"It was the summer of 1969: man made his first walk on the moon. Nearly 450,000 people gathered in New York state to witness the historic concert of Woodstock. And Doris and Don Fisher opened the first Gap store in San Francisco" (Gapinc.com 2007). Today, Gap Inc. is one of the world's largest specialty retailers, with more than 3,100 stores and fiscal 2006 sales of $15.9 billion. Gap Inc. operates four of the world's most recognized clothing brands: Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Piperlime. Every day, Gap Inc. seeks new ways to connect with customers around the world, providing value to its shareholders and making positive contributions in the communities where Gap Inc. operates. Gap Inc brands have a simple and common purpose: “to make it easy for people to express their personal style” (Gapinc.com 2007). Gap Inc. constantly evolves each brand to best meet the needs of its customers, through innovative and inspiring design; through convenient and engaging store experiences; and communicating with people in ways that connect to how consumers live, work and play. Gap Inc. provides total quality management through policies and procedures. The following information explains how Gap Inc. uses TQM (total quality management), what made Gap Inc. the way it is today, and total quality management implementations. When Gap was founded in 1969, Gap was unique and new. Gap's target customers were younger generations. Gap's biggest seller at the time was its "basic" look, which consisted of signature blue jeans and white cotton T-shirts. Gap's founders realized that jeans were becoming popular among younger generations of customers. However, the company recognized that despite Gaps' popularity among young people, there were not enough assortments of jeans in clothing stores. Capitalizing on this deficit was simply the next step towards expansion. Gap's founders were confident that jeans could be sold through a chain of small stores dedicated exclusively to that product. As Gap's business idea became successful, Gap expanded its line of offerings and Gap now offers a range of clothing for men, women and children. As Gap's business began to prosper, Gap also began to expand. Gap Inc. has added two new entities to the company, Banana Republic and Old Navy. All three chains have their own target markets. Banana Republic is known for its casual luxury, with high-quality clothing. Banana Republic customizes its store to appeal to the unique market of satisfying fashion-conscious consumers.