The Sundown Rule

One Sunday morning, Jeff, a pharmacist at a Wal-Mart store in Harrison, Ark., received a call from his store. A store associate informed him that one of his pharmacy customers, a diabetic, had accidentally dropped her insulin down her garbage disposal. Knowing that a diabetic without insulin could be in grave danger, Jeff immediately rushed to the store, opened the pharmacy and filled the customer's insulin prescription. This is just one of many ways your local Wal-Mart store might honor what is known by our associates as the Sundown Rule.

It's a rule we take seriously at Wal-Mart. In this busy place, where our jobs depend on one another, it's our standard to get things done today - before the sun goes down. Whether it's a request from a store across the country or a call from down the hall, every request gets same-day service. These are our working principles.

The Sundown Rule was our founder, Sam Walton's twist on that old adage "why put off until tomorrow what you can do today." It is still an important part of our Wal-Mart culture and is one reason our associates are so well known for their customer service. The observation of the Sundown Rule means we strive to answer requests by sundown on the day we receive them. It supports Mr. Sam's three basic beliefs: respect for the individual, customer service and striving for excellence. At Wal-Mart, our associates understand that our customers live in a busy world. The Sundown Rule is just one way we try to demonstrate to our customers that we care.

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