Hello! 🎉

Happy Thursday, folks – it’s another beautiful day in Vendorville. We may have celebrated NYE a month ago, but now it’s time to celebrate a new fiscal year-end (FYE).

Most retailers start their year off Feb 1st to account for the revenue from the holiday season. If you are juggling a couple of retailers, here are the recent updates to key movers:

Home Depot, Target, and Kroger’s FYE 2025 ends on the Saturday nearest to January 31.

Walmart’s FYE 2025 begins Feb 1st (although watch out for when those Walmart weeks actually begin)

CVS and Amazon’s FYE 2025 begins on Jan 1.

Other Retailer News:

January 2, 2024

Walmart Announces Luminate to Replace DSS in 2024

"Walmart recently announced that starting March 1st of 2024 they will be discontinuing the Decision Support System app (DSS) and replacing it with Luminate, split into a required unpaid service (Luminate Basic) or an optional paid service (Luminate Charter)."

January 17, 2024

INNOVATION Chinese New Year: A Business Challenge At Every Turn
"Gong xi fa cai! If your business leverages China for manufacturing, read this article for practical tips to ensure your supply chain runs smoothly during this 7-day holiday."

Feb 20, 2024

FY2024 Q4 Earnings Release

Be on the lookout for reporting on Walmart's FY2024 Q4. Materials will be available at 6:00 am CT on the release date.

⚾ Rooting For The Home Team

“Who's on First" is a classic skit made famous by comedians Bud Abbot and Lou Costello. The whole bit is that the player's names consist of Who on First Base, What on Second, etc. (if you are still saying to yourself, “I don’t know”, look at third base 😉).

Suppliers may have a similar feeling when trying to determine who is responsible for a deduction or chargeback. Between the retailer, the supplier, or a third-party provider, it can be tricky to determine “who’s on first.”

When it comes to validating claims, start by doing your research. Understand what proof documentation you have and identify patterns in the types of deductions you have.

Shortages tend to be the most common deduction type across most of the major retailers.

At Walmart, shortages make up almost 80% of the revenue lost to AP deductions, and more than half of these deductions are invalid.

Here's a sample of a common root cause of a shortage deduction at Walmart:

Shipped Quantity Matches Invoiced Quantity on PO

Likely Point of Error/Culpability: Retailer
Description: This is likely a receiving error because there is alignment with what was ordered on the PO, the invoice, and the ASN, but the retailer shows that the shipment was received short.
Codes that may be associated: Walmart Codes 22, 23, 24, and 28.

Read the full article here.

Rick’s Tips

If you read our last email, you’ve met One-Click Rick. As SupplyPike's mascot, he gets his name from one of the many sexy features built into the disputing platform.

Rick personifies a user’s ability to take disputing down from 70+ clicks to 1 (there's technically an option for zero clicks, but you try designing a character around that.)

"Did you know that Amazon has a Co-Op program? It’s great for managing your marketing or freight discounts with Amazon but does have drawbacks.

It’s recommended to audit your retail partners, especially with Co-op or trade promotions, ensuring that they are holding true to their contractual obligations and not overcharging.”

Let’s Circle Back 🌀

All the kids were doing it, so we had to give it a go. Save this Buyer Call Bingo for your next call! 📱

Send this Bingo card to your pals in the CPG industry and see who can complete it in the new FYE first.

Please use responsibly, SupplierWiki is not liable for the repercussions of any player yelling “BINGO” during your next line review. 😜

❤️ Sincerely, Your Friends in Vendorville

SupplierWiki

New FYE 2025 Calendar!