Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
When I bought M1 0Wxx on clearance last year at one WM, the other WM's had 0Wxx at full price, I went to other WM's to get more M1 0Wxx at $2/qt. That particular WM had M1 0Wxx on clearance do not carry any M1 0Wxx anymore while other WM's do.
This tells me individual Walmart store managers make stocking decisions. It is the correct way to run a store, local demands may not exactly match regional or national demands.
I did not mean to imply that every store in an area stocks the same items, or charges the same prices. I am just saying that the people who decide those issues have responsibilities beyond just one store.
Also, there are many factors that affect what a store stocks, and what price they charge, even in the same area. These include the size of the store (shelf space), demographics (age, income level, ethnic background, etc) of customers who typically visit that store, previous demand of a particular product at a store, etc, etc.
I don't know if you ever noticed, but when they rearrange the shelf space, they get computer printouts that tell them exactly where to place each item. If you look around sometimes in Walmart, you will sometimes see these taped to the shelves.
Walmart is the most automated retailer in the world, by a long shot.