Recently we were informed that several bags of samples were found on 35th Street in Manhattan, left by a supplier without our knowledge .This action was not in compliance with the Walmart apparel office's long-standing practice of donating all wearable samples to an extensive array of local charitable organizations, many of which have benefited tremendously. Merchandise deemed unwearable is sent to a recycling center. We are taking immediate action to reiterate, underscore and communicate this practice to all apparel suppliers to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.
As we work towards our goal of sending zero waste to landfills, we’re focused on three “Rs” – reduce, reuse and recycle. Our food donation program grew out of this focus and has provided more than 100 million pounds of food to U.S. food banks this year alone. Similarly, the samples donated from our apparel office and our apparel suppliers are benefiting the organizations and people who need them most.