Business

Wal-Mart Will Punish Its Suppliers for Delivering Early

  • Also penalties of 3% of value for items that arrive late
  • Retailing giant warns that disputes “will not be tolerated’’

Packages move along a conveyor belt inside a Wal-Mart Stores Inc. fulfillment center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Wednesday, March 29, 2017. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. acquired e-commerce startupJet.com for $3.3 billion in cash and stock. Jet.com Founder and his management team wereput in chargeof Wal-Mart's entire domestic e-commerce operation, overseeing more than 15,000 employees in Silicon Valley, Boston, Omaha, and its home office in Arkansas. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

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Long known for squeezing its vast network of suppliers, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is about to step up the pressure.

The focus this time is delivery scheduling, and the company’s not messing around. Two days late? That’ll earn you a fine. One day early? That’s a fine, too. Right on-time but goods aren’t packed properly? You guessed it -- fined.