American Families Now Save $2,500 a Year, Thanks to Wal-Mart

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Sept. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- New research from Global Insight released today by Wal-Mart shows the retailer now saves American families $2,500 each year, up 7.3% from $2,329 in 2004. The company is also rolling out today new brand advertising showcasing the many ways it saves customers money so they can live better. As part of the new advertising, the retailer is unveiling its new tagline: "Save Money. Live Better."

In 2005, Global Insight, a leader in economic and financial analysis, analyzed Wal-Mart's national and local impacts in terms of jobs, wages, prices, consumer buying power and GDP. Global Insight recently updated the analysis. The conclusion of this update is that the continued reduction in prices due to the presence of Wal-Mart and the growth in consumer expenditures over the 2004 to 2006 period translates directly into savings for consumers amounting to $287 billion in 2006. This corresponds to savings of $957 per person or $2,500 per household. (The state-by-state analysis will be available later this month.) These savings illustrate the everyday benefits of the retailer's presence -- allowing consumers to keep more of their money in their own pockets.

"From the family vacation, to a daughter's wedding, the savings American families realize at Wal-Mart bring the good things in life a good deal closer," said Stephen Quinn, Wal-Mart's chief marketing officer. "The new advertising tells the same story we've told since day one, how we're working hard to save people money so they can live better."

The retailer will literally track the amount of savings so far this year by installing a "savings ticker" outside of Wal-Mart's home office in Bentonville, Ark., allowing employees and customers to see how much money American families save as a result of Wal-Mart's impact on communities.

Wal-Mart's ongoing commitment to providing value can be seen in its stores everyday:

-- Price Leadership -- By continuously rolling back prices on thousands of products, Wal-Mart is helping millions of Americans manage high gas prices and rising interest rates, with 20% more rollbacks than last year. -- $4 Prescription Drugs -- Wal-Mart lowered the price of more than 100 generic prescriptions to $4. By providing access to drugs for 90% of all therapeutic categories, the company has saved customers $350 million since it launched the program. -- Money Centers -- With Wal-Mart's every day low pricing on money services including check cashing, money orders, bill payment and money transfers, customers can save 25 to 50 percent or more over what other leading money service providers charge and end up saving $450 each year or almost $45 per month.

The new advertising highlighting savings involves the entire Wal-Mart agency portfolio including The Martin Agency, MediaVest, Global Hue, The I.W. Group and Lopez Negrete. The work breaking today from The Martin Agency includes :30 TV spots illustrating how saving money on the little things adds up and helps families live better. The ads will run on network season premiers, specials and high profile cable. Each spot ends with a tag directing consumers to Wal-Mart's interactive website http://www.savemoneylivebetter.com/, featuring the new ads, customer testimonials about how they've saved money by shopping at Wal-Mart and behind-the-scenes footage. Consumers also can submit their own savings testimonials for consideration for posting on the site.

The Global Insight study is available on http://www.livebetterindex.com/ or http://www.walmartfacts.com/. The study uses the same methodology of the 2005 study, measuring the direct and indirect impact of Wal-Mart in communities and across the country, by adding 2006 statistical data on relevant factors such as CPI, employment, energy prices, and the expansion of the square footage of Wal-Mart's retail stores (both regular Wal-Mart stores and Supercenters). The updated study shows, as did the 2005 study, that consumer savings for Wal-Mart shoppers were generated through Wal-Mart's higher levels of capital investment in distribution and inventory control, lower import prices, and greater efficiency through the application of improved technology and processes.

To access the first study in 2005, The Economic Impact of Wal-Mart, please go the http://www.livebetterindex.com/ or http://www.globalinsight.com/MultiClientStudy/MultiClientStudyDetail2438.htm

For viewing and downloading the new images and new advertisements go to http://www.walmartfacts.com/ or directly to:

Road Trip Commercial http://walmart.feedroom.com/?fr_story=0a688bb361781228e3f7a10885ad2cb8dc0d5295

Cars Commercial http://walmart.feedroom.com/?fr_story=adc0b83ad0697b099aadd370e4534a24130373ed

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Every week, millions of customers visit Wal-Mart 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. Wal-Mart is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $270 million to local communities in the United States. To learn more, visit http://www.walmartfacts.com/, http://www.walmartstores.com/, or http://www.walmartfoundation.org/.