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Wal-Mart forecast disappoints, food-stamp cuts hurt customers
Reuters ^ | 2/20/14 | Phil Wahba

Posted on 02/20/2014 7:14:28 AM PST by SoFloFreeper

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc forecast a lower full-year profit than analysts expect, as fewer food stamps, higher taxes and tighter credit erode its sales, news that sent its shares down 1 percent in premarket trading on Thursday.

The world's largest retailer expects net sales growth this year to be at the lower end of its forecast range of 3 to 5 percent, Chief Financial Officer Charles Holley said on Thursday.

Wal-Mart said comparable sales at stores open at least a year in the United States - its biggest unit - fell for a fourth straight quarter, by 0.4 percent. Overall revenue in the quarter through January 31, which includes the key holiday season, grew 1.4 percent to $129.7 billion.

A major factor in Wal-Mart's U.S. performance was a "low-single-digit decline" in sales of groceries at stores open at least a year, which generate about half of its sales.

In contrast, supermarket operators Kroger Co and Safeway Inc reported comparable sales increases for their most recent quarters.

Wal-Mart's grocery sales have suffered from fewer food-stamp benefits resulting from U.S. federal budget cuts in November. One in five of its shoppers relies on food stamps, according to Cowen analyst Tal Lev.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cronyism; jobs
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To: SoFloFreeper

More crony capitalism.

Essentially tax payers are subsidizing Wal Mart’s profits by providing things called “benefits” to Wal Mart workers, and cash to Wal Mart customers


21 posted on 02/20/2014 7:59:58 AM PST by MadIsh32 (In order to be pro-market, sometimes you must be anti-big business)
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To: brownsfan

Same here. I stay as far away from our Walmarts as I can.


22 posted on 02/20/2014 8:04:52 AM PST by sheana
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To: SoFloFreeper

20% of US residents, including legal and illegal immigrants are on food stamps.


23 posted on 02/20/2014 8:06:37 AM PST by Eagles6 (Valley Forge Redux)
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To: jsanders2001

“I can see Obammy and Soros in a meeting on how to cripple the World Economy.

“We must cripple Wal-Mart to achieve complete control over the economy. I’ve got it! Raise the minimum wage and force them to provide Obamacare care! It will kill their profits overnight!”

“Yes Master”

Makes one wonder how much the anti Walmart Trolls on FR get paid for each of their posted anti Walmart whines.


24 posted on 02/20/2014 8:06:58 AM PST by Grampa Dave ( Obozo Care is a Trinity of Lies! Obozo Care is probably a serious Black Swan event.)
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To: SoFloFreeper

There has been no cut in food stamps. The “cut” was a reduction in growth and hasn’t gone into effect yet.


25 posted on 02/20/2014 8:41:05 AM PST by tom paine 2
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To: MadIsh32

“More crony capitalism.

Essentially tax payers are subsidizing Wal Mart’s profits by providing things called “benefits” to Wal Mart workers...”

____________________________________________________________

Yep. And there are people who will say...Why not? WalMart should take advantage of every angle the government is willing to give them....yadda yadda.

I’m getting a bid tired of subsidizing so many people and so many corporations. :)


26 posted on 02/20/2014 8:46:07 AM PST by conservaKate (R got it wrong in 2012. We must get it right in 2014 & 2016.)
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To: Eagles6

If you think food stamps are a waste, your biggest problem is not the Left nor the welfare class. It’s the army of K Street lobbyists in the employ of Armour, Kraft, Heinz, Campbells, Kroger, Safeway, Walmart, Piggly Wiggly, etc. etc. etc.


27 posted on 02/20/2014 9:05:14 AM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Buckeye McFrog

LOL!

Buckeye, you win post of the day :-)


28 posted on 02/20/2014 9:29:48 AM PST by KC_Lion (Build the America you want to live in at your address, and keep looking up.- Sarah Palin)
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To: All

The fed has pumped trillions into the economy and credit is ‘tighter’? I don’t understand that.


29 posted on 02/20/2014 10:00:22 AM PST by pluvmantelo (The thing of it is, we must live with the living- Michel de Montaigne)
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To: tom paine 2
re: There has been no cut in food stamps. The “cut” was a reduction in growth and hasn’t gone into effect yet.

In addition to that fact is the fact that the number of people on food stamps has increased exponentially, so Walmart complaining about food stamp cuts makes no sense whatsoever. Their customer base purchasing with food stamps should be increasing, not decreasing. Of course, it is very probable that a lot of the food stamp money is being used to buy burgers & fries at McDonalds & Burger King as well as food at convenience stores. It has been my observation after having worked with welfare recipients and others with low incomes that most of them have no clue about how to stretch their money to get the most out of it. You can easily witness this fact at any Walmart at the beginning of the month when they have their food stamp money. Check out the carts. The overwhelming number will be filled with convenience foods, snacks, sodas, sugary cereals, and expensive meats. Very few will have actual staples in their carts such as rice, beans, or potatoes. If Michele Obama was really interested in Americans cutting back on the crap and eating more healthy diets, she could easily start by having her husband mandate (by executive order of course as he typically does) that recipients of food stamp money can no longer purchase fast food and junk food with their EBT cards. But that's not gonna happen. They won't want to get their base mad at them.

30 posted on 02/20/2014 10:01:23 AM PST by Nevadan
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To: Nevadan

I think the Execs at Wal-Mart are covering their asses for the Wall Street analysts, which is typical for publicly traded companies that miss forecast.


31 posted on 02/20/2014 10:09:53 AM PST by tom paine 2
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To: SoFloFreeper

Perhaps-—but the cut in food stamps was only 1%.

Since Wal-Mart sells many, many, many items that are not eligible to be purchased with food stamps, I think this is a bogus calculation.


32 posted on 02/20/2014 10:48:43 AM PST by ridesthemiles
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To: SoFloFreeper

Also:

I see people at the local Family Dollar purchasing items with food stamps that are more expensive than Wal-Mart.

Only reason I go there is for milk. It is closer than Wal-Mart. About 12 miles closer one way.


33 posted on 02/20/2014 10:50:07 AM PST by ridesthemiles
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To: celmak
Maybe they are trying to get the sympathy of the lefties by the food stamp excuse?

Ding ding ding... we have a winner.

34 posted on 02/20/2014 10:52:55 AM PST by Cementjungle
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To: SoFloFreeper

My “give a crap” capacity for freeloaders is exhausted.


35 posted on 02/20/2014 11:02:33 AM PST by Organic Panic
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To: Nifster
Depends on where one is. In some areas Wally World is the only large grocery store around. You can find almost anyone shopping there.

That's almost the situation in the town near me - Smith's is their only competition, and they do a good job - especially in the produce department.

36 posted on 02/20/2014 11:19:15 AM PST by Oatka (This is America. Assimilate or evaporate.)
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To: SoFloFreeper

If the Bolshies knew it was this easy to destroy Wal-Mart, they would have cut food stamps more before.


37 posted on 02/20/2014 11:28:35 AM PST by depressed in 06 (America conceived in liberty, dies in slavery.)
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To: Oatka

Folks need to look around for opportunities to purchase their groceries. Sometimes you have to shop where you have to shop


38 posted on 02/20/2014 12:54:57 PM PST by Nifster
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To: SoFloFreeper
The updated article has a lot of contradictions.
The world’s largest retailer, which gets more than half its sales from groceries, on Thursday gave a disappointing full-year forecast. It blamed sharp cuts in food stamp benefits and higher payroll taxes that will hit disposable income for its core customers. Wal-Mart shares fell 2.2 percent in morning trading. …
Good old al-Reuters could not evade reporting the truth here while trying to hide it in plain sight.

And for a company supposedly doing “bad”, they sure are expanding aggressively:
To combat sluggish sales, broaden its customer base and fend off aggressive rivals, Wal-Mart said it was doubling the number of smaller new stores it originally planned to open this year. […]

Wal-Mart now plans to open between 270 and 300 small stores this fiscal year, in addition to the 346 currently in operation, and is spending an extra $600 million to do so. It had planned to open 120 to 150 new small stores this year. Wal-Mart operates 4,000 super-centers. …
A company that is truly in retreat would not blow a significant piece of capital on such aggressive expansion.
39 posted on 02/21/2014 12:20:57 AM PST by Olog-hai
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To: SoFloFreeper

Safeway just shut down all its stores in Chicago, so of course their sales figures are up. What a dumb comparison...or intentionally misleading.


40 posted on 02/21/2014 3:37:15 AM PST by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
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