In 1950, Sam Walton, a former JC Penny employee, opened Walton's Five and Dime in Bentonville, Arkansas. In 1965, in the same small town, Walton would open the first Walmart store, not knowing that his investment would become the largest retailer in the world. By keeping sales prices low, Walton was able to get ahead of the competition and successfully opened an additional store that same year. Walton's success continued, and by 1967 his chain of stores had expanded to 24 locations and was generating approximately $12.6 million in sales annually. Wal-Mart is an American national wholesale company that operates chains of huge discount branches and warehouses. The company is the second largest corporation in the world, according to the 2013 Fortune Global 500 list, the world's largest private employer with more than two million employees, and the world's largest retailer. Wal-Mart is a family-owned company controlled by the Walton family, which owns 50 percent of Wal-Mart. It is also the largest grocery seller in the United States. In 2009, it generated 51 percent of its $258 billion in U.S. revenue from the grocery sector. It also owns and operates Sam's Club retail warehouses in North America. Wal-Mart helps people around the world save money in retail stores, online and through their mobile devices. More than 245 million customers and members visit its 11,000 stores under 69 brands in 27 countries and e-commerce sites in 10 countries every week. With sales of $466 billion in 2013, Wal-Mart employs 2.2 million workers worldwide. Wal-Mart customers list low prices as the primary reason for shopping there, reflecting the advertising motto "Low Prices, Always" that Wal-Mart used from 1962 until 2006. The Average American W . ..... middle of paper ...... Works Cited Our History. (nd). Walmart Company. Retrieved from http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/?povid=P1171-C1093.2766-L6History Timeline. (nd). Walmart Company. Retrieved from http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/history/history-timelineOur People. (nd). Walmart Company. Retrieved from http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/diversity-inclusion/our-peopleJamieson, D. (2012, June 20). HuffingtonPost. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/20/betty-dukes-walmart-supreme-court_n_1613305.html Rotstein, A. (June 14, 2001). From the Lubblock Avalanche-Journal: http://lubbockonline.com/stories/061401/upd_075-3692.shtmlU.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (January 7, 2000). Wal-Mart settles employment discrimination claim of two deaf applicants. United States of America: EEOC.