In 1950, after 3 years of military service and 5 years of retail experience, Sam
Walton opens his own variety store named Walton’s 5&10 on the downtown square in
Bentonville, Arkansas. Then, in 1962, after much success in his variety store and a
willingness to take a bigger risk for greater opportunities, Sam Walton opens up the first
Wal-Mart in Rogers, Arkansas. Ever since, Wal-Mart has dedicated themselves to giving
millions of customers “an opportunity to see what it’s like to save and have a better life.”
(Sam Walton…) In fact, to this day this has become the core of Wal-Mart’s mission
statement: “To save money so people can live better.”
In its rapid progression, Wal-Mart hit some major landmarks in the course of its
history. In 1970, after only eight years of successful growth, Sam Walton decided to
expand his company further by going national and declaring that Wal-Mart was going
public. Shortly after this monumental decision, Wal-Mart’s success grew and expanded
throughout the world at a fast rate. In 1980, Wal-Mart hit a phenomenal annual sales
worth of $1 billion just ten years later.
By 1979, Wal-Mart makes a very socially responsible decision and establishes the
“Walmart Foundation.” To this day, Wal-Mart has become widely known in the business
world for donating massive amounts of money to help the unfortunate around the world,
such as aiding in natural disasters and feeding the hungry and poor.
Wal-Mart made a huge technological step that put them ahead of all their
competitors. In 1983 all Wal-Mart stores replaced cash registers with computerized sale
systems. Soon after, Consumers flocked to Wal-Mart stores, who now gave the customers
a “fast and accurate checkout.” (Experience Walmart’s History)
When 1988 came around, Wal-Mart had redefined shopping when it opened up its
iconic Wal-Mart Supercenter, which provided a combination of a general merchandise
and supermarket store into one. This shot Wal-Mart far ahead of its competition. No other
company had established a store with such a unique wide variety of goods while
maintaining unbeatable prices. This was a huge Milestone for not only the company, but
for millions of consumers in the world. This put Wal-Mart on their own level and ignited
a new era of convenience shopping worldwide.
One of the most well known ethical decisions Wal-Mart has ever made was in
2005 when they led the Hurricane Katrina and Rita disaster relief with the biggest
contributions offered in the aftermath of one of the most catastrophic Hurricanes in
America. Wal-Mart ended up contributing a total of $18 million and 2,450 truckloads of
supplies to those affected by the natural disasters. Wal-Mart has strove to keep their
socially conscience image and honoring Sam Walton’s legacy as well. “We are
committed not just to expanding the business to better serve our customers, but
also to improving the communities we serve through our efforts to constantly
improve what we do and how we do it, and through the impacts we’re able to
achieve through the Walmart Foundation.” (Sam Walton…) Wal-Mart was able to
prove how genuine the company really was through this outstanding act of charity.
Wal-Mart also recently made huge improvements in maintaining
accountability for their suppliers. Wal-Mart has a set of strict standards for their
suppliers on the conditions of the factories and well being of the workers in
Bangladesh. To ensure that suppliers comply with these standards, Wal-Mart has
regular social and safety audits completed in each work place. Wal-Mart has a goal
in not just bettering the lives of its consumers, but also those who make the
products. Even though this sometimes might slow down Wal-Mart’s imports of
goods, since they only partner with certain suppliers who abide by their guidelines,
Wal-Mart has still continued to keep the well being of workers in a third world
country a top priority.
Probably the most infamous poor ethical decision Wal-Mart has made in the
past has involved its employees. Wal-Mart’s unjust compensation plan is at the top
in its category of poor ethical decisions that includes its employees. The average
Wal-Mart associate receives minimum wage or close to minimum wage as a starting
pay. Promotions earn employees an added range of 20 to 40 cents to their hourly
pay. According to Wal-Mart’s policy regarding raises, the best possible raise any
