Walmart.com cuts 10% of workforce

Citing lessons learned in its first holiday season online and a "challenging business climate," Walmart.com this week cut 10% of its workforce, amounting to 24 jobs, at its Brisbane, Calif. headquarters. The company is refocusing its resources and eliminating positions in some departments while adding jobs in others. Walmart.com expects to drop lower margin product categories such as cosmetics and beauty items as shipping the low-cost items proved impractical, while pumping up its emphasis on higher margin merchandise including jewelry and electronics. While the jobs eliminated are chiefly in marketing and merchandising, Walmart.com is beefing up its investment in the back end and plans to bring on additional web site designers and engineers to improve web site performance, according to CEO Jeanne Jackson. "We’ve learned a lot about what customers want through this channel—what products, services and prices," she says. "With that knowledge in hand, we are doing the responsible thing and adjusting our efforts accordingly."