A COMMUNICATION COMPARISON
Prepared for
Professor Devon Bazata
Business and Professional Writing
Prepared by
Kathryn Haines
Fall 1, 2012
WALMART AND TARGET:
A COMMUNICATION COMPARISON
INTRODUCTION
Many discount retailers have come and gone over the years, but Wal-Mart and more recently Target, have employed business models that continually deliver profits, even in the struggling economy of the United states in recent years. Wal-Mart and Target both have expanded rapidly since their inception and while Wal-Mart has become an international retailer with stores in fifteen countries and all over the United States while Target has stayed closer to home with stores in Canada and the United Sates. Both retail giants provide well designed stores, online shopping, bargain pricing, large selection and for the most part, good customer service. Target seems to excel in the customer service area though while Wal-Mart is just adequate. Wal-Mart stores are warehouse design and bargain shoppers appreciate that they can buy tires and groceries at the same time while Target stores are more of a department store design and shoppers enjoy bargains but the trendy products provide for a different type of shopper. The product mix for these retail superstars is similar but their customer base is very different which allows both companies to succeed. There are many similarities but the differences are what makes these companies great. The fact that both companies are successful even when the economy is down shows their dedication to to providing the products that their individual customers want and need and their ability to adapt to be more competitive with each other.
Wal-Mart and Target's success can directly be attributed to their marketing and the communication styles they employ. Although both Wal-Mart and Target's advertising, merchandising and communication styles are