Retail: Media Enter 'Wal-Mart U'

BENTONVILLE, Ark., April 18, 2006 — -- There's something about Wal-Mart that is irresistible and fascinating. Just mention the name of the nation's most popular retailer and everyone has an opinion, whether informed or not.

It's no longer just a big-box store, it's become a low-cost way of life, and how you react to the company can define what type of person you are. Say to people that you shop at Wal-Mart, and they form an immediate image in their mind of the type of person you are.

Wal-Mar's image, however, has recently taken some hits: lawsuits over worker practices and discrimination against women; vocal protests as the retailer plans to open stores in urban areas; complaints about its petition to open a limited-purpose bank; a steady stream of embarrassing internal documents leaked to the press by groups organized against the company.

But Wal-Mart didn't get to be No. 1 by taking it on the chin. It is fighting back, establishing a public relations "war room" staffed by image makers who have molded the public image of no less than presidents and presidential hopefuls faced with negative press.

That's how I ended up here in Bentonville, Ark., the home of founder Sam Walton's little "five-and-dime" called Wal-Mart.

The second annual Wal-Mart media conference attracted more than 70 print and broadcast journalists to this corner of the Ozarks. Last year just over two dozen print journalists attended -- broadcasters weren't even invited. The company's goal is to "ensure that only the accurate information is being generated" about a company that sees a third of the U.S. population pass through its doors every week. From the media's vantage piont, it looks a lot like school.

We start today with a field trip to the home office, and then a visit to a distribution center. Oddly, no video cameras -- not even little picture cameras -- are allowed.

After the field trip, we'll attend a series of lectures and discussion groups. Eduardo Castro-Wright, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, in the style of a college professor, discusses improving the customer's shopping experience. Susan Chambers, executive vice president for administration and risk management, lectures on benefits and business, and Wal-Mart's vision for solving America's health care challenges. And like any graduation ceremony, our celebrity keynote speaker will be none other than Wal-Mart President and CEO Lee Scott, who tackles "change, growth and success for Wal-Mart and the working families we serve."