Rand:

Wal-Mart doesn't know how it's going to set its goals but you still set them?  Doesn't that kind of undercut the company's credibility in that it will actually reach those goals?  Isn't having a plan a good thing?

This first comment is a good one.  I should clarify.  Wal-Mart knows how it is setting its goals, even though we don't always know exactly how we are going to reach them.  We absolutely have a plan, and we have a good idea on many of the details, but our goals and aspirations need to be substantial enough to push us beyond exactly what we know we are going to do.

What good are aspirations if you know exactly how you'll reach them? JFK had a plan even though he didn't know how the US would put a man on the moon.  The Patriots have a playbook going into the big game even though they don't know exactly what they are going to run.  Even so, they are favored to win the game, and in the same way, not only are Wal-Mart's goals credible, they have some very strong plays built in.

One of Walmart's goals should be to better protect their employees from customer abuse.

bravo to walmart for exercising leadership in the global marketplace. coming back from the credibility deficit is a formidable task, but i believe that they will, over time, master it. the power truly lies within walmart's people, and i am confident that the ceo has managers working under him who can carry out the goals. i completely disagree with jonathan's observation that not knowing exactly how to meet goals is problematic. it's business. you often don't know the exact path until you embark. the ability to execute depends on the people involved, not some mythical concept of a "big brother" or "big business" or "the man" like so many pundits claim. it's people working hard to change the course of business. nothing more and nothing less.

keep it up and i'll be watching. i don't shop at walmart but it doesn't mean that i don't believe in what they are trying to do.

As an associate of Wal-Mart I know alot of what were doing out there in our stores will certainly meet if not exceed our goals. Everyday it seems like someone has this new idea of what to do and how to do it. It's great! I also have to disagree with Jonathans comment, sorry Jonathan, but I do feel that if you set high goals without a clear way of getting there, you'll actualy be able to, well, get there. Its actualy part of the Wal-Mart way and we seemed to have mastered that, being the worlds largest retailer and all!

I just wanted to comment on the need for in-store health clinics.  This would meet such a great need, even in the walmarts that draw from a remote rural area.

I hope it will expand and happen sooner than planned.  I used such a service in Las Vegas in CVS and it was a life-saver.  With the pharmacy and the OTC items right there, it saved time AND money. 

Going green is a great idea and you should give cashto your employees who share a ride or ride a bicycle to work.

Your employees are your best assets and with my experience with Walmart, I feel you do not give enough cash to your employees that are doing green at work or at home.

Your best example of good management is www.costco.com  This company gives it's employees good benefits, wages and the CEO makes 350 usd a year.

That Walmart is going green:)

Rand,

I will cut and paste a comment I left for Susan regarding the Hi Def choice Wal-Mart recently made.  Seems it would better fit on this blog.  By the way, was there ANY consideration given to Sustainability when this decision to back Blu-Ray was made?

Now to the original comment:

Susan,

First, please understand that this is not directed at you.  I hope you still have a job since the blog was published before Mr. Severson's "official" statement.

Just want to point out a couple of things.  The Blu Disc Association and others have openly said that the absolute BEST player for their Blu product is the Sony Playstation 3...a great buy for the dollar spent.  They will also admit that the Playstation 3 holds approximately 75% of the Blu market share for players they count.  I'm over 60 and don't want a gaming console in my entertainment center.  I just want a decent player with a remote and some visual indication on the front of the player to let me know system status.  The Playstation 3 doesn't offer that.  And none of the standalone Blu disc players are worth having at this point in the format's stage of development...if you intend to get your husband a Blu player, do some research first.

Next, I seem to hear quite a bit about Wal-Mart's commitment to the environment.  I agree with taking a "green" stance.  But if the Playstation 3, which has 75% market share and is my only real choice, then forget it...the Playstation 3 consumes 380 watts, compared to 40 watts for a decent standalone player...yes, almost ten times as much.

So to wrap up, it will cost me three times as many greenbacks to purchase a Blu gaming machine that will insult our "green" environment ten times as much.  So much for Wal-Mart's commitment to the environment.

The competing gaming machine uses 42% as much power as the Playstation...160 watts.