BS: Walmart Wishes you a Merry Christmas

Subject: BS: Walmart Wishes you a Merry Christmas
From: GUEST,Sam
Date: 14 Nov 06 - 07:18 PM

Wal-Mart wishes you a Merry Christmas
Posted 11/8/2006 11:03 PM ET         E-mail | Save | Print | Reprints & Permissions | Subscribe to stories like this Subscribe to stories like this
By Jayne O'Donnell, USA TODAY
Wal-Mart will put "Christmas" back into the holidays this year, the retailer plans to announce Thursday.

A year after religious and other groups boycotted retailers, including Wal-Mart (WMT), for downplaying Christmas, the world's largest retail chain will have an in-your-face Christmas theme this year.

"We, quite frankly, have learned a lesson from last year," says Wal-Mart spokeswoman Linda Blakley. "We're not afraid to use the term 'Merry Christmas.' We'll use it early, and we'll use it often."

Wal-Mart told about 7,000 associates of the plans at a conference last month and "was met with rapturous applause. ... We know many of our customers will feel the same," says John Fleming, Wal-Mart's executive vice president of marketing.

Fleming says the retailer, which recently lowered prices on toys and electronics, will be pitching Christmas almost as much as "value" to holiday shoppers.

New this year:

• A TV ad trumpeting Christmas will air for the first time next week. Wal-Mart also will air TV ads along with the Salvation Army mentioning Christmas.

• The name of the department with Christmas decorating needs will change from The Holiday Shop, which it was for the past several years, to The Christmas Shop.

• Store signs will count down the days until Christmas, and Christmas carols will be piped throughout the season.

• About 60% more merchandise will be labeled "Christmas" rather than "holiday" this year over last.

The Christmas spirit is spreading. Macy's, the largest U.S. department store chain, plans to have "Merry Christmas" signs in all departments. All of Macy's window displays will have Christmas themes. At New York's Herald Square, the theme will be "Oh, Christmas Tree."

"Our intention is to make every customer feel welcomed and appreciated, whether they celebrate Christmas or other holidays," spokesman Jim Sluzewski says.

As at Wal-Mart, Macy's employees are encouraged to consider wishing customers holiday greetings that are appropriate to their race or religion, including Happy Kwanzaa or Feliz Navidad.

Sometimes, even the best intentions can backfire. The Catholic League, one of the groups fighting what it calls the Christmas Wars, says a member alerted it that Macy's was pitching a "Happy Hanukkah" gift card but not a "Merry Christmas" one.

After he was contacted by the group, Sluzewski determined a production "glitch" meant the Merry Christmas gift cards were available everywhere but in its Western region, where there were plenty of Happy Hanukkah gift cards.

"We are correcting the problem," Sluzewski says. "Of all the cards to have a glitch with."

Subject: RE: BS: Walmart Wishes you a Merry Christmas
From: LilyFestre
Date: 14 Nov 06 - 08:10 PM

I was in a Walmart last Christmas season and a woman who appeared to be 65+ years old rang up my order. Christmas music played in the background and she wished me a Merry Christmas. I wished her a Merry Christmas too and told her I was glad to see that there was at least ONE person in the store who wasn't afraid to say it. She smiled at me and said, "I've been wishing folks a Merry Christmas for all of my life and I'm not about to stop now, not for anyone! Damn the management!"

YOU GO GIRL!   :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Walmart Wishes you a Merry Christmas
From: Mooh
Date: 14 Nov 06 - 08:29 PM

Well, little of this has anything whatsoever to do with Christmas and one HELL of alot to do with public relations and sales.

Mallwart is the anti-Christ.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Walmart Wishes you a Merry Christmas
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Nov 06 - 08:33 PM

I can't do any shopping between, well, it USTA be between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but now it is more like between Labor freaking Day and Christmas. Just can't do no shopping during that time. Hafta wait for the merchants to settle back down again. I refuse to participate in a spending orgy, and I refuse to have some poor shlub greeter be forced to give me a half-hearted "Merry Christmas." Isn't this supposed to be about the birth of the Lord, anyway? What would Jesus buy?!!

Subject: RE: BS: Walmart Wishes you a Merry Christmas
From: Greg F.
Date: 15 Nov 06 - 09:47 AM

Is someone forgetting that Sam Walton's whole extended family are fundagelical christian[sic] loonies?

Hala-peño. Brother!