Uncle Sam's army: Walmart in the American imagination
Walmart began as a small mom and pop store in Arkansas in the 1950s and has evolved into one of the largest retailers in the world today. The chain’s major hallmark: selling goods at prices lower than
On July 2, 1962, Walton opened the first Walmart Discount City store in Rogers, Arkansas. He chose rural locations out of necessity, since it was cheaper to build there, but soon made it a part of his strategy. He flew his small plane over the South and Midwest, scouting for new sites for Walmarts. &lsquoFrom up in the air,&rsquo Walton wrote in his autobiography, &lsquowe could check out
Image by Courtesy Walmart
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Walton had made a promise to his employees (whom Walmart calls associates) that he would do the hula on Wall Street if the company reached a pre-tax profit of 8% for the fiscal year. Walmart achieved its goal in 1983, and Walton did the dance to celebrate the company&rsquos success on March 15, 1984. He even wore leis and a grass skirt. Then-CFO David Glass hired a &lsquotruckload of real
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In the 1980s, Walmart invested in a sophisticated inventory tracking system that uses their own satellite network. In addition to track inventory, the system allows technicians and executives to easily communicate to individual stores, access sales records, and troubleshoot and manage problems. Throughout the &rsquo90s, Walmart pioneered the global logistics that underpin most retail oper
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Today, Walmart is the largest employer in the world, with the estimated number of employees being close to 2.3 million globally (as of Feb 2018), of which over 60% of the workforce are women. It operates over 11,700 retail units under 65 banners in 28 countries. About three-quarters of the company&rsquos store managers began their careers at Walmart as hourly associates. If Walmart is tre
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Walmart has faced a torrent of lawsuits and issues involving workers&rsquo low wages, poor working conditions, inadequate health care, and issues involving the company's strong anti-union policies. The company gives its managers a 53-page handbook called 'A Manager&rsquos Toolbox to Remaining Union-Free' which provides helpful strategies and tips for union-busting. Last week, Walmart sett
Image by Jeff Haynes/ Reuters
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Walmart introduced a batch of new employees at 50 stores recently, but they're not there to flash you a smile. These 6 feet tall, autonomous robots (made by Bossa Nova) continuously go up and down the aisles, scanning for out-of-stock items, items put in the wrong place by customers, incorrect prices and wrong or missing labels. They alert human employees of errors it sees, thus automatin
Image by Courtesy Walmart
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Walmart loses about $3 billion a year from shoplifting, and have a &lsquorestorative justice&rsquo programme that avoids calling the police. People deemed low-risk, first-time offenders are given the choice of paying to take an anti-shoplifting course rather than facing arrest and prosecution. The effort - rolled out in 1500 stores - is in its early days, but the company has seen a 35% re
Image by Courtesy: Walmart
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Since Sam Walton's death in 1992, Walmart's charitable giving has increased and now approach US$1 billion each year. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Walmart spearheaded the relief effort, getting 100,000 meals, 100 truckloads of supplies, $20 million in cash donations and promise of jobs for every displaced worker with a speed that outmatched even the government. A logistical fe
Image by Courtesy Walmart
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Each week nearly one-third of the US population visits Walmart&rsquos U.S. stores. The company tracks shoppers' purchases across Walmart.com and its more than 4,700 US stores. In a recent analysis, Walmart revealed 2017&rsquos hottest-selling items in every state in the US. Here are a few: New York: Cheerios, New Hampshire: Cinnamon-flavored toothpaste, Connecticut: Ghost in the Shell DVD
Image by Courtesy Jay, Barry &Chuck’s OM blog
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The Black Friday shopping phenomenon - the day following Thanksgiving Day in the US which falls on the fourth thursday of November - sees shoppers turn into raging hordes, baffling social scientists. For many years, retailers opened early with mega promotions at 6am Friday, with mega promotions until they began pushing it back. It was taken to a new extreme when retailers began opening on
