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Who is John Furner? Walmart US CEO slammed for suggesting customers on weight loss drugs bought less food

Walmart US CEO says he has noticed a trend in which people who buy Ozempic and Wegovy drugs are buying less food

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: John Furner, the CEO of Walmart US, has said that he has been noticing a trend wherein people who are buying prescribed Ozempic and Wegovy drugs from their pharmacies are buying fewer groceries overall, insinuating the weight loss drugs are making people buy less food.

However, the Internet is not pleased with the idea of Ozempic making people buy less food as they blame inflation to be the driving force behind the purportedly changed consumer behavior.

What did the Walmart US CEO say?

Walmart’s US CEO John Furner claimed in an interview with Bloomberg that buyers are taking “fewer units” and choosing food items that have “slightly less calories.”

Furner said to Bloomberg, “We definitely do see a slight change compared to the total population, we do see a slight pullback in overall basket.”

Furner further claimed that while it’s not yet the time to come to a concrete conclusion regarding the impact of Ozempic drugs on overall consumer behavior, he has been noticing the trend.

During the interview on Wednesday, October 4, Furner claimed that the company has been noticing “a slight change” in the food purchasing habits of people who are on weight loss drugs like Ozempic versus those who aren’t, per Forbes.

The executive claimed that Walmart is studying the anonymized shoppers’ data to compare the buying behavior of those who are on Ozempics and Wegovy versus those who are not.

While he said it is too soon to draw conclusions, Furner said there has been “a slight pullback in overall basket” for people who take weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.

When did John Furner become Walmart US CEO?

Furner was born in 1974 in Jacksonville, Arkansas and graduated in marketing management from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Furner began his career at Walmart in 1993 as an hourly store associate and worked his way to becoming president and CEO of Walmart US in November 2019.

What are Ozempics and Wegovy?

The antidiabetic medicines like Ozempic and Wegovy fall under the category of Semaglutide and are used for treating type 2 diabetes and long-term weight management.

Per UC Davis Health, “Ozempic works by mimicking a naturally occurring hormone.” As a result of taking the medicine, the hormone levels rise, ultimately signaling to the body that the stomach is full. It works as a hunger suppressant.

The medicine also slows down digestion by “increasing the time it takes for food to leave the body.”

While Walmart is experiencing a reduction in food shopping, it is also experiencing a boom in shoppers buying more of these medications.

In August 2023, the CEO of Walmart, Inc, Doug McMillon said that as the drug is growing in popularity, it is increasing the overall sales of the shopping giant.

Per NBC, Trilliant Health reported that prescriptions of these drugs quadrupled from late 2020 to 2022.

Walmart US CEO slammed by netizens

While the industry experts are weighing the posiibility of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy the force behind the reduced sales in groceries, the netizens are holding the inflated price of groceries accountable for the purported change in consumer behavior.

One of the angered netizen said, "Or… OR… It costs too d**n much to buy food, so people are buying less. Call me crazy, but the simplest explanation is often the correct one."

Another person highlighted the situation by commenting sarcastically, "Pretty sure buying $300 in groceries and coming out with 2 bags has something to do with it."

Someone else slammed, "Anything to avoid blaming inflation caused by wildly irresponsible government spending bills."

Another social media user asked squarely, "Is this satire?"

"People who can't afford food aren't paying $800+ a month for a drug. Get real," said another person not too happy with the statement.

Someone else took a more pragmatic approach and said, "I mean, it’s impacting somebody’s bottom line, monetary or weight."

Another social media user painted the dire picture, saying, "We can’t afford it when wages stay flat and profit + inflation go up. You make more and it’s gone. It’s like a mouse on a wheel."