-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Walmart says inflation is helping1 it to attract more upper-income shoppers
As retail3 prices continue to climb, customers are adjusting their shopping habits. Meanwhile retail giants like Walmart are tweaking their merchandise mix in response to customers' shifting demands.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Rising prices are forcing many families to adjust their weekly shopping habits. The cost of groceries, for example, has jumped more than 13% over the last year, which leaves less to spend on everything else. Retail giant Target announced this morning that its quarterly profit fell nearly 90% from a year ago. So it and big-box rival Walmart are tweaking their merchandise mix to better respond to customers' changing demands. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.
SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE4: Walmart's sales in the most recent quarter were up more than 8% from a year ago, but the company's profits were down. Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey says customers have become more sensitive to rising food prices. They're increasingly filling their shopping carts with less expensive items.
JOHN DAVID RAINEY: As an example, instead of deli meats at higher price points, customers are increasing purchases of hot dogs as well as canned tuna or chicken.
HORSLEY: Cash-strapped shoppers are also opting5 for more private-label products rather than brand-name goods, and in some cases, they're having to get by with smaller package sizes. Walmart is a retail bellwether6 and a sign of how consumers overall are coping with high inflation. That's important because consumer spending is by far the biggest driver of the U.S. economy. Walmart says so far back-to-school sales have been strong, but customers are still wary7 of spending outside the grocery aisle8. Rainey says that's forced Walmart to offer deeper discounts on other merchandise as it tries to unload unwanted inventory9.
RAINEY: We've cleared most summer seasonal10 inventory, but we are still focused on reducing exposure to other areas such as electronics, home and sporting goods.
HORSLEY: Walmart's prospects11 have improved over the last month, though. The company now expects a smaller hit to profits than it was forecasting back in July. Falling gasoline prices are part of that. Gas prices have dropped more than a dollar a gallon from their record high in June. Walmart says it expects overall inflation to remain elevated for some time to come. The chain says that's helping it to attract more upper-income shoppers who are newly interested in finding bargains.
Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
![收听单词发音](/images/play.gif)
1
helping
![]() |
|
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2
transcript
![]() |
|
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3
retail
![]() |
|
v./n.零售;adv.以零售价格 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4
byline
![]() |
|
n.署名;v.署名 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5
opting
![]() |
|
v.选择,挑选( opt的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6
bellwether
![]() |
|
n.系铃的公羊,前导,领导者,群众的首领 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7
wary
![]() |
|
adj.谨慎的,机警的,小心的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8
aisle
![]() |
|
n.(教堂、教室、戏院等里的)过道,通道 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9
inventory
![]() |
|
n.详细目录,存货清单 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10
seasonal
![]() |
|
adj.季节的,季节性的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11
prospects
![]() |
|
n.希望,前途(恒为复数) | |
参考例句: |
|
|