Mark today, Jan. 15, 2013 as a new beginning.
Walmart announced that it will buy an additional $50 billion in U.S. products over the next 10 years.
That’s big news; not only because of the dollars but mostly because of the trend.
You might remember that RFID technology soared mostly due to Walmart’s insistence that its suppliers used it. The same could be said about the company’s sustainability efforts.
The driving force behind their efforts, according to the company, is to create jobs to grow the economy.
But others say that the motive is actually profit.
“The company is simply responding to economics,” says Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM). “ Consumers want more made-in-USA choices, and smart observers recognize that this can be a profitable approach.”
However even Paul is hopeful.
“If Walmart’s ‘Made in America’ announcement is real, it’s a game changer,” he adds. “No company drives retailing trends like Walmart. I salute Walmart for stating this commitment and hope other retailers follow suit in sourcing more high-quality products that are made in America.”
AAM supplied a few interesting facts on Walmart that proves just how influential this company is:
- World Rank by economy if Walmart were a country: 19th
- Total amount of money spent at Walmart every hour of every day: $36,000,000
- Total amount of profit Walmart makes every minute: $34,880
- Total sales annually: $405 Billion
- Total number of customers per week: 100,000,000
