Rick Wilking/Reuters
The Walmart executive said consumers are more interested in looking presentable from the "waist up," thanks to videoconferencing.
- Walmart's executive vice president of corporate affairs Dan Bartlett told Yahoo Finance that the retail giant has seen a spike in sales of apparel tops.
- But there hasn't been a corresponding boost in sales of bottoms like pants, shorts, and skirts.
- The reason? According to Bartlett, shoppers stuck working from home are more concerned with looking good from the "waist up" due to video conferencing.
- The Walmart EVP also addressed the chain's explosion in sales volume during the coronavirus pandemic.
- "We've kind of reached a new normal when it comes to the type of sales volume we're looking at but it is a massive volume right now," Bartlett told Yahoo Finance.
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The coronavirus pandemic has changed how shoppers stock their closets, according to Walmart's executive vice president of corporate affairs Dan Bartlett.
In an interview with the Yahoo Finance team, Bartlett said sales of tops - including t-shirts, dress shirts, and blouses - have gone up quite a bit lately. But the clothing boom hasn't been evenly distributed throughout the retail giant's apparel offerings. Bottoms like pants, leggings, shorts, and skirts apparently haven't budged in terms of sales. Walmart did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Bartlett credited videoconferencing platforms like Zoom, which are now increasingly popular in many areas that have required nonessential workers to stay home. He said many of these telecommuters may be "concerned" more with looking presentable "from the waist up." According to Bartlett, it's just the latest example of how the pandemic has changed life for Walmart's shoppers.
"As people continue to get accustomed to this new lifestyle, if you will, we're able to accommodate that both online and in our stores," he told Yahoo Finance.
Bartlett said that overall, Walmart has seen a massive uptick in sales. At the start of the pandemic, the Walmart executive said the chain saw a "huge run" on protective gear and products like disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. The major trend that followed that was a surge in grocery shopping "as the restaurant industry started to shutter." However, that has trickled off lately, according to Bartlett.
"I think the public is increasingly growing in confidence that food is not going to run out," he said.
In addition to tops, Bartlett said sales have popped in the entertainment section, around DVDs and craft products like popsicle sticks. And these trends may continue to spread to Walmart stores in more regions across the United States as the pandemic continues.
"If other states go to more restrictive stay at home policies, that's where we'll see a surge in sales," Bartlett said. "We've kind of reached a new normal when it comes to the type of sales volume we're looking at but it is a massive volume right now."
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!! Walmart EVP of corporate affairs Dan Bartlett tells @YahooFinance that amid #coronavirus: "We are seeing increased sales in tops, but not bottoms" because so many people are doing video conferences from home. and all that matters is the above the waist shot. $WMT
- Daniel Roberts (@readDanwrite) March 26, 2020RT @YahooFinance: As more people use video conferencing while they work from home, "we're seeing increased sales in tops but not bottoms," @walmartinc EVP Corporate Affairs Dan Bartlett says. "These behaviors are going to continue to change and evolve." pic.twitter.com/KPpPCSRNCv
- Dan Mitchell (@DMitchell_) March 26, 2020