If you’re a small business owner, you might have heard word on the street about the new Walmart Business program that launched in January 2023. But besides the business-friendly sounding name, I wanted to find out how a Walmart Business account works, how much it costs, and exactly who can sign up.
Similar to a Costco Business membership, Walmart Business is a program designed for small businesses and nonprofits. Think of it like a curated shopping experience just for customers who need to purchase business or office supplies from Walmart on the regular. It’s free to be a basic member, but there’s also a paid version (aka Walmart Plus Business) that comes with even more built-in benefits.
Depending on which membership level you choose, you can access perks for your business like bulk purchasing rates, discounted subscriptions, and 2% back in rewards at Walmart.
Now, let’s get into all the details of Walmart Business and whether or not it’s right for your business.
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1. Walmart Business can help you save time and money on your company purchases.
If you own a small- or medium-sized business and you regularly buy your supplies at Walmart, listen up. Walmart launched Walmart Business earlier this year to help you spend less time and money on your business purchases and more time focusing on your day-to-day operations.
So, what exactly does the program involve? When you shop through your Walmart Business account (either online or in the app), you’ll get a curated selection of more than 100,000 items, grouped and organized in a way that makes sense for businesses. The collection includes products like office supplies, furniture, food and beverages, restroom supplies, electronics, and more.
Besides the focused shopping experience, other Walmart Business perks include:
- Multi-user accounts (up to five users)
- Payment method and order history sharing between users
- Automatic removal of taxes if you’re enrolled in the Walmart Tax-Exemption Program (WTEP)
2. You can sign up for Walmart Business online or in the Walmart Business app — it’s free.
Signing up for Walmart Business is super easy. You can sign up on the website, or use the Walmart Business app.
You’ll be asked to provide some basic details like:
- First and last name
- Business email
- Registered business name and employer identification number (EIN)
- Business phone number
- Business address
3. Get 5% off subscriptions on things like kitchen supplies and cleaning products.
Now, the entire inventory of Walmart products isn’t eligible for Walmart Business subscriptions. But of the items that are, you can save 5% on recurring subscription orders.
Subscription categories eligible for the 5% discount include:
- Breakroom staples
- Kitchen essentials
- Coffee and tea
- Personal care and beauty products
- Cleaning products
- Pet care
- Health and wellness
TIP: Amazon Subscribe & Save lets you place recurring orders for your business, too, and it can save you up to 15% compared to the Walmart Business 5% discount.
4. Walmart Business makes sense for resellers because there are fewer quantity restrictions.
Walmart Business is really helpful if you’re in the world of resale. Remember when we were all rationing toilet paper during the pandemic? And you weren’t allowed to buy more than one or two packs at a time?
The idea with Walmart Business is that you won’t be subject to those same quantity restrictions, especially when there’s not really a national shortage happening. You’ll be able to stock up on the business purchases you need without major limitations that others might be subject to.
5. Register for tax-exempt status once for faster purchases in the future.
If you own a non-profit or other tax-exempt organization, you may be filing for tax exemption every time you make a business purchase.
With a Walmart Business account, you won’t have to go through that process every single time you get to the online checkout. Instead, you’ll upload your tax-exemption paperwork once, and it’ll apply to all orders on your account moving forward.
TIP: If you operate across state lines, you’ll have to upload tax exemption paperwork for each state you do business in.
6. Walmart Business is ideal if you have up to five purchasers on your team (but no more than that).
Walmart Business lets you add up to five individuals to your account, allowing them purchasing power, access to order history, and more.
This setup is great for small business owners and non-profits who run things at the local level. If you’re a larger organization, you may need to limit the number of employees with access to your account.
TIP: If you own a larger business with more traditional office supply needs, check out ODP Business Solutions (formerly known as Office Depot Business) or Staples Business Advantage as alternatives.
7. Upgrade to a Walmart Business Plus account ($98/year) for free delivery and 2% back on certain purchases.
Just like the paid Walmart Plus membership for everyday shoppers, the Walmart Business Plus membership costs $98 a year, but it comes with even more benefits than your basic Business account (or the standard Walmart Plus membership, for that matter).
These are the added benefits you get with Walmart Business Plus:
- Free delivery from the store
- 2% back in Walmart Business rewards on orders of $250+
- Analytics on how much you’re spending
- Limited-time offers
Walmart also plans to add more premium features to their Plus membership for business owners in the future.
8. But the 2% in rewards only works on Plus orders of $250+.
A huge perk of Walmart Business Plus is the 2% back in rewards — but you’ll only earn it on orders of at least $250.
Let’s compare this perk to a competitor… say, Costco. Costco has the Executive Membership, which costs $120 per year and gives you 2% back on every purchase. Meaning that you don’t have to meet a $250 threshold for your purchase to count.
However, Costco’s membership isn’t great for resale purchases. If you’re in the resale business, you’re better off with a Costco Business membership, which costs $60 per year but doesn’t give you any rewards on your purchases.
9. Use the Walmart Business Spend Analyzer when you upgrade to Plus.
With a Walmart Business Plus membership, you’ll gain access to what they call the Spend Analyzer.
This online tool gives you a bird’s eye view of your company’s spending. Or, you can zoom in on individual employee spend. These analytics can help you project future budgets or patch up any spending leaks.
It’s an easy way to avoid overpaying for supplies.
10. Walmart Business Plus members get access to exclusive limited-time offers.
When you upgrade to a Business Plus membership, you also get access to exclusive limited-time offers. For example, in August 2023, you could use promo code TRIPLE15 at checkout to save $15 on three orders of $75+ (that’s like 20% off).
Here are the current offers for members:
- Get $3,000 in free processing when you sign up for Square Invoices
- Free training for managers through Ethena
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