Giving the SIDE Eye to Sam’s Club!

Hello! 🎉

It’s another Thursday in Vendorville. We're glad you're here. 🤗

There are lots of updates for suppliers at the beginning of 2024 that could set the tone for the whole year. Read more on Sam's SIDE program and Amazon’s Labeling Updates.

Sam's SIDE program

📣 Sam's Club has a new compliance program that will begin On March 1st, (yes, next week).

The Supplier Item Data Excellence (SIDE) aims to enhance item dimensions and weight accuracy.

Sound familiar? SIDE seems to be a cousin of Walmart’s SQEP (Supplier Quality Excellence Program).

📦 The immediate impact on suppliers: Fines for suppliers that can stack per item, location, and unit affected.

Here’s an example provided in the SIDE FAQ document:

If your eyes are also glazing over reading this, focus on that L=18”.

The “sticker” price of that error is $637.97, which is referred to as Home Office costs.

Where this fine starts to get 🌶️ spicy🌶️ is the $122.21 per location affected.

That mistype is going to cost Supplier A $4,670.90 on one item. 🙃

Here’s the plan to avoid forking over money for fines:

If you have distribution to Sam’s Clubs, FCs, IDCs, and SDCs, you’re going to want to invest time into understanding and preventing these fines.
Use your grace period! There’s one warning for the first infraction, use that to help uncover any issues in your process.
Review the Sam's Co-Op application. Any disputes must be resolved within the Co-Op framework, not through the standard dispute portal.
A fun little surprise for less-than-truckload shipments: incur an additional $50 per unit cost.
Consult the full SIDE FAQ document for details that may be helpful for your understanding of the new program, or read the SupplierWiki article breaking it down.
For questions related to the Incorrect Dimensions and Weights program, Sam’s recommends reaching out to s.merch@wal-mart.com.

Amazon’s Labeling Updates

📣 Starting July 1, 2024, significant changes are coming to labeling requirements for all Amazon suppliers in North America.

What's Changing?

📦 Each pallet must be labeled with a License Plate Barcode (SSCC or AMZNCC).

📦 For Non-Palletized Shipments, carton labels must now include a License Plate Barcode (either SSCC or AMZNCC).

Note: GTIN14 will no longer meet the requirements.

📦 For Palletized Shipments, carton labels on these shipments will no longer need PO, PRO, ARN, or Ship To/From information.

Here’s the plan to deal with this update now, instead of incurring chargebacks:

Start transitioning now. Amazon is urging suppliers to adopt by April 1st, well before the deadline.
Remember: GTIN14 will no longer meet the requirements, make sure you make updates across all your items.
Even the best supplier teams may incur a chargeback. Read more about Amazon Chargebacks here
See Amazon’s support for more details here.

Other Retailer News 📰

February 20th, 2024

Walmart Releases Q4 and FY24 Earnings

"Walmart's Total Revenue this year jumped 6.0% from last year. Read through Walmart's release on the strong performance in Q4, laddering up to the strong year at Walmart U.S., International, and Sam's Club."

February 14, 2024

Walmart has been eating Target’s lunch

"Read how Target's marketing is shifting from the elevated-yet-affordable retailer to compete with Walmart and if that strategy should be called into question."

Rick’s Tips

One-Click Rick, SupplyPike's helpful mascot, is the amalgamation of the knowledge at SupplyPike. He’s full of tips and tricks for all things related to revenue loss.

This part of our newsletter is for those who want the tea – both on winning more deductions and Rick’s lored past. 🍵

“From our SupplyPike calculations, 82% of APDP disputes have been acted on. If you still have a large number of disputes still in “Walmart Review,” consider reaching out to Walmart. Larger suppliers with a backlog of disputes may have an option to reach out for settlement. ”

Let’s Circle Back 🌀

This Las Vegas Art Experience is not your mother’s grocery store. Yes, if you aren’t selling into Omega Mart, you should at least visit the aisles of “America’s Most Exceptional Grocery Store.”

If you’re ever in Vegas for a tradeshow, conference, or using your PTO, this immersive experience is worth it for CPG suppliers for hilarious product parodies, and some are actually for sale.

For those who stare at products all day, Omega Mart may just hold an idea for the next category disruption. 🤣

Here's a sample of an Omega Mart product, P-2000. This long-lasting crackle spackle is sure to affix to the roof of your mouth or your house. 😜

Careers at SupplyPike 😎

I'm sure you are reading this email and thinking to yourself, "The people who work here seem pretty cool."

You'd be right, and you've already passed the first test. Want to join us?

There's a new role open that may be right up your alley! Consider applying if the following sounds like you.

You have experience in the Home Improvement industry and want support suppliers.
You have a knack for supporting internal teams by educating and decoding the world of retail deductions.
You're tech-savvy and want to play a strategic role in SupplyPike's growth.

Apply here or send this job posting to a colleague. 👩🏽‍💻

❤️ Sincerely, Your Friends in Vendorville

SupplierWiki