Walmart

=== Customer base ===
[[File:Walmart footprint.png|thumb|450px|Map of Walmart locations in the United States, {{As of|2020|December|df=US|lc=y}}|alt=]]
In the United States, Walmart's early growth occurred in the Southeast and lower Midwest. More recently, Walmart has expanded throughout the country. The number of Walmart stores per 1,000 people in 2019 was highest in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama and Kansas, and lowest in Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New York. California and New Jersey were two of the ten states with the largest increases in Supercenters between 2011 and 2020, along with Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Wisconsin.<ref name="Volpe"/>

Walmart customers display strong customer loyalty<ref name="Dominick"/> and cite low prices as the most important reason for shopping there. Walmart has characterized their shoppers as falling into three main groups: "value-price shoppers" (people who like low prices and cannot afford much more), "brand aspirationals" (people with low incomes who buy well-known brands in hopes of assuring quality), and "price-sensitive affluents" (wealthier shoppers who seek deals).<ref name="nytmorethanprice">{{cite news |author = Barbaro, Michael |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/02/business/02walmart.html |title = It's Not Only about Price at Wal-Mart |work = The New York Times |date = March 2, 2007 |access-date = April 3, 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080307092045/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/02/business/02walmart.html |archive-date = March 7, 2008}}</ref> {{As of|2022}} the average U.S. Walmart customer earned about $80,000 per year,<ref name="Dominick">{{cite news |last1=Reuter |first1=Dominick |title=Meet the typical Walmart shopper, a 59-year-old white suburban woman earning $80,000 a year |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/typical-walmart-shopper-demographic-white-woman-earning-middle-income-2021-7 |access-date=October 13, 2022 |work=Business Insider |date=January 17, 2022 |archive-date=October 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013141403/https://www.businessinsider.com/typical-walmart-shopper-demographic-white-woman-earning-middle-income-2021-7 |url-status=live }}</ref> above the U.S. average personal income of $63,214.<ref name="Flynn">{{cite web |last1=Flynn |date=April 5, 2022 |first1=Jack |title=Average American Income [2022]: Statistics On Household + Personal Income In The US – Zippia |url=https://www.zippia.com/advice/average-american-income/ |website=Zippia.com. |access-date=October 13, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=October 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013141406/https://www.zippia.com/advice/average-american-income/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Walmart reports that during times of rising inflation, customers become more sensitive to rising food prices, buying less expensive food items such as hot dogs and canned tuna rather than deli cold cuts. They also see more upper-income shoppers looking for bargains.<ref name="Horsley">{{cite news |last1=Horsley |first1=Scott |title=Walmart says inflation is helping it to attract more upper-income shoppers |url=https://www.wunc.org/2022-08-17/walmart-says-inflation-is-helping-it-to-attract-more-upper-income-shoppers |access-date=October 13, 2022 |work=WUNC/NPR |date=August 17, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=October 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013151421/https://www.wunc.org/2022-08-17/walmart-says-inflation-is-helping-it-to-attract-more-upper-income-shoppers |url-status=live }}</ref>

Walmart shoppers have been reported to be politically conservative. A poll after the [[2004 U.S. presidential election]] reported that 76&nbsp;percent of voters who shopped at Walmart once a week reported voting for [[George W. Bush]] while only 23 percent supported senator [[John Kerry]].<ref name="zogbypoll">{{cite web |url = http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2012-11-23-4#.UM1ok-Oe9uo |title = Group protests at local Walmart |access-date = December 16, 2012 |author = Gardner, Sheldon |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121201145953/http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2012-11-23-4#.UM1ok-Oe9uo |archive-date = December 1, 2012}}</ref> When measured against similar retailers in the U.S. in 2006, frequent Walmart shoppers were rated the most politically [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]].<ref>{{cite news |author = Birchall, Jonathan |author2 = Yeager, Holly |title = A Purchase on Psephology |newspaper = Financial Times |date = August 17, 2006 |page = 9 |edition = US }}</ref> {{As of|2014}} 54&nbsp;percent of Americans who preferred to shop at Walmart reported that they opposed [[same-sex marriage]], while 40 percent were in favor, reflecting the store's southern roots.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://publicreligion.org/2014/08/targets-support-for-same-sex-marriage-mirrors-customers-views/ |title = Target's Support for Same-sex Marriage Mirrors Customers' Views |last = Cox |first = Daniel |date = August 7, 2014 |publisher = Public Religion Research Institute |access-date = August 15, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140812090145/http://publicreligion.org/2014/08/targets-support-for-same-sex-marriage-mirrors-customers-views/ |archive-date = August 12, 2014}}</ref>

Due to its concentration of stores in the [[Bible Belt]], Walmart is known for its "tradition of tailoring its service to churchgoing customers".<ref name="Sellers"/> Walmart has carried [[Censorship of music|clean versions]] of hip-hop [[audio CDs]] and in cooperation with [[The Timothy Plan]], placed "plastic sheathes over suggestive women's periodicals and banned 'lad mags' such as [[Maxim (magazine)|Maxim]]" magazine.<ref name="Sellers">{{cite magazine |url = http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/may/17.40.html |title = Deliver Us from Wal-Mart? |last = Sellers |first = Jeff M. |date = April 22, 2005 |magazine = [[Christianity Today]] |access-date = April 13, 2014 |quote = Indeed, based in the Bible Belt town of Bentonville, Arkansas, Wal-Mart has a tradition of tailoring its service to churchgoing customers. It sells only the sanitized versions of hip-hop cds bearing warnings of objectionable content. Responding to a campaign by the largest evangelical mutual fund group, The Timothy Plan, to keep Cosmopolitan magazine covers out of view of Wal-Mart customers, the company slapped plastic sheathes over suggestive women's periodicals and banned "lad mags" such as Maxim. |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140107233259/http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/may/17.40.html |archive-date = January 7, 2014}}</ref> Walmart also caters to its Christian customer base by selling [[Christian media|Christian books and media]],<ref name="Gilgoff">{{cite news |url = http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/24/7-religious-companies-besides-chick-fil-a/ |title = 9 religious companies (besides Chick-fil-A) |last = Gilgoff |first = Dan |date = July 24, 2012 |publisher = CNN |access-date = April 13, 2014 |quote = Walmart long carries the kind of Christian books that were once the exclusive province of Christian bookstores. |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140205051508/http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/24/7-religious-companies-besides-chick-fil-a/ |archive-date = February 5, 2014}}</ref> such as [[VeggieTales]] videos and [[The Purpose-Driven Life]], earning the company over {{US$|1&nbsp;billion}} annually.<ref name="Collidge">{{cite magazine |url = https://www.forbes.com/2003/09/15/cz_cc_0915wmt.html |title = David Vs. Goliath |last = Coolidge |first = Carrie |date = September 15, 2012 |magazine = Forbes |access-date = April 13, 2014 |quote = Wal-Mart Stores has seen the light. The world's biggest retailer has discovered Christian-themed merchandise is one of the fastest-growing categories around. With offerings ranging from best-selling books and videos including The Purpose Driven Life and Veggie Tales, Wal-Mart's annual sales from Christian-themed merchandise, which is estimated to already exceed $1 billion annually, is growing at a rapid pace. On a company-wide basis, Wal-Mart now offers 550 different Christian music titles and more than 1,200 Christian book titles. |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140413140729/http://www.forbes.com/2003/09/15/cz_cc_0915wmt.html |archive-date = April 13, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Sellers2">{{cite magazine |url = http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/may/17.40.html |title = Deliver Us from Wal-Mart? |last = Sellers |first = Jeff M. |date = April 22, 2005 |magazine = Christianity Today |access-date = April 13, 2014 |quote = In addition, according to Forbes magazine, Wal-Mart has become the largest retailer of Christian-themed merchandise, with well over $1 billion in sales of such items as VeggieTales videos and The Purpose-Driven Life books. |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140107233259/http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/may/17.40.html |archive-date = January 7, 2014}}</ref>

In 2006, Walmart took steps to expand its U.S. customer base, announcing a modification in its U.S. stores from a "one-size-fits-all" merchandising strategy to one designed to "reflect each of six demographic groups—African-Americans, the affluent, empty-nesters, Hispanics, suburbanites, and rural residents."<ref name="Reuters 06">{{cite news |title = Report: Wal-Mart to adopt new custom-fit retail approach |url = http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/09/07/report-wal-mart-to-adopt-new-custom-fit-retail-approach.html |agency = Reuters |date = September 7, 2006 |access-date = February 28, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160307033321/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/09/07/report-wal-mart-to-adopt-new-custom-fit-retail-approach.html |archive-date = March 7, 2016}}</ref> Around six months later, it unveiled a new slogan:'' "Saving people money so they can live better lives"''.<ref name="nytmorethanprice"/>

Walmart has also made steps to appeal to more [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] customers, for example, by rejecting the [[American Family Association]]'s recommendations and carrying the DVD ''[[Brokeback Mountain]]'', a love story between two gay cowboys in Wyoming.<ref name="brokeback">{{cite web |url = https://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2006-04-04/ |title = Wal-Mart Hit by 'Brokeback' Protest |publisher = IMDb |access-date = December 8, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070321212405/http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2006-04-04 |archive-date = March 21, 2007 }}</ref>