Walton - Sam Walton, made in America: my story

Raves for MADE IN AMERICA:

Every person who dreams of building a great business must read this book. Sam Walton set the standard for listening to his customers and listening to the people who do the work. In addition to being a great entrepreneur and business leader, Sam Walton was, above all, a fine, decent, kind, generous man. I will miss him. We all will miss him.

H. Ross Perot

The book is loaded with folksy, often-humorous anecdotes from Mr. Walton, his family and Wal-Mart employees and retirees.

The Atlanta Constitution

Written in folksy, conversational style its also genuine Sam Walton.

Green Bay Press-Gazette

A portrait of a good ol boy business wizard, a man unruined by wealth.

Los Angeles Times Book Review

The books straightforward, no-nonsense style reflects Waltons rock-ribbed personality. Among the many anecdotal passages scattered through the book are testimonials from Wal-Mart associates about how Waltons incentive programs transformed their lives.

The San Diego Union-Tribune

This autobiography is inspiring, fast-paced and action-packed, and reflects the dynamic personality of Walton and his success in creating Wal-Mart.

The Joplin Globe

A folksy, down-to-earth autobiography [Waltons] enthusiasm is high-spirited and innocent of posturing, making for entertaining reading.

Anniston Star

It is an inspiring tale, another of our only in America sagas.

San Gabriel Valley Daily Tribune

Sam Walton helped start a revolution in the discount industry. How did he do itin rural Arkansas, of all places?

The Flint Journal

This edition contains the complete text
of the original hardcover edition.
NOT ONE WORD HAS BEEN OMITTED.

SAM WALTON: MADE IN AMERICA
A Bantam Book / published by arrangement with Doubleday

PUBLISHING HISTORY
Doubleday edition published June 1992
Bantam edition / June 1993

Photographs without credits appear courtesy of the Walton family.

All rights reserved.
Copyright 1992 by the Estate of Samuel Moore Walton.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 92-18874.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

For information address: Doubleday,
1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036.

eISBN: 978-0-307-76369-3

Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words Bantam Books and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.

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Hello, friends, Im Sam Walton, founder and chairman of Wal-Mart Stores. By now I hope youve shopped in one of our stores, or maybe bought some stock in our company. If you have, you probably already know how proud I am of what is simply the miracle that all these Wal-Mart associates of mine have accomplished in the thirty years since we opened our first Wal-Mart here in northwest Arkansas, which Wal-Mart and I still call home. As hard as it is to believe sometimes, weve grown from that one little store into what is now the largest retailing outfit in the world. And weve really had a heck of a time along the way.

I realize we have been through something amazing here at Wal-Mart, something special that we ought to share more of with all the folks whove been so loyal to our stores and to our company. Thats one thing we never did much of while we were building Wal-Mart, talk about ourselves or do a whole lot of bragging outside the Wal-Mart familyexcept when we had to convince some banker or some Wall Street financier that we intended to amount to something someday, that we were worth taking a chance on. When folks have asked me, How did Wal-Mart do it? Ive usually been flip about answering them. Friend, we just got after it and stayed after it, Id say. We have always pretty much kept to ourselves, and weve had good reasons for it; weve been very protective of our business dealings and our home lives, and we still like it that way.

But as a result, a whole lot of misinformation and myth and half-truths have gotten around over the years about me and about Wal-Mart. And I think theres been way too much attention paid to my personal finances, attention that has caused me and my family a lot of extra trouble in our livesthough Ive just ignored it and pretty much gone about my life and the business of Wal-Mart as best I could.

None of this has really changed. But Ive been fighting cancer for a while now, and Im not getting any younger anyway. And lately a lot of folksincluding Helen and the kids, some of our executives here at the company, and even some of the associates in our storeshave been fussing at me that Im really the best person to tell the Wal-Mart tale, and thatlike it or notmy life is all wrapped up in Wal-Mart, and I should get it down right while I still can. So Im going to try to tell this story the best Im able to, as close to the way it all came about as I can, and I hope it will be almost as interesting and fun and exciting as its been for all of us, and that it can capture for you at least something of the spirit weve all felt in building this company. More than anything, though, I want to get across once and for all just how important Wal-Marts associates have been to its success.

This is a funny thing to do, this looking back on your life trying to figure out how all the pieces came together. I guess anybody would find it a little strange, but its really odd for somebody like me because Ive never been a very reflective fellow, never been one to dwell in the past. If I had to single out one element in my life that has made a difference for me, it would be a passion to compete. That passion has pretty much kept me on the go, looking ahead to the next store visit, or the next store opening, or the next merchandising item I personally wanted to promote out in those storeslike a minnow bucket or a Thermos bottle or a mattress pad or a big bag of candy.

As I do look back though, I realize that ours is a story about the kinds of traditional principles that made America great in the first place. It is a story about entrepreneurship, and risk, and hard work, and knowing where you want to go and being willing to do what it takes to get there. Its a story about believing in your idea even when maybe some other folks dont, and about sticking to your guns. But I think more than anything it proves theres absolutely no limit to what plain, ordinary working people can accomplish if theyre given the opportunity and the encouragement and the incentive to do their best. Because thats how Wal-Mart became Wal-Mart: ordinary people joined together to accomplish extraordinary things. At first, we amazed ourselves. And before too long, we amazed everybody else, especially folks who thought America was just too complicated and sophisticated a place for this sort of thing to work anymore.