Wal-Mart’s mission statement and vision states, “We save people money so they can live better,” has become famous throughout the world along with their founder, Sam Walton’s famous words, “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,” (About.com, 2013).
Applying Walton’s vision and principles for low competitive pricing and knowledge of customer preferences has mad Wal-Mart the largest retail giant in the nation. According to Paul Timm, “Ancillary services that complement the company’s main products can provide added convenience for customers,” (Timm 2011, 186). Wal-Mart is the best example of ancillary services for customers by offering services such as auto/tire services, lawn and gardening, deli/grocery, banking, hair salon, fast food, etcetera. Although Wal-Mart has implemented policies and rules which are to help their employees exemplify the company’s overall culture, they are seldom followed since the death their founder. They have been making the customer’s shopping experience memorable, but seldom in a positive way. Like me, most customers just shop at Wal-Mart out of habit or convenience. Timm’s theory on loyalty describes exactly how most of the shoppers like me view their stores, “Some people buy as a result of habit, convenience, or price but would be quick to defect to an alternative,” (12). There were many theories I learned in this course; however, one theory I feel is vitally important is greeting customers as they enter the store. When I was a seasonal employee with Wal-Mart, they had (and still have) a “10 Foot Rule” where employees are to greet and offer assistance to any customer who is within 10 feet of them, (About.com, 2013). Timm’s theory on greeting is quite simple, “When guests come to your house, you greet them…You wouldn’t