Wal-Mart Discount Stores
Since founder Sam Walton opened his first store in 1962, Wal-Mart now has more than 1,000 discount stores in the United States. Wal-Mart discount stores offer a variety of quality, value-priced general merchandise and a pleasant, convenient shopping experience. The discount stores average 107,000 square feet, employ an average of 225 associates and offer 120,000 items. The stores feature wide, clean, brightly lit aisles and shelves stocked with quality items including: family apparel, automotive products, health and beauty aids, home furnishings, electronics, hardware, toys, sporting goods, lawn and garden items, pet supplies, jewelry, and housewares.
Wal-Mart Supercenters
Developed in 1988 to meet the growing demand for one-stop family shopping, Wal-Mart Supercenters today number more than 2,300 nationwide and most are open 24 hours a day for the ultimate in convenience. Supercenters save customers time and money by combining full grocery lines and general merchandise under one roof at Wal-Mart’s signature Every Day Low Prices. In addition to general merchandise, Supercenters feature bakery goods, deli foods, frozen foods, meat and dairy products, and fresh produce. Supercenters also are home to many specialty shops such as vision centers, Tire & Lube Expresses, Radio Grill, McDonald’s or Subway restaurants, portrait studios and one-hour photo centers, hair salons, banks, and employment agencies. Supercenters average 187,000 square feet, employ 350 or more associates on average and offer 142,000 different items.
Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets
Neighborhood Markets offer a convenient shopping experience for customers who need groceries, pharmaceuticals and general merchandise. Generally, they are located in markets with Wal-Mart Supercenters, supplementing a strong food distribution network and providing added convenience while maintaining Wal-Mart’s Every Day Low Prices. First opened in 1998, the now more than 120 Neighborhood Markets, averaging 42,000 square feet, feature a wide variety of products, including fresh produce, deli foods, fresh meat and dairy items, health and beauty aids, one-hour photo and traditional photo developing services, drive-through pharmacies, stationery and paper goods, pet supplies, and household chemicals. Neighborhood Markets employ 95 associates on average and offer about 29,000 items.
Sam’s Club
The nation’s leading members-only warehouse club offers a broad selection of general merchandise and large- volume items at value prices. Since 1983, Sam’s Club has been the preferred choice for small businesses, families or anyone looking for great prices on name-brand products. At Sam’s Club we exist solely to help small business owners succeed nationwide. Each day more than 584 Sam’s Club locations, averaging 132,000 square feet, help small business owners and operators live the American Dream – the same dream Sam Walton lived when he started Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club.
According to the U. S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all employers and have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade. Owners and operators of local businesses – such as offices, child care, schools, restaurants, motels, vending companies, churches, contractors and beauty shops – stand to gain the most from Sam’s Club, which offers a convenient and cost-efficient warehouse for these businesses to purchase materials and supplies.
Each Sam’s Club employs an average of 160 to 175 associates and offers approximately 5,500 different products. A nominal membership fee ($35 annually for businesses/$40 annually for individuals) helps defray operating costs and keeps prices exceptionally low.
International Operations
Wal-Mart operates stores and clubs in 13 markets outside the continental U.S., serving more than 176 million customers around the globe each week. We believe our international stores have been successful because we are committed to offering working families the things they need at prices they can afford – but we also go to great lengths to ensure our international stores reflect the local needs and want of our customers.
We also work hard to ensure our stores are seen as vital partners in communities. This approach is the reason Wal-Mart is being welcomed into country after country around the globe, and it’s also why we have tremendous potential before us to continue our rapid growth internationally.