I. Discounting Retailers

There was a time when Kmart was Americas number-one discount retailer and Sears, Roebuck & Co. was the seventh largest corporation in the world. Things have changed since Wal-Mart came on the scene. In the fifty years since Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart store in Rogers, Arkansas, the company has propelled itself to the number-one spot in discount retailing, and (even more impressive) has higher sales than any other company in the world. Over this same fifty-year period, Target emerged as a major player in the retail industry. The fifty-year period wasnt kind to Kmart and Sears, and both stores watched their dominance in the retail market slip away. In an effort to reverse the downward spiral of both retailers, in November 2004, Sears and Kmart merged into a new company called Sears Holdings. To learn more about how Wal-Mart, Target, and Sears Holdings are doing today, go to the National Retail Federations Web site (https://nrf.com/resources/annual-retailer-lists/top-100-retailers (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.) to access a report that ranks the 2016 top 100 retailers. After reading the introduction and reviewing the list of top retailers, prepare a report comparing the three retailers on the following:

1.U.S. sales and percentage increase or decrease in sales

2. Worldwide sales

3. Number of stores and percentage increase or decrease in number of stores

Based on your analysis and reading of the introductory write-up, answer the following questions:

1.Do you believe that Target will be able to compete against Wal-Mart in the future? If so, how?

2. What about Sears Holdings? Will the company survive?

3. Some people criticize Wal-Mart for forcing other retailers out of business and for lowering the average wage for retail workers. Is this a legitimate criticism? In your opinion, has Wal-Mart helped the American people or hurt them?