Walmart 2004 Annual Report Download - page 14

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12
Around the world, Wal-Mart raises the standard of living
by meeting day-to-day needs with affordably priced
merchandise. Some shoppers come to Wal-Mart to buy
essentials so they will have enough money left over for
other important needs. For others, the selection and
prices at Wal-Mart simply enable an enjoyable,
comfortable lifestyle that doesn’t break the bank.
Karin Karst
A retired sales manager for Lufthansa airlines,
Karin Karst of Austin,Texas, relies on the local Wal-Mart
Store to help her and the terrier that shares her home
enjoy a fun lifestyle within the tight restrictions of a
retirement income.
“I’m a shopaholic,” says the 64-year-old Karst, a native of
Germany with a daughter in Austin and one son each in
Chicago and Iowa. “I’m into having lots of sheets and
pillowcases, things like that, and I can get all of it at
Wal-Mart.Things for the house, toys, lingerie, you name it.
They have wonderful women’s clothing,” she says,“and
everything at Wal-Mart is within my price range.
Everything at Wal-Mart is fabulous,” says Karst. “The
merchandise, the prices are fabulous.”
“At SAM’S CLUB I will look at the wines – they have a
wonderful selection. I buy
chardonnay or pinot grigio. They
have beautiful steaks and pork. I like
to cook for my daughter and her
husband because they are both
working. I make good German dishes
like sauerbraten, goulash soup, ducks,
and I barbecue steaks.”
Karst says price is the most important
reason she shops at Wal-Mart, but
selection is also important. “Everyone
is friendly and helpful,” she says.
“It is unusual that so many of their
employees are mature, older people.
I like that. If I ever need something,
I can ask anybody.They seem to
know the merchandise very well.”
“Wal-Mart is the best place I’ve found to buy toys for my
grandchildren,” she says. “I find so much variety there.
Now, I believe that my dog should have toys, too!” she
says with a laugh. “But I can only afford to buy toys for
my dog at Wal-Mart!”
Pamela Jordan
Pamela Jordan grew up in the south Los Angeles
neighborhood of Baldwin Hills, where oil rigs once
pumped until developers discovered the area in the
1950s.Today, she lives with her 16-year-old grandson only
eight minutes away from this mostly African-American
community, and continues to stay connected to
happenings in the neighborhood.
That’s why she was delighted in 2003 when Wal-Mart
made the decision to place
one of its stores in an
abandoned three-story
Macy’s property in the
Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw
Plaza shopping center on
Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard.
“One of the things that
makes me really proud of
this new store is that they
have a lot of people
working there who
otherwise wouldn’t have a
job,”says Jordan. “I walk in
there and I know the staff.
They are friendly and
smiling.They say ‘Hey, how
you doing, welcome to
Wal-Mart!’They really do
say that, just like in the
commercials.”
“Wal-Mart also donates to
different organizations in
the neighborhood, and that’s a big plus for me.They seem
to care about our neighborhood.The location of the store
is important because it allows a lot of people who don’t
Raising the Standard of Living
“I like the people at
Wal-Mart, and the store
brings opportunity to
the community.”
Pamela Jordan
Karin Karst