DSA Challenge to Wal-Mart CEO to Debate Advertising ThemeJanuary 13, 2005 Mr. Lee Scott Dear Mr. Scott: I read your open letter with great interest. I was saddened to see that it contains the same kind of selective use of facts and statistics that you might see in any thirty-second political ad. It makes a point but it doesn’t tell the whole truth. Your assertion that “Wal-Mart is working for all Americans” is simply not born out by the facts. The truth is that your business practices are bad for America and most Americans. They contribute to the decline in wages and the growth of the low-wage sector of our economy. And certainly no one who understands the true cost of living in the United States would argue that a Wal-Mart job is a good job. In fact if Wal-Mart is allowed to continue to expand the likely impact will be that there won’t be any good jobs in the retail sector. Nor can it be argued that Wal-Mart is the good corporate citizen you make it out to be. The truth is that the culture of cost cutting is so pervasive in your organization that managers think they are doing a good job when they violate wage and hours laws. But the purpose of my letter is not to dissent from the copy in your ad or the message in your PR Blitz, but to suggest a better way to allow Americans to judge for themselves what kind of company Wal-Mart really is. We challenge you to debate your assertion–Wal-Mart is Working for all Americans—your facts against our facts in front of any impartial audience, or for any impartial institution willing to host such a debate. Sincerely, Frank Llewellyn |