Forbes.com readers and editors rank Sam Walton as the fifth most influential businessman of all time. Sam Walton didn't invent the idea of the discount store, he just perfected it. His embrace of information technology and supply-chain management allowed him to dramatically undercut his competitors, and this remains a model for how to blend old and new economies. At a Wal-Mart store, cash registers are electronically linked to headquarters and suppliers. The chain, which is by far the biggest retailer in the world, has been universally blamed for killing mom-and-pop stores but, perhaps more significantly, it has left more dollars in shoppers' wallets and spurred an economy that is 66% dependent on consumer spending. The chain is America's largest employer, giving work to more than 1.3 million people. If Walton were still alive, his personal fortune would far outstrip Bill Gates. 　　

　　福布斯网站（Forbes.com）读者和编辑将山姆·沃尔顿列为有史以来第5位最有影响力的商人。
　　山姆·沃尔顿没有发明折扣商店，他只是使之更完美。他将信息技术和供应链管理结合在一起，极大地消弱了对手的竞争力，而且成为揉合新旧经济的一个模式。在沃尔玛商店，收银机联结着总部和供应商。沃尔玛连锁商店是世界上最大的零售商，却因扼杀了众多小店铺而备受指责，也许比较有意义的是，沃尔玛让顾客节省了钞票，并且刺激了66%依赖于顾客消费的经济。沃尔玛连锁商店是美国最大的雇主，它给130多万人提供了岗位。如果沃尔顿还活着的话，他的个人财富将远远超过比尔•盖茨。 　　

　　mom-and-pop store
　　男：mom and pop store是什么意思？ 　
　　女：a mom and pop store is a small store，usually owned by a family，or a married couple，or maybe even one person. 　　
　　男：哦，我知道了，mom and pop store原来是指家庭式或者夫妻小店，也有可能是一个人经营哦。 　　
　　女：But it's just one store，not part of a big chain. 　　
　　男：当然这种小店并不会是连锁的，仅仅只是一家一家的。 　　
　　女：Unfortunately，these aren't that common in America anymore，everything is Walmart. So It's a mom and pop store. 　　
　　SOURCE： 　　WWW.dellenglish.com[/size]