likely to be satisfied with substitutions for out-of-stocks when the item is a staple, like ketchup or paper towels, rather than a “pleasure-loving” item like coffee or perfume. How can retailers improve substitution selections in the BOPIS process?

Walmart has been public about supporting American manufacturing wherever it makes business sense and that commitment was reinforced last week at a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new factory in Santa Ana, CA, that will cut and sew apparel exclusively for the retailer. Does “made in the USA” messaging hold more sway with American consumers today than it did 10 years ago?

New research forecasts that imports to American ports will fall to the lowest level in nearly two years by the end of 2022. How do you explain the forecasted drop in imports at the nation’s ports?

Walmart’s strategy for owning the last mile has come into clearer focus with news that the retailer has acquired the robotics automation specialist Alert Innovation. What will Walmart’s acquisition of Alert Innovation mean for its last mile fulfillment?

Walmart has moved to the metaverse. The retail giant on Monday launched two immersive experiences on the Roblox gaming platform, with Walmart Land and Walmart’s Universe of Play. Is Walmart taking the right approach with its first foray into the metaverse?

Amazon.com has joined the growing ranks of retail stores and sites running major sales promotions before Halloween in an effort to capture a greater share of the dollars that Americans will spend on Christmas gifts this year. Do early sales promotions suggest a nervousness on the part of retailers about the 2022 holiday season?

A GroupM study estimates advertising accounts for five percent of Amazon.com’s revenues from commerce-related activity and rated that as a “reasonable target” for other retailers working to catch up. Is it realistic for retailers to set a goal of getting about five percent of sales from advertising?

Walmart is known for its  low prices and the retailer seems determined to also be synonymous with convenient holiday shopping with new programs that promise to take much of the hassle of buying and returning Christmas gifts this year. How much appeal will Walmart’s return options have for Christmas gift shoppers this year?

Walmart says it is leveling up its virtual try-on technology in an effort to put its customers in clothing that fits their bodies right off the rack. Will Walmart’s upgraded try-on technology inspire shoppers to purchase more clothing?

Walmart, Target, Macy’s and Kohl’s are among retailers that have recently said they are canceling some orders to better balance inventory levels, a replay of a strategy used at the start of the pandemic. Should order cancellations be a rare, last-resort option or regularly used as a tool for rebalancing inventories?

Temu has officially launched its website in the U.S. The Chinese e-commerce marketplace features a wide variety of inexpensive products in many categories. What do you see as Temu’s major challenges as it enters the U.S. market?

Gap and American Eagle Outfitters have joined Amazon, Walmart and Target in peddling logistics services to third-party retailers. But there are concerns over their ability to recruit prospective customers due to data privacy qualms and competitive reasons. What do you think of the opportunities for Gap and American Eagle Outfitters as 3PL providers?

A recent study predicts that shoppers will be more likely to spread their dollars out earlier in the holiday season as ongoing concerns about inflation change spending habits. Will promotional activity play a bigger role in driving traffic and sales this year than we’ve seen since the pandemic began?

Walmart has agreed to acquire a minority stake in Sustainable Beef LLC, a rancher-owned company dedicated to producing top-quality Angus beef. Do you expect large grocers to make more direct investments in sourcing agricultural commodities?

On Walmart’s second-quarter conference call, Doug McMillon, CEO, said the retailer’s merchants are focused on “holding prices down or rolling them back” across categories based on demand. Should retailers be doing more to publicize their efforts to selectively hold or reduce prices at this time?

Walmart, which recently added a Paramount+ Essential subscription at no extra cost to Walmart+, has introduced a new way for members to earn points towards future discounts with every purchase they make from the retailer. Will the perks that Walmart is adding to the Walmart+ program help build its subscriber base?

Walmart may have intentions to launch a platform to help the retailer and third-party sellers promote the sales of products on the walmart.com marketplace. What role does influencer marketing play in promoting the sale of products and services for Walmart and its marketplace sellers?

Walmart is apparently capable of surprising itself. The retailer reported better than expected sales and earnings for its second quarter just weeks after lowering its forecast. What is your takeaway from Walmart’s better-than-expected results from the second quarter as it relates to the national economy and retail?

Walmart is looking to add video streaming as a perk for joining its Walmart+ subscription plan, according to numerous reports. Is a video streaming deal what Walmart+ needs to compete with Amazon Prime?

Walmart has partnered with Getaway, known for its quaint cabins across the U.S., to open a 75-square foot “The General Store by Walmart” store concept on wheels at select Getaway “Outposts.” Is “The General Store by Walmart” mostly about marketing and branding or does the store concept have growth potential?

Walmart has launched a program selling refurbished appliances and consumer electronics that it says will offer high-quality products at a fraction of the cost of buying them new. Do you expect sales of refurbished electronics to get a significant boost as a result of inflation?

CVS has arguably been the driving force behind America’s acceptance of health clinics in retail stores. Now, the chain is looking to take the next step with retail clinics staffed by doctors. Do you think CVS will be able to acquire and scale a primary care provider quickly enough to catch up with Walgreens’ VillageMD rollout?

Walmart is laying off workers as part of a reorganization of its corporate staff. The decision comes on the heels of reducing its forecast for the current quarter and the year. What is your take on the layoffs taking place at Walmart?

Walmart got Wall Street’s attention yesterday after it lowered its profit outlook for the second quarter and the full year.  Do you think markdowns by Walmart, Target and other large retailers can blunt the effect of inflation on the U.S. economy over the second half of 2022?

Amazon yesterday said that it has reached a deal to acquire One Medical, a “technology-powered national primary care organization” that combines in-person, digital and telehealth services to care for patients. What do you think of the retailer-led pushes into primary healthcare?

Walmart will not be launching a special sales promotion next week to match Amazon’s Prime Day. Do you think retailers should run head-to-head events with Prime Day as Target is doing or take a page from Walmart’s plan?

Walmart wants its Walmart+ customers to provide access to their refrigerators and is now offering a way for its members to combine their Walmart+ membership with the chain’s InHome Delivery Service without breaking the bank. Do you expect that large numbers of Walmart+ and InHome Delivery Service customers will combine their memberships?

H-E-B is just oh so slightly better at online grocery than Amazon. That’s the finding from the first annual “eCommerce Retailer Preference Index” from dunnhumby. What characteristics set apart the top players in e-grocery?

Retailers looking to reduce costs and clear out warehouses and stores of excess inventory are telling customers to just keep those unwanted purchases. Do you expect to see a significant uptick in the number of items that retailers tell customers to keep rather than return?

Walmart yesterday introduced two new augmented reality features designed to improve customers’ experience, whether they are shopping from home or in the retailer’s stores.  Is augmented reality technology becoming a must-have for retailers selling furniture and home décor?

Target is bringing back Deal Days, its answer to Amazon.com’s Prime Day, with big discounts and gift card rewards on product categories across its stores and target.com. How do you expect Target’s Deal Days, Amazon Prime Day and other July sales events by large retailers to stack up against their 2021 results?

Walmart is teaming up with Roku to let users of the streaming platform purchase products they see on their screens. Do you agree that Walmart and Roku’s partnership will change the way American consumers interact and shop from TV and video content?

Walmart earlier this week debuted its latest home collection with Miranda Lambert, the reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year and three-time Grammy winner.  What is your assessment of the steps Walmart is taking to raise its profile in the home and apparel categories?

Walmart is looking to bring goods from U.K. exporters to consumers in the U.S. The retailer has begun what it calls “a major push” to bring these sellers to its online marketplace. What is your take on Walmart’s recruitment of UK sellers and its onboarding process?

Sam’s Club will start charging most members a $4 curbside-pickup fee after June 28. Free curbside pickup was traditionally reserved for Plus members, but the fee was waived “for a limited time” for Standard members in June 2020 in light of the pandemic. Should retailers offer free curbside pickup, at least with minimum orders?

Walmart is launching trucking pilot projects to test the use of electric, liquid hydrogen and natural gas-powered vehicles as a partial start to meeting its 2040 corporate zero emissions goal. Which fuel — electric, liquid hydrogen or natural gas — do you think holds the greatest potential to replace diesel and gasoline in retail supply chain operations?

Thirty-four Sam’s Club locations in the Dallas/Fort  Worth area will soon be receiving shipments of Quilted Northern toilet paper and Dixie products via autonomous 26-foot box trucks. Do you think autonomous box trucks will be largely able to replace traditional tractor middle-mile deliveries to retailers in the future?

Walmart is counting on four high-tech fulfillment centers (FCs) to further drive its same-day and next-day delivery ambitions. Will automated warehouses ultimately be more important to same-day and next-day delivery than in-store fulfillment?

Amazon is slamming federal legislation that would bar the company from giving preference to its products over items sold by other sellers on its site. Does Amazon unfairly give preference to products it sells versus those sold by third parties on its marketplace?

Many retailers in the first quarter found themselves with inventory levels that exceeded sales gains. This after dealing with two years of shortages tied to supply chain disruptions. Are the inventory imbalances faced by many retailers likely a temporary or longer-term issue?