Media Archive

Media Campaigns

Wal-Mart Watch broke an internal secret memo outlining Wal-Mart's plans to slow the increase in benefit costs without giving more ammunition to critics like Wal-Mart Watch.

"How Much Does Wal-Mart Cost American Taxpayers Every Year?" - New York Times
The world’s largest corporation – with over $286 billion in annual sales and 1.2 million employees here in the U.S. – cost American taxpayers over $1.5 billion in 2004.

"What Happened to the Wal-Mart 'Buy American' Campaign?"- USA Today
"The Buy America Program is both a committment and a partnership," Wal-Mart, Inc. promotional material, 1994. Just how much does Wal-Mart, Inc. value its committments and partnerships? At least 70 percent of items sold in Wal-Mart stores have a Chinese component.

WalmartWatch.com Goes Local - Selected Newspapers
After an aggressive two-week national media campaign, WalmartWatch.com is “going local,” profiling the towns and communities where Wal-Mart has had the hardest impact.

Press

BusinessWeek - A Stepped-Up Assault on Wal-Mart
A scathing documentary and a coordinated campaign by labour, religious, and environmental groups spell more trouble for the retailing giant...Now all these groups have joined forces to gang up on the Bentonville (Ark.)-based giant. They intend to fire the first fusillade the week of Nov. 13, when a coalition of 400-plus national and local groups will mount hundreds of actions nationwide -- just as the key retailing holiday season kicks into gear.

Arizona Democrat Gazette - Retailer’s critics to hold week of events
Wal-Mart Watch said Monday that it’s planning a week of nationwide events in November to encourage reforms at the world’s largest retailer. Higher Expectations Week, as the Washington-based group is calling Nov. 13-19, is to include events in at least 29 states and the District of Columbia. More than 220 organizations are charter partners, from the Sierra Club and the Teamsters to Arizona Chain Reaction and Campus Progress.

Associated Press - New breed of critics fight Wal-Mart in nation's capital
Working out of offices that resemble political war rooms, two groups, Wake Up Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Watch, are running campaigns to pressure the world's largest retailer to be a better employer and corporate citizen.

Salon - Wal-Mart's P.R. War
While Wake Up Wal-Mart will probably be most effective in mobilizing union members, Wal-Mart Watch—which hired four new people in the past two weeks—may, because it is not solely a union project, reach a public “far beyond the organized-labor world,” says spokeswoman Tracy Sefl. “We’re able to develop strange bedfellows—more moderate and conservative politicians, evangelicals” and investors.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Wal-Mart Watch Keeping Close Eye on Titan
Perhaps no other group is scrutinizing the company more thoroughly than Wal-Mart Watch. Since it was founded in March, Wal-Mart Watch has unleashed a torrent of news releases, advertisements and statements meant to change the way Wal-Mart does business.

New York Times - "Opponents of Wal-Mart to Coordinate Efforts"
Led by Wal-Mart's longtime opponents in organized labor, a new coalition of about 50 groups - including environmentalists, community organizations, state lawmakers and academics - is planning the first coordinated assault intended to press the company to change the way it does business.

Reuters - "Wal-Mart Critics Launch National Ad Campaign"
An organization opposed to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. took out a full-page newspaper advertisement on Wednesday that accuses the world's biggest retailer of costing U.S. taxpayers some $1.6 billion a year.

Associated Press - "New Anti-Wal-Mart Group Launches First Ad Campaign"
A newly formed, union-backed anti-Wal-Mart group, which draws support from environmentalists, political activists, and women's rights groups, launched its first media campaign Wednesday to call for the world's largest retailer to reform its business practices.

NPR Morning Edition "Wal-Mart Faces New Public Image Battle"
A new advocacy group has bought a full-page ad in Monday's editions of USA Today, criticizing America's largest retailer for destroying American jobs by purchasing most of its products from China. A watch group called Wal-Mart Watch launched the operation.

Washington Post - "Wal-Mart Donation to Ehrlich Targeted"
A group formed to monitor Wal-Mart's business practices is calling on Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to return a $4,000 political donation from the retailing giant as well as proceeds from a $1,000-per-person fundraiser the company held for Ehrlich in December.

New York Times - "At Wal-Mart, Choosing Sides Over $9.68 an Hour"
"Wal-Mart should pay people at a minimum enough to go above the U.S. poverty line," said Andrew Grossman, executive director of Wal-Mart Watch, the coalition of community, environmental and labor groups running the series of ads criticizing Wal-Mart. "A company this big and this wealthy has the ability to pay higher wages."

La Opinion - "Otra guerra contra Wal-Mart"
Nuevo grupo se da a la tarea de exponer el impacto que tienen las políticas de importación de esta tienda en trabajadores y fabricantes nacionales