Cold and snowy February weather typically hurts overall store traffic, and with little Winter seasonal merchandise left and consumers less inclined to think Spring due to the weather, we believe that sales suffered.

With Eduardo Castro-Wright making changes at the helm, we believe Wal-Mart is reaching an inflection point that will take the company to the next level of growth and profitability.

The timing of the Arctic-like temperatures was unfortunate, as most retailers already transitioned into spring.

The sales people can spend 100 percent of their time with customers on the sales floor. This system can drive sales while improving customer service.

Wal-Mart's lack of an aggressive advertising campaign after Black Friday likely impacted traffic and (average) ticket, as competitors were very promotional.

Wal-Mart is continuing to be able to expand in the United States even in these difficult times. They're not pulling back and what they're continuing to see is that they're continuing to gain market share from independents, or other not well positioned retailers.