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Some products Wal*Mart offers are Softgoods (apparel, linens, fabric), Hardgoods (hardware, housewares, auto supplies, small appliances), Stationery and candy, Sporting goods and toys, Health and beauty aids, Gifts, records, and electronics, Pharmaceuticals, Shoes, Jewelry, Food, etc. However, groceries are only offered in Wal*Mart supercenters. Wal*Mart is competing mainly in the United States markets but their perspective on future growth was decidedly global. Store executives believed that Wal*Mart could not overlook the emerging world economy and decided international expansion was the best way to go for the future.
Wal*Mart also has important resources and core competencies that they rely on. They depend on their own distribution centers and their vendor relationships. Wal*Mart has a well established brand name that means quality at a low price. They have established a reputation for being built on trust. They also have skilled knowledgeable employees and a quality management team. They have developed a good store reputation and are known for its technological resources such as their installation of the electronic data interchange which will be discussed later on. Wal*Mart also uses their own distribution centers. This gives them the ability to work with their own employees in no matter what production area of the store. Lastly, Wal*Mart has been recognized as one of the 100 best companies to work for in America. These are some of the resources and competencies that makes the essence of Wal*Mart unique in its ability to provide value to its customers.
The most important ingredient in Wal*Mart's success is their relationships with their associates (i.e. employees, investors, customers, suppliers, etc.). Wal*Mart has an outstanding reputation for being an overachieving company with ordinary people. Associates are recognized as being totally committed to the company. They have happy relationships with their vendors and investors and customer satisfaction is always guaranteed.
