Walmart - the High Price of Morality

The High Price of Morality

Wal-Mart’s main area of interest is to save people money, with cheap products. According to their web-site their main slogan is: “Saving people money so they can live better” The first Wal-Mart opened in Arkansas in 1962. By 1967, five years they had 24 stores up and running. By 1969 they started the official Wal-Mart stores Inc. In 1970 the first stock was sold for Wal-Mart and they became a public traded company. By 1980 they had reached a billion dollars in sales the first company at that time to do this and had now owned 276 stores with over 21,000 associates. In 1983, the first Sam’s Club had opened. In 1987 they installed the US’ largest private satellite communication system. By 1988 they had opened their first Wal-Mart Supercenter. 1990 Wal-Mart became the number one retailer in the nation. 1992 Wal-Mart had now about 371,000 associates and 1,298 stores. 1994 Wal-Mart expanded into Canada, no longer just the US. Then in 196 opened its first stores in China. 1999 Wal-Mart then enters the United Kingdom. 2000 Wal-Mart founded wal-mart.com for convenient online shopping. 2010 they opened their first store in India. By 2012 Wal-Mart celebrated its 50th anniversary with 2.2 million associates and 10,000 stores in now 27 countries.

Mission Statement: “Saving people money so they can live better. Wal-Mart helps people around the world save money and live better -- anytime and anywhere -- in retail stores, online and through their mobile devices” (corporate.Wal-mart.com, 2013). Wal-Mart’s values statement is: “Find out how innovative thinking, leadership through service, and above all, our commitment to saving people money so they can live better have made us the business we are today and are shaping the company we will be tomorrow” (corporate.Wal-mart.com, 2013).

Wal-Mart’s activities vary from Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and online shopping. It also depends on what store and Country they are in. Wal-Mart has been known to donate goods to the needy, and example of this is during December before Christmas they usually donate trees to my preschool of low-income families who cannot afford a Christmas tree. A big example is in 2005, “Wal-Mart took a leading role in disaster relief, contributing $18 million and 2,450 truckloads of supplies to victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita” (corporate.walmart.com, 2013).

The main source of funding for Wal-Mart comes from their consumers or customers for both Wal-Mart and the Sam’s Club. However, Wal-Mart also has many investors including stock and shareholders. The company’s most recent revenue’s: The net sale from Wal-Mart on in the U.S in 2012 was 443,854 which was an 8% increase from 2011. The company’s most recent profit: According to the financial report they received a 24.5% gross profit margin. Historical growth in relationship to its revenue and