Mass merchants and supercenters
Walmart and Target sell broad assortments including groceries, with growing e-commerce, marketplace and advertising businesses.
Discount and variety retail stocks
Variety-store retailers such as Walmart, Costco, Target, Dollar General and Dollar Tree sell groceries, household goods and general merchandise at scale. They earn thin margins on very high sales volume, so traffic, pricing, inventory control and, increasingly, membership and advertising income decide profitability.
How discount and variety retail companies make money
Membership warehouse clubs
Costco and Walmart's Sam's Club charge annual fees and sell in bulk at low markups; membership fees contribute a large share of operating income.
Dollar stores
Dollar General and Dollar Tree run small-format stores with low price points, often in rural or lower-income areas.
What drives discount and variety retail stocks
- ◆Comparable-store sales: traffic and average ticket
- ◆Consumer spending on essentials versus discretionary goods
- ◆Gross margin pressure from pricing, freight and shrink
- ◆E-commerce growth and fulfillment costs
- ◆Membership renewal rates and fee changes
Key risks
- ◆Price competition compressing margins
- ◆Consumer trade-down or spending slowdowns
- ◆Tariffs and freight costs on imported goods
- ◆Wage and theft (shrink) costs
KPIs to track
- Comparable sales growth
- Sales at stores open at least a year, excluding new-store effects.
- Gross margin rate
- Small changes matter because margins are thin.
- Inventory turnover
- How quickly inventory sells; slow turns can force markdowns.
- Membership fee income and renewal rate
- Key for warehouse clubs.
Fiscal calendars in this group
Retailers rarely use a calendar year: most end their fiscal year in late January or early February to capture the holiday season, and Costco ends its year around the start of September. Check the period before comparing growth.
| Fiscal year end (SEC) | Companies |
|---|---|
| January 29 | DG |
| January 30 | DLTR |
| January 31 | WMT |
| February 1 | TGT |
| August 30 | COST |
Discount and variety retail stocks: company profiles and annual filings
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST)
Company research page
Costco runs a membership warehouse-club model that earns much of its profit from annual membership fees rather than product markups. High renewal rates and bulk pricing have built a loyal customer base.
- Fiscal year end in SEC snapshot
- August 30
- Annual report period end
- 2026-08-30
Walmart Inc. (WMT)
Company research page
Walmart is the world's largest retailer by revenue, operating supercenters, warehouse clubs, and a fast-growing e-commerce and advertising business. Its scale in groceries makes it a barometer of US consumer health.
- Fiscal year end in SEC snapshot
- January 31
- Annual report period end
- 2026-01-31
Dollar General Corporation (DG)
Dollar General operates small-format discount stores serving rural and lower-income communities.
- Fiscal year end in SEC snapshot
- January 29
- Annual report period end
- 2026-01-30
Dollar Tree, Inc. (DLTR)
Dollar Tree runs discount variety stores selling merchandise at low fixed price points.
- Fiscal year end in SEC snapshot
- January 30
- Annual report period end
- 2026-01-31
Target Corporation (TGT)
Target is a general-merchandise retailer selling apparel, groceries, and home goods through stores and online.
- Fiscal year end in SEC snapshot
- February 1
- Annual report period end
- 2026-01-31
Compare companies in this industry
COST vs DG
Compare Costco Wholesale Corporation and Dollar General Corporation: business context, fiscal calendars and official filings.
COST vs DLTR
Compare Costco Wholesale Corporation and Dollar Tree, Inc.: business context, fiscal calendars and official filings.
COST vs TGT
Compare Costco Wholesale Corporation and Target Corporation: business context, fiscal calendars and official filings.
COST vs WMT
Compare Costco Wholesale Corporation and Walmart Inc.: business context, fiscal calendars and official filings.
DG vs WMT
Compare Dollar General Corporation and Walmart Inc.: business context, fiscal calendars and official filings.
DLTR vs WMT
Compare Dollar Tree, Inc. and Walmart Inc.: business context, fiscal calendars and official filings.
TGT vs WMT
Compare Target Corporation and Walmart Inc.: business context, fiscal calendars and official filings.
DG vs DLTR
Compare Dollar General Corporation and Dollar Tree, Inc.: business context, fiscal calendars and official filings.
Sources and method
Industry codes and annual filing references come from the SEC submissions snapshot linked to each issuer in our company catalog (snapshot ; newer filings may exist). Only groups with at least three distinct issuers, business descriptions and annual filing links are included. Multiple share classes of one issuer count as one company. This is a coverage directory, not a complete industry census or a ranking of investments.
The industry explanation above is editorial and general; it is not drawn from any single company's filing. Company-specific figures are on each stock page with a link to the filing they come from.
SEC Standard Industrial Classification code list explains the classification system. Read our research methodology or browse all industry directories.
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