Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 05/15/2025 5:44:24 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
Walmart – the nation’s largest private employer – warned of possible price hikes on Thursday given the uncertainty in the tariff environment.
"We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible but given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins," Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a statement as the retailer reported its first quarter results, which met Wall Street expectations.
Consumers could see price hikes as soon as the end of May, Walmart Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey told CNBC.
Despite the tariff uncertainty, the company said it "will play offense" and may make strategic investments to strengthen its value proposition.
This follows a recent meeting between McMillon and President Donald Trump to discuss ongoing trade negotiations and the impact of tariffs on imported goods. A Walmart spokesperson told FOX Business that the meeting was "productive" and that the company valued the opportunity to share its perspective. The U.S. reduced the "de minimis" tariff on cheap goods from China from 120 percent to 54 percent, according to an executive order signed this week by Trump.
Nearly two-thirds of Walmart U.S. spending goes toward products made, assembled or grown in the U.S., but the remaining third comes from around the world, with China and Mexico being the largest contributors.
The Arkansas-based company, which economists use as a gauge to understand consumer health, reported revenue of $165.6 billion, which is in line with expectations. Adjusted earnings per share slightly beat Wall Street expectations. For the first time, its e-commerce business achieved a full-quarter of profitability in the U.S. and worldwide. E-commerce sales grew 22%. Sales at U.S. stores open for at least a year grew 4.5% due to the strong growth in the health and grocery segments.
However, the company saw weakness in the general merchandise category, which are typically higher margin products. The company specifically reported weaker sales in electronics, home, and sporting goods. However, that was offset by strength in toys, automotive and kids apparel, Walmart said.
The company said that the "lack of clarity that exists in today’s dynamic operating environment makes the very near-term exceedingly difficult to forecast."
Still, it remains confident that Walmart net sales will grow 3.5% to 4.5% in the second quarter. However, Walmart said that, given that trade talks and related news are constantly shifting, sometimes daily, "the range for operating income of outcomes for the quarter is much wider."
The company still expects full-year net sales to grow 3% to 4%.
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Sounds like the Wallys are going to raise prices and blame Trump.
Any excuse will do to do so hey it’s a cloudy day............
But I thought most of their products were “Made in the USA,” isn’t that the CCP consulate in Bentonville’s new ad campaign?
I will deal.
Go Trump!
They have already raised prices on some of their lower end ‘Great Value’ food products so they are more expensive than the trusted name brands.
Ah seed it wif mah own ize! 👀
Yep, definitely seems like people are diversifying their online shopping options.
Many companies raised their prices on products that had been sitting in their warehouses long before the tariffs.
Long gone are the days of WM being the great value store. Gone with Sam.
What ticks me off is HEB. Prices are determined by which of their signs is nailed to their front door. The wealthy customers will gravitate to a Central Market sign. The middle class and one store rural areas shop the HEB sign at the front door. The low income customers will shop Mi Tienda and Joe V’s. Never mind they all carry the same exact labeled items, the Mi Tienda are priced lower. Why? Why should the regular customers at HEB have to pay exactly 50% more for the very same labeled HEB canned corn than customers at Joe V’s?
HEB also has those and an Economax store sign in Mexico. Odd how they’ve stopped having the cheap Economax labels in the US. Odd, too, are their “made in San Antonio, TX” when there is no way everything can’t possibly be made in San Antonio especially when they have farms and factories in Mexico. Well, they were decades ahead of the tariffs on that one sneaking around them somehow. More oddities is they pull products off the shelves when there are other companies’ coupons out that week. Doesn’t matter if the coupon is for a perishable item like Yoplait yogurt, off the shelf is comes. There are a thousand reasons I don’t shop there anymore so it is Wally World for us since it is just those two grocery stores in the county.
I have also. Not much difference in the price of Walmart brands and name brands. If the name brand is just a few cents more, I’m going to buy the name brand.
Sigh. I remember when Wal-Mart only sold American products.
Walmart has better online deals than Amazon.
Amazon is still far easier and a better experience than Walmart. I probably do 75% of my online at Amazon because of the ease to use and their shipping being free.
And I can get almost anything delivered within 2 days.
I do love their house brand Chicken and Dumplings soup, which is almost half the name brand price and just as good. I eat at least 2 cans a week.
Yes, that is exactly what they are doing...
The company still expects full-year net sales to grow 3% to 4% …What, sales growth? Sounds like self-contradiction.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.