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Produce department at a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market store in Rogers, Ark.
A new money-back guarantee on fresh produce reflects a reengineered supply chain designed to improve efficiency.
Wal-Mart officials see Neighborhood Market as a versatile format able to compete with grocery, drug and dollar stores. The company plans to roll out 80 to 100 new units this year and next.
A map showing ice cream brands by region, part of Wal-Mart’s plan to offer more relevant assortments in its stores.
Wal-Mart has invested in new training designed to help workers identify top produce.
Wal-Mart is midway through a 2010 plan to double its local product sourcing.
Pricing remains a strong point of Wal-Mart’s messaging in food.
“We make sure the differential on price is very clear to the customer every time they come in,” says Jack Sinclair, Wal-Mart’s senior vice president, grocery.
A reconfigured “bullpen” for self-checkout has allowed for impulse merchandising displays.
A poster describing steps toward food product development at Sam’s Club. Officials say the process has reduced failure rate and created a more distinctive experience for shoppers.
Sam’s Club’s modern headquarters building in Bentonville, Ark., includes a test kitchen and laboratory to review product offerings.
A dessert put to the test in Sam’s Club’s “sensory lab.”
Product testers are asked a series of questions about each selection. Only those with top scores have a chance to make it to Sam’s Club shelves, officials say.
Wal-Mart truck driver Phillip Null, who recently completed 3 million accident-free miles. The average driver would need 200 years behind the wheel to amass the same distance, officials noted.
Incoming cases travel along 12 miles of overhead conveyors inside Wal-Mart’s Bentonville, Ark., distribution center.
DC #6904 handles general merchandise but also stores some shelf-stable grocery items like pet goods.
A pallet of items that were ordered via Wal-Mart’s “ship to store” e-commerce option await delivery.
Conveyers running at 6 mph assure that cases spend as little as 45 minutes from inbound truck to outbound truck.
A scanner reads case package labels, triggering an automated journey to the appropriate outbound truck.
Around 14,000 employees from around the world attend Wal-Mart’s annual meeting, held in Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. (Photo courtesy of Wal-Mart Stores.)
Related story: Fresh Take: Wal-Mart Strategic Outlook
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