Dan Bartlett, Walmart's Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, joined Yahoo Finance's Jen Rogers, Brian Sozzi, and Dan Roberts to discuss how the retail giant is responding to the coronavirus crisis.

Video Transcript

- I want to bring in Brian Sozzi to join us for the next interview. We've got Dan Bartlett. He's Walmart executive vice president of corporate affairs. Welcome, Dan. I don't think--

DAN BARTLETT: It's good to be with you.

- --anyone would dispute that your company is taking a real leadership role here, made some big moves in terms of taking care of your own employees with cash bonuses, big hiring plans. From where I sit, I've been to Walmart three times this month. I usually go to Walmart twice a year. Do you think that this demand--

DAN BARTLETT: Oh, we need to tackle that.

- [INAUDIBLE].

DAN BARTLETT: It should be a lot more often than that.

- Usually, [INAUDIBLE].

DAN BARTLETT: We'll talk about that later.

- OK. But is durable? Like am I going to change my behavior? Are you basing these employment plans on the idea that we're all going to be going to Walmart a lot more when this is over?

DAN BARTLETT: Well, it's a good question. No doubt that there is going to be a behavioral shift of consumers about how they shop, where they shop. We feel that it was pretty fortuitous that we had a strategy in place that was really trying to be the best omni-retailer in the business, in which we could make it quite seamless for customers, particularly now as we're seeing customers who want to pick up but not come into the store or have their groceries, and consumables, or other items delivered to their home.

So we are seeing an enormous amount of uptick in sales and traffic in the stores. I would say, recently, we're kind of hitting a new normal. It's a very high volume, but it's one where I think the public is increasingly growing in confidence that food is not going to run out, that they're going to be able to find the items that they need in stores.

So too early to tell exactly what type of fundamental shifts that'll go on with the customer, but we're doing everything we can right now. We've already hired more than 30,000 people just in the last week alone to help with this increased demand.

BRIAN SOZZI: Dan, Brian here. Always good to speak with you. Now you were one of the first ones in retail to open up these drive-through testing facilities in your parking lots, I believe it was last weekend. By the end of this week, how many will be open, and what's the longer term outlook? Definitely a lot of people need these right now.

DAN BARTLETT: Yeah, that's true. And we're proud and have been able to sponsor and partner with the federal government and to open up a couple of sites in the Chicagoland area. Those sites are running as we speak. They are doing a nice job of going through the high priority population that everybody is so focused on-- health care workers, first responders-- and those will continue.

We're now assessing where those next sites should be. And a lot of that will be dictated-- as you're seeing, a lot of the site locations and the driving of these sites are being dictated at the state level. So we're in multiple conversations with states across the country to determine where the best place for those sites to open.

But we're not immune from the other issues that everybody's facing, which is PPE, protective equipment, those types of supplies, the tests themselves. And as the evolution of tests are still underway from the more complicated tests to ones that can be self-swabbing in your car without any assistance, as those become more-- the capacity of those types of kits come online, we'll be able to expand beyond the Chicagoland area where we're working right now. But I can't-- so I can't tell you right now exactly where those sites would be, but we're in conversations with multiple states.

BRIAN SOZZI: And Dan, I'm sure you have seen and you've studied the stimulus news out. In three or four weeks, consumers will be getting what might be $1,200 checks delivered right to their accounts. Do you expect an even faster pace of sales in the couple-- in the coming weeks?

And look, Target came out earlier in the week. They're seeing some major sales increases in household goods. Is Walmart seeing that and should it continue to see that?

DAN BARTLETT: So it's interesting, in the early days-- and I say "days"-- I think it was just last week, there was a huge run on disinfectants, things there to clean your homes and those things, as well as Purell and those things. As the restaurant industry and other things started to shutter, we saw a massive shift to food and consumables. And that part of our business, obviously, is under a lot of strain. Although as I just said, it has evened out a bit.

We're starting to see other parts of the box also be-- or sales are-- things to do in the home-- DVD sales, entertainment, crafts. I think we've sold over 30 million popsicle sticks. So families are making popsicles at homes. And an interesting thing also, in one of the previous segments we were talking about people Zoom and doing those types of conferencing. We're seeing increased sales in tops but not bottoms. So people who are concerned, obviously, from the waist up.

So it's these behaviors are going to continue to change and evolve as people get accustomed to this new lifestyle, if you will. And so we're able to accommodate that, like I said, both online and in our stores. Like I 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. And that will probably ebb and flow based on the news. So if other states go to more restrictive stay at home policies, that's where we'll see a surge in sales.

DAN ROBERTS: Dan, Dan Roberts here. Thanks for joining us. Let me just ask you if you can speak specifically to any new measures in-store at Walmart. You know, you mentioned making sure that you guys have enough product in-store, but also we're in a time when I think people are starting to feel concerned or cautious when they go to a store, even a store that has remained open. Like, "Am I doing the right thing here? Should I just be ordering online?"

Yesterday, we were covering some news from some of your peers. Target and Kroger both had taken kind of drastic new measures for cleaning efforts. You know, Target now assigning people specifically to keep customers who are in line 6 feet apart. And Kroger is setting up plexiglass separators. So I'm just wondering, any new measures that Walmart is taking in the stores that are remaining open?

DAN BARTLETT: Yeah, I appreciate the opportunity to address that because our principal concern is both the safe and well-being of our own associates, but also the safety and well-being of our customers. And we're taking a lot of very similar steps. We are putting new signage on the floors for social distancing. We are procuring plexiglass to put up at the moment of cashier.

Although, we're already seeing a drop in cash transactions. People are using Walmart Pay. They're also using in our Sam's Clubs our app where they can do the point of purchase there from their app and not have to exchange currency. Like others, we have shut our stores overnight. That gives us a chance to clean the stores, gives us a chance to get back in stock.

We're much more aggressive in our signage and with our employees talking about repeatedly washing their hands, all the different protocols that we hear from the CDC are things that we are pumping through our stores, our DCs, and our clubs. So we'll continue. That's a very dynamic process. And as those protocols get updated and as we get advice from the medical community. We have our own chief medical officer, who himself did a stint at the CDC, as an invaluable resource as we continue to do the steps necessary to provide the most healthy and safe environment as we came for our customers, and particularly, for our associates.

- Dan, you also have a background in working in the government. You were a counselor to George W. Bush. DC is pushing through this historic stimulus bill, the likes of which-- the size of which we have never seen. Do you think it's enough that we have coming out of DC right now?

DAN BARTLETT: Well, it's a good question. And I must say, I did spend seven years in the White House. I was in the White House in the hours and days and weeks and months after 9/11. I can only imagine the decision-making that's-- that was an unprecedented event at that point in our country's history, just like this is the matrix of issues that they're dealing with both in the White House as well as in Congress.

I think that most policymakers are taking the step that we'll be more regretful if we don't go aggressive than being timid. I think this is an aggressive first step. Do I think there's going to have to be a follow-on as this continues to play out with a stimulus 4 or a package number 4? I think that's probably true.

I'm hearing the same reports as others that Congress will probably step away for several weeks. But my sense is they're going to come back as we figure out exactly what's happened with regards to this aid package. One of the things that Brian talked about earlier is that there is this surge of spending. The American people didn't have more money. They decided to spend their money differently than they typically did. They were buying a bunch of household goods and things that they would typically use somewhere else.

So those budgets are going to get strained. And so the fact that the Treasury Secretary said that these checks should be out in three weeks is going to be very timely for a lot of families. And I imagine is that they're going to restock to a certain extent, but this is going to be a much needed relief for the economy and for the American people.

- Dan Bartlett, thank you so much for joining us and updating us on what your company is doing and giving us your thoughts on the government. Walmart's executive vice president of corporate affairs-- and I am wearing slippers, so I see what's happening with the sales there.