Posts Tagged ‘Wal-Mart’

Wal-Mart Fights Hunger

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

America’s king of low low prices shares some of their profit with the poor.

  • Wal-Mart and the Wal-Mart Foundation announced a plan to donate $250 million in cash and $1.75 billion worth of food to fight hunger in the United States.
  • Because of the recession, food banks in the United States have been struggling to keep up with demand.
  • Wal-Mart remains committed to reducing hunger nationwide, including providing healthy food for schools.

Facts and Figures

  • About 49 million people in the U.S. don’t get enough healthy food to eat (up 36% from last year).
  • Wal-Mart’s plan will provide enough food for more than 1 billion meals.
  • Wal-Mart donated $423 million in 2008 and $512 million in 2009 (in both cash and products).

Best Quote

“Increasingly, we see opportunities to use our scale and reach to solve challenges in our communities. This is one of those times. By working together, we believe that we can reach a day where no individual in this country has to go to bed hungry or worry there will be food to put on the table tomorrow.” – Eduardo Castro-Wright, Vice Chairman of Wal-Mart

Black Friday Calls for Heightened Security This Year

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Retailers are stepping up the security and optimizing purchase flow in hopes of improving shopper experiences for the biggest shopping day of the year: the day after Thanksgiving.

  • After the death of an employee who was trampled at a Wal-Mart store last year, stores are gearing up for a big day of retail sales and traffic at all locations by applying strategies used by the Super Bowl and the Olympics.
  • Wal-Mart for example, will have a customized plan for each store, with a flow for each potential buyer that will hopefully improve sales and reduce accidents.
  • Some stores will enforce special rules like, “no running,” and, “wait in line,” but according to experts, anything is possible.

Facts & Figures

  • Wal-Mart stores will open on time at either 5 or 6 a.m depending on the store, but customers will have to wait on a line until a salesperson is available to supervise their shopping.
  • The National Retail Federation created a comprehensive set of guidelines for crowd control at stores, and say that large markdowns and huge discounts create larger crowds and more chaos.
  • Most stores hold dress rehearsals and simulations with their staff in preparation for Black Friday.

Best Quote

“No matter how seamless and airtight you think this [Black Friday] is, the unexpected can happen,” – Ellen Davis, Spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation