Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, reported Saturday that sales at stores open at least one year were up only an estimated 1.3 percent in March.
The company said sales were slower because Easter is three weeks later this year than last year, and that Wal-Mart expects a stronger April.
I guarantee you that, barring a natural disaster, no retailer allows the store managers to use the weather or holiday schedules as an excuse for flat sales in their individual stores, but corporately retailers trot out those two excuses all the time. Right after college, I did the retail thing for a while, and I couldn't stand it. Working the nights, the weekends, and the holidays was bad enough, but then watching mid-level management refuse to allow flat sales to be blamed on prolonged bad weather or holiday placements while using those excuses themselves was a little too much for me. I could understand pushing individual stores to increase sales despite obstacles, but when executive management then used those excuses with the stockholders, it was maddening.
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