Early Life and Education

Samuel Moore Walton was born on March 29, 1918, in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. He grew up during the Great Depression, an experience that influenced his commitment to providing affordable goods to American families.

Walton graduated from the University of Missouri in 1940 with a bachelor's degree in economics. Shortly after, he joined the management training program at J.C. Penney in Des Moines, Iowa. This early exposure to retail operations laid the foundation for his future ventures.

Entry into Retail

In 1945, taking what he learned from J.C. Penney, Walton opened his first franchise of a Ben Franklin variety store in Newport, Arkansas. Demonstrating strong business acumen, he quickly built a successful operation before relocating the store to Bentonville, Arkansas, in 1950. This move marked the beginning of what would become a national retail empire.

Alongside his brother James “Bud” Walton, he developed a regional chain of Ben Franklin stores throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. Walton's emphasis on low prices and customer satisfaction became defining features of his retail strategy.

Founding of Walmart and Sam’s Club

In 1962, Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., in Rogers, Arkansas. His vision was to create a retail store offering low prices on a wide variety of goods, primarily targeted at small-town markets that were often underserved. By adopting an aggressive pricing strategy and investing in distribution efficiency, Walmart grew rapidly.

In 1983, Walton expanded his retail vision with the creation of Sam’s Club, a membership-based warehouse club designed to serve small businesses and value-conscious consumers. Both Walmart and Sam’s Club emphasized operational efficiency and cost leadership, solidifying Walton’s reputation as a retail innovator.

Walmart’s Growth and Global Impact

Under Walton’s leadership, Walmart became the largest retailer in the United States by the early 1990s. The company’s commitment to offering low prices through economies of scale and logistics optimization revolutionized the retail industry.

Today, Walmart is one of the world’s largest corporations by revenue and ranks as one of the top private employers globally. Walton's approach to supply chain management and customer service set new standards within the retail sector and inspired future innovations in discount retailing.

Legacy

Sam Walton passed away on April 5, 1992, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Though he did not witness the rise of e-commerce, his principles of low pricing, customer service, and operational efficiency positioned Walmart to expand dramatically in the digital era.

His legacy lives on not only through Walmart and Sam’s Club but also through his contributions to business strategy and community development. Walton remains a monumental figure in the history of American retail and entrepreneurship.