Sam Walton's son Robertson Walton is the current chairman of Wal-Mart. Sam walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, was born in Bentonville, Arkansas in 19 18. When Sam was a child, his family was not rich, which made him form the habit of thrift. From 65438 to 0936, Sam entered the University of Missouri to study for a bachelor's degree in economics, and served as the president of the University Student Union. When he 1940 graduated, it coincided with the outbreak of World War II. Sam resolutely signed up for the army and served in the intelligence department of the United States Army. After World War II, Sam returned to his hometown. He borrowed $20,000 from his father-in-law, opened a small shop with his wife Helen, and learned how to purchase, price and sell. At this time, Sam met henri verneuil, a manufacturer's sales agent from new york, and learned the first lesson of pricing. Sam said, "Henry sells women's trousers, and the 1 pair is only 2 dollars. We have been buying the same pants in the same place, but that pair of 1 pants costs $2.50. We found that the sales of trousers would soar at Henry's price. So I understand a seemingly simple truth: if I buy something at a unit price of 80 cents and sell it at a price of $65,438 +0, its sales volume is three times that of $65,438 +0.2! From the point of view of one commodity alone, I earned half less money, but sold three times as much goods, and the total profit was actually much larger. " Until today, his son has not changed this price concept. At present, Wal-Mart has 65,438+0,702 traditional chain stores, 952 supermarkets, 479 "Sam member stores" and 20 "block market" grocery stores in the United States. In addition, there are 1088 chain stores in other countries, forming a powerful "Wal-Mart Empire". Wal-Mart stores sell all kinds of goods, from household groceries, men's and women's clothes and children's toys, to food and furniture. A prominent feeling of various stores under Wal-Mart's name is small profits but quick turnover, and prices are reduced every day. Wal-Mart's goal is to deal with low-income, rich and comprehensive goods at low prices. For decades, Wal-Mart has been adhering to the business strategy of small profits but quick turnover. Wal-Mart can achieve low prices every day because its cost is lower than its competitors and its commodity turnover is faster. Wal-Mart bypasses middlemen and buys directly from factories. As early as 1980s, Wal-Mart adopted the policy of excluding the sales agent of the manufacturer from the transaction, ordering directly from the manufacturer, and at the same time reducing the purchase price by 2-6%, which is approximately equivalent to the commission of the sales agent. After the uniformly ordered goods are sent to the distribution center, the distribution center will screen and repackage the goods on the spot according to the needs of each branch. This "zero inventory" approach, similar to online retailers, has saved Wal-Mart millions of dollars in storage costs every year. David Glass, former president of Wal-Mart, once said: "Distribution facilities are one of the keys to Wal-Mart's success. If we do anything better than others, it is the distribution center. " Flexible and efficient logistics distribution system is the core of Wal-Mart to achieve maximum sales and low-cost inventory turnover. Wal-Mart's first distribution center was established in 1970, covering an area of 6,000 square meters. It supplies 32 shopping centers in four states and handles 40% of the products sold by the company. With the continuous development of the company, the number of distribution centers is also increasing. Up to now, the Wal-Mart distribution center has served about 2,500 shopping malls in 8 states of the United States/KLOC-0, covering an area of about 65,438+10,000 square meters. 85% of the products sold by the whole company are supplied by these distribution centers, while only about 50-65% of the products of its competitors are distributed centrally. Today, Wal-Mart has 65,438+000% logistics system in the United States, and the distribution center is a small part of it. Wal-Mart's complete logistics system includes not only the distribution center, but also more complex data input procurement system and automatic replenishment system. The coordinated operation of commodity supply system requires the establishment of high-quality information transmission and sharing among all subjects. Wal-Mart invested $400 million to launch a commercial satellite by Hughes to realize global networking. Through the global network, more than 4,000 shops around the world can inquire about the inventory, shelves and sales volume of each commodity within 1 hour, and inform truck drivers of the latest road information to adjust the best route of vehicle distribution. In the late 1980s, Wal-Mart began to use EDI to establish an automatic ordering system with suppliers, also known as paperless trading system. Through the network system, Wal-Mart provides business documents, issues purchase orders, obtains receipts and delivery lists to suppliers. At the same time, it also allows suppliers to grasp the sales situation of their products in a timely and accurate manner. Wal-Mart also replaced the purchase order with a more advanced rapid response system, which truly realized the automatic ordering. The system uses bar code scanning and satellite communication to exchange daily information on commodity sales, transportation and ordering with suppliers. Through advanced electronic information means, Wal-Mart keeps the synchronization of store sales and distribution, and the distribution center operates in conjunction with suppliers, which improves work efficiency and reduces costs, making the products sold by Wal-Mart supermarkets have absolute advantages in price and become an important choice for consumers. Who is the first? Customer! Give me a w! Give me an a! Give me an l! Give me an m! Give me an a! Give me a break! Give me a t! What is it spelled? Wal-Mart! Who is the first? Customer! Don't be surprised if you hear the store owner shouting so enthusiastically in the Wal-Mart chain store, because these are the slogans of self-encouragement of Wal-Mart employees. This is a way for the clerk to express his pride as a Wal-Mart clerk. In recent years, Wal-Mart has made a global attack, and you can hear slogans shouted in different languages. So, how did these slogans come into being? Sam visited a Korean tennis factory one year and found that the workers in the factory got together every morning to shout the slogan of the company and do morning exercises together. Sam was so impressed by this that he wished he didn't go home right away, so he practiced this practice in his own shop. He said: "My feeling is that it is because of our efforts that we can't pull an ugly long face everywhere. We have done so much work, of course, we want to be comfortable. We have this inspiring slogan, which not only makes us spend our working hours happily, but also makes our work better. " Sam walton's son Robertson Walton is the current chairman of Wal-Mart. He believes that the success of Wal-Mart is inseparable from its unique corporate culture. Whenever you walk into any Wal-Mart chain store, you will definitely find the lowest price goods and real services you want. You will feel at home in every sales room of every chain store. This is the corporate culture of Wal-Mart. "Customer satisfaction" is the primary goal of Wal-Mart. Customer satisfaction is the best investment to ensure future success and development. Wal-Mart's promise to provide customers with "quality service" and "unconditional refund" is not a beautiful slogan. In the United States, Wal-Mart unconditionally accepts refunds for goods purchased from Wal-Mart without any reason or even receipt. Wal-Mart surveys customers' expectations and reactions every week. Managers collect information according to the computer information system, and collect customers' expectations through direct investigation, so as to immediately update product mix, organize procurement, improve product display and placement, and create a comfortable shopping environment. Sam has a famous saying: "Please show your eight teeth to customers." In Sam's view, only smiling to the point of showing eight teeth can be regarded as a qualified "smile service". Sam also taught employees: "When a customer comes within 65,438+00 feet of you, you should look the customer in the eye gently and encourage him to ask for advice and help." This article is summed up as "ten-foot attitude" and has become the employee principle of Wal-Mart. There are also rules in Wal-Mart's corporate culture, such as "Don't put off today's work until tomorrow" and "Always provide services beyond customers' expectations", which are written into American marketing textbooks. As the largest retailer in the world, Wal-Mart has been ranked among the top 500 in the world in recent years 10. Sam walton should have taken the lead in this achievement, but after retirement, the billionaire continued to drive the old van and even carefully shaved his head. It is said that Sam frequents a small barber shop that costs only $5, and he doesn't want to tip a penny. As the saying goes, "Like father, like son", Sam's low-key style really taught his son Robertson a lesson. After Robertson took over as chairman of Wal-Mart, he continued to live in a humble old house. It is difficult to hear any news about Robertson's life in American media reports. The opportunity of American economic transformation is small profits but quick turnover and service first. Wal-Mart's business philosophy and corporate culture seem simple and traditional. However, Wal-Mart is lucky. From the manufacturing industry in the 1950s to the service industry in the 1990s, the American economy has undergone tremendous transformation, and Wal-Mart has seized the historical opportunity of the American economic transformation. In the 1950s, in the daily life of Americans, some basic consumer needs were still an important part of family expenses. Now the real income of Americans has doubled, the composition of consumption has also undergone fundamental changes, and the enjoyment of services has begun to occupy a larger share. If the manufacturing industry was dominant among the top 500 companies in the world in 1955, then two-thirds of the top 500 companies in 100 now come from the service industry. Even for comprehensive companies, most of their income comes from service fields such as financial operations. According to the forecast of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, during the period from 200 1 to 20 10/0, the traditional manufacturing industry will create 10.3 million new jobs, while the service industry will provide 20 million jobs in the same period. While maintaining the fine tradition, it is another important reason for Wal-Mart's success to constantly create a retail business model that meets the needs of the new era. Chain operation and modern science and technology have given Wal-Mart, which is engaged in the traditional retail industry, a soaring wing, and pushed it to continuously expand its business scale. 1979, it took Wal-Mart one year to complete the sales of 10 billion USD; 1993, only took a week; 200 1, one day is enough. It is through high-tech tapping the potential that the cost is continuously reduced and the sales volume is rapidly increased. In the future, can the retail empire Wal-Mart continue to maintain its growth potential? Perhaps overseas market expansion determines the future development of Wal-Mart.