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The Wal-Mart Way: The Inside Story of the Success of the World's Largest Company
Since Sam Walton's death in 1992, Wal-Mart has gone from being the largest retailer in the world to holding the top spot on the Fortune 500 list as the largest company in the world. Don Soderquist, who was senior vice chairman during that time, played a crucial role in that success. Sam Walton said, "I tried for almost twenty years to hire Don Soderquist . . . But when we really needed him later on, he finally joined up and made a great chief operating officer." Responsible for overseeing many of Wal-Mart's key support divisions, including real estate, human resources, information systems, logistics, legal, corporate affairs, and loss prevention, Soderquist stayed true to his Christian values as well as Wal-Mart's distinct management style. "Probably no other Wal-Mart executive since the legendary Sam Walton has come to embody the principles of the company's culture-or to represent them within the industry-as has Don Soderquist," Discount Store News once reported.
In The Wal-Mart Way, Soderquist shares his story of helping lead a global company from being a $43 billion company to one that would eventually exceed $200 billion. Several books have been written about Wal-Mart's success, but none by the ones who were the actual players. It was more than "Everyday Low Prices" and distribution that catapulted the company to the top. The core values based on Judeo-Christian principles-and maintained by leaders such as Soderquist-are the real reason for Wal-Mart's success.
210 pages, Hardcover
First published April 19, 2005
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240 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 18, 2013
I wrote to Soderquist with concerns and he replied (very personably, very openly). And then I spoke to him on the phone - again, he was very friendly and open and did his best to answer my questions. At one point he sent me his book to help me understand things (I can't remember if it was before or after the phone call), and that was very nice of him. I'm still not satisfied with every aspect of Wal-Mart, but this book was very interesting and illuminating. No, no one and nothing is perfect, and the larger the entity, the more room for failure/controversy/mistakes/etc., and yes, I shop there.
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January 22, 2022It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. —John Wooden
impacted the standard of living for millions upon millions of everyday people
kept technology focused on customer satisfaction, which has in turn made technological prowess a key competitive advantage for Wal-Mart
stripping excess cost and waste of any kind from our logistics operations
The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. —Benjamin Disraeli
The uncommon man is merely the common man thinking and dreaming of success in larger terms and in more fruitful areas. —Melvin Powers
He improved his business methods by constantly talking to his associates, his competitors, and his customers. When things didn’t work, he changed them. When customers asked for more value and variety, he worked doggedly to fulfill those requests. He did a lot of things right. (And, of course, he made a few mistakes along the way.)
“Please come and join me. Let’s find some good people. Let’s train them. Let’s show them what we want them to do. Let’s trust them with running our stores, and then let’s pay them what they earn from the profits of our stores. Let’s talk to our customers and our associates. We need to keep getting better. We need to learn from our competitors but do it even better than they do. We need to change the shelves in the store, the merchandise we sell, the signs, and the store hours. We’ve got to do whatever it takes to satisfy our customers.”
“Mr. Ben Franklin Company,” Sam said, “please help me build larger stores in my small towns. I know it’s not been done before, but my people are asking for more assortments and lower prices. I’ve got an idea for them. Will you work with me and franchise these larger stores? Will you sell the merchandise to me at a lower price since I need to reduce the prices to my customers? You’ll do okay, too, because I’ll be buying a lot more merchandise from you.”
“I’ll gladly be your guinea pig,” Sam argued. “Let me take the risk. This is something I’ve got to try.”
He remained a common man, always giving credit to others for everything he achieved.
James Champy, author of Reengineering Management
She was impressed and touched that two of the club’s management team came to the funeral.
Sam’s Club Is Born. It was a warehouse club that required you to buy a membership and pay an annual fee in order to shop there. The primary customers were small-business owners who could buy merchandise at wholesale prices (or lower) and resell to their customers at substantial savings.
When was the last time you rolled up your sleeves and engaged in the frontline activities of your company?
If our model worked so well in America, why not try it in another country?
Vision. what we must do today to create a successful tomorrow.
Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. —Warren G. Bennis
“Don, that was the best panty hose rack I have ever seen!” he exclaimed. “We don’t have one that looks half as good as that one. I pulled the fixture out and it had the name of the manufacturer on the back and I wrote down their address. When we get back, I want you to call our fixture buyer and then I want you to call the manufacturer of that fixture and get them into the office. We need that rack in all our stores—it’s much better than ours.”
Do you ever stop and notice the little things that others simply ignore?
“tell the story,” “paint the picture,” “walk the talk”
gender, age, race, creed
One of the most powerful dynamics for Wal-Mart is that the culture is so deeply ingrained in so many of our people that it continues to be passed on to new associates
When faced with a problem or challenge, the question was always, “What are we going to do about it?” If a competitor was opening a store across the street, the response was never “Woe is us,” but always “How can we improve our own store? How can we satisfy our customers better?”
Your point of view was important even if you disagreed with your supervisor.
beliefs sounds more like a simple bromide: Mom, apple pie, and baseball
impacted the standard of living for millions upon millions of everyday people
kept technology focused on customer satisfaction, which has in turn made technological prowess a key competitive advantage for Wal-Mart
stripping excess cost and waste of any kind from our logistics operations
The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. —Benjamin Disraeli
The uncommon man is merely the common man thinking and dreaming of success in larger terms and in more fruitful areas. —Melvin Powers
He improved his business methods by constantly talking to his associates, his competitors, and his customers. When things didn’t work, he changed them. When customers asked for more value and variety, he worked doggedly to fulfill those requests. He did a lot of things right. (And, of course, he made a few mistakes along the way.)
“Please come and join me. Let’s find some good people. Let’s train them. Let’s show them what we want them to do. Let’s trust them with running our stores, and then let’s pay them what they earn from the profits of our stores. Let’s talk to our customers and our associates. We need to keep getting better. We need to learn from our competitors but do it even better than they do. We need to change the shelves in the store, the merchandise we sell, the signs, and the store hours. We’ve got to do whatever it takes to satisfy our customers.”
“Mr. Ben Franklin Company,” Sam said, “please help me build larger stores in my small towns. I know it’s not been done before, but my people are asking for more assortments and lower prices. I’ve got an idea for them. Will you work with me and franchise these larger stores? Will you sell the merchandise to me at a lower price since I need to reduce the prices to my customers? You’ll do okay, too, because I’ll be buying a lot more merchandise from you.”
“I’ll gladly be your guinea pig,” Sam argued. “Let me take the risk. This is something I’ve got to try.”
He remained a common man, always giving credit to others for everything he achieved.
James Champy, author of Reengineering Management
She was impressed and touched that two of the club’s management team came to the funeral.
Sam’s Club Is Born. It was a warehouse club that required you to buy a membership and pay an annual fee in order to shop there. The primary customers were small-business owners who could buy merchandise at wholesale prices (or lower) and resell to their customers at substantial savings.
When was the last time you rolled up your sleeves and engaged in the frontline activities of your company?
If our model worked so well in America, why not try it in another country?
Vision. what we must do today to create a successful tomorrow.
Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. —Warren G. Bennis
“Don, that was the best panty hose rack I have ever seen!” he exclaimed. “We don’t have one that looks half as good as that one. I pulled the fixture out and it had the name of the manufacturer on the back and I wrote down their address. When we get back, I want you to call our fixture buyer and then I want you to call the manufacturer of that fixture and get them into the office. We need that rack in all our stores—it’s much better than ours.”
Do you ever stop and notice the little things that others simply ignore?
“tell the story,” “paint the picture,” “walk the talk”
gender, age, race, creed
One of the most powerful dynamics for Wal-Mart is that the culture is so deeply ingrained in so many of our people that it continues to be passed on to new associates
When faced with a problem or challenge, the question was always, “What are we going to do about it?” If a competitor was opening a store across the street, the response was never “Woe is us,” but always “How can we improve our own store? How can we satisfy our customers better?”
Your point of view was important even if you disagreed with your supervisor.
beliefs sounds more like a simple bromide: Mom, apple pie, and baseball
October 11, 2018
Don Soderquist, retired CEO of Walmart does a magnificent job presenting how one of the most successful businesses continues to maintain their growth. Outlining the 12 Principles that are central to each department of each store is there any wonder that Walmart is such a great place to shop and an even better place to work.
April 30, 2018
I have reviewed the book in my blog . I found the book very interesting and informative. Please read my post and give your comments . Thanks
https://pavitrasampath.blogspot.nl/20...
https://pavitrasampath.blogspot.nl/20...
October 9, 2020
This is a high quality book with some valuable life lessons. There are some important takeaways on topics such as the importance of company culture and pushing the limits of what you think is possible.
March 5, 2025
Buen libro y muy bien organizado, cada capítulo demuestra bien la mirada de la empresa wal mart y no se siente que hayan capítulos demás, creo que es un libro necesario para ver qué en los negocios se debe buscar el bien para todos y que siempre se debe buscar mejorar.
May 24, 2018
Better than I thought it would be. Nothing ground breaking. But a good book over all. Tells the story of Walmart well while sprinkling in great business principles.
January 29, 2008
From a capitalist standpoint, Wal-Mart is one of the greatest stories ever told. With a ruthless penchant for efficiency and low prices, Wal-Mart arguably has made the biggest impact for the average person. Is it a good or a bad impact?
This is a story told by the retired Vice Chairman and Operating Officer, Don Soderquist. He began with Sam Walton in 1980 and watched the growth of Wal-Mart rise to be the largest retailer in the world. In the light of all the recent bad publicity of Wal-Mart, it was difficult to accept everything Don said.
I do know it’s difficult to please everybody. How do you please a company of 1.6 million associates? When you have a company that size, is it really possible to pause to look at each person as a person? With a company that size, how can you have knowledge of what’s happening on the front lines? Wal-Mart’s technological prowess is legendary but even it can’t find an answer to stop the anti Wal-Mart detractors.
I think that a lot of the problems are rooted in the fact that Wal-Mart is the biggest dog in the retail world. When the first punches are thrown at the (perceived?) bully, all the other beta dogs gang up, bark and bite as well.
Some of the biggest complaints that I want to address here.
Wal-Mart offers slave labor wages to its associates.
There is a rumor that Wal-Mart is educating their associates on how to use welfare to supplement their income. I don’t know if there’s a way to verify this. Wal-Mart however does post their information about wages and health insurance. On their website, Wal-Mart gives an average of hourly wages of associates. What is the average wage scale of other retailers? Wal-Mart posts that 59% of their associates are insured and people complain that Wal-Mart isn’t doing enough. However, in all the detractors, I have never heard of the percentage of associates that other companies and more importantly retailers insure.
Wal-Mart destroys small businesses when they enter the market.
If Wal-Mart is doing their job well, they are taking a larger piece of the retailer pie and would take a lion’s share when they join a market. Yes, many small businesses owners will struggle or under – incidentally, maybe have to join Wal-Mart and get a pay cut. This is the nature of capitalism and I would have a bigger problem with government subsidy to keep an inferior business afloat.
The bottom line is that there are a lot of people who hate Wal-Mart, but obviously there are many more people who love to shop Wal-Mart. People do have choices on where to shop. If you don’t like Wal-Mart, shop somewhere else.
What does Wal-Mart mean to you? I have the strange paradox of being a shareholder of the company but I rarely set my foot into Wal-Mart. From an investor standpoint, I think it’s a great story and an amazing story. However, from a consumer standpoint, I would like to have more of a community store. It would be nice to go to a store where everyone knows your name and the money you spend is helping directly helping little Billy save up for his first car. Wal-Mart feels so impersonal to me but it’s what people obviously want.
This is a story told by the retired Vice Chairman and Operating Officer, Don Soderquist. He began with Sam Walton in 1980 and watched the growth of Wal-Mart rise to be the largest retailer in the world. In the light of all the recent bad publicity of Wal-Mart, it was difficult to accept everything Don said.
I do know it’s difficult to please everybody. How do you please a company of 1.6 million associates? When you have a company that size, is it really possible to pause to look at each person as a person? With a company that size, how can you have knowledge of what’s happening on the front lines? Wal-Mart’s technological prowess is legendary but even it can’t find an answer to stop the anti Wal-Mart detractors.
I think that a lot of the problems are rooted in the fact that Wal-Mart is the biggest dog in the retail world. When the first punches are thrown at the (perceived?) bully, all the other beta dogs gang up, bark and bite as well.
Some of the biggest complaints that I want to address here.
Wal-Mart offers slave labor wages to its associates.
There is a rumor that Wal-Mart is educating their associates on how to use welfare to supplement their income. I don’t know if there’s a way to verify this. Wal-Mart however does post their information about wages and health insurance. On their website, Wal-Mart gives an average of hourly wages of associates. What is the average wage scale of other retailers? Wal-Mart posts that 59% of their associates are insured and people complain that Wal-Mart isn’t doing enough. However, in all the detractors, I have never heard of the percentage of associates that other companies and more importantly retailers insure.
Wal-Mart destroys small businesses when they enter the market.
If Wal-Mart is doing their job well, they are taking a larger piece of the retailer pie and would take a lion’s share when they join a market. Yes, many small businesses owners will struggle or under – incidentally, maybe have to join Wal-Mart and get a pay cut. This is the nature of capitalism and I would have a bigger problem with government subsidy to keep an inferior business afloat.
The bottom line is that there are a lot of people who hate Wal-Mart, but obviously there are many more people who love to shop Wal-Mart. People do have choices on where to shop. If you don’t like Wal-Mart, shop somewhere else.
What does Wal-Mart mean to you? I have the strange paradox of being a shareholder of the company but I rarely set my foot into Wal-Mart. From an investor standpoint, I think it’s a great story and an amazing story. However, from a consumer standpoint, I would like to have more of a community store. It would be nice to go to a store where everyone knows your name and the money you spend is helping directly helping little Billy save up for his first car. Wal-Mart feels so impersonal to me but it’s what people obviously want.
May 4, 2014
Aside from relationships with major suppliers like Procter & Gamble, it is hard to believe anyone else really benefits that much. Don seems like a nice folksy guy who has good intentions, but something says this is not the "Made in America" Sam Walton company that it once was.
May serve basic job search needs for some. Quick web search for Wal-Mart employee turnover rate suggests it is something like 37% in recent times, which may not be as bad as McDonald's, but still sounds like people are exercising their option to leave even in these times. So kind of a wry moment when you hear Don talking of how Wal-Mart wishes to do better if only it knew how, yet something tells me the terms of employment could be better.
Wal-Mart just seems like a very low brow culture.
May serve basic job search needs for some. Quick web search for Wal-Mart employee turnover rate suggests it is something like 37% in recent times, which may not be as bad as McDonald's, but still sounds like people are exercising their option to leave even in these times. So kind of a wry moment when you hear Don talking of how Wal-Mart wishes to do better if only it knew how, yet something tells me the terms of employment could be better.
Wal-Mart just seems like a very low brow culture.
March 12, 2011
Brilliant book ! Can't say I like the idea of the fact of existence of such a huge company with such an enormous economical/social/political power. What I'm saying is that the ideas discussed in this book are great in their simplicity and effectiveness.
Definitely book to be read by any manager or team lead.
Definitely book to be read by any manager or team lead.
March 6, 2015
Best business book ever? No.
Worth reading, Yes.
Nothing groundbreaking here, but Soderquist does a nice job simplifying the principles of good management down into a short list. This is actually an excellent format for inclusion into company introduction materials, and would be a great starting point for a deep dive for management trainees or a refresh course.
Worth reading, Yes.
Nothing groundbreaking here, but Soderquist does a nice job simplifying the principles of good management down into a short list. This is actually an excellent format for inclusion into company introduction materials, and would be a great starting point for a deep dive for management trainees or a refresh course.
Read
September 6, 2016Some interesting highlights:
1)Dont look at what the competition is doing wrong but look at what they are doing right and learn how we can do better from it.
2)Treat an individual as what he ought to be and he could become that individual
3)see pg. 73
4)Ten-foot rule of customer service
5)Have a system which will allow you attention to detail
6)see pg. 167
1)Dont look at what the competition is doing wrong but look at what they are doing right and learn how we can do better from it.
2)Treat an individual as what he ought to be and he could become that individual
3)see pg. 73
4)Ten-foot rule of customer service
5)Have a system which will allow you attention to detail
6)see pg. 167
May 26, 2009
This is a decent book. Soderquist talks about those characteristics of the firm that give it its competitive advantage - namely company culture, supply chain management, and the relentless focus on reducing expenses.
March 4, 2014
A guide book with ample of examples showing what walmart as doing difference to create a legacy for grocery shopping forever. It shares about the culture of the company that makes walmart succeed faster than ever.
October 8, 2024
The book focused on the retail world, but some ideas were relevant across multiple industries and organizations. Walmart has definitely had a dominate impact on the world. I live 45 minutes from Bentonville and everybody knows somebody who works for Walmart.
February 9, 2009
I don't think that Wal-Mart is practicing all of what they preach in here. However, there are some great ideas on how to run a successful business. Great read for small business owners.
December 6, 2010
Excellent book to learn the secrets of a true corporate culture.
May 27, 2014
Really enjoyed this. I admire the man and was inspired by walmart's management principles . Cleanly stated but engaging .
July 14, 2015
Good summary of Walmart's success but quite ordinary, more as a summary of Walmart's history and commercials, nothing unexpected.
March 17, 2016
Though I couldn't agree with all their ways, it made for an interesting read.
March 5, 2018
Don't Soderquist unveiled Samuel Walton principles and policies that put Wal- Mart at the top Fortune 500. He wrote as an insider with a holistic approach from Hiring, training,innovation, marketing,customer care, reward, firing etc.
It's a great read. The book is one of my best collections
It's a great read. The book is one of my best collections
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews