Wal-Mart Stores, Essay Example

Wal-Mart is one of the box stores that keep popping up all over the place.  Often there is opposition to them by the areas in which they try to locate.  Usually the box stores—especially Wal-Mart—win because they are known for their low prices and excellent customer service.

Furthermore, the larger stores offer shoppers the convenience of being able to buy most anything

as well as availing themselves of many services (getting prescriptions filled, having eye exams, purchasing glasses, etcetera) under one roof.  Usually stores have big parking lots as well as bus stops nearby. The stores are clean, and the merchandise is arranged in a tidy manner.  Most of them contain a restaurant, usually McDonalds.

While Wal-Mart stores’ profits also declined during these recent tough economic times,

they, nevertheless, did well when compared with their peers.  The New York Times (October

09, 2012) compared Wal-Mart’s earnings with three of its competitors and found that as of

August 2012, their yearly earnings of 42.43% were surpassed by only Macy’s which had yearly earnings of 49.81%, while Kohl’s only had earnings of 1.84% and Sears went into negative territory with -6.80%.  Wal-Mart was started in 1962 by Sam Walton and is considered to be

the largest retailer in the USA.  Wal-Mart, however, has not escaped its share of debates.  There are those who say that their lower prices have allowed lower-income households to buy items such as flat screen TVs, while others say that the low prices have depressed domestic wages.

Works Cited

The New York Times (October 09, 2012).  Business day.  Retrieved on October 09, 2012, from http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/com.