Greentext

Walmart's literal trainings when you work for them reference this by a different name. They call it "everyday low cost" and say that when they "get a volume discount from a supplier" they can "roll back prices" and they offer scenarios in which this happens which are identical to the process timeworntraveler is accurately describing. I worked there 5 years in many different positions around the store and made sure to learn everything I could and I can indeed confirm this is how Walmart works. It's actually a really easy to understand business model. For all its flaws and despite being quite dated the documentary "The High Cost of Low Price" https://www.bravenewfilms.org/walmartmovie from all the way back in 2005 is still a good explainer of how Walmart became so dominant as to be able to completely set prices for all aspects of its suppliers and often its labor market. I personally witnessed everyone on my team get a $3 raise overnight when Fred Meyer threatened to poach some of our employees as scab labor to fight their union which was on strike. Now I am a union worker set to make a couple bucks more an hour than I did at Walmart but they always try to keep it competitive.