Wal-Mart Starts Image Boosting Ads

[Rose Siding]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the world's biggest retailer, launched a national advertising campaign on Thursday to burnish an image tarnished by allegations that it discriminates in hiring and promotions and drives smaller rivals out of business.
The company is running a full-page advertisement in more than a hundred newspapers, touting the number of jobs it plans to create this year, its employee benefit packages, and the diversity of its work force. It also has started a Web site to support its campaign.

The campaign is not a response to any specific charge against Wal-Mart, said Jay Allen, senior vice president of corporate affairs. But the company has become more of a target for critics due to its growth in recent years, he added.

"It has just become evident to us that it is time for us to be more aggressive in defining ourselves rather than letting others do that," Allen said in an interview.

The ad, which ran in papers such as USA Today and The Wall Street Journal, says the company plans to create 100,000 U.S. jobs in 2005 and that 74 percent of its hourly employees work full-time. It also touts the fact that the average wage for its full-time hourly employees is nearly twice the federal minimum wage.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2005-01-13T151536Z_01_N13377648_RTRIDST_0_USREPORT-RETAIL-WALMART-DC.XML

[Bouncy Ball]

1. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

GOOD LUCK!!! YOU'RE GONNA NEED IT!

Even apolitical people I know are fed up with Wal-Mart and no longer shopping there!

Why? Cheap crap in a dirty store with too few checkers.

That's why.

I've been talking so many people into signing up for Costco, I should be on their payroll.

[trogdor]

6. Cheap crap in a dirty store with too few checkers?

Sounds more like K-Mart to me. I don't know who runs your local Wal*Mart, but ours seems to be well-staffed. Of course, I can name the number of times I've been in there in the past year on my left hand - usually near the end of gardening season when they're unloading stuff like shrubbery at fire-sale prices. I have a nice hedge made from shrubs bought at Wal*Mart at around a buck apiece in September.

[Bouncy Ball]

13. Yep and it's a newer Wal Mart too.

One of those "super" ones with a grocery store attached.

The aisles are always cluttered and the inventory not straightened up. They keep as few checkers on the clock as they can to save money.

It's ridiculous. And yeah, cheap crap.

[Montanan]

58. My wife and I went to a Wal Mart...

... in the SF Bay area to get something she simply couldn't find anywhere else. We really didn't want to go, but we figured "How bad could it be?". Besides, we hadn't been to a Wal Mart in over six years, and thought it might be interesting from a sociological point of view.

Let me tell you, it was ugly. First, the "Greeter" was rude to me when I asked her a simple question. The aisles were narrow and cluttered, merchandise was jumbled on many shelves, and the lighting was ghastly.

The place was packed with loud, pushy shoppers, many of whom had carts full of merchandise - and screaming kids - blocking the aisles. We got what we came for and beat a hasty retreat.

My wife summed it up as we slowly drove out of the cramped parking lot: "It's a cross between Target and hell!".

We ain't a-goin' back.

[NuttyFluffers]

66. *gasp* SF Bay Area, wal-mart, exclusive item?! lies! madness!

i live here! impossible that there was something in wal-mart that was exclusive to all the other stores around here! no! cannot believe it! what on earth was it? i mean costco can sell you industrial vats of lard, you can visit an ethnic community store to buy spices and produce that most of them have no translatable names or western analogs, we have nigh factory direct electronics, and specialized, imported, subculture, fanproduced, sellers of god knows what else all over the place? what is this blasphemy you speak of!? was it censored entertainment media? kathy lee gifford's sweatshop pret-a-porte summer line? junk electronics that even the used bargain import electronics store won't even carry because it's so shoddy? what? what is this mystery product?!

:wow:

[Montanan]

86. Wife was searching for a makeup product...

...which she finally heard was available at Wal Mart. That stuff is a mystery to me, so I just looked around the store while she fought it out in the makeup aisle. The prices I saw on various items didn't really seem like bargains.

[NuttyFluffers]

94. cheap make-up is never a bargain

a good rule of thumb i learned from the drag queens in my life.

but then it might've been an elite, luxury make-up for all i know.

was it worth it in the end? :7

[liwkenne]

85. A perfect description

But probably a little more like hell than Target.

Too bad Wal-mart executives won't set aside a small percentage of the money they're spending on this advertising campaign to buy a few mops and buckets to clean their stores.

I've never understood it - Does Wal-mart want customers who never clean their houses to feel "at home" in their filthy stores? Is that the idea? I can't figure it out. What's the deal?

[yorkiemommie1]

87. i've been to two of them

in SoCAL. they were both dirty, cluttered, poorly staffed, aisles not laid out neatly and merchandise all messed up. didn't spend much if anything. we left one time because of the lousy check out process. there is a new one in my own area now but i will never step foot in it so matter how much they 'burnish' their image.

[PA Democrat]

68. That was my experience as well

There are 2 local Wal-Marts. Both are dirty and cluttered. The Wal-Mart Super Center I was in only once, but when I looked at their dairy case, almost half of the merchandise was older than the "sell by" date.

[FREEDOMRULES3]

27. backed by china

i think wallys world and china are in cahoots (sp) . they can take over our country economically, bankrupting us. i hate the store. i would never do that early morning walmart yell that they do. how many imported goods have they sold from china and where does it all go. china will win without a shot fired.

[trogdor]

37. I'll bet our other trading partners are upset about it, too.

Consider if you ran, say, a German company that produced small appliances. Not only does China eat up your domestic market, they also cut you out of the world's largest foreign market. The G8 should therefore be plenty pissed off about this.

[OldVlad]

69. They are China's 3rd largest importer!

I heard that WalMart imports so much made-in-China slave labor produced products that if they were a nation, they would be doing the 3rd highest volumn on earth.

I'm so glad people are waking up to what a selfish, myopic store this is, this company, with their army of producers with absolutely no environmental or wage oversight are undercutting American workers daily. If we don't force China to at least join the 20th Century in worker's rights they will be our undoing.

[dbt]

2. This is rather large!

Wal-Mart only runs full-page newspaper ads when it's in some sort of trouble.

:evilgrin:
dbt

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

3. #1 contributor to W's campaign...all I need to know, thanks.

I don't care how many warm & fuzzy ads they run. Unfortunately, I never shopped in the crappy store to begin with but I make sure to spread the word about their politics for people that potentially do shop there.

[GOPBasher]

4. I have an idea for a commercial..

This is little Phillipe. He's four. We let him make a living by paying him $0.50/day, for just 15 hours of work! AND, at the end of the day, we give him a piece of candy!!!! Isn't that nice of us?

[grace0418]

9. Make that $0.05/day.

And talk about how they lock him in the store at night.

[GOPBasher]

14. Yeah, but when they lock him in the store,

they give him a VERY COMFY concrete floor to sleep on. Geez, you're so picky! :-)

[coloradodem2005]

25. Isn't that illegal?

n/t

[FizzFuzz]

38. And make that little Ping-Yueng, a cute little girl

because most of their slave labor is done in Chinese factories by young Chinese girls.

[eridani]

89. Toys for the world are made by kids---

TOYS FOR THE WORLD
tune--Joy to the World-- lyrics by Cliff Tasner

Toys for the world are made by kids
And not by elves at all!
We work them night and day
For very little pay.
And little tiny hands
Make all your fav'rite brands
That fill up the shelves in every shopping mall.

Toys for the world that Santa brings
So your own kids can play...
What's underneath your tree
Is our economy.
And all those girls and boys
Who make you're children's toys
Are not getting squat from us on Christmas Day!
They're not getting squat from us on Christmas Day!


O COME YE INVESTORS
tune--O Come All Ye Faithful-- lyrics by Felonius Ax

O Come, ye investors, bold captains of commerce,
Let’s get our products made in old Saipan.
Come for the people, peaceful and compliant
O come let us exploit them
O come let us exploit them
O come let us exploit them because we can!

See how consumers, blinded by low prices,
Leaving their ethics, come here to buy.
Into our pockets they will pour their dollars.
O come let us exploit them
O come let us exploit them
O come let us exploit them because we can!

Child, in our sweatshops makes designer watches,
Billionaires get richer from your twelve-hour days!
Who would not hire you for ten cents an hour?
O come let us exploit them
O come let us exploit them
O come let us exploit them because we can!


REST EASY WEALTHY GENTLEMEN
tume--God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen.-- Lyrics by Felonius Ax

Rest easy, wealthy gentlemen,
Let nothing make us sigh.
We give our workers tiny crumbs
So we can keep the pie.
We pay off politicians
So they bear our needs in mind
And they line up to kiss our fat behind.
If they're inclined,
They line up to kiss our fat behind!

Don't worry, wealthy gentlemen,
Let nothing make us twitch.
This new global economy's
Designed to keep us rich.
We ply our trade in many lands -
Let all their leaders come
To bend down and kiss us on the bum.
There's a good chum.
Just bend down and kiss us on the bum!
There's a good chum.
Just bend down and kiss us on the bum!

[FizzFuzz]

91. Excellent! LOL. Dark humor, indeed. n/t

[grace0418]

5. I've see a few and they're just vile

Not to many other companies have to run ads just to talk about how they're really good companies. Not about their products, not about their prices, not about their customer service or convenience. No. About how "well" they treat their employees. And they have employees in the ads talking about how awesome it is! Well, considering a lot of Wal-Mart employees probably voted for BushCo, I guess it should be no surprise that they've been brain-washed into thinking that they're being treated well by their employer.

[FizzFuzz]

40. Actually, most real employees hate it and know they're being treated like

shit.

The "testimonies" in the ads are being given by actors.

Google on Wal_Mart class action suit and you should find various sites where W-M workers tell their stories. Alot of 'em.

[benevolent dictator]

50. They might also be getting high schoolers and college kids

I know a few high schoolers who liked it because "it paid so well." Hell, that $8.75 looks great when everything else is offering you $6.00, but they don't realize that once they're older and have to pay all their own bills and feed their kids that that $9.00 an hour, 28 hours a week isn't going to cut it.

[Pattib]

54. $8.75? At Walmart? Ours pays minimum wage.

I was having a conversation with a twenty something cashier and he said that in the smaller towns where jobs are few the Walmarts don't offer more than minimum wage. Guess there must be some competition where you live for them to offer $8.75 an hour.

[TahitiNut]

7. It's cheaper than correcting their business practices.

These people have absolutely no compunction about lying. It's only about the money - not ethics, not integrity, and not human respect.

When they say "the average wage for its full-time hourly employees is nearly twice the federal minimum wage" they're admitting that over half of their labor force is compensated below the poverty level!

[tanyev]

21. Yeah, don't fix the business practices--

just step up the warm fuzzy feel-good propaganda.

[VegasWolf]

43. Hey, it worked for bush. n/t

[sam sarrha]

8. i just saw one , " I wouldnt be make'n it, if it weren't for Walmart"..

Making what...????? crank and PCP and growing weed to make a livng ???

[gratuitous]

10. Well, rather than being a responsible corporate citizen

Here's a big, glossy ad that says we're responsible corporate citizens. Isn't that convincing?

[AP]

11. Each Wall Mart Store receives FEDERAL (Welfare) subsidies of

500,000 bucks, right? (I'm not sure if that includes the EIC that many of those employees must get -- but I think it includes health costs and other federal poverty assistance).

I'd like to see an ad begging Wal Mart to not bring us those 100,000 jobs on the grounds that our country is already in deficit and we can't afford them. And then maybe we could beg them to simply raise salaries and increase benefits for the people they have hired and also ask them to take a few dollars out of their bottom line by asking them to buy their products from factories which pay decent wages so that they don't participate in destroying the value of an hour of labor.

[madrchsod]

22. you forgot state and local tax breaks

our town just shelled out a couple hundred thousand to help walmart build a road to their big box.

[AP]

24. That's why I emphasized "Federal" by capitalizing it -- if you include

all the breaks this huge corporation gets thanks to buying off politicians, you can be sure that it's taking millions of dollars OUT of the economy, rather than putting it into the economy.

Walmart is not a wealth-creation corporation. It's a wealth-transfer corporation.

For all it's price competition, it is still devaluing American labor (ie, taking wealth out of the pockets of people who work for a living and giving a few penies to Chinese and Indonesian workers) and it's sucking up taxpayer dollars in the forms of Federal, state and local subsidies.

[FizzFuzz]

41. So, W-M's human resources protocol is.....use the Taxpayers!!!

And also, don't forget that workers, (mostly women, since it is women whoare systematically denied promotions at W-M--the 1 million plaintiff class action suit is mostly women claiming gender discrimmination/sexual harrassment) also generally end up applying for public assistance, such as food stamps and Medicaid, because they receive poverty wages.

[AllegroRondo]

70. They actually give classes to new employees

on how to apply for food stamps, medicaid, and other assistance.

[Bronco69]

12. Are they going to say in their ads that the small businessperson

that they made go out of business will be working for them at a fraction of what they would be making if Wal Mart hadn't come to town? Are they going to let the public know that they lock their cheap labor people in at night with no means to escape in case of fire? Will they tell people that if the person's work doesn't get done on his/her shift that s/he has to stay over on his/her own time to see that it gets done, which is often the case because supervisors make sure the employee can't get his/her work done thus forcing them to stay over? I could go on and on, but these fuckers make me sick!

[FizzFuzz]

42. Word! n/t

[KansDem]

15. Haven't seen this ad in the Kansas City Star...

The KC Star is a right-wing rag anyway, and there seems to be a "special relationship" between WalMart and Kansas City (David Glass, former Wal-Mart CEO and is now owner of the Kansas City Royals), so perhaps WalMart doesn't think it needs to promote itself to Kansas Citians.

[hatrack]

93. No, but KCUR spews their NPR sponsorship blather at least 3X weekly

All about how they're creating "job opportunities" and how much they "care" about "their" communities". :puke:

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

16. When has Walmart not been airing image boosting ads? n/t

[CornField]

26. That's exactly what I'm wondering.

The only Wal-Mart ads we see in Iowa are about their image... how workers are family... about the 'good' they bring to a community... about their wonderful health care for employees... and on and on

[Norquist Nemesis]

17. "It has just become evident"

Huh??? Then why have I been seeing ads for quite some time now?? I don't recall all of the details of them...There's the one with the guy whose son was born with major problems and Wal-Mart sent him to one of the best hospitals in the nation (can't remember the name of it) and now the boy is doing great. It came out about the time that reports on Wal-Mart not giving their employees benefits were everywhere.

Another that comes to mind is the one with the woman who is now VP of greeting cards (started in the greeting card department). That one came out about the same time as a lawsuit of discrimination against women was in process...

They "just" realized this? NOT!!!

[MarianJack]

18. As One Writer Put it...

...Henry Ford paid his people enough so they could afford what they built.

Wal-Mart pays their employees so little that they can't afford to shop anyplace else.

A subtle, but MAJOR difference!

BTW, you wouldn't think that Wal-Mart's sponsoring of NPR has anything to do with their shift to the right, now would ya'?

[hedgehog]

72. That's a myth - Henry Ford had to raise wages

because the work was so mind-numbingly awful that no one would stay to do it until he did. Once he raised the wages, he found that he'd made a new market for himself. I imagine other employers had to folllow in step with him .

[Corgigal]

19. My daughter worked a part time job

at Walmart when she was home from college. They never offered her full time, benefits or night hours that paid more. Honey, you work at their leisure. However she was offered to be part of the Walmart lawsuit against their female employees. She's did join the lawsuit and now to get them to pay up for her college loan would be a Karma like, ending.

[FizzFuzz]

44. WHAT? Your daughter consented to join W-M counter suit????

What the hell?? She said, OK, I'll defend you against those women you're screwing over, just like you're screwing me???

I'm sorry, did I misunderstand you?

[Corgigal]

73. yep

my BAD. I wrote it completely ass backwards. NO she is in the lawsuit against Walmart.

Sorry about that. Will tell DU, from time to time, how's it's moving along. I think they have a pretty good case.

[FizzFuzz]

74. Phew!!! Thanks for clarifying!!!!!!!!

I bet it would be horrible for you if it WAS the other way around.

Yeah, updates on how she's doing would be great!
:D

[Corgigal]

75. honey

She be out living in a doghouse in the backyard. She's not an idiot, she got her computer degree and has moved on from "Walmart".

[FizzFuzz]

90. Umm..sorry, I can't tell if you're kidding with me. If I said something

that sounds like I'm calling her an idiot, you're going to have to point it out, because I have no idea what you found offensive in my post. You sound really pissed at me and I am completely confused.

Insulting either of you absolutely was not my intent; I thought I was making a joke about having misunderstood, and then I was cheering her on in the good fight against W-M.

[madrchsod]

20. twice the federal minimum wage?

shit sign me up. i`ll work full time for that wage..oh but the devil is in the details. they don`t mention how much they co-pay on the medical and how many hours it takes to be eligable. if they paid double the state wage in illinois it would be over 13 dollars an hour,around here that`s a really good wage. 100,000 jobs to replace the good american jobs that were sent to china or who knows where, so now we have to buy cheap shit at walmart because we haven`t got a decent wage to buy american made goods. makes perfect sense to me.

[Dhalgren]

36. I think it was "double the federal minimum wage".

That would be $10.30/hr. And that is the "average" - so how many of the "workers" are working at about $6 or $7/hr, so that the management can get whatever it is they take home? The usual pay at Wal-Mart isn't over 10 bucks an hour, I'll bet you...

[durablend]

52. And how many hours a week are they getting?

Doesn't mean squat if they pay $15 an hour but only schedule you 15 hours a week (if that).

[Walt Starr]

23. Saw their one page ad today in the Chicago Tribune

I thin we can get the fucks for false advertising because they claim more than 90% of Americans shopped at Wal-Mart last year.

How many people don't shop at all, let alone don't shop at Wal-Mart?

[Malikshah]

28. Starts? It's been going on for months

Wal-Mart, Sam's Club-- everything they touch turns to gold according to them...

Plus--their ads for music/dvds with the stepford children gettin giggy with it...

It's pathetic.

Let's get the ads for the folks locked up.

How about hidden cameras of Walmarts like the one near me that is filthy, trash ridden and a complete disaster (had to go in late for liquid plumber and felt as if I'd gone into a parallel universe)

[earthside]

29. Opposite Effect

The ad was in the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post this morning.

But the ad certainly had the opposite effect on me than was intended. Since it is not "a response to any specific charge" my first reaction was what had happened bad to Wal-Mart that they had to buy full page ads?

I agree with a previous poster. Wal-Mart's PR department must have some market studies that show increasingly negative feelings towards their way of doing business.

Wal-Mart is a horrible company ... They cannot go bankrupt fast enough for me.

[bvar22]

30. Here's an AD for Wal-Mart!

MONEY SPENT AT WAL-MART
KILLS
GOD'S UNBORN CHILDREN!!!

I'm Pro-Choice, but I would like to help drive the wedge between religious fundamentalism and corporate profits.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

51. China #1 state funded abortions, Walmart #1 importer from China...

I think it's a connection that needs to be broadcast loudly for the fundie masses to absorb. They were also the largest contributors for W & Co so that should keep the Dem supporters away too.

Personally, I never shopped in their cheap, crappy stores but I resent how they squeeze out the local business community by brute force and nasty business tactics.

[drscm]

31. Are they going to advertise how much it costs a community to cover

the uninsured for health care? And, of course, since the employees have to depend on the community for their health care, they get the very minimum.

[ellie]

32. Here in Toledo,

the local UFCW union has been running ads on the radio telling WalMart employees that they have a right to unionize and that they are here to help them do it. Good for them!

[flygal]

81. Right On!!

[SweetLeftFoot]

33. Family friend

works on Wal Mart ads.

[FizzFuzz]

OK, could you please tell us more??

Please don't drop a comment like that and then leave us to tease it out of you.

[SweetLeftFoot]

95. I don't think

he'd appreciate me givng away too much here ...

[Ezlivin]

34. And how big was OUR ad?

Hah! None of us (the "little people") ran expensive, full-page ads.

We simply talked to each other about Wal-Mart's poor practices and it all went from there.

Amazing what word-of-mouth can do in today's media-saturated culture!

[Stinky The Clown]

35. Unionize WalMart

It helps in many ways.

It raises the lot of their workers

It helps unions (which are damned good for **all** of us.)

Unions are part of our base

It pisses Wal Mart off

It may allow some of our small businesses to suvive the onslaught of Wal Mart's "March to the Sea" that is designed to crush all independent American businesses.

It takes cash away from the world's largest corporate right wing donor and puts it in the pocket of ordinary people

It reduces welfare and medicare costs by forcing Wal Mart to pay what it now makes the local community pay.

[VegasWolf]

45. Hell, that's why they paid georgie to not let happen. n/t

[mimitabby]

39. full page ad in my newspaper today (Seattle PI)

barf

[donheld]

46. Wal-Mart is spending money making the apperance

of a good image, but spending nothing on actually cleaning up their act.

[VegasWolf]

47. Yes, they should show how they give those poor illegal aliens jobs!n/t

[daa]

48. So are they denying

their supervisors erase time cards and change hours? Are they denying thiey hire people at 8 bucks an hour and then fire tehm when they work their wasy up to 10 bucks becuase they are too expensive. are they denying they have the most employees with children on welfare in Georgia??

Yeah right.

[President Jesus]

49. political donations of ceo and chairman

S Robson Walton, chairman
H Lee Scott, ceo

[CTyankee]

53. Their CEO was on Good Morning America

today being interviewed by Charlie Gibson. He wouldn't give one straight answer to Gibson's questions and probably lied when he said he didn't know how much stuff from other countries was sold in the stores. Then he babbled on about how great it is that you can afford to buy a bicycle for your kid (apropos of nothing -- he just thought it was a nice little sound bite, kind of like the Bush campaign stuff). I guess they figure we just don't listen very closely.

[Rainscents]

55. Our Boycott is working!!!

Go figure!!! We are making difference and lets keep it up!!! I refused to put my foot in the WAL-MART!!!

[SiouxJ]

67. It's obvious their sales were way down over the holidays

No matter what has been reported. They are looking pretty desperate. I think they're very worried. It's amazing to me that a few people still aren't up on just how horrible they are. I was having lunch with a friend yesterday and she was telling me about something she bought at Wallyworld and I told her I wouldn't set foot in the place and she asked me why. I asked her if she had an hour or two and gave her a Reader's Digest version and told her I'd email her more. Absolutely amazing that some people have no idea about them. All they know is they can get cheap crap there. Oh, and the funny part is, she and her husband used to own a small store that went out of business when a Super-Wal-mart went in just down the highway! I don't think it ever dawned are her that they were a big part of her store going under.

[ProfessorGAC]

76. They Actually DID Report Lower Sales, Sioux

They reported a high volume in the first weekend after T'giving. But, they also reported that dollar volumes were weak because it was almost all bargain hunting.

By the time Christmas came around, they were highly disappointed in the overall seasonal revenues. So were most of the big retailers.

So, this PR campaign is being triggered by the sagging economy and lowered earnings. If they were still making a ton of money, they wouldn't really care enough what anyone thinks to spend this kind of advertising money.
The Professor

[SiouxJ]

79. I am aware that they reported lower sales

but I think they were even LOWER than they were letting on. As a distributor, I can tell you that my sales were down a full 1/3 over the average for the holiday season in recent years. I think the reports were propped up.

I agree that they wouldn't be concerned with the spreading anti-Wal-mart movement if times were better. They would just continue with their arrogant, untouchable attitude.

[ProfessorGAC]

84. There Are Only Two Possible Options

One is things are tough and they can't afford to alienate, or they have chosen to move back toward where they started and be less the evil empire and without some attempt to ameliorate hostility ahead of the curve, it's hopeless.
The Professor

[flygal]

82. You can buy a bike for your kid from Ebay

and Costco, and from garage sales. Why do people fall for this garbage? It's all about over consumption - people just like to have crap. I know a repug who puts up 14 fricken Christmas trees in her house. She had to buy a bigger house just for her Christmas decorations and rents out a storage unit year round to hold them. Jesus would be so proud :puke:

[Synnical]

56. Also, a website

http://walmartfacts.com

Enough garbage there to seriously want to make you hurl.

[ally_sc]

57. I am so proud of my boycott of Wal Mart

Probably the only thing I do a 100 % correct everyday, and they are so convenient to me but ya know it ain't even tempting...

[Dulcinea]

71. How can anyone stand to shop there unless they absolutely have to?

Wal-Mart is the most claustrophobic store I've ever been in!

The aisles are dirty, too narrow & piled up with cheap junk! I had to return a Christmas gift there, & I wanted to burn my shopping card. I found a few things for the house & got out of there as quickly as I could. Uggh. I'll stick with Target, thank you.

[DavidMS]

59. There's a better name for it:...

Putting Lipstick on a Pig.

The only time that corps run full page adds is after being caught being naughty and the public wants to send them to their rooms without dinner.

I have never shoped at walmart and don't intend to unless Costco buys them out or they get unionized.

[mac56]

61. Also described as:

Trying To Polish A Turd.

[TexasBushwhacker]

60. Full time is defined as 30 or more hours a week

How many "full time" employees are working less than 40 who would like to work the hours?

[wildwww2]

62. Whine-Mart can cry all they want. I still will not shop with them.

I hope people see through these Bu$h supporting slugs.
Peace
Wildman
Al Gore is My President

[SheepyMcSheepster]

63. my dad, who voted for bush, boycotts walmart

he understands how they work and what the real cost is.

[d.l.Green]

64. amNewYork article is more balanced...

than this Reuters article. After CEO Scott's "tired of it... line in the sand" it goes on to describe criticism of his company as "urban legends". (HAHAHAHAHAHA!) The last two paragraphs read: "New Yorkers are too smart to fall for the image improvement campaign rhetoric, according to one group opposing Wal-Mart's plans to come to Rego Park. 'This insults New Yorkers' intelligence,' Kirk Swanson, political director for the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union told amNewYork. 'We can see right through them.' "

[bemildred]

65. I suppose just cleaning up their act is not on the table?

Like, the solution to every problem is more media bullshit.

[VegasWolf]

77. "Polishing a turd." n/t

[blindpig]

78. what's really funny

is that they've been running these spots on our local fascist AM radio station between the morons ranting about that economy "commie" car from China soon to be imported. Dipshits wouldn't know hypocrisy if it stepped on their meat.

[flygal]

83. Oh, that's rich!

All these repug "Patriots" supporting a communist country. If it weren't so frightening what's happening to our country it would almost be funny.

[WLKjr]

80. the full time thing is bs after december eveyry year

they cut hours like mad, and then they have this wierd "averaging system" where you DO NOT GET 40hrs, but get like 29, 34, 32, 29 etc and if it averages out to 40 over a period of time they do not have to give you exactly 40 hours. The management is getting watered down big time, a lot of them do not have any vision, only want what works and never change things. My uncle told me the other day that this is the same thing that started happing to K-mart in the 70's , and that they will soon end up like K-mart becuase people will just start getting sick of all the cheap shit they sell. It's gotten to the point where they wont evne bother carrying things that people want becuase they don't believe it will be profitable to carry it.

[Biased Liberal Media]

88. I wonder if this means that Walmart's business is being

affected by the thousands, if not, millions of Americans who are angry with the Walmart globalization of the US??

In any case it's great to hear they are being affected in some way. They don't deserve ANY business in MY opinion. Give it back to the ma & pop stores who are suffering horribly.

Whatever happened to BUY AMERICAN?? Now we're buying China-made products...WTF?

[leesa]

92. Too late. The people that will shop at Wal Mart are already doing it.

Hey you support corporate whoredom. Now you get your comeuppance. If you destroy our livelihoods, we can't buy your crap.