Walmart boosts outlook as back-to-school sales return

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO
AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is raising its outlook for the year as Americans, coming out of hibernation,  returned to shopping for back-to-school clothes and travel goods during the fiscal second quarter.  Still, concerns are mounting over spending in the months ahead as the  delta variant of COVID-19 surges across the U.S. and mask mandates are reinstated. Home Depot, the nation’s largest home improvement retailer, said Tuesday that sales continued to rise, but the DIY frenzy may be cooling.  And  the government reported that retail sales in July fell a seasonal adjusted 1.1% in July from the month before the surge of new cases kept people away from stores.