One of the editors in Rutland wondered if we would get sued, but after reading Bob Ortega's book, I'm sure Sam Walton would have considered the cartoon high praise. This is a fine business history, from Walton's first Ben Franklin store, then his Wal-Marts across the South, and finally to his chain of 2,200 stores and more than 450,000 employees. Ortega, a professional business reporter for the Wall Street Journal, lets the reader ask that riddle. From his beginnings in Bentonville, Ark., to domination in retailing, a lot of eggs got broken. Something drove Walton, and amazingly, it wasn't money.
Some people say they want it all, poetically.
Sam Walton wanted it all, really. He died the richest man in America, yet never lost a folksy touch, willing to gab with the clerks in women's nightwear just like a local storekeeper. His models were the E.J. Korvettes and King Cullens of the '50s, companies that promised savings if you, the customer, were willing to do all the work. By 1973, he had 55 stores across the South. The following year, he had 78 stores, expanding in all directions.