Wal-Mart enjoyed a 50 percent market share position in the discount retail industry. procter & Gamble, Clorox, and Johnson & Johnson were among its nearly 3,000 suppliers. Though Wal-Mart may have been the top customer for consumer product manufacturers, it deliberately ensured it did not become too dependent on any one supplier; no single - vendor constitute more than 4 percent of its overall purchase volume. Further, WaI-Mart had persuaded its suppliers to have electronic "hook-ups" with its stores.