Free Magazine! The Associate’s Guide to Living Better FEBRUARY 2016 Walmart’s Private Brands are cooking up somethingPage 17 great. 0216_Cover_Flour.indd 2 1/14/16 8:37 AM Now at Walmartworld.com! Celebrate Black History Month And learn more about the Walmart African American Business Resource Group at walmartworld.com/ BlackHistoryMonth. Get Extra Tax Help Tax season has arrived. Go to walmartworld.com/TaxSeason2016 for tax terms you need to know, plus tips on filing and getting your refund faster. Be the First to Know Sign up for the Walmart World newsletter to get articles and company news delivered to your email inbox once a month. You can also choose to be part of our Expert Panel. Register at walmartworld.com/SignUp. Join the Conversation! We want to hear from you! Share your comments—including story ideas—at walmartworld.com/YourStoryIdeas. 0216_JoinTheConversation (Working Copy).indd 1 1/12/16 12:49 PM ContentsFebruary 2016 10 Family Fun for Winter Nights 22 Better Together Associates like Rianne Dixon make 54 our teams stronger. Three Delicious Chocolate Recipes Voices 2 The Guide 7 Inside Walmart 13 We Are Walmart 28 28 Milestones 30 Twice the Fun Checkout 51 at Store 3891 My Sam Story 64 0216_TOC (Working Copy).indd 1 1/13/16 4:42 PM This thing we’ve got going with our company and our people is so gratifying to me that I find it very easy to be enthusiastic about our future and to be optimistic about what we can accomplish together. Sam Walton 0216_Voices (Working Copy).indd 2 1/11/16 12:12 PM Voices / Welcome FROM THE EDITORS Root for the Team At Walmart, we believe that working as a team, and valuing every team member, lets us accomplish extraordinary things. As the stories in this issue show, doing so can improve morale, lead to amazing careers, and impact customers’ lives. That’s the power of working together. Speaking of valuing team members, we’d like to thank Stephen Quinn, who recently retired from his position as EVP and chief marketing officer of Walmart U.S., for all of his help and guidance. Best of luck! THE EDITORS Is there an associate at your store or facility with a great story to tell? Tell us at walmartworld.com/YourStoryIdeas. It’s Brett, not Brent In our January 2016 issue of Walmart World, we misidentified Brett Biggs, EVP and new chief financial officer of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. We apologize for the error. We wish Brett the best as he begins his work in his new role. Editor in chief No responsibility can be accepted for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs, which John Soldani must be accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. The views expressed in [email protected] this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher or Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Content manager Walmart World is a proprietary publication of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and is intended Kallie Lederman for use by Walmart at its discretion. The editor reserves the right to select and edit letters for publication. Some stories may appear in other publications, including those Editorial inquiries: intended for external audiences. All material that you submit to Walmart World shall [email protected] become the property of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and submission shall be deemed a transfer of all right, title, and interest to the materials submitted. Walmart World is not responsible for verifying the accuracy of material submitted by our readers. The views and opinions expressed on third-party websites do not necessarily state or re ect those of Walmart World and are not meant to substitute for professional advice. Stores: If you’d like your subscription numbers adjusted, please email us at [email protected]. Printed on partially recycled paper Walmartworld.com 3 0216_Voices.indd 3 1/14/16 10:47 AM Voices / Just Promoted I saw an opening for a Home Office job, and it sparked an interest. My manager said, ‘I think you’d be great.’ Jay Ocean Jay Ocean Promoted to: field project supervisor, Home Office What His Former Manager Says: “Jay knows how to ask the right questions. He asks about the where and why versus just saying OK and doing something. He wants to know why we do things this way.” Thomas Arthur, store manager, Store 2632, Phoenix What Jay Says: “The best approach is to learn as much as possible on an everyday basis. What got me to this point is doing anything and everything asked of me and learning from each new task and experience.” Lessons From Jay: · Be versatile and open-minded. · Make every day a learning experience. Have you recently been promoted? Tell us at walmartworld.com/ YourStoryIdeas. Learn more about career opportunities at Walmart at careers.walmart.com. 0216_JustPromoted_Jay Ocean (Working Copy).indd 4 1/11/16 12:17 PM Voices / You Said It “We are a small-town store, and we have a regular base of customers. Our associates know all of our “I always have a smile, and I thank customers for coming in. I ask customers by name. Everyone in how they’re doing, and I listen. It’s this store takes time to listen to the same with associates. If I know the concerns of the customers, even they have children, I ask about if it’s just a few minutes to listen to their children. We all want to what they need or tell them about know that somebody cares.” something that’s going on. That little extra something is what Mary Ann Novak, cashier, Store 5837, Rogers, Ark. brings them back.” Donna Holdway, department manager, HBA/OTC, Store 650, Big Stone Gap, Va. How do you show customers and associates at your store that you care? “Our goal in personnel is to brighten the day of all of our associates. We try to be really kind and “Just make sure your ears are always compassionate. If somebody is going open and listen to what people say. through something difficult, we send Create a bond with customers, with flowers and a card. Or for special days, everybody, and that’s a good start. I we’ll make gifts—we just finished try to do that every day.” making little gift bags for the management team. I try to brighten Kile Meyers, sales associate, electronics, Store 2043, Warsaw, N.Y. people’s day every day.” Deborah Egerton, training coordinator, Store 3896, Peoria, Ariz. What’s Your Take? How do you show customers and associates that you care? Tell us at walmartworld.com/Care. Walmartworld.com 5 0216_YouSaidIt.indd 5 1/11/16 12:18 PM Vote for the next Walmart DJ! Make a fellow associate’s dream come true at walmartradiodjsearch.com. A Walmart Radio DJ’s voice is heard in stores throughout the country—and you can help decide whose voice will be heard next. Voting is easy: Just check out the video submissions of the five final- ists at walmartradiodjsearch.com, and then select your favorite. The winner will be revealed in March! Voting opens Feb. 9 and continues through Feb. 19. For voting and official rules, visit walmartradiodjsearch.com. 0216_AD_Radio_DJ_Vote (Working Copy).indd 1 1/14/16 9:35 AM Colorful Décor ✓ Game Night ✓ Valentines’ Gifts ✓ THE THE GuidePerking Up Moods and Homes Just like sunshine, chocolate can increase feelings of happiness. Luckily, Valentine’s Day falls near the midpoint of winter, when everyone is eager for longer days and warmer weather. There are lots of other ways to boost moods, too, including the insights and products on the following pages. 0216_Spark (Working Copy).indd 7 1/13/16 4:45 PM Sneak Peek! The Pioneer Woman line is growing! More great items—including these towels—will be in stores later this month. Home Colorful (and Useful) Accents These cheerful kitchen and bath products can help lift your mood. If you want Simple A matching A designer Easy-care To refresh dding new kitchen or bath elegance set look fl oor mats the shower accessories serves two purposes—they are both Try this Mainstays Mainstays The Pioneer Better Homes Better Homes Ceramic 5-Pack Woman and Gardens and Gardens practical and pretty. “The Soap Pump Kitchen Set Kitchen Trellis Kitchen 15-Piece next step is finding a color Towels Rug Bath Set Aor a print that matches your décor,” says Why it’s a A reusable It’s available The natural This machine- Less than $25, Martina. The kitchen towels shown good option option helps in a variety of fabrics and washable mat the set includes above, from The Pioneer Woman line, save money; colors, and it farm-to- is made with a shower cur- larger refill includes two table look are stain- and tain, decorative are a colorful option, as are the bottles are terry towels, particularly fade-resistant metal curtain products on the right. typically less two pot hold- on-trend. materials, so hooks, and two expensive ers, and an it will hold comfy micro- per use than oven mitt. up in high- fiber rugs. Plus single-use traffic areas. it’s available in Insight from containers. the season’s Martina Biddulph, must-have buyer, soft kitchen/ hues: indigo and coral. children’s tableware, Home Office $ $$ 8 Walmartworld.com 0216_GuideHome2 (Working Copy).indd 8 1/13/16 4:47 PM The Guide / Perking Up Moods and Homes Home MORE MOOD Delight BOOSTERS Your Better Homes and Gardens 18-Ounce Jar Candles Senses The warm- *weather scents of Sunlit Strawberry Try these products Patch and Exotic to bring bright sights, Paradise Punch will help you scents, and sounds to think spring.