Walmart pioneered the everyday low price strategy with its first store in 1962. Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart Discount City on July 2, 1962, in Rogers, Arkansas, launching a chain built around consistently low prices rather than frequent sales.
The approach aimed to increase sales volume while accepting a smaller profit margin on each item. Walmart’s purchasing scale, efficient distribution, and tight cost control helped make that model practical as the company expanded. Its “Everyday Low Prices” message eventually became one of the retailer’s defining promises.
A common mix-up is Kmart, which was also a major discount retailer in the early 1960s. Kmart generally used a high-low pricing model, featuring temporary promotions and sale events; Walmart became especially associated with EDLP. Walton was also influenced by earlier discount retailers, so Walmart did not invent the idea of selling cheaply in absolute terms—it popularized and systematized this specific pricing strategy at national scale.