Sam Walton is the great founder of Walmart raised an icon of American commerce on a foundation of determination and smarts.
By opening day, the team felt fried. For two weeks they had worked long hours to get Sam Walton’s second Walmart ready. Rebuilding and installing old fixtures salvaged from a store recently gone bankrupt had been a struggle. Late into the night the team had unloaded truckloads of merchandise. By morning they had barely finished placing products on shelves, on tables, and in front of the store. On top of that, the July heat was punishing; the building wasn’t air-conditioned; the restrooms didn’t work; and the parking lot wasn’t fully paved.
A great deal was at stake. Store number one had struggled to make money and was not as successful as Sam had hoped. He had borrowed as much as the bank would loan him, using everything he and his wife owned as collateral. He needed his second Walmart to prove that a discount retail chain focused on small towns could be highly profitable. If store two performed like store one, Sam and his team would have to put their growth plans on hold.
To attract as much attention for the opening as possible, Sam advertised great deals on brand-name staples like toilet paper and detergent. To give the event a family feel, he arranged free donkey rides for kids in the parking lot outside the main store oh !!
