Competition

Competition is an integral theme in Sam's life and an important aspect of Wal-Mart's creation. There is both internal and external competition that Sam either addresses directly or fosters in his own work environment.

As soon as Sam starts out in the retail world, he is immediately confronted with competition and long odds for success. He has invested in a Ben Franklin store, which helps him significantly in the fight against the other local variety store in town. The competition of this other store makes Sam work harder and he regularly walks into the other store to take notes and see what they are doing well. In fact, this competitive research will be something that Sam does throughout his career and life, visiting other stores on vacations and trips to see what his competitors are doing. He encourages other managers to do the same thing, saying that even...