1. There are no Walmart categories. There are only Walmart departments.
Yes, many of us refer to the merchandise within the store as a category, but Walmart calls it a department. It’s Sam’s Club that calls it a category. If you want to impress your buyer, refer to a merchandise grouping appropriately. In Walmart, it’s a department. At the moment, there are 74 of them.
2. Some Walmart abbreviations require an interpreter.
It’s tricky. The department called Com Bread is Commercial Bread. Wal Deli is Wall Deli and means the delicatessen items that are on hooks that hang on a wall. DSD Grocery stands for Direct Store Delivery, which is pretty much everything in the grocery department. Service Deli is what happens for the customer when someone behind the deli counter serves him/her. PMDC is an acronym for Print & Mail Distribution Center.
3. Some Walmart departments contain multiple types of items.
Sometimes the combinations of item types seem helpful and appropriate. The department called Health & Beauty Aids seems like a natural pairing. But Media & Gaming is a bit of a stretch. Plus Sizes & Maternity? Well, at least both are apparel!
Get yourself a current and useful list of Walmart departments and their numbers.
8th & Walton is always on the lookout to help suppliers, and we figured suppliers would want to sort not only by department numbers but also by department names — so now you can download just that.
In the Department Names sort, we’ve added a few words to make it easier for you to quickly find the department number. For example, while the department is officially called Piece Goods & Crafts, in the Department Names sort, you’ll find Department 19 listed under Piece Goods, Crafts, and Fabrics, too.
