We're an 'And' company, we're people and tech, we're stores and e-commerce, we're innovation and execution.

Of course we aren't perfect. We make mistakes. But, if the world could see all of the hard-working, well-intentioned people inside our company who are making things better in their communities and in the world, I'm convinced they would be moved by it all. I am.

Ten years ago, we committed to investing in our associates through higher wages, new training opportunities, and changes to our scheduling and education programs. It was a step grounded in the belief that putting people first is always the right thing to do. These investments sparked momentum in our stores that we still see and feel today.

Today, we still have more than 300,000 U.S. associates who were with us since 2015 and are now leading teams, running stores and clubs, and continuing to grow their careers. Their stories are a reminder that when people are given opportunity, they make the most of it - and a culture of opportunity creates a cycle where happy associates lead to happy customers and members, and vice versa.

The kind of outcome we want is where associates are getting paid more and are supervising robotics instead of walking miles and lifting heavy items.

We cannot, don't want to, and won't let ourselves walk away from opening price points and customers that depend on us for low prices. That's foundational.