Walmart prepares for the holiday season, NY Times reports

The holiday season are full of high stakes, being the busiest quarter of the year for most retailers, and Walmart’s (WMT) preparations offer insights into consumer behavior and the state of the industry, Jordyn Holman of The New York Times reports. The holiday season no longer includes purchases for only Thanksgiving and Christmas but also for the football tailgating season and Halloween. According to Jen Acerra, who leads the consumer insights team at Walmart, last year people started their holiday shopping “with gusto” ahead of Halloween. This shift has forced Walmart to think about what customers are willing to purchase over a longer timeline.