WAL-MART: The World'S First Secret

One is the whole world.

The first stop we came to was Hangzhou WAL-MART new East branch.

Qian Shenqiao, a senior manager of WAL-MART China company, told us that WAL-MART's management is parallel to the global standard structure. In other words, every store can be duplicated. In the new store, we have a good idea of the operation of WAL-MART supermarket in China.

Dongxin store is located in Dongxin Road, Hangzhou. The surrounding area used to be a gathering place for state-owned enterprises such as Hangzhou, Hangzhou and Hangzhou. Although it has been relocated, it is far from commercial prosperity.

Of course, we know that this is the uniqueness of WAL-MART's choice of store location, surrounded by rural cities.

The question is: in the fierce competition in the retail industry, how can the WAL-MART supermarket, which is generally not good at all, make its popularity? "When the domestic retail industry is not competitive enough, WAL-MART can rely on its brand appeal, but now the global retail giants have already come in, and the brand is definitely not so smart."

Li Dongru thought.

"Doorway" is certainly in the shop.

After walking around the store, we did see some way out.

For example, there is always a row of wooden benches for rest at the corner of the corridor; a price scanner is hung on the wall, so customers can scan the price of their own shopping at any time.

But apart from that, we can't see any more ways. In Li Dong's words, "it seems that it is not much worse than other supermarkets."

"Have you noticed that the passage between our shelves is wider?" this time, accompanied by WAL-MART Dongxin store deputy general manager Zheng Lin Shu reminded that WAL-MART's shelf width has a global standard: at least 1.5 meters.

Sure enough, "what else do you have?" Zheng Linshu further said that all products sold on shelves in WAL-MART are in season, while the most expensive products are always placed in the most prominent position.

In WAL-MART east new store, careful observation, many workers wear their work clothes with one or more pins (Pin). Qian Shen Qiao tells us that this is WAL-MART's "Pin culture".

You can't belittle this little pin.

In WAL-MART's more than 9000 stores around the world, each has its own special pin, many employees have the hobby of collecting pins, and if they get excellent performance, they can get 5 different pin rewards at one time.

A little pin reflects the strong character of WAL-MART culture.

In this regard, Li Dong was admired to "throw herself into the ground". He told Qian Shenqiao that he had seriously studied WAL-MART's corporate culture. The result is that corporate culture is the most powerful weapon for WAL-MART to "go global alone", and the core of WAL-MART culture is "people-oriented". The most prominent point is "allowing employees to make mistakes".

"No ordinary enterprise can do that."

He said.

"In WAL-MART, mistakes are not called mistakes, they are called opportunities."

Zheng Linshu explained that the reason is also to encourage innovation, because the retail industry sells products on the surface, in fact, services, and services rely on details.

He also told us a classic case: in a supermarket in WAL-MART, because there were fewer customers at closing time, supermarkets only set aside a cash register, causing many customers to complain.

After being discovered by a supervisor, he thought for a whole night and came up with the best way: to predict customer traffic in an hour before closing time, so that several cash registers should be set aside.

People oriented, in the organizational structure of WAL-MART embodies the most incisive.

In the administrative office area of WAL-MART Dongxin store, a general manager office of 15 square feet, including the general manager, was full of 8 people.

Qian Shenqiao said that WAL-MART stores in the world are like this because customers are "bosses", while grass-roots employees are directly serving their customers, and executives are only supporters of their services.

This scene also saw Li Dong repeatedly sigh, "my office is much larger than here, I am the only one.

"As far as I know, WAL-MART employees have no incentive options, so how do you keep employees?"

After a series of exclamations and admiration, Li Dong finally raised a sharp question.

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This problem is also the trouble of many grassroots businessmen. The competition is becoming more and more fierce. The talents are more and more important. Who can retain people, who can grow stronger, but how can we retain people?

"We have no option incentive, but we offer a business that has enough room to grow."

For Li Dong's question, Qian Shen Qiao's answer is unequivocal and unquestionable.

In her view, not everyone is born to be a boss or a shareholder. Whether a career can attract people or not, the most important thing is whether there is room for career development.

Qian Shenqiao is confident that WAL-MART has this space.

She gave the reporter a "52 week training program", and more than 300 employees of Dongxin store had to take part in the training plan. In this training program, there were first day induction training, weekly thematic training, special training for different types of jobs, and 30 days, 60 days, 90 days of retrospective training.

In addition to this training, there is also a special learning center in WAL-MART.

Qian Shenqiao took us to the learning center of Dongxin store. This is a room about the size of the general manager's office. There are two learning computers in the room. Each computer is equipped with an autonomous learning program. The staff can arrange their own study according to their own time, and learn as many as 70 courses. Each study is automatically recorded, and some compulsory courses system will remind the staff to complete the task within a specified time.

All training is aimed at satisfying employees' growth aspirations.

In WAL-MART, this kind of meticulous training has become a strong adhesive for condensing employees. A batch of employees in this training system have grown from salesmen to executives.

Statistics show that the general manager of WAL-MART supermarket is made up of Chinese talents.

Zheng Linshu told us that he grew up from a salesman in a shop in WAL-MART, Fujian, and this process was only seven or eight years away.

WAL-MART was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton, a legend of American retail business in Arkansas.

After more than 40 years of development, Wal-Mart Store Inc has become the largest private employer in the United States and the largest chain retailer in the world.

At present, WAL-MART has opened more than 9000 shopping malls in 15 countries around the world, with 60 brands, about 2100000 employees, and 200 million customers who visit WAL-MART every week.

WAL-MART entered China in 1996, and opened the first WAL-MART shopping plaza and Sam member store in Shenzhen. Now it has opened 338 shopping malls in 124 cities across the country, creating over 90 thousand jobs in the country, of which more than 99.9% come from China, and the general manager of shopping malls is 100% from Chinese talents.

In 2010, Wal-Mart Store Inc once again ranked the top 500 of fortune global top companies and ranked first among the retail companies surveyed by Fortune magazine, the most appreciated enterprise in 2010.

WAL-MART's global business area / Country: 15 countries.

The number of WAL-MART's global stores is over 9000.

WAL-MART global staff: more than 2 million 100 thousand.

WAL-MART global 2011 fiscal year sales: $419 billion.

The number of WAL-MART stores in China is 338.

The number of cities stationed by WAL-MART in China is 124.

WAL-MART China employs more than 90 thousand employees.

The proportion of WAL-MART local staff in China is more than 99.9%.

The ratio of female managers in senior management teams is about 40%.