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We’re coming to you live from Orlando, Florida, where thousands of associates from all over the country are attending our Walmart U.S. Year Beginning Meeting! This year’s theme is “Turn it Up!,” and nobody is bringing that energy better than our new EVP for Store Operations, Cedric Clark. Cedric is competitive and loves to win – he’s a former athlete. He’s also a musician, creative, and curious guy who our store associates are going to love working for. In this episode, Cedric and I talked about his journey working for both Walmart & Sam’s Club, what it means to be on a team, and what our Walmart team can do to build off our current momentum and do even more this year!

Every quarter, we get the opportunity to share our earnings results. I’m really proud we’ve seen historically unprecedented growth since this decade began – from our sales comps to our eCommerce business to operating income.   As we think about earnings, it's important to me we not only share the results but also help people understand what “earnings” means. That’s why I am so excited for our newest episode of the Huddle, where I’m joined by our CFO, John David Rainey. If you’ve ever wondered why we do earnings, how it affects the day-to-day lives of our associates and customers, or how to put the numbers into a big picture perspective – you’re going to love this one! John David has incredible experience and knowledge, and he does such a great job sharing how to make sense of it all. I hope you’ll listen, learn, and feel as enthusiastic about the future as we do!

We’re kicking off Season 4 of The Huddle in a BIG way. This first episode was filmed in front of an in-person audience at the National Retail Federation’s NRF 2023 conference – known as “Retail’s Big Show.” I’m proud to chair the NRF’s Board of Directors, and I was thrilled to introduce the audience to a big-time guest: Dr. James Cash. I’ve known Dr. Cash for many years, and I am so inspired by his story.   In this episode, Dr. Cash talks about what drove him to break through so many hurdles and do things no one else had ever done – from becoming the first Black basketball player in the Southwest Conference to the first tenured Black faculty member at Harvard Business School. His mom taught him a mantra that he's always lived by: “If the elevator is broken, take the stairs.” I hope you’ll watch this episode and see the incredible power displayed in Dr. Cash’s perseverance

The holidays are a time of special moments and memories, and food plays a huge part. We treasure those delicious Thanksgiving and Christmas meals with our favorite dishes and family traditions.   For the Season 3 finale of the Huddle, I talked to John Laney, who runs Walmart’s U.S. food business. John talked about some of his favorite items, and how HIS family does holiday meals for their family of 10! John and I were especially proud to share how Walmart was able to strip the inflation out of an entire basket of holiday food items, so our customers can serve this year's big meals at last year’s price!   I hope you'll enjoy this episode, and I hope you'll come to Walmart for all your holiday needs. Thank you so much for tuning in this year. Happy holidays!

On Veterans Day, we should all stop and think about the people who’ve served. We’re so grateful for everything they’ve done, to allow us to live in safety and freedom.  On this episode of the Huddle, I was honored to speak with Chris Aragon - an incredible Veteran with a heart for service. Chris recently retired from the Marine Corps after a 30-year career, and was thinking of the next chapter for himself and his family. Fortunately for us, he learned about Walmart through our Find a Future and Hiring our Heroes Career Bridge programs and landed as an Outbound Operations Manager in Chino, California.  Chris is one of 80,000 Veterans and military spouses who have joined our team in the past year alone. They’re now serving Walmart customers with the same level of excellence they served their country.  Listen to Chris talk about his career in the military, what drew him to Walmart, and what Veterans Day means to him.  Happy Veterans Day, and to Chris and every other Veteran: thank you!

Tyler Balsman started with Walmart as a People Greeter when he was 16, working his way to Store Manager in a community we’ve been in for a long time – Store 242 in Paola, Kansas. Four years ago, Tyler was excited to add another title to his resume: Kari’s Dad. Tyler and his wife Danielle used Walmart’s adoption benefit when they became the parents of their beautiful baby girl. Tyler joined me on the Huddle to talk about leading a small-town store that makes a big impact, making the decision to adopt, and how our adoption benefit and parental leave made the process easier. We also talked about how Walmart has expanded our adoption/surrogacy benefits from $5,000 to $20,000, and how our medical plan now supports fertility services. Families come in different shapes and sizes, and they start in many different ways. At Walmart, we’re proud to support all of them!

Tammie Jo Shults was one of the U.S. Navy’s first female fighter pilots. She later became a Southwest pilot, and in April 2018 she was piloting a flight from New York City to Dallas that experienced a sudden engine failure. The plane was down an engine, and the explosion broke a window – causing the cabin to quickly depressurize. Tammie Jo stayed calm, immediately rerouted the plane, landed in Philadelphia, and even went back to speak with her passengers afterward. It was an honor to have Tammie Jo join me on the Huddle to talk about the experience, leadership, how she’s persevered against offenses, and how we must always “keep our wings level.”

Our private fleet drivers are the best-of-the-best. They safely drive millions of miles on the roads, keeping our entire business going. We’re also proud to offer one of the best driving jobs out there! A new driver can now earn up to $110,000 in their first year with us, and we recently launched the Private Fleet Development Program which pays for Walmart associates to earn their commercial licenses. Levor Franklin is a recent graduate of that program, and we spent some time on the road for this new episode of The Huddle. Levor is a great driver and fantastic 18-year associate, and I’m excited for you to see him at work in this episode. And THANK YOU to all of our incredible drivers and technicians! We appreciate you.

It was so cool having Jay Leno join The Huddle. He’s a famous comedian, television host, writer, and supplier for Walmart! They were in Michigan for the Woodward Dream Cruise which is North America’s largest celebration of automotive culture - and, of course, Mr. Sam’s truck made an appearance. Jay is passionate about cars and started his own line of car care products called “Jay Leno’s Garage” about a decade ago. His items are developed, made and shipped from the U.S. and have been on our store shelves for a couple of years now. Listen to this new episode to hear Jay’s advice on how to keep innovating, make products that can reach more people, and ultimately - deliver and care for each customer.

It’s been such a great week in Denver, CO, connecting with our teams at the Walmart U.S. Holiday Meeting! Getting to talk items, prepare for the upcoming season, and spend time with associates in person is always energizing - especially when they’re as passionate as Leidy Diaz. Leidy is the Store Manager at 2090 in Franklin, NJ. She moved to America from Colombia at 19 years old, has been with the company three years, and has been serving as SM for about a year. This was her first time coming to the Holiday meeting, and she loved getting to share experiences with fellow managers from across the country. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle to hear why some consider Leidy to be the mayor of her community.

Kellie Romack joined me on The Huddle from a store in Dallas, TX! She spends a lot of time in the field as SVP of Associate and Retail Product Experience. When we talk about "product" in the experience space, we’re talking about mobile apps our frontline associates use on a daily basis. Kellie and her team design and build these apps to simplify the work for our associates, save them time, and help them better serve our customers and members. Listen to this episode to hear Kellie talk about how her team focuses on listening to our associates and how quickly they can create a solution!

Ken Chenault is someone I really admire. He was a very successful and respected CEO of American Express, and today he’s the Chairman and Managing Director of General Catalyst. He’s also the co-founder of OneTen, whose mission is to upskill, hire and advance one million Black Americans over the next 10 years into family-sustaining jobs with opportunities for advancement. It was an honor to talk to Ken about leadership and culture, and how we can help create opportunities for individuals and society. Listen to this new episode to hear how you can emerge as a leader.

Olé Mexican Foods is one of our incredible suppliers – and a truly inspirational American success story. Veronica Moreno started the company in her home with just one tortilla machine, and today she employs hundreds of people across several communities. I recently had the pleasure of touring Olé’s Texas facilities and talking with Veronica and her son Edgar about the Olé story, and how they’re continuing to expand and invest. Walmart is passionate about supporting American entrepreneurs and businesses. This week, we held our ninth annual Open Call where more than 1,100 businesses from across the country pitched their products for a chance to see them on store shelves, Walmart.com, or our Walmart Marketplace. And we’ve pledged to spend an additional $350 billion over the next 10 years on products made, grown, or assembled in the U.S. That investment will support the creation of an estimated 750,000 new U.S. jobs. It’s amazing to think of the difference we can make for so many lives by buying and selling products that support American jobs. I hope you’ll join me in reflecting on that this weekend as we celebrate our nation’s 246th birthday. Happy Fourth of July, and thank you!

We want to help save people money so they can live better - that’s what we’re here for. It was great having Seth Dallaire, Walmart U.S. Chief Revenue Officer, join John Furner on The Huddle to talk about our first-quarter earnings results. He’s been with the company for six months now and has been focused on asking questions to learn how to better serve our customers and members across the country. Listen to this new episode to hear how we’re navigating different dynamics while keeping merchandising and customers at the forefront.

A business can’t successfully serve its customers and members without the work of everyone on the team. Steven Williams, CEO of PepsiCo Foods North America, recently joined The Huddle with John Furner to talk about that principle, and the importance of focusing on frontline associates. Listen to this new episode to learn how both companies work together on big topics like racial justice, equity and sustainability to make sure we’re making a difference for current and future generations.

It was great spending time at the new Moosejaw store in Bentonville with CEO Eoin Comerford. Moosejaw is an outdoor retailer in the Walmart family of brands that helps people from all walks of life discover the outdoors: first-time cyclists, campers, hikers, runners - anyone and everyone wanting to explore. Listen to this new episode of the Huddle to hear how product trends and categories have changed over the last couple of years, and why sustainability and inclusivity are core pillars for Moosejaw.

The first thing Erin Middleton did after learning FC 4085 won Fulfillment Center of the Year was give credit to her team. Erin has grown with the company into her current position of General Manager at the Davenport, FL, facility and is an extraordinary example of leadership. She recognizes the significant roles we all play in making a difference for our customers every day. John Furner was grateful to have her on the Huddle during our Year Beginning Meeting, and encourages you to listen to her words of advice - be present, bring your authentic self, and never underestimate the positive impact you can make on those around you.

For the first time in a couple years, we were able to hold our Walmart U.S. Year Beginning Meeting in person! It’s so energizing to be in Houston, connecting with the entire team from across the country. We're spending time this week talking about resetting our expectations for FY23. We’ve all been through so much, and while things won’t go back to the way they were - we're excited to start having a bit more fun with merchandise. Charles Redfield was recently promoted to Chief Merchandising Officer for Walmart U.S. and he joined John Furner from the Merch floor to talk about how we’re always innovating to provide the best items for our customers and members.

Today we released our Q4 Earnings results, and we achieved the biggest quarter our business has ever had! Our eCommerce business has grown more than 70% compared to two years ago, and we’ve moved quickly to convert our stores into true hybrid locations – used for both in-person shopping AND online fulfillment. John Furner talked more about this with Tom Ward, our EVP and Chief eCommerce Officer, in a special Earnings edition of The Huddle. Tom is a long-time associate who was an architect of our Pickup and Delivery capabilities and was recently leading our Last Mile innovations. Thank you again for another strong quarter, and now let’s keep it up!

There is so much to reflect on and be thankful for this year. A really special moment for John Furner was recording this Huddle episode with Marc Brock, who recently celebrated 14 years with the company and was promoted to Store Manager of 1560 in Las Vegas, NV! The first thing Marc did was appreciate his team and call his mother, Dorothy. It was such a great reminder of what really matters. All of us have family members, loved ones and friends who helped us become the people we are today. Marc is such a great example of being an engaged and positive leader - and we know many of our associates will look to him as proof that hard work, determination and passion can lead to amazing opportunities at Walmart. We’re so proud of all we’ve accomplished this year, and hope everyone gets the chance to enjoy the holidays with your loved ones. You deserve it! And make sure you watch until the very end of the full episode to see our surprise for Dorothy!