DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 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? Has the chain made big enough improvements in categories such as apparel and home to build on the new grocery customers it has picked up?

Interactive Edge’s CEO, Zel Bianco comments, featured on RetailWire’s Braintrust:

I was in Bentonville last week and it’s amazing how that area has become so much more upscale! The restaurants, bars, and hotels are so much better than they used to be. In fact, I paid $22 for an Old Fashioned, more than I have ever paid for a drink, and I live in Manhattan! The new neighborhood markets in and around Bentonville/Rogers are better than ever and many Walmarts are also better, so will they keep the new customers they are gaining? I think if they keep improving the shoppability of their stores, and inflation does not subside, they will — at least in the Bentonville area.

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