Community Chat

[Kachina624]

I think Walmart will have trouble finding manufacturers in the US with whom they can spend $250 billion, if that is the correct ffigure.  I doubt that many exist.

[Foxxee]

Walmart has been working on this for several years.  

Not explained in the article is Walmart is helping entrepreneurs start their businesses if they have a product of interest.  This will mean new businesses that will offer products made here instead of buying them from China or any other foreign country.  

For small businesses, Walmart is helping them grow by buying products from them. 

Walmart is a stickler for low prices, so these companies will need to find a way to offer those low prices.  Walmart has been known to advise companies on how they can run their companies more efficiently cutting down on operating costs.  

I think this is all very exciting.  

[tototwo]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that waay back when Walmart first came to be, they only sold Made In America products.  That's what made them popular; that was their business model at the time.  Somewhere along the way, they started selling other country's products to keep prices low.  And some of their usual brands moved their manufacturing out of the USA.  

???

[MorningLover]

To participate in Walmart Open Call, the only requirements for businesses are that their merchandise is produced on U.S. soil and that the product is ready for sale.

"The products can be of any type, clothing, toys, cleaning products, food, sports equipment, everything. But the product has to be ready for sale. They can’t bring us an idea because this is not to help creation, said Adriana Pereira-Reyes, Walmart’s public relations director. It has to be a product that is in stock and ready to be sold in a store.

Selected businesses will have the opportunity to participate in a virtual event scheduled for Oct. 1. On that day, they will give a 15-minute sales pitch to buyers, meet Walmart executives, and learn from company leaders during smaller sessions designed to inform, train and encourage participants."

In Open Call, suppliers must try to convince Walmart buyers to select their products. The final decision depends on each case, according to Pereira-Reyes. “At that point they can give you a no, they can give you a yes, or, sometimes the conversations continue and after a few months they can select you,” she said.

In previous years, the event was held at Walmart’s corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. But this time it will take place virtually in response to the spread of COVID-19 infections. “Being virtual, it eliminates the cost of traveling to Arkansas and gives the opportunity to more people who could not afford this cost,” said Pereira-Reyes.

Open Call is part of Walmart’s mission to help drive job creation and product manufacturing in the U.S. by purchasing $250 billion in products that support U.S. jobs by 2023.

According to Pereira-Reyes, people who shop at Walmart are increasingly demanding locally manufactured products.

“It’s a priority for our customers to buy homemade products. It is also our duty to support jobs in America,” Pereira-Reyes said.