What I Learned From Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World

259 Pages·2004·0.9 MB·English

by  Michael Bergdahl

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What I Learned
from Sam Walton
How to Compete and Thrive
in a Wal-Mart World
Michael Bergdahl
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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More Praise for What I Learned from Sam Walton
“The secret’s out. Now we know how Sam was so successful. The best
thing about this book is that pharmacies around the country can use this
as a resource guide to overcome the “Wal-Mart” effect.”
—Sharlea Leatherwood
Independent Pharmacist, President,
National Community Pharmacists Association
“The integration of storytelling, facts and suggestions makes What I
Learned from Sam Walton both informative and a “how to” primer regard-
ing competing with Wal-Mart or any powerful competitor.”
—Kerley LaBoeuf
President and CEO
National Association of Convenience Stores
“Michael Bergdahl’s personal experience, extensive research and knowl-
edge of the retail industry will not fail to give readers a “bushel basket”
full of great ideas. His “inside-out”–“outside-in” analysis of Wal-Mart
provides much to consider from the competitive view. Bergdahl pulls all
the pieces together.”
—John F. Morrison
Missouri State Director
National Grocers Association
“Avery readable summary of a charismatic and innovative entrepreneur
and the firm and the culture that he created. Bergdahl provides insights
and recommendations so that other retailers will not be crushed by this
eight ton steamroller.”
—Robert Z. Aliber
Professor of International Economics and Finance
University of Chicago
Graduate School of Business
“Learn the details ‘secrets’ of Walt-Mart’s success. Amust read for any bus-
iness person! Bergdahl’s energy as a speaker shines through this book!”
—Rich Tiller
President www.ProfessionalSpeakersNetwork.com
Past President, International Assoc. Speakers Bureau
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“I like the retail lessons about operations, culture and expense control
so much I decided to make Bergdahl’s book required reading for all of
the managers in our 400 stores!”
—Chester Cadieux
Chairman of the Board
QuikTrip Corporation
“Competition with Wal-Mart is not a death sentence for retailers. Michael
Bergdahl’s insightful book bridges fundamental theory with practical
examples to help companies of any size meet the challenges they face.
Applying these concepts at any retailer will provide a firm foundation to
distinguish your business from competitors, delight your customers and
keep your cash registers ringing.”
—William S. Cody
Managing Director, Jay H. Baker Retailing Initiative
Lecturer, Marketing Department
The Wharton Business School,
University of Pennsylvania
“Michael Bergdahl reveals the secrets of what produced Wal-Mart’s suc-
cess. This is a terrific book! It can be used as a guide for helping your
organization to seize new opportunites.”
—Somers H. White CPAE, FIMC
President, Somers White Company, Inc.
Marketing, Management, Coaching
and Financial Consultants
“Michael Bergdahl’s new book is neither another homage to the world’s
has
largest retailer, nor another attack on Wal-Mart’s influence and power
end
over the consumer market. Instead, it is a practical guide that shows
mer-
retailers and suppliers that they can indeed survive and thrive in a post-
Wal-Mart world. Peppered with a liberal dose of actual anecdotes from
his experiences working at Wal-Mart, Bergdahl has composed an easy-to-
digest manual of strategies and tactics for retailers of any size.”
—Don Longo
Publisher and Editorial Director,
Retail Merchandiser Magazine
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“Michael Bergdahl’s first hand experiences at Wal-Mart’s Headquarters
in Bentonville, Arkansas, along wth his personal stories of working with
and around Sam Walton, provides useful insights into the company’s day
to day operations. His discussion of Wal-Mart’s methods of operation
isenhanced by his background working on the supplier side at Frito-Lay
and as a business turnaround expert. Grocers will benefit greatly by
reading Bergdahl’s analysis of how to pick Wal-Mart’s POCKETS.”
—Wes Ball
President, Tennessee Grocers Association
Past President, Food Industry Associaton Executives
“Agreat story—some very powerful insights The summaries and sug-
gestions at the end of each chapter represent a focused set of lessons
valuable for anyone in marketing—especially anyone going up against
one of the “big guns.” College students, professors and business leaders,
studing Wal-Mart, will all benefit from Bergdahl’s experiences.”
—Ralph A. Oliva
Executive Director,
Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM)
Professor of Marketing,
Smeal College of Business, Penn State
“Bergdahl’s book gives a fascinating insider’s view of the world’s most
successful retailer. At the same time he provides a vital check list for
any retailer faced with seemingly unequal competition from a much
larger rival.”
—David Rae
Chief Executive
Association of Convenience Stores, England
“This book provides a unique perspective on Wal-Mart’s business
philosophies and competitive methods and details how they permeate
the entire community and ultimately all businesses! This compelling
story makes this one of the few books I have read in one sitting!”
—Helen Gordon
Chairman and CEO, GREENSHEET,
Advertising Publications
Houston, Dallas, Ft Worth, Austin and Phoenix
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What I Learned
from Sam Walton
How to Compete and Thrive
in a Wal-Mart World
Michael Bergdahl
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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In this book, the Wal-Mart trademarks include but are not limited to Wal-Mart Stores
Incorporated and its affiliates: Wal-Mart Stores, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Sam’s, Wal-Mart
Neighborhood Market, Neighborhood Market, Wal-Mart Supercenter, Supercenter and
its branded trademarks: Sam’s Choice, Members Mart and Wal-Mart Connect. This book
is in no way authorized by or endorsed by Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated or its Affiliates.
All references to these trademarks and brands are used in accordance with the Fair Use
Doctrine and are not meant to imply that this book is a Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated
product for advertising or other commercial purposes.
Copyright © 2004 by Michael Bergdahl. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
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best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with
respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically dis-
claim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No
warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials.
The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You
should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bergdahl, Michael.
What I learned from Sam Walton : how to compete and thrive in a Wal-Mart world /
Michael Bergdahl.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-471-67998-4
1. Wal-Mart (Firm)—Management. 2. Retail trade—Management. 3. Industrial
management. I. Title.
HF5429.215.U6B47 2004
658.4′012—dc22
2004007928
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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To the inspirational leaders in my life,
My wife, Sheryl
My daughter, Heather
and
My son, Paul