Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Consumers Vote Walmart Gift Cards "Most Wanted" This Christmas

Retailer Extends Cut-Off Dates for Free Shipping to Home and “Site to Store” Last Minute Gifts Available Online for In-Store Pick Up

Dec. 20, 2010 – Walmart announces it’s not too late to save on great last-minute gifts, including most-desired gift cards. According to a recent poll1, Walmart ranks as the number one preferred Gift Card consumers would like to see in their stockings this year. In addition, a recent survey of a panel of Walmart Moms2 found that approximately 77 percent still have gifts left to purchase this holiday season.

To help families give the perfect gift that never expires, Walmart offers a wide range of festive Gift Card3 designs available in stores that can be used at all Walmart stores or online at Walmart.com. Walmart also offers e-Gift Cards4 at Walmart.com which can be sent anytime – even Christmas Day – and used for online purchases.

Free Shipping Still Available at Walmart.com
Walmart.com will offer free shipping to home5 on nearly 60,000 items, including all electronics*, with no minimum purchase through 11:30 p.m. PST tonight. The retailer has also extended the order cut-off date for its popular “Site to Store” service from Dec. 17 last year to Dec. 20 this holiday season. “Site to Store” enables customers to choose from thousands of eligible items on Walmart.com and enjoy free shipping to a local Walmart store in time for Christmas. With Walmart.com’s “Pick Up Today” program, online orders can be placed up until 6:00 p.m. PST on Dec. 23 with free same-day pickup at select local Walmart stores. The new test began in October and customer response has quickly grown with the volume of orders more than quadrupling since Nov. 1. Walmart’s cut-off dates and times for gifts to arrive in time for Christmas this holiday include:

* Free Shipping to home: 12/20 11:30 p.m. PST
* Site to Store: 12/20 11:30 p.m. PST
* Ground & 97-cent: 12/20 11:30 p.m. PST
* Expedited: 12/22 11:30 p.m. PST
* Pick Up Today**: 12/23 6:00 p.m. PST

Last Minute Deals and Gift Card Bundles
Walmart is offering special bonus Gift Cards6 with the purchase of some of the hottest gifts this season, including:

* $20 Walmart Gift Card with purchase of Nintendo DSi, $149
* $50 iTunes Gift Card with purchase of 8GB iPod touch, $225
* $50 Walmart Gift Card with purchase of iPhone 3GS 8GB, $97 with two-year agreement
* $50 Walmart Gift Card with purchase of iPhone 4 16GB, $197 with two-year agreement
* New for this year, Facebook Credit Gift Cards7 - $5, $10, $15 denominations when purchased at Walmart Stores; $10 and $25 denominations when purchased online at Walmart.com

Facebook Gift Cards can be used to buy virtual goods in over 200 social games on Facebook, including EA’s FIFA Superstars, Zynga’s FrontierVille, CrowdStar’s Hello City and Playdom’s Social City, among others.

* Excludes iPods and iPads

** Available in select markets.

Consumers Vote Walmart Gift Cards "Most Wanted" This Christmas

Retailer Extends Cut-Off Dates for Free Shipping to Home and “Site to Store” Last Minute Gifts Available Online for In-Store Pick Up

Dec. 20, 2010 – Walmart announces it’s not too late to save on great last-minute gifts, including most-desired gift cards. According to a recent poll1, Walmart ranks as the number one preferred Gift Card consumers would like to see in their stockings this year. In addition, a recent survey of a panel of Walmart Moms2 found that approximately 77 percent still have gifts left to purchase this holiday season.

To help families give the perfect gift that never expires, Walmart offers a wide range of festive Gift Card3 designs available in stores that can be used at all Walmart stores or online at Walmart.com. Walmart also offers e-Gift Cards4 at Walmart.com which can be sent anytime – even Christmas Day – and used for online purchases.

Free Shipping Still Available at Walmart.com
Walmart.com will offer free shipping to home5 on nearly 60,000 items, including all electronics*, with no minimum purchase through 11:30 p.m. PST tonight. The retailer has also extended the order cut-off date for its popular “Site to Store” service from Dec. 17 last year to Dec. 20 this holiday season. “Site to Store” enables customers to choose from thousands of eligible items on Walmart.com and enjoy free shipping to a local Walmart store in time for Christmas. With Walmart.com’s “Pick Up Today” program, online orders can be placed up until 6:00 p.m. PST on Dec. 23 with free same-day pickup at select local Walmart stores. The new test began in October and customer response has quickly grown with the volume of orders more than quadrupling since Nov. 1. Walmart’s cut-off dates and times for gifts to arrive in time for Christmas this holiday include:

* Free Shipping to home: 12/20 11:30 p.m. PST
* Site to Store: 12/20 11:30 p.m. PST
* Ground & 97-cent: 12/20 11:30 p.m. PST
* Expedited: 12/22 11:30 p.m. PST
* Pick Up Today**: 12/23 6:00 p.m. PST

Last Minute Deals and Gift Card Bundles
Walmart is offering special bonus Gift Cards6 with the purchase of some of the hottest gifts this season, including:

* $20 Walmart Gift Card with purchase of Nintendo DSi, $149
* $50 iTunes Gift Card with purchase of 8GB iPod touch, $225
* $50 Walmart Gift Card with purchase of iPhone 3GS 8GB, $97 with two-year agreement
* $50 Walmart Gift Card with purchase of iPhone 4 16GB, $197 with two-year agreement
* New for this year, Facebook Credit Gift Cards7 - $5, $10, $15 denominations when purchased at Walmart Stores; $10 and $25 denominations when purchased online at Walmart.com

Facebook Gift Cards can be used to buy virtual goods in over 200 social games on Facebook, including EA’s FIFA Superstars, Zynga’s FrontierVille, CrowdStar’s Hello City and Playdom’s Social City, among others.

* Excludes iPods and iPads

** Available in select markets.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Plastic Bottles to Pet Beds

Walmart has teamed up with pet supplier Worldwise, Inc. to launch an innovative new program to bring the latest generation of environmentally responsible products to consumers nationwide. Under this partnership, Walmart will provide Worldwise with recyclable waste materials that will be turned into a variety of pet products for sale at Walmart including:

* Plastic bottles are being recycled into dog beds
* Hangers are being turned into cat litter pans, scoops, and scratchers
* Bags are being converted into cat littler liners
* Corrugated cardboard is being processed into cat scratchers

Secretary Napolitano Announces Expansion of "If You See Something, Say Something" Campaign to Walmart Stores Across the Nation

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the expansion of the Department's national "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign to hundreds of Walmart stores across the country - launching a new partnership between DHS and Walmart to help the American public play an active role in ensuring the safety and security of our nation.

"Homeland security starts with hometown security, and each of us plays a critical role in keeping our country and communities safe," said Secretary Napolitano. "I applaud Walmart for joining the ‘If You See Something, Say Something' campaign. This partnership will help millions of shoppers across the nation identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to law enforcement authorities."

The "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign—originally implemented by New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority and funded, in part, by $13 million from DHS' Transit Security Grant Program—is a simple and effective program to engage the public and key frontline employees to identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.

More than 230 Walmart stores nationwide launched the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign today, with a total of 588 Walmart stores in 27 states joining in the coming weeks. A short video message will play at select checkout locations to remind shoppers to contact local law enforcement to report suspicious activity.

Over the past five months, DHS has worked with its federal, state, local and private sector partners, as well as the Department of Justice, to expand the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign and Nationwide SAR Initiative to communities throughout the country—including the recent state-wide expansions of the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign across Minnesota and New Jersey. Partners include the Mall of America, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Amtrak, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, sports and general aviation industries, and state and local fusion centers across the country.

In the coming months, the Department will continue to expand the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign nationally with public education materials and outreach tools designed to help America's businesses, communities and citizens remain vigilant and play an active role in keeping the country safe.