On May 9, 1950, Sam Walton opened up Walton 's 5&10 in Bentonville, Arkansas. The first store with the Wal-Mart name was opened in 1962 in Rogers, AR, financed 95% by Sam Walton himself.
Wal-Mart 's Headquarters:
The corporate headquarters of the world 's largest retail company, Wal-Mart, are located in Bentonville, AR, where founder Sam Walton started it all.
The Mission Statement and Purpose of Wal-Mart (WMT)
Wal-Mart 's advertised mission statement and its advertising slogan are the same:
"We save people money so they can live better."
In addition to this mission statement, the company looks to its founder, Sam Walton for a company "purpose":
“If we work together, we’ll lower the cost of living for everyone…we’ll give the world an opportunity to see what it’s like to save and have a better life.”
In order to fulfill its mission, Wal-Mart has developed some unique, policies, principles, rules, processes and procedures, the sum total of which form the Wal-Mart stores corporate culture:
Open Door Policy - Managers ' doors are open to employees at all levels
Sundown Rule - Answering employee, customer, and supplier questions on the same day the questions are received
Grass Roots Process - Capturing suggestions and ideas from the sales floor and front lines
3 Basic Beliefs & Values - Respect for the Individual, Service to our Customers, Striving for Excellence
10-Foot Rule - Making eye contact, greeting, and offering help to customers who come within 10 feet
Servant Leadership - Leaders are in service to their team
Wal-Mart Cheer - An actual structured chant that was created by founder Sam Walton to lift morale every morning
Finance
For the fiscal year ending January 31, 2009, Wal-Mart reported a net income of $13.6 billion on $404 billion of revenue(3.4% profit margin). For the fiscal year ending January 31, 2006, Wal-Mart 's international operations accounted for