BENTONVILLE, Ark., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Walmart today
announced initiatives specifically targeting the needs of American families
and communities over the next seven weeks. Walmart vows to lead on delivering
a Christmas that costs less, with targeted week-to-week savings and thousands
of Rollbacks. Operation Main Street also includes initiatives that reach
beyond shopping carts by lending a helping hand to community organizations hit
especially hard in tough economic times.
Over the next seven weeks, the retailer anticipates saving consumers an
additional $200 million over and above its every day low prices. Each week new
savings will be introduced as the retailer keeps particular focus on the
prices of items families want and need most.
"In challenging times, our customers look to Walmart to be their advocate
and do what we do best -- save them money," said Eduardo Castro-Wright,
Walmart U.S. president and CEO. "Families trust us and our customers will be
amazed at the depth of the savings."
Thousands of Rollbacks Storewide
With savings on thousands of items on Rollback, Walmart's strategy is
simple -- to provide customers with savings that matter on the dinner table
and under the tree. From health to home, examples of these new savings across
the store include:
-- Toys: Additional Rollbacks to $10 include classic family board games
like Battleship (was $14.38) and the Littlest Pet Shop Play Pack (was $11.88).
The savings don't stop with $10 toys, as there are hundreds of additional new
Rollbacks in the toy aisle.
-- Home: GE 12-cup coffee maker and 14-speed blender (were $29.88, now
$24).
-- Electronics: Magnavox Blu-ray player (was $229, now $198).
-- Grocery: Betty Crocker potatoes (was $1.48-$1.58, now 98 cents); 48-
oz. Crisco vegetable oil (was $3.88, now $2.98).
-- Health: Airborne tablets (was $5.97, now $4.92).
November 8 One-Day Savings
To kick off seven weeks of additional savings this Christmas season, and
because electronics are high on holiday shopping lists,* Walmart is launching
one-day savings this Saturday, Nov. 8, including these items:
-- Sony 2GB Walkman MP3 player at $49.**
-- $298 Compaq CQ-139WM 15.4" laptop with 2GB RAM and 160GB hard drive.**
-- $100 Walmart Gift Card with a $399 Sony PlayStation 3 or a $30 Walmart
Gift Card with $129 Sony PlayStation 2.
-- Video games at $19.82 including Warhawk, Resistance and MotorStorm.
To keep shoppers informed of special weekly holiday savings at the press
of a button, Walmart has also launched a "Savings Alert" mobile service to
give them all-the-time access and weekly notifications about these savings.
Customers can sign up at http://www.walmart.com/mobileinfo or by dialing #WMT
from any cell phone. Customers can also visit Walmart.com to view all of the
Nov. 8 One-Day Savings items.
More Savings with Free Shipping
To help customers save even more, Walmart.com has extended its Site to
Store order cut-off date by seven days (through Dec. 17). The popular Site to
Store service provides free shipping of online orders to local Walmart stores,
and the retailer expects to save customers more than $40 million in shipping
fees this Christmas season. More information is available at
http://www.walmart.com/sitetostore.
Wal-Mart Foundation Supports Communities
Operation Main Street will ensure Walmart stands shoulder-to-shoulder with
its community partners with a commitment to helping Americans hit hardest by
tough economic times. Focused on immediate needs, the Wal-Mart Foundation will
give more than $20 million combined to local community organization over the
next seven weeks.
Today, the Wal-Mart Foundation also announced a $1.25 million grant to The
Salvation Army. Red Kettles will, once again, be invited in front of Walmart
stores and Sam's Club locations from Friday, Nov. 28 through Wednesday, Dec.
24. And this year, the Wal-Mart Foundation will invite customers to give early
-- and throughout the season -- by hosting The Salvation Army bell ringers and
Red Kettles for a special day of giving on Saturday, Nov. 8.
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week, millions of customers visit Walmart Stores, Supercenters,
Neighborhood Markets, and Sam's Club locations across America or log on to its
online store at http://www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are
committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Walmart (NYSE: WMT) is proud
to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in
their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $296 million to local
communities in the United States. More information about Walmart can be found
by visiting http://www.walmartstores.com. Online merchandise sales are
available at http://www.walmart.com.
About Philanthropy at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and the Wal-Mart Foundation are proud to
support the charitable causes that are important to customers and associates
in their own neighborhoods. Through its philanthropic programs and
partnerships, the Wal-Mart Foundation supports initiatives focused on
enhancing opportunities in education, job skills training, sustainability and
health. In 2007, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and the Wal-Mart Foundation gave $296
million to communities across the United States. To learn more, visit
http://www.walmartfoundation.org.
* The 2008 Holiday Shopping Intentions Survey,
http://walmartstores.com/FactsNews/NewsRoom/8645.aspx.
** Prices in some markets may vary by state. Prices listed represent the
majority of Walmart stores nationwide. Some restrictions apply, void where
prohibited.
