Success Quote by Lee Scott

Retail is the art of wanting, and Lee Scott accidentally gives away the trick. On the surface, he is making a bland, operational point about inventory. Underneath, he is describing the emotional engine of modern shopping: scarcity and excess as deliberate feelings a store produces. “I wish we had a lot more of like the iPod” isn’t just a SKU problem; it’s a nod to the way blockbuster gadgets become cultural weather. The iPod wasn’t merely selling music players in that era, it was selling identity, coolness, and the promise of frictionless modern life. When a retailer can’t keep it in stock, the shortage itself becomes marketing.

Then Scott’s second clause lands with a telling vagueness: “some items I wish we had a lot less of.” He doesn’t name them, because in big-box retail the losers are disposable. They are the quiet graveyard of misread trends, overconfident forecasts, and suppliers who needed shelf space more than customers needed the product. That anonymity is the subtext: capitalism has favorites, but it rarely admits the cost of its misses.

The context matters too. Scott, as Walmart’s CEO, spoke from the command center of a supply chain that could make or break entire categories. His “wish” sounds personal, almost casual, but it’s really a statement about power and prediction. Retailers don’t just respond to demand; they shape it, then scramble to keep up with the desires they helped manufacture.