Sam Walton's Legacy

The Millionaire's Mishap

Sam Walton, founder of the retailing company Wal-Mart, once said, “If we work together, we’ll lower the cost of living for everyone...we’ll give the world an opportunity to see what it’s like to save and have a better life” (“Our History: Sam Walton”). Throughout the “Leaving a Legacy” unit, many historical and social movements as well as people and the legacies that they left, have been explored. Sam Walton created one of the biggest retailing industries in the United States and has left a lasting legacy. In 1918, in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, Sam Walton was born to Nancy and Thomas Walton (Trimble 16). Although Sam and his family did not personally feel the effects of the Great Depression, he was taught that working hard

Wal-Mart, along with Sam’s Club, which first opened its doors in 1983, lowered their prices to help people purchase quality items at a low cost. At least, that’s was what Wal-Mart told people. In reality, Sam Walton created a giant superstore that keeps prices low by obtaining almost everything from foreign countries for an extremely low price. Seen in Robert Greenwald’s film, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices, Chinese workers can make a product for about $0.18. Wal-Mart will resell this item for about $14.96. True, Walton’s “Buy American” movement saved some American jobs from going overseas and helped struggling companies get back on their feet, but this movement eventually died because Mr. Sam was only willing to work with companies if they changed in order to “fill our requirements” (Hornblower). Furthermore, Wal-Mart stores have a tendency to store their herbicides, pesticides, and other toxic materials outdoors in their parking lots. When it rains all of the toxic chemicals get washed away into a storm drain, which eventually makes it way to the ocean, or flows directly into a nearby river, which is used for drinking. Wal-Mart was fined $3.1 million, the largest fine ever made for a retailing business, for violating the Clean Water Act in 2004 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in nine states (Greenwald). Mr. Walton also created the Critical Need Fund, where associates of Wal-Mart can donate some of their paycheck to help other associates during a time of need. In 2004, Wal-Mart associates gave over $5 million to the fund, while the Walton family gave only $6,000 (Greenwald). To some, the Wal-Mart legacy is great: allowing people buy quality products at a low price and employing people of other nationalities and races that other companies won’t employ. But to others this low price and availability comes at a cost: environmental and economic problems are truly at the heart of the Wal-Mart