Retailer’s Back to School Savings Challenge to “Reimburse” $600 Average Back to School Spend
BENTONVILLE, Ark., July 31, 2008 – On the heels of recent research that on average families could spend nearly $600* this year getting ready for back to school, Walmart is asking parents to share their money-saving ideas for an opportunity to get that $600 in spending back!
Beginning today on its MakeYourDollarStretch.com site, Walmart is seeking the most creative, true stories from shoppers who are excited about ways they have learned to save money on back to school spending. Submissions will be accepted on the site over the coming weeks. Three top stories will be selected by Ellie Kay, financial expert, author and Web site tips contributor, and their authors rewarded $600 each in Walmart gift cards. An additional $600 will also be rewarded to the finalist receiving the most votes from visitors on the site.
Since the Web site’s inception this spring, MakeYourDollarStretch.com has provided money saving tips from financial experts and savvy shoppers. Site visitors also share ways they are making simple changes in light of today’s economy. For example, according to its current poll, 75 percent of site visitors report they are saving money for back to school this year by shopping earlier.
“Considering today’s inflation pressures and the rising need families have to better manage their spending, it is becoming more important than ever for parents to think about shopping smart and looking for resources to save money,” said Ellie Kay, also a mother of seven who understands the yearly requirements around back to school. “We all have ideas to share, and I expect this challenge will generate even more.”
Through August 25, shoppers can submit their original, creative money-saving back to school ideas in a 350-word story entered on the site. A selection of story submissions will be shown during the challenge period, until the August 25 deadline, when Ellie Kay, a.k.a. America’s Family Financial Expert®, will pick the top three finalists to receive $600 in Walmart gift cards. Visitors will be able to vote for their favorite story during the week of September 5, selecting the top story.
To help shoppers save more across the store, this summer Walmart continues to announce new Rollbacks and unbeatable values on select back to school items. Examples include $100 savings on notebook computers, a week’s worth of children’s outfits for $60, backpack assortments for $10, and school supplies starting at just five cents.
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week, millions of customers visit Walmart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Club locations across America or log on to its online store at www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $296 million to local communities in the United States. More information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com.
About the Back to School Savings Challenge
Submit your entries to MakeYourDollarStretch.com. Entries will be subject to review prior to appearing on the Web site. Submissions will typically be reviewed within 48 hours of submission, and may not be included for reasons such as, but not limited to, profanity, ad hominem attacks, spam, or off topic submissions.
Users must submit complete entries and agree to contest rules, which include submitting a true story of how they saved more money this year getting ready for, or during, the back to school shopping season. Stories must be kept to 350 words or less in order to be eligible to become a contest finalist and grand prize winner. Entries to determine contest finalists will be judged by America’s Family Financial Expert Ellie Kay. Finalists’ stories will be made available on the site, and winner determined by receipt of the most votes. Judging is subjective based on quality and originality. All results are final.
* Based on 2008 findings by BIGresearch on expected back to school shopping, as reported by the National Retail Federation.
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