>For the first time, Wal-Mart could store customer info on a disk.
Well, that may be the first time it wasn't a mainframe. Plus this is for the lay-away project of the mid-'80's when IBM-compatible PC's already existed.
What most people don't realize is that before the IBM PC, Wal-Mart was way ahead of all other retailers with its POS, inventory, and logistics systems from all over the US tied into headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Using telephone modems of course like anybody else, but this is before they had any "superstores", and were still quite small, nor were they in any big cities. Yet.
But they were ready. Actually that was all Sam had ever been planning for since the beginning, but they had become quite successful enough already as the fastest growing chain of mainly rural "country stores".
A typical Wal-Mart was dwarfed by a K-Mart store, and a full-size Sears seemed like a super store by comparison. They had mainframes and POS too but Wal-Mart just took it to the next level. Ran circles around them digitally.
Really did scorch some earth with those kind of advantages when they came to the big cities, but after the PC came out I would say they regressed more toward the mean. The momentum still overwhelmed though.
Well, that may be the first time it wasn't a mainframe. Plus this is for the lay-away project of the mid-'80's when IBM-compatible PC's already existed.
What most people don't realize is that before the IBM PC, Wal-Mart was way ahead of all other retailers with its POS, inventory, and logistics systems from all over the US tied into headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Using telephone modems of course like anybody else, but this is before they had any "superstores", and were still quite small, nor were they in any big cities. Yet.
But they were ready. Actually that was all Sam had ever been planning for since the beginning, but they had become quite successful enough already as the fastest growing chain of mainly rural "country stores".
A typical Wal-Mart was dwarfed by a K-Mart store, and a full-size Sears seemed like a super store by comparison. They had mainframes and POS too but Wal-Mart just took it to the next level. Ran circles around them digitally.
Really did scorch some earth with those kind of advantages when they came to the big cities, but after the PC came out I would say they regressed more toward the mean. The momentum still overwhelmed though.