Discount Stores
Walmarts office is located near California's Silicon Valley, but Their heart and spirit are still in Bentonville, Ark., the corporate home of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and the town where Sam Walton opened Walton's Five and Dime in 1950. From humble beginnings in northwestern Arkansas, Wal-Mart has grown to become a familiar household name all over the world. Read the Wal-Mart story.
At the heart of Wal-Mart's growth is the unique culture that "Mr. Sam" built. His business philosophy was based on the simple idea of making the customer No. 1. He believed that by serving the customer's needs first, his business would also serve its associates, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders. Their goal at Walmart is to bring Mr. Sam's culture and philosophy from Wal-Mart stores to the Internet.
They want you to be completely satisfied with every purchase you make at Walmart
The secret to our success isn't such a secret The "10-Foot Attitude"
Sam Walton had a way with people. He had a charm and a charisma that made people feel welcome and important.
Sam's people skills can still be felt today through Wal-Mart's associates. When Sam visited his stores, he asked the associates to make a pledge: "I want you to promise that whenever you come within 10 feet of a customer, you will look him in the eye, greet him and ask if you can help him."
This pledge is what we now call our "10-foot attitude." Sam learned the power of this attitude in college while campaigning for class president. "I learned that one of the secrets to leadership was the simplest thing of all: Speak to people coming down the sidewalk before they speak to you.... I would always look ahead and speak to the person coming toward me."
Sam not only won that election, but he also became a leader in other campus organizations and carried his leadership and friendly smile wherever he went.
