Sam Walton
Sam Walton: A Man and His Dream Samuel Moore Walton was born on April 5, 1918. ... In 1940, Sam started out in Des Moines as a management trainee for J. ... Walton was called for active duty as a second lieutenant in 1942. ... Bud joined Sam in the merchandising business. ... In 1950, Sam and Helen moved to Bentonville, Arkansas, where he began a Ben Franklin self-service variety store called Walton’s Five and Dime. Sam opened a Walton’s Five and Dime in Fayetteville in 1952. ... When Sam Walton opened the first Wal~Mart store in 1962, it was the beginning of an American success story that no one could have predicted. Walton thought that consumers would flock to a discount store with a wide array of merchandise and friendly service. ... Diversification into grocery (Wal~Mart Supercenters), membership warehouse clubs (Sam’s Club), and deep discount warehouse outlets (Bud’s Discount City) has created greater opportunities for growth (“The Wal~Mart Story”, 1) .