Walmart Announces 100 Toys For Just $10 to Kickoff Holiday Shopping

Retailer launches early savings on more licensed toys, favorite games, and active play items

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Walmart (NYSE: WMT) is making a stronger commitment to creating more smiles for moms and children this holiday season, bringing back its $10 toys section in all stores today and expanding its $10 holiday assortment this year to more than 100 toys. The retailer has included among its $10 prices and Rollbacks a strong assortment of newly released toys, top brands and classic toys that shoppers seek out each holiday season.

The $10 toys assortment is the first of several programs Walmart will announce this holiday season to bring 12 weeks of added savings in a year that has been increasingly tough on consumer wallets.

Moms are getting ready and so is Walmart. According to Walmart customer research, by the month of August 55 percent of shoppers report having started budgeting for their holiday toy shopping, and 39 percent say they have started watching for deals. In fact, 70 percent of consumers report planning to start their holiday toy shopping before Halloween, and 2 out of 10 will have finished by that time.

“With the popularity of our ‘10 for $10’ toy program last October, we knew it was important for customers that we bring it back and offer an even greater amount of $10 toys this year,” said Laura Phillips, chief toy officer and vice president of Toys, Walmart. “We began working months ago to ensure we could also introduce many toys at just $10 for this holiday program, as well as roll back prices at a time when our customers were ready to make purchases.”

The $10 toys are not limited time offers, but last through the Christmas holiday. In addition, Walmart’s price guarantee will match any local competitor’s advertised offer on the same toy product if it falls below $10.

Walmart $10 Toy Highlights:
Following are a few examples of the breadth of toys in Walmart’s $10 assortment, some of which are being newly introduced at $10 and others reduced 20-50% off Walmart’s every day low price:

* New Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Action Figures
* Barbie Cut and Style Rapunzel doll
* Games such as Connect 4, Battleship, Monopoly, Trouble and Jenga
* Vtech Explore and Learn Helicopter
* Tonka Light and Sound vehicle assortment (firetruck, dumptruck, etc.)
* New Littlest Pet Shop Online Animals (virtual pet) or Littlest Pet Shop Playpack sets
* Clean-Up Pup Barbie Play Set and Mermaid Splash & Style Barbie
* New Play-Doh Burger Builder Set
* New Garanimals line Bath Boat (with squirter) and ABC 50 wood blocks kit
* Hot Wheels Trick Track
* LEGO Bionicle Legends set
* New Nerf-N-Force Sword
* My Little Pony So Soft Newborn
* Little Dreams Interactive Baby Doll

With its $10 price selection for the 2009 holidays, Walmart has added more offerings for a wider variety of age groups, as well as toys that support role play, imagination, active play and family engagement – areas of interest to parents and caregivers today. “Toys and board games bring families together through play. With a variety of toys offered today, budget conscious families can still find many ways to be engaged together,” said Reyne Rice, Toy Trend Analyst for the Toy Industry Association.
ATTENTION TELEVISION AND WEB MEDIA

Walmart soundbites and b-roll, supplementing this release, is available for local television and web use. Interested media can access the clip one of the following three ways:
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Satellite Feed: Stations can access the footage via satellite feed at 10:00 a.m. EST and/or 3:00 p.m. EST at the following coordinates:

Galaxy 18R
Digital KU
Transponder: 24A
D/L:12166.5 (H)
FEC: 2/3
Symbol Rate: 6.62
First Window: 10:00-10:15 ET (9:00-9:15 CT)
Second Window: 3:00-3:15 ET (2:00-2:15 CT)

File Download Link: Interested media may call Walmart media relations at 800-331-0085 for direct link and password information.

Walmartstores.com: Media can access the full clip at http://walmartstores.com/Video/?id=1410.
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Details:

Run Time: :53 sec SOT / :50 sec b-roll / TRT: 1:43
CG: Laura Phillips, Vice President, Toys – Walmart (B-roll shot at Rogers, Ark. Store)
Description: 4 sound bites with Laura Phillips discussing this year’s program, followed by b-roll of some of this year’s popular $10 toys and games.

About Walmart
Every week, millions of customers visit Walmart stores, 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. Walmart is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $378 million to local communities in the United States.