Walmart's Holiday Blitz: ChatGPT Shopping, 97¢ Turkeys, and Mall Buyouts

Walmart BioSnap a weekly updated Biography. Walmart has been everywhere this week and business news is buzzing. According to ABC News, CEO John Furner has just rolled out what he calls a holiday game changer, unveiling initiatives that make seasonal shopping faster and more affordable for families preparing for the holiday rush. From the annual Thanksgiving meal basket, Walmart announced its lowest price since the program began—serving ten people for less than four dollars per person, with a Butterball turkey at just ninety-seven cents a pound. Fortune reports Walmart’s basket is now 25 percent cheaper than last year’s, fueling a price war as rivals scramble to match the offer. A major tech headline broke when Walmart officially teamed up with OpenAI, letting ChatGPT users shop Walmart and Sam’s Club items, plan meals, and check out with a single prompt, inside the Walmart app and directly within ChatGPT itself. Stripe handles the payments for these instant purchases. LA Times Studios notes that with eight hundred million ChatGPT users weekly, Walmart is betting heavily on convenience. Still, surveys show US shoppers remain wary of chatbots handling their orders. The Watson Weekly podcast described the deal as Walmart “not holding back the tide,” with Walmart also offering OpenAI certifications to employees—a clever HR move deepening the retailer’s digital ambitions. In the background, October’s mega sales event set the retail stage for holiday 2025. Walmart opened its deals to everyone—no membership needed—while competitors clung to exclusivity. Shoppers are now pacing their purchases, comparing prices, and using AI-powered agents to curate baskets across sites. Rithum reports that AI-assisted shopping traffic has spiked 520 percent year over year, with more research driving disciplined spending and a clear trend toward convenience and trust. Fresh innovation came mid-week as Walmart and Avery Dennison announced a breakthrough in food safety: RFID labels in cold, high-moisture categories like fresh meat and bakery, designed to help employees track freshness, reduce food waste, and streamline operations. Walmart says this supports its sustainability goals and saves associates time for customer service. Business Insider revealed Walmart is shifting its strategy for hourly store workers. Top performers can now earn up to a five percent base pay increase, with new review approaches designed to boost retention and morale. On the real estate front, Fortune disclosed that Walmart has spent more than $110 million buying malls this year—most recently snagging a Connecticut retail plaza for $44.5 million. Walmart is quietly morphing from a tenant to a major property owner, drawing attention in real estate circles. On social media, Walmart’s fall deals have trended for mixing practical must-haves with fun splurges. Home essentials, Halloween decor, and seasonal foods are dominating TikTok and Instagram. Stadium Goods’ debut on Walmart’s Marketplace This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.