Mercatus, a market research company, attributes growth in sales recorded by Walmart and Sam’s Clubs to purchases by customers earning more than $200,000 annually.  Although the core demographic includes households with less than $50,000 annually, Walmart has recorded an eight percent growth in households earning in excess of $200,000 based on a “flight to value” motivation.  Walmart considers that spending by higher income groups has offset the losses from households at the low end of the earnings spectrum.

Walmart improving in-store service

Walmart catering to higher-income customers