One criticism of Wal-Mart is that it's so powerful it forces suppliers to bend to its will or suffer. What would Sam Walton have said to this?  Michael Bergdahl's answer:Sam Walton was a proponent of the Free Enterprise System. The pressure placed upon manufacturers and suppliers today is no different than the pressure Sam Walton himself placed on his early suppliers. Wal-Mart Merchandise Buyers expect suppliers and manufacturers to earn a fair profit on the goods they sell to Wal-Mart and no more. If a supplier can't earn a profit supplying Wal-Mart they should either lower their manufacturing costs to become profitable or make the decision to stop supplying the giant retailer. Supplying Wal-Mart can be a manufacturers dream come true or their worst nightmare. There are many companies that choose not to supply products to Wal-Mart because they cannot achieve their profit goals. Other companies are too small to supply the insatiable product needs of Wal-Mart. There are companies who choose to supply Wal-Mart whether they make a large profit or not simply to enhance the visibility of their brand. For those who do supply Wal-Mart the expectation is that that supplier needs to partner with Wal-Mart to ALWAYS deliver value to the retail customer. In reality there are three types of companies that supply products to Wal-Mart: those who make a profit, those who break even and those who lose money.