Talk:Sam Walton

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This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Sam Walton article.
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[edit] Made in America

Is it true that Sam insisted on products made in America? If so, it should be in the article... Jarwulf 20:51, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Other businesses

Sam bought the Bank of Bentonville, and his family now owns Arvest Bank along with the local newspaper in Bentonville. I think that should be added in there. I can gather the information and add it in, but if someone already knows it or has it handy, they should add it in joe 18:42, 27 Nov 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Needs a picture

This page needs a picture. 64.231.100.195

Of course it does. Got a one? ;-) For Wikipedia, we need public domain or GFDL'ed materials. Text is easy--usually editors just create it. Pictures that are PD or GFDL are harder to come by. While there are many pictures on the Internet, getting one that we can freely, legally use is harder. If you have a resource, feel free to add it. :-) — Frecklefoot | Talk 15:23, Sep 13, 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Company leadership

His family does not run the company. I have edited the page to reflect it in the "First walmart" section. It might be able to be worded better, but the information was incorrect. Rob and John Walton serve on the board of directors (Rob is chairman), but other than that, the Waltons' only control over the company are as shareholders. --Jblake

Thanks for fixing the information! And thanks for being bold. Next time, please sign your post (I signed your post above). You can do this with either 3 or 4 tildes (~~~ or ~~~~). The latter is preferred, as it also leaves a timestamp. :-) — Frecklefoot | Talk 16:08, Nov 16, 2004 (UTC)

[edit] POV "Legacy"

Ruy Lopez added the following text twice:

Many of Wal-Mart's products are manufactured in Central American maquilas that pay low wages, in countries where workers lack the same rights available in industrialized countries. In 1985 Sam Walton began a program to stem the tide of communism in Central America, and promote capitalism and privatization. It was a scholarship program to bring Central American students to Christian universities in the United States. It was hoped that this would create sympathy for capitalism and privatization, instead of communism and public ownership.

I object to this paragraph for several reasons.

  1. It is off-topic. It belongs in the Wal-Mart article, the chain of stores Walton started, not on the person himself.
  2. It is POV, especially the last sentence. That sentence states on opinion as fact.

I personally moved the paragraph to the Wal-Mart article, hoping someone would take a stab at NPOV'ing it. Instead, someone deleted it. So Ruy Lopez added it back to this article. Why? If you want your paragraph to stay, NPOV it and add it to the appropriate article. Peace. :-) — Frecklefoot | Talk 15:25, Nov 19, 2004 (UTC)

"It is POV, especially the last sentence. That sentence states on opinion as fact.". This is not my opinion but was and is stated very openly by Sam Walton and the Walton International Scholarship program.
"...Sam Walton expressed his concern about the influence of the communist ideology on Central America. He commented '...future leaders of Central America... we need to get large numbers of the student generation up here to the United States. The students will learn skills ...that will encourage...private development of their countries.' The overall objective of the program is to promote...free enterprise in Latin America through education."[1]
So what does that say? Walton himself said it was against communism. It is for "private development of their countries", e.g. privatization, not public ownership. And it is for free enterprise, e.g. capitalism. This is what Walton and his scholarship program very openly state, I don't know how repeating what they said is a "POV opinion". I learned about this on the A&E program Biography, the episode of which I watched being on Sam Walton, so I thought to add it. If you contact the scholarship program, I'm sure they will agree with everything I stated, and would probably give you more Sam Walton quotes stating his agreement with it as well.
Also, this was started by Sam Walton's foundation, not Wal-Mart, so it pertains to him, not the store. It is a large scholarship program, where else would it be made reference to aside from the Sam Walton page? Ruy Lopez 19:20, 19 Nov 2004 (UTC)
The information you have provided will help to neutralize the paragraph, especially with a couple links. You should summarize it and add it back with the original text. Tuf-Kat 19:24, Nov 19, 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Sam Walton - not your average rich man

It has been said that Sam Walton always drove a beat up truck, wore a cap, and picked up trash wherever he went. He not once tried to show his wealth. The only criticism that hasn't been given to such a modest man, founder of such a great business, is that he never had tried show make his wealth known in a bombarding way.

  • Please confine your comments to suggestions for improving the article. --Tysto 04:40, 24 December 2005 (UTC)

Where does it say that discussion has to be about improving the article, Wikicop? Sam was an exceptional person. He seemed to care about his workers and community. With the current China friendly Walmart, the only part of Sam that is left is his picture on the Sam's Choice soda machine. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.186.28.123 (talk • contribs)

Whether or not he was humble, this talk page really is for discussions about improving the article. If we has a source for suggestion that he was humble, picked up litter, etc., great. We can add it to the article. But just stating opinions and such doesn't really help us improve the article, the express purpose of this page. Questions about him may also be asked here, since those who watch it may know something more about him. But the main purpose of any Talk page is to provide space for people to discuss ways in which to improve the article. — Frecklefoot | Talk 16:23, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

In that case, you should add a tags to all discussion pages that says "This talk page is not for disussion on the subject, but for improving the article." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.186.28.123 (talk • contribs)

Well, I doubt that'll happen, but since you asked for it, look at the top of the page. — Frecklefoot | Talk 14:21, 11 October 2006 (UTC)
Yes, an example of an opinion that does not belong in the article is saying something like "Sam Walton was another white man who was able to get a fortune loaned to him via nepotism. He was then able to build a financial empire out of it by cutting prices below smaller stores in order to drive them out of business and solidify his empire by crushing organized labor." This is is a statement of opinion on the man, so it should not be in the article.69.86.138.163 04:14, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Ben Franklin stores

I think the article had a couple of fact wrong about Sam's early attempts at retailing, so I changed them. I believe his first store was a Butler Brothers Ben Franklin variety store, which he lost as the result of a predatory lease that left no option for renewal. The landlord, P.K. Holmes, bought the inventory of the first store for $50,000, whereas the article said Sam sold the second store at a "profit" of $50,000 (which is very different). Sam's second store was not a Ben Franklin but a department store he called the Eagle Store. Moreover, all this was in the late 40s/early 50s, years away from the discount store phenomenon of the late 50s/early 60s. Anyway, that's how I read this Harvard Business School article and this Time article.--Tysto 05:26, 24 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] ruskin heights

Kansas Ctiy, Missourri or Kansas City, Kansas. Changed by anon, and I don't know.Dlohcierekim 15:48, 2 May 2006 (UTC)


They actualy are both places Kansas City goes from the Kansas side of the border and crosses over to the Missourri side of the border.

[edit] Hebrew?

In Europe it is alleged that Walton is not a real name, but an adopted one, because they are ethnic jewish. Is this true? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 195.70.48.242 (talk) 08:27, 13 December 2006 (UTC).

All we know is in the article. — Frecklefoot | Talk 17:36, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] A Small Source for Expanding the "First Store" Section

Here's a link to a source that could help a bit with the "First Store" section in need of expanding.
http://www.rogersarkansas.com/museum/photoOfTheMonth/03-02.asp —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Kscottbailey (talk • contribs) 12:03, 20 February 2007 (UTC).


[edit] His extended family?

We know he left his brother and kids rich but what about cousins? is there Waltons related who aren't rich? Be interesting to know. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.206.165.48 (talk) 03:29, 6 March 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Bias

This article is ridiculously biased, I just started at a walmart, and this whole article is straight out of a training video. I go to work to listen to propaganda, and I come home to be free of it. Schnauzerhead 12:16, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

If you have material to make it more... well "balanced," I guess, by all means add it. Just make sure it is referenced and NPOV. — Fгɛςкlɛƒoστ | Talk 13:35, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Well, the sentence "He eventually reached the rank of captain after murdering his commanding officer." certainly balances out any overgushing, don't you think?! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.170.87.202 (talk) 06:22, August 28, 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Youth Sports

I believe Walton never lost a football game in high school and also won the state title in basketball. I read that in his autobiography. Just thought that would be interesting... ChristianLAX 15:56, 25 July 2007 (UTC) ChristianLAX

You can add this information to the article and cite the book as the reference. — Frecklefσσt | Talk 16:20, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Easter?

I just noticed this in the article:

"His store also stayed open later than most other stores, especially during the Easter season."

It looks like a mistake, but I can't find anything on the Internet to refute it. Why would staying open late during Easter help his business? I can see staying open late around Christmas. But Easter? It's not really a huge shopping season. Is there a source to back this up? Is it an old case of vandalism? — Frecklefσσt | Talk 16:49, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

Found it. It was the result of some very old vandalism. It is supposed to be Christmas. Fixed. — Frecklefσσt | Talk 16:53, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

He also met a man named Phillip Roger Noll many times. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.40.166.197 (talk) 22:57, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hu Jintao's book

Hu Jintao is currently the Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party, and I find it suspect that he would write a book on how Sam Walton ruined America. I have done a simple search for such a book, and found no indication or evidence that this book exists. I was simply wondering about the verifiability of the this fact. Kumar28 (talk) 02:49, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

I put a {{cn}} on it. If no one can find evidence soon, it'll be removed. — Frecklefσσt | Talk 13:30, 10 April 2008 (UTC)