Joel Graham, Director, Retail Link® Item File, Replenishment, & Sam’s Club Insights at 8th & Walton, begins a series on item file/item management for 3-Minute Insights. We begin the series with a discussion of fine lines.
Lainie: Could you briefly explain what a fine line is?
Joel: A fine line is a categorization that Walmart buyers use. It’s a way to further classify and group products, mainly for reporting purposes.
Lainie: What are the biggest risks if someone assigns the wrong fine line?
Joel: That’s a great question. This situation comes up often. A supplier might be ready to build an item, but doesn’t know the fine line number because that’s an internal classification used by Walmart. The best advice I can give is to ask your buyer. Reach out and say, “I’m getting ready to build this item. Can you provide the correct fine line?” It’s very difficult for a supplier to know or determine that on their own, and the fine lines can vary widely by buyer.
Joel: For example, I might classify fine lines to group products by seasonality, which helps with replenishment planning. In apparel, I might group fine lines by style, size, or color. So the purpose can differ depending on the buyer and the category.
Lainie: So really, talking to the buyer is the best way to confirm that an item has the correct fine line?
Joel: You might say it’s the only way.
Lainie: The only way?
Joel: Well, there is one exception. If you have other items that are “cousins” or “sister” items to the one you’re building, you can look into the item file, or access systems like iLAM, to find the fine line used for those related items. You can usually apply the same one. But again, the best way to be completely sure is to ask your buyer.
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