or continued growth might lead to substantial gains, only the most successful ideas will carry a recommendation. Certain ideas, while possibly being beneficial to Wal-Mart if instituted, are not the best ones to be implemented. Two directions that were not used are improved employee training and the introduction of chain that would cater to a new market. Improved employee training was eliminated as a recommendation when it was determined that it could not provide a significant benefit to the company. The idea of opening a chain that caters to an upscale market was eliminated because it could conflict with Wal-Mart’s mission of providing low cost to customers. It also would have been difficult to separate this new chain from the image of Wal-Mart that currently exists, and could have the potential to take away sales from the current stores. Wal-Mart currently is doing very well. Sales have increased substantially over the last year both domestically and internationally, and the company serves more than 100 million customers every week. Wal-Mart’s future is very bright. However, there are recommendations that when instituted, would allow for added profit, customer satisfaction, and company expansion. Customer satisfaction and service are key areas where improvements can lead to increased profits and an increased customer base. Wal-Mart should strive to improve its current stores to be more appealing for the customer and to make the shopping experience more pleasing. To make locating items easier in the stores, Wal-Mart should place interactive computer stations at various strategic areas in the store that allow a customer to search the store using a touch screen computer. Once the information is entered, the station should tell the customer where the item is located in the store in relation to their current location. A possible extension of this recommendation is a portable handheld computer that allows a customer...
