For many companies, an unexpected bill for $400 million would be a crucible, if not the beginning of a tailspin. For Walmart, the world’s largest company by revenue, it was a mere speed bump.
That figure, $400 million, was what the company spent on supply chain costs above management’s original estimates for the fourth quarter, which ultimately yielded some $3.6 billion in net income.
For the two legacy, mass merchant giants Walmart and Target, a year of unprecedented supply chain turmoil raised costs and posed some challenges, to be sure. But their scale and vast financial resources allowed them to absorb that disruption.
