Walmart is an American retail company founded in 1962 by Sam Walton. Today it is the largest retailer in the world with over 11,000 stores worldwide and revenues of more than $559 billion (as of 2021).
It employs 2.2 million people globally at its subsidiaries which include Asda Stores Ltd., Walmart Canada, Sam’s Club, Walmart International, and Wal-Mart Supercenters.
The company was incorporated on October 31, 1969, but the first Walmart was opened in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas.
Sam Walton opened the first Walmart Discount City in 1962. The store was located on the outskirts of Rogers, Arkansas where he grew up.
Just after a year, his company acquired another chain by purchasing Ben Franklin Stores for $30 million to expand its operations.
Then came the acquisition of several stores including Handy Dan and Jordan Marsh in 1967 and Oshman’s in 1969.
In the 1970s, Walmart began to open several stores outside Arkansas including its first California store at Lancaster and Sierra Highway in Ontario, California.
In 1972, Sam Walton opened his dream “Walmart Discount City” which is now known as Walmart Supercenter with 50,000 square feet of retail space.
Walmart continued to grow in the 1980s and opened stores outside the United States. It entered Mexico by acquiring Jumex, a leading superstore chain in 1982.
Walmart Canada followed suit by opening its first store at St. Albert, Alberta in 1988 after purchasing 175 Woolco stores from the F. W. Woolworth Company for $225 million in cash and stock.
The 1990s marked a period of expansion that saw Walmart opening several retail outlets all over the world including Japan, South Korea, Germany, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, China, and India among others.
In 1998, Walmart expanded its operations by acquiring the largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, Asda.
In 2002, it acquired a controlling stake in Massmart Holdings Ltd., a leading South African retailer, and wholesaler of consumer goods.
In 2005, Walmart Stores Inc. purchased another discount store chain named “Tower Records” for $160 million. It was renamed “Walmart Entertainment” and later closed down in 2006.
Later that year, Walmart began to sell online with the launch of walmart.com and acquired an online apparel retailer named “Jane.”
The slogan of Walmart is “Save Money. Live Better” which was introduced in May 2008.
The slogan was developed by the Walmart Marketing department in response to an internal branding initiative called “Project Impact.”
The project was designed to re-establish the customer’s trust and confidence in Walmart after several scandals that rocked its image.
Walmart no longer allows customers to scan their receipts when they want to get a refund on the difference in price from other stores. Previously, people could use the Savings Capture app or Walmart Pay to scan their receipts when they do a price match at Walmart. However, this facility is no longer available as […]
Walmart is very efficient at managing its operations. For example, Walmart employee clock-in system makes it easy for the management to keep track of employee shifts and hours worked by employees on a daily basis. However, most new employees want to know how they can clock in at Walmart stores? How to clock in at […]
Thinking of buying gift cards? Look nowhere! Walmart is the best place to buy a variety of gift cards of different denominations, brands, stores, and companies. You can buy them with cash, debit cards, credit cards, and also even with a Walmart gift card that you previously bought at a Walmart near you. What Gift […]
Is your car running out of fuel? No Worries! You can simply find & locate a gas station near you using your smartphone. But, what if you find a Murphy USA gas station & you only have your iPhone to pay for gas? “Does Murphy USA accepts Apple Pay?” – this is one common question […]
Bought a bike at Walmart recently? Want to return it for some reason? Don’t worry! You are covered under Walmart’s 90-day return policy. Walmart allows you to return a bicycle that you purchased online or in-store if it thinks that you are eligible for its return policy. Because, there are certain kinds of things that […]
Walmart is highly-known for its low prices but, what about its price match policy? Does it price match Amazon in 2021? Let’s take a look at all such important questions below! If you don’t already know, according to Walmart’s price match policy, Walmart doesn’t price match its in-store prices with any other retailer’s prices including […]
Tire installation is performed only by a few retail stores that employ staff specifically trained to service tires. Walmart is one such retailer that offers tire installation. Let’s now take a look at some important questions including – does Walmart install tires in 2021? If yes, how much does Walmart charge for tire installation? and […]
In the US, people make use of several types of payment methods to shop at their favorite retail stores like Walmart. And, Apple Pay is one such popular payment method in the country with millions of users. So, it’s not uncommon to have this question on your mind: “Does Walmart take Apple Pay?”. Almost every […]
Retailers like Walmart have a slogan because they want to convey a message about the values of their business. A slogan can be used as an advertising tool, but it also serves as a marketing strategy. The slogan is one element of branding and helps consumers identify with the company’s mission and identity. Let’s get […]
It’s not so hard to find out the operating hours of a Walmart store nearby. All you have to do is simply make use of Walmart’s store locator or Google Maps. Generally speaking, almost every Walmart store opens by 6:00 in the morning throughout the week. But, a few will be opened at 7 AM. […]