Some of the biggest names in retail – Target (TGT), Walmart (WMT) and Home Depot (HD) – are on the earnings calendar for the coming week. Walmart stock is also in the buy zone.

Earnings reports from major retailers come at a tough time. This segment is struggling to pass on higher costs to consumers, and shoppers are looking for ways to offset inflation.

Monthly visits in the first quarter of 2023 were down year over year for almost all stores. Only Target has defied this trend, posting small increases in both first-quarter visits and visits per location.

At the same time, shoppers seem to be getting more value out of each visit. Average dwell time at leading supermarkets and wholesale stores increased across the board between the first quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of this year.

The sharp increase in average dwell time indicates that shoppers are doing more with each visit, filling larger carts and waiting longer between visits to save on gasoline.

Walmart saw the biggest increase in time spent in-store, up nearly 14% from January to March compared to last year, with an average visit time of 33 minutes. In April, however, visits to the company’s stores were down 8.8% from a year ago.