Posted on 04/21/2025 8:21:33 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
President Donald Trump on Monday met with chief executives from three of the nation’s top retailers, who came to the White House to discuss how his sweeping tariff plans could impact their import-heavy business models.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and Target chief executive Brian Cornell both attended, as did Home Depot CEO Ted Decker.
A White House official told CNBC earlier Monday that a representative from Lowe’s would also be at the meeting. After the meeting concluded, an official told NBC News that no one from Lowe’s attended.
After the meeting wrapped, the three companies issued nearly identical statements.
“We had a productive meeting with President Trump and his team and appreciated the opportunity to share our insights,” a Walmart spokesperson said.
“We had a productive meeting with President Trump and our retail peers to discuss the path forward on trade, and we remain committed to delivering value for American consumers,” read the statement from Target.
“We had an informative and constructive meeting with the President and look forward to continuing the dialogue,” Home Depot’s statement said.
The meeting, first reported by Bloomberg earlier in the day, was not included on the president’s public schedule.
In a statement provided to CNBC later Monday, Trump said that the meeting “went very well,” adding, “It was an honor to have them” in the Oval Office.
For retailers, tariffs are the latest threat to an already challenging economic landscape, where consumers are looking for low prices after years of high inflation.
Yet tariffs will weigh on some retailers more than others. As the nation’s largest grocer, Walmart is in a better position than many of its competitors.
About two-thirds of what Walmart sells in the United States is made, grown or assembled in America, chief financial officer John David Rainey said...
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
Walmart imports the final one third from around the globe, chief financial officer John David Rainey said, but China and Mexico are the “most significant” supplier countries.
Target, on the other hand, is in a tougher spot. The Minneapolis-based retailer is best known for discretionary merchandise like inexpensive, chic clothes and home goods, products that are typically manufactured overseas.
Target’s annual revenue has been roughly stagnant for the past four years, and the company recently projected just 1% sales growth for the current fiscal year.
Target has their own reason for struggling which is well known here.
‘ Target has their own reason for struggling which is well known here.’
Amazon?
Target went woke....
Just imagine Hussein and his ilk meeting with accomplished business people who have created jobs for thousands and thousands. Hussein and his ilk will threaten to place the large boot of the State on each of their necks. Threatening like the organized crime protection rackets. Pay, and do what you are told, or we cannot ‘protect’ your business.
Then, there is President Trump, a Titan of Industry, meeting with other titans. They all know what it takes to succeed, and President Trump, instead of jealous and retaliatory, will do everything he can to promote business within, and for, this United States of America. The tariffs are temporary pain for long-term gain. Imagine an Abraham Accords type of tariff negotiations with individual countries.
Target, on the other hand, is better known for it’s bathroom policy.
“Hussein and his ilk will threaten to place the large boot of the State on each of their necks.”
What kind of bad satire is this? Trump has the state’s boot on their neck right now.
For tariffs to bring manufacturing back to the US, the pain is not short term, the pain will be long and deep.
Target is hopelessly woke.
Haven’t shopped there in ages.
5.56mm
Target went LGBTQU crazy woke.
Trump to those ceo’s: Buy and sell American products.
Skip Chinese.
I was in a Target yesterday and to my surprise found the wokeness to be toned down from recent years. The big change was in the women’s clothing section, which you’re sort of channeled through as you enter the store. Distinctly fewer obese, unattractive models this year — in fact I think there were none, at least not featured on the prominent displays.
Is shrink still tax deductible...?
Maybe that should be discussed.
I remember Sam Walton and his made in America ads. His kids sold American manufacturing out.
Wall Street and K Street/DC sold Main Street out to China starting 30+ years ago. Trump is acting in part to reverse that, in part to get unfair tariffs AND non-tariff trade barriers reduced for American manufacturers.
But yes, I remember those ads and do not disagree.
I remember in the early 80’s when inventory taxes changed how American factories produced goods. Before production was based on economic order quantity, or the size of a production run that balanced out setup times and production quantity. After heavy enforcement of inventory taxes hit, that was when just in time manufacturing became the rage. ( or not just in time as I called it} .production planners began revising production schedules on a daily basis. gotta love them Harvard MBA’s.
Question, walmart's average markup is for imported Chinese goods?
AI answer:
There isn't a publicly available, single “average markup” figure specifically for Walmart's imported Chinese goods. Walmart's pricing approach is built around a high-volume, low-margin model. In practice, the markup on any given product – including those imported from China – varies widely depending on its category, production cost, competitive landscape, and other factors. For example, while some categories like basic household essentials or grocery items might carry very slim markups (often in the single digits or low teens percentage-wise), other items could be marked up higher. However, such details are generally not broken out in Walmart's public financial disclosures.
It's well known that Walmart sources roughly 70–80% of its merchandise from Chinese suppliers, leveraging its massive purchasing power to negotiate low acquisition costs and then passing these savings on in the form of consistently low retail prices. This strategy means that even if the markup percentages on individual items are modest, the overall volume of sales helps Walmart achieve profitability despite thin margins.
To dig deeper, it's important to understand that “markup” is calculated as the difference between the cost of a product and its selling price (relative to the cost), and that different product categories are subject to different pricing strategies. For instance, consumer electronics sourced from China might have very slim retail markups as compared to apparel or seasonal items. Retail industry insiders often cite figures ranging from 10%–20% for many imported items, but these are rough estimates and can vary significantly from one product to another.
Americans buy too much apparel.
Much to their peril?
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