The Beast of Bentonville has sent a clear message to its U.S. inbound delivery network: Effective today, it’s shape up or pay out.
As of Tuesday, suppliers who pay the freight charges for shipping to Walmart Inc.’s (NYSE:WMT) U.S. distribution centers (DCs) must fulfill orders exactly as Walmart wants, hit the company’s “must arrive by” date at the designated DC, and accomplish both at least 98% of the time or face a fine equal to 3% of the cost of goods sold. The directive applies to purchase...