Walmart is a huge American multinational retail store founded by Sam Walton in 1962 in Arkansas. But what’s really cool about Walmart is that it’s not just any company—it’s the world’s biggest money-making one! Every year, they make a mind-boggling $611.289 billion. That’s even more than they made last year, by about 6.73%.

The headquarters are located in Bentonville, Arkansas, where they make all the important decisions. Walmart’s story is like a real-life fairytale of American success. It started in a small place in Arkansas, and in just 60 years, it became the biggest store worldwide. Now, you can find Walmart in over 10,500 places all around the world, in 24 different countries.

About Walmart Founder – Samuel Moore Walton

Samuel Moore Walton, born on March 29, 1918, in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, embarked on a remarkable journey that shaped the retail landscape. Achieving the distinction of becoming the youngest Eagle Scout in Missouri during his eighth grade, Walton’s early life hinted at the entrepreneurial spirit that would define his legacy. After graduating from the University of Missouri in 1940 with a degree in economics, he commenced his career by joining J.C. Penney as a management trainee, later serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he rose to the rank of captain in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps.

In 1945, Walton managed his first variety store in Newport, Arkansas, laying the foundation for his pioneering approach to retail. Overcoming challenges, including negotiating leases and high rents, he moved to Bentonville, Arkansas, and opened the first Walmart on May 9, 1950. Walton’s commitment to offering competitive prices, consistently stocking a wide range of goods, and emphasizing logistics fueled Walmart’s unprecedented success. His legacy extends beyond retail, encompassing philanthropy, service leadership, and navigating health struggles. Samuel Moore Walton passed away on April 5, 1992, leaving an enduring impact, with Forbes recognizing him as the richest person in the U.S. from 1982 to 1988 and a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom in March 1992. The Walton family continues to uphold his legacy, ranking as the richest family in the U.S. with a net worth of approximately $240.6 billion as of January 2022.

Early Stage of Walmart

In 1945, Sam Walton rented a part of a store called Ben Franklin. His plan was to sell things at low prices to get lots of customers, even if the profit was small. People really liked his store, and in the first year, he made $105,000. After five years, he earned $250,000.

But then, he couldn’t rent the store anymore, so he opened a new one in Bentonville called Walton’s Five and Dime. Now, that store is a Walmart Museum.

Walmart logo - biggest multinational retail seller

The first official Walmart store was opened in 1962 in Arkansas. The inspiration of Fedmart kept the name Walmart. It was the first discount store, opened in 1954. Within five years, Walmart had expanded to 18 branches in Arkansas, and sales reached $9 million. 

Walmart success story:

On 31 October 1969, the company became Wal-Mart Inc. and then changed to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in 1970. In that same year, Walmart started selling stocks on the New York Stock Exchange, and in May 1971, they did their first stock split when each share cost $47.

By 1973, Walmart had stores in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and in 1974, they started moving into Texas, already having 125 stores, 7500 workers, and sales of $340.3 million.

Walton Sam: The person behind walmart success
Walton Sam

In the 1980s, Walmart celebrated its 25th anniversary and was growing really fast. They had 1198 stores, more than 200,000 employees, and made $15.9 billion in sales each year.

In the 2020s, when COVID-19 was causing problems worldwide, Walmart introduced new benefits for its employees. Now, if workers don’t feel well or don’t want to come to work, they can stay home and not get paid. And if they get sick with COVID-19, they can still get paid for up to two weeks. Walmart is the biggest private employer in the world, with 2.2 million people working there right now.

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Walmart Achievements from 1962 to 2022:

It’s been 60 years of travel. From the start to the present, Walmart has been No. 1 in the world. Though they faced setbacks in their business, they never got fed up with it. Always keep aiming to offer low-value goods to the customers.

They never thought about gaining profits from the business; they just wanted to give everyone affordable things. The growth journey of Walmart from 1962 to 2022 is given below.

YearAchievements
1962The first Walmart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas.
1967Walmart opened 24 stores and gained a profit of $12.7 million. 
1969The company officially announced it as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.,
1970Walmart begins its trading business and its stock is sold at $16.50. 
1971The first distribution center and home office opened in Arkansas.
1972Walmart is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and sales were up to $78 million. 
1975Walmart Cheer was introduced to the market.
1978First, Walmart pharmacy is open.
1979The Walmart Foundation is open.
1980Walmart reached $1 billion in sales and opened 276 stores with 21,000 employees. 
1983Sam’s Club was opened in Oklahoma. Cash billing was replaced by computerized billing. 
1984Walton does the Hula on Wall Street and gains pre-tax of 8%. 
1987The Walton family opens the Walton Family Foundation. They opened a private satellite to link all Walmart companies through voice, data, and video communication. 
1988The first Walmart supercenter opened in Washington. It is operated as a one-stop shopping center. 
1991Walmart joined hands with Cifra and opened its first Sam’s Club company in Mexico. 
1992Sam Walton passed away, and Rob Walton became chairman. There were 1928 stores, and 371,000 employees worked. 
1996opened the first store in China.
1997The company made $100 billion in sales.
1998The Walmart neighborhood market was started in three branches of Arkansas and kept its footprint in the United Kingdom. 
2000H. Lee Scott Jr. becomes CEO. Walmart.com was opened to provide online shopping for U.S. customers. 3989 stores were opened and 1.1 million employees worked. 
2002For the first time, Walmart tops the Fortune 500 ranking list of America’s largest companies. Walmart steps into Japan. 
2005Walmart helped a lot during hurricanes Rita and Katrina. They offered $18 million and 2450 trucks of goods to the people. They started an environmental saving program. 
2006Walmart started a $4 generic prescription program. 
2007The Walmart.com service was launched in all Walmart stores to do online shopping. 
2009Mike Duke becomes CEO. The sales reached above $400 million and entered Chile. 
2010Walmart enters India. They launched global sustainable agriculture to strengthen farmers and offer high-quality foods to customers. 
2011Walmart entered South Africa and surpassed 10,000 retail units around the world.
2012Walmart enters into 50 years of success celebration. 
2013Walmart announced it will hire veterans. Within five years, they planned to hire 100,000 veterans for their stores. They stepped into Columbia.  
2014Walmart and Sam’s Club have opened many COVID testing centers and supply PPE kits to medical workers. Walmart.org established the Center for Racial Equity following the murder of George Floyd.
2015Walmart has 2.3 million employees, 200 million customers weekly, and 11,000 stores in 27 countries.
2016Walmart Pay was introduced to make purchases on Walmart.com et.com and Heyneedle.com became part of the Walmart family and opened its first training academy in South Carolina.
2017Greg Foran became president and CEO of Walmart. The US. Doug McMillion became CEO.
2018Walmart changed its name from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to Walmart Inc. One million employees get benefits from maternity and parental leave. They got Flipkart in India under their control and expanded to Brazil. 
2019The first Walmart health center was opened. Walmart insources its advertising business. KathMcLay became president and CEO of Sam’s Club. 
2020Walmart and Sam’s Club have opened many COVID testing centers and supply PPE kits to medical workers. Walmart.org establishes the Center for Racial Equity following the murder of George Floyd.
2021Walmart invests in drone delivery, fintech, and autonomous vehicles. They launched the Walmart GoLocal last-mile delivery service and data ventures. Walmart and Sam’s Club helped in supplying COVID vaccines to the people.
2022Walmart’s health service expands to Florida. This year, Walmart celebrates its 60th year. 

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Different stores of Walmart:

Walmart Supercenters:

They include meat and poultry, baked goods, frozen foods, dairy products, garden produce, and fresh seafood.

Many Walmart Supercenters also have a garden center, pet shop, pharmacy, Tire & Lube Express, optical center, a one-hour photo processing lab, portrait studio, and numerous alcove shops, such as cellular phone stores, hair and nail salons, video rental stores, local bank branches, and fast-food outlets.

In some supermarkets, they have a gasoline supply too. Many food courts, like McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Palm Desserts, etc., opened in their stores. In one place, people can get everything. Nearly 12 million products are available here. 

Walmart Discount Store:

It includes general merchandise and needed groceries. Some stores have a garden center, pharmacy, Tire & Lube Express, optical center, one-hour photo processing lab, portrait studio, bank branch, cell phone store, fast food outlets, and gasoline stations.

Walmart Neighborhood store:

The stores focus on three significant sales categories: groceries, which account for about 55 percent of the company’s revenue, pharmacy, and, at some stores, fuel.

For groceries and consumable products, the stores sell fresh fruits and vegetables, bakery items, prepared foods, meat, dairy, organic, general grocery, frozen foods, cleaning products, and pet supplies.

Some stores offer wine and beer sales and drive-through pharmacies.

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Sam’s Club:

They sell general groceries and other products. Here you can order in bulk orders. 

Walmart’s success strategy:

Some key factors that contributed to Walmart’s success are as follows:

1. Emphasis on low prices:

Walmart is known for its “everyday low prices” strategy, which keeps prices consistently low across all products. This strategy has helped Walmart appeal to a wide range of customers, from budget-conscious shoppers to those who value convenience.

2. Large-scale operations:

Walmart operates more than 11,000 stores in 27 countries, making it one of the largest retailers in the world. Its massive scale allows the company to negotiate lower prices with suppliers and spread fixed costs across many stores.

3. Innovation and technology:

Walmart has been a leader in implementing new technologies to improve its operations and customer experience. For example, the company has invested heavily in e-commerce and has developed a range of innovative technologies, such as its automated pickup towers and its use of robots to clean floors and track inventory.

4. Focus on employee satisfaction:

Walmart has a reputation for being a tough employer, but the company has made efforts to improve working conditions and employee satisfaction in recent years. In 2019, Walmart announced raising its starting wage to $11 per hour and offering additional employee benefits.

5. Strong corporate culture:

Walmart’s strong corporate culture emphasizes efficiency, frugality, and customer service. The company’s founder, Sam Walton, was known for his hands-on leadership style and commitment to serving customers. This culture has been passed down to subsequent generations of Walmart leaders and is a key driver of the company’s success.

Overall, Walmart’s success can be attributed to a combination of factors, including its low-price strategy, large-scale operations, focus on innovation and technology, emphasis on employee satisfaction, and strong corporate culture.

Motivation from Walmart’s success story:

Walmart’s success story is a great source of motivation as it demonstrates the power of hard work, innovation, and customer-centricity. Here are some key takeaways that can inspire individuals and businesses:

Customer Focus:

Walmart’s focus on delivering the best possible shopping experience for its customers helped it become one of the largest retailers in the world. By constantly listening to and understanding their customers’ needs, Walmart was able to provide affordable, high-quality products and services that people love.

Innovation:

Walmart’s supply chain management, logistics, and technology innovation has been instrumental in its success. By investing in new technologies and systems, Walmart was able to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance the overall shopping experience for its customers.

Hard Work:

Walmart’s founder, Sam Walton, had a strong work ethic and believed in leading by example. He encouraged his employees to work hard, innovate, and continuously improve. This culture of hard work and dedication has been a key driver of Walmart’s success.

Adaptability:

Walmart has been able to adapt to changing market trends and consumer preferences. By constantly evolving its business model and offerings, Walmart has remained relevant and competitive in a rapidly changing retail landscape.

Overall, Walmart’s success story is a testament to the power of hard work, customer focus, innovation, and adaptability. It shows that with the right mindset and approach, anyone can succeed and positively impact the world.

FAQs about Walmart

  1. What is Walmart?

    Walmart is a retail corporation that operates hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores across the globe. It is headquartered in the United States and is a multinational company. It is one of the largest retailers in the world and offers a wide variety of products including groceries, electronics, clothing, home goods, and more.

  2. What are Walmart’s store hours?

    Walmart’s store hours may vary by location, but most stores are typically open from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, seven days a week. However, some stores may have different hours, so it’s best to check with your local Walmart store for their specific hours.

  3. Does Walmart offer online shopping?

    Yes, Walmart offers online shopping through its website, Walmart.com, and its mobile app. Customers can shop for a wide range of products and have them delivered to their home or to a nearby Walmart store for pickup.

  4. What is Walmart’s return policy?

    Walmart’s return policy allows customers to return most items within 90 days of purchase with a receipt or original packaging. However, some items, such as electronics, have a shorter return window of 15 to 30 days. Customers can return items in-store or by mail, depending on the item and the reason for the return.

  5. Does Walmart offer price matching?

    Walmart offers price matching for eligible items sold by local competitors or Walmart.com. Customers can request a price match at the time of purchase or within seven days by contacting Walmart customer service.

  6. Does Walmart offer a loyalty program?

    Yes, Walmart offers a loyalty program called Walmart+ which provides members with benefits such as free delivery on eligible orders, mobile scan & go, member prices on fuel, and more. To become a member, one can either pay $12.95 per month or $98 per year.

  7. What payment methods does Walmart accept?

    Walmart accepts a variety of payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards, cash, Walmart gift cards, and Walmart Pay (a mobile payment option). Some stores also accept other payment methods such as PayPal and check.