By George Anderson
A new poll conducted by Zogby for the anti-Wal-Mart group, Wake Up Wal-Mart, shows a majority of Americans still have a favorable view of the retail giant but that the number of those is down from an earlier poll asking the same question in January.
The first poll reported that 76 percent of Americans had a favorable view of Wal-Mart while the most recent findings showed 58 percent felt that way.
As would be expected, Wake Up Wal-Mart and the retailer had different views on the research findings.
Paul Blank, campaign director at Wake Up Wal-Mart, told The Associated Press, "What this polling indicates is that Wal-Mart's reputation is in a tailspin."
"It would be hard for anyone to believe that a poll paid for by the UFCW was more accurate than the fact that our estimated November store sales were up 4.3 percent and that 10 million people shopped at our stores during the first six hours of sales last Friday," Wal-Mart spokesperson Sarah Clark said.
Moderator's Comment: Is Wal-Mart's public relations program to address the criticism of groups such as Wake Up Wal-Mart reaching and being accepted by American consumers? What else, if anything, does it need to do to win over the American public? - George Anderson - Moderator