Walmart Tops The Fortune 500 List - AGAIN

It's Walmart's world -- and we're all just shoppers. The world's largest retailer has once again ascended the the top spot on the Fortune 500 list, surpassing last year's top-ranked company Exxon Mobil. The retailer previously topped the list in 2008 and 2007.

Walmart pulled in $14 billion in profits, despite slowing store traffic and cutting prices on, well, everything.

This year's version of Fortune's list, which ranks U.S. companies by revenue, suggests some very heartening signs for U.S. corporations, if not for out-of-work Americans. Here's Fortune's Shawn Tully:

"Amazingly, as consumers struggle, U.S. corporations are staging a nearly unprecedented comeback that's largely escaping notice. The gargantuan, dispiriting job cuts that seem to dominate the news have also been the spur for an epic resurgence in profits. For 2009, the Fortune 500 lifted earnings 335%, to $391 billion, a $301 billion jump that's the second largest in the list's 56-year history, approaching the increase in the robust recovery of 2003. For last year the 500 raised their return on sales from less than 1% to 4%. That's close to the list's 4.7% historical average."

Bank of America and JPMorgan were the only financial firms to remain in this year's top 10, but as Tully noted, banks and brokers, "rebounded from losses of $8.7 billion to $38 billion in profits" in 2010.

Check out the Fortune 500 list here and read Tully's recap here.

Comments

[Stew118]

11:52 PM on 04/18/2010

I remember reading that Walmart alone accounted for 15% of all US imports from China and that was like 5 years ago.

[ThuddyWinchester]

02:50 AM on 04/17/2010

Oh, but they employ the "unemployable"....
:)

[DeadPhish]

11:41 AM on 04/16/2010

Have never set foot inside a Walmart...no reason to support China.

[bgofca]

01:54 AM on 04/16/2010

the rednecks who shop at walmart need to look at the tag to find out where the stuff they buy is made and remember that when they comp;ain about the jobs all going to other countries.
we don't go to walmart period.

[rschop]

11:23 PM on 04/15/2010

Why don't they just rename this company China Importers, Inc. They import almost 10% of all Chinese products shipped into this country with the resulting destruction of millions of Americans jobs. How long will the Americans people be so stupid as to put up this company that single handily has destroyed more Americans jobs than any other company today.

The Rednecks that started and run this company could care less if they destroy America and millions of the jobs in America as long as they get rich doing it. .

[Wealth-to-Freedom]

10:17 PM on 04/15/2010

Shopping at Walmart is mindset that consumers are taught. Look for cheap stuff and always looking for bargain. Ask yourself when you are shopping what it took to bring the product to market at such a cheap price. What labor was enslaved to allow that cheep product be sold at and still allow Walmart to make a profit. Check out this site. http://www.storyofstuff.com/ There is more to the story.

[enoughofrr]

09:10 PM on 04/15/2010

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

[enoughofrr]

09:09 PM on 04/15/2010

Destroying small towns, coast to coast.

[ruffdeezy]

07:30 PM on 04/15/2010

Everytime I go to Walmart, 4 out of 20 checkouts are open. Everytime I go and wait in line, I think to myself that I'm gonna write a letter to the manager and tell them to hire more people, I never do, but I still go back. They cut the price of toilet paper from $10 to $7. Can't complain with low prices.

[TinfoilLatte]

05:11 PM on 04/15/2010

Is another, better seen price to low prices waiting in line at checkout forever?

[chazz509]

04:37 PM on 04/15/2010

this is so sad. the biggest corporation in the greatest country in the history of man is a bargain basement of cheap foreign crap from a warehouse store with little to no service available. how much longer will it take before we can't even afford WalMart?

[booki]

05:08 PM on 04/15/2010

i have no problem shopping at the salvation army or goodwill.
everyone who works there is nice.

[markinaz]

04:01 PM on 04/15/2010

Well, that's what happens when you whip those slaves a little harder everyday. Spectacular increases in productivity at he expense of society all to further your multi-billion dollar fortune. They should move to Arizona in the summer to get a good idea of where they will eventually wind up when all is said and done.

[booki]

03:15 PM on 04/15/2010

they have not yet cut prices. if anything , they have increased prices,... .

[spinns17]

01:13 PM on 04/15/2010

funny ha .walmart cut prices and still made a big profit.shows you how little they pay for there stuff.how good could the stuff be?

[spinns17]

01:10 PM on 04/15/2010

this should show us america how bad of shape were in .we have to shop at place that sells cheap made stuff ,with cheap slave labor to survive.