Walmart, Target, Sam's Club, And Costco

The industry discussed in this Long-Term Investment Decision is retail sales, particularly, the stores of Walmart in comparison to Target, Sam’s Club, and Costco. Unlike Costco, Walmart is subject to federal regulations dealing with investment and revenue for various reasons. A primary reason that Walmart is subjected to regulations is not only related to consumer and product safety, but contracts with federal government for programs such as WIC and Welfare. Walmart recently fell under investigation and plead guilty to federal environmental crimes and violation of the Clean Water Act by illegally handling and disposing of hazardous materials at its retail stores. “As a result of the three criminal cases brought by the Justice Department, as well as a related civil case filed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Wal-Mart will pay approximately $81.6 million for its unlawful conduct. Coupled with previous actions brought by the states of California and Missouri for the same conduct, Wal-Mart will pay a combined total of more than $110 million to resolve cases alleging violations of federal and state environmental laws” (http://www.epa.gov/).
Walmart, Target, Costco, and Sam’s Club are all contracted for the flu shot by Health and Human Services in addition to the WIC (women, infants, and children program) (www.hhs.gov).
The women, Infants, and Children program also contracts through the aforementioned stores (http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/). The Walmart Foundation is contracted with the federal government: “Totaling $1.5 million, the grants are part of a broader commitment made by the Walmart Foundation to support Nutrition Education and provide its customers with healthier and more affordable food choices, building on the success of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Campaign (http://www.letsmove.gov).

Because Walmart is a Cooperative Extension Program for Food and Nutrition Service at U.S. Department of Agriculture, it is imperative that the department store chain adheres to guidelines specified in each contract and Food and Nutrition Training Certification as seen in the table below (www.usda.gov):

Table IV-4.Number and Percentage of Implementing Agencies Providing Training to CollaborativeAgencies by Type of Collaborative Agency (N=27) | Type of Collaborative Agency | Number of Implementing AgenciesProviding Training to Staff | Day Care Providers, Pre-School Programs, and Head Start Programs | 19 (70%) | Cooperative Extension Programs | 13 (48%) | Emergency Food Providers | 13 (48%) | Public and Private Schools | 12 (44%) | State and Local Food Stamp Agencies | 12 (44%) | WIC Agencies | 11 (40%) | Programs Serving Senior Citizens | 10 (37%) | Health Centers | 7 (26%) | Other | 8 (29%) |

The rationale for government intervention is to provide all citizens with equal access to food and nutrition services in America. Nutrition is a large part of economic advancement according to The Obama Administration. According to USDA and government regulations, Walmart, Target, and Costco offer comprehensive programs that correlate directly with Nutrition Education in schools. “A. Setting the Goals and Objectives for Food Stamp Nutrition Education as distinguished in state guidelines and for the purpose of food stamp education for low income houses:
“One of the first steps in designing and implementing food stamp nutrition education is to develop goals and objectives. These goals and objectives become the basis for developing nutrition education messages, selecting the target audience, identifying methods of delivery, and selecting materials and products to convey the messages. All of the implementing agencies are required to establish goals and objectives for their food stamp nutrition education and present them in their State plan” (www.fns.usda.gov).
“Walmart’s new Nutrition Charter has the potential to have a transformative impact on the market place and help families across

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