He desired to open a store that offered a wide range of goods but at discount prices. With that being said, it seems as if his intentions for starting Walmart are something entirely different than they were then. While Sam Walton's intentions of creating a store for an "everyday man" were good, Walmart has grown to be the largest marketing power in the world. Walmart has essentially monopolized the retail market. Walmart is the US's second largest private employer, second only to the federal government, with 1.1 million workers (McNamara, Melissa). This question remains in the minds of people like me: Does Walmart really help me and people like me live better?.
When Sam Walton first started Walmart, he was quoted as saying, "The key to success is to get out into the store and listen to what the associates have to say. It's terribly important for everyone to get involved. Our best ideas come from clerks and stock-boys" (Khurana, Simran). This quote shows intent and desire of Sam Walton and how he wanted to include even the lowest paid employees to offer ideas for the innovation of his busHowever, since Sam Walton died in April of 1992, the manner in which the business is being handled, the way Walmart treats their employees, and the way Walmart, in general, is being run now is something entirely different from what it started as. Walmart is now the world's largest company, being three times the size of the world's second largest company, France's Carrefour. Michael T. Duke took Lee Scott's position as the CEO of Walmart in 2009, and earns a compensation of $12,238,209.00. He will reportedly make 1,551 times the annual income of the average full time Walmart Associate (WalMartWatch.com).
According to the United Food and Commercial Workers or UFCW, a cashier earns $7.92 an hour, which translates into $11,948 annually, which is also below the poverty line. A sales associate earns $8.