The city of Rogers, Arkansas is right next door to Bentonville, Arkansas...and Bentonville's greatest claim to fame might be its status as the home of a store chain that might be a bit familiar.
Did you know that there's a Wal-Mart Employee Cheer? (Whoops, sorry. Wal-Mart insists it has "associates," not employees.)
This seems as good a time as any to tout this other video, showing what appears to be a cancerous growth spreading from Arkansas.
The first Wal-Mart store actually opened over in Rogers in July 1962. The original building still stands, although it's very inauspicious and is currently split between a building-supply store and antique mall. The local tourism book claims that the building contains a plaque commemorating its pioneering status, but the book lied.
There still is a Wal-Mart store 0001, though its physical location has been shunted from building to building a few times. Its second site presently houses Wal-Mart's claims administration office, of all things.
Of course, Sam Walton's retail empire had an existence that was seeded before 1962. Years before they crushed the competition, strong-armed their suppliers, and ran afoul of every labor issue in the book, they were here. Walton managed his first variety store in 1945; this store as the first "Walton's" Ben Franklin per se came five years later.
There is a plaque here! Maybe the tourism book was just confused.
The facsimile of Walton's 5-10 store now forms part of a Wal-Mart museum spanning an entire corner in downtown Bentonville. It contains several physical exhibits of products, packages, advertising, and memorabilia; video presentations, and an ice cream cafe...if you're in the mood to dine on Wal-Mart food, of course.
Lest anyone think they weren't trying hard enough, a facsimile of Sam Walton's '79 Ford truck is parked outside. The South Carolina inspection sticker kind of hints that it isn't the genuine Arkansas article, but if you want to see the actual truck you don't have far to go. That's on display inside, along with a painstaking re-creation of Sam Walton's actual office. I'd sure hate to have been the lowly associate tasked with putting that together!
Remember the Wal-Mart Cheer? That's mentioned in the museum, too. You just needed to know that.
At least admission is free. Much like a stopped clock is right twice a day, Wal-Mart winds up being benevolent once in a while.
Altogether, I'd have to place this attraction in the "see" category. I was at once both strangely captivated and appalled.
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