Walmart

We all learned that Walmart took over as one of the biggest employers in the US. However, do you know where Walmart even started?

This can be accredited to one man called Sam Walton...

Who is Sam Walton?
Walmart evolved from Sam Walton's goals for great value and great customer service. In 1950, the Waltons left Newport for Bentonville and Sam opened Walton's first 5&10 on the downtown square. From the success of his dime store, he then opened the first Walmart in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas.

Sam's competitors didn't think the idea of offering lower prices and great service would work, but Sam clearly proved them wrong. The low costs attracted customers and his strong commitment to service earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President Goerge H.W. Bush. He later died in 1992, but his legacy lives on today.

Quick Timeline
1962: Sam Walton opens the first Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas
1970: Walmart becomes a publicly traded company. The first stock is sold at $16.50 per share
1979: Walmart Foundation is established
1988: First Walmart Supercenter opens and combines general merchandise and full-scale supermarket to provide one-stop shopping convenience
1991: Walmart goes global opening Sam's Club in Mexico City
1992: Sam Walton receives the Medal of Freedom and passes away
1994: Walmart expands to Canada
1996: Walmart opens its first stores in China
2000: Walmart.com is founded
2002: Walmart tops the Fortune 500 ranking of America's largest companies
2018: Company changes legal name form Wal-Mart stores, Inc. to Walmart Inc