Wal-Martians, We Salute You

Although its rise to be the largest company in the nation and the world has created some animosity from rivals, we congratulate Bentonville-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Starting out just 40 years ago and focusing on supplying rural towns with every essential item, the Bentonville retail company sits atop Fortune magazine’s annual Fortune 500 list and Forbes magazine’s Super 500 list, switching places with oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. in the rankings based on annual revenue. Wal-Mart is the first service company to lead the Fortune 500.

According to the Fortune article, Wal-Mart reached $1 billion in annual sales in 1979. It’s hard to fathom, but now the company sometimes takes in that much in a single day.

Wal-Mart has become the all-purpose retailer, and it’s easy to understand why its reach frightens critics and competitors, but we admire it for remaining innovative and generally giving consumers a good deal.

The most incredible thing about Mr. Sam’s company remains its ability to reinvent itself and create new revenue streams.