Aberdeen Wal-Mart Supercenter Opening Wednesday; Focuses on One-Stop Shopping

ABERDEEN, S.D., Sept. 13, 2006 –With the customer’s shopping experience in mind, the newly relocated Wal-Mart Supercenter in Aberdeen will feature products and services that add convenience and a greater selection of merchandise to area shoppers. Doors to the new store will open on Wednesday, Sept. 20, following a 7:30 a.m. ribbon cutting ceremony. The new store is located at 3820 Seventh Ave. S.E.

Originally opened in 1990 at 3315 Sixth Ave. S.E., the newly relocated store is gaining more than 114,251 additional square feet. Inside the new 203,863-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter, customers will find a Tire & Lube Express, a vision center, a family fun center, an expanded and fully-enclosed lawn and garden center and a Wal-Mart Connect Center for wireless phone sales. Customers will also enjoy the added convenience of two drive-up lanes for the store’s pharmacy, a full-service bakery and an expanded delicatessen.

Shoppers will also notice accessories, jewelry and apparel set upon hardwood flooring that feature a more customer-friendly layout with additional space between merchandise displays. Fitting rooms also received an update by providing more privacy and space. Customers purchasing items from these departments can utilize the newly added check-out register located in the fitting room area.

The store will also feature a one-hour photo lab, a portrait studio, a Subway restaurant, a Great Western Bank branch and a SmartStyle hair salon. A full line of electronics and home entertainment products will be sold in the expanded electronics department with plasma television displays, digital display walls and expanded casing. Additionally, shoppers will find a full line of groceries among the store’s wider aisles complete with frozen foods, meat, dairy and fresh produce. The 24-hour store will be open seven days a week and will include 23 full-service and eight express check-out lanes.

Grand Opening Ceremony
Mayor Mike Levsen is scheduled to attend the grand opening ceremony and assist in the store’s ribbon cutting. Wal-Mart associate Brooke Schell will perform the national anthem, and members of the Aberdeen Veterans of Foreign Wars will present the colors. Pastor Tom Haggar of First United Methodist Church will lead the invocation. Other grand opening activities include numerous product sample giveaways and character appearances.
More than $20,000 Donated to the Local Community
Continuing its ongoing commitment to give back locally, the new Wal-Mart Supercenter will announce $20,500 in donations through Wal-Mart’s Good Works community involvement program to a number of organizations. As part of its grand opening celebration, the store will provide grants of $7,500 each to Presentation College and Northern State University among others.

“We have a responsibility to support the organizations that provide much needed programs and services to the people of this community,” said Store Manager Brian Bjordal. “We’re grateful that our company allows us the opportunity to identify those groups throughout the year and do our part in supporting their efforts.” The store will also have a budget to give donations away locally throughout the year. Organizations interested in receiving funding can contact the store for details.

All groups receiving donations upon the store’s opening are:

• Aberdeen Optimist Club
• Central High School Music Boosters
• City of Aberdeen Police Department
• Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Dakota
• Northern State University
• Presentation College
• South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department

Employment
The store will employ approximately 345 associates, including 100 new jobs created by the relocation as of Sept. 11, 2006. The store continues to hire, and most positions will be full-time. The national average wage at Wal-Mart for full-time hourly associates is approximately $10.11 per hour.* Bjordal began his Wal-Mart career as an hourly associate 16 years ago at a store in Brookings.

“Aberdeen is a great place to live, raise a family and to do business,” said Bjordal. “We’ve got a great group of associates at this store and they’re all anxious to open and continue serving the community with the added conveniences and products,” he added.

Wal-Mart in South Dakota
EDITOR’S NOTE: See www.walmartfacts.com for more information about Wal-Mart in South Dakota.

As of August 2006, Wal-Mart employed 4,873 associates in South Dakota and owned and operated the following facilities in the state as of July:

• Supercenters: 11
• Discount Stores: 1
• SAM’S CLUBS: 2

In the fiscal year ending 2006, Wal-Mart collected on behalf of the state of South Dakota more than $48.7 million in sales taxes and paid more than $1.3 million in state and local taxes.

About Wal-Mart Stores
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. operates Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAM’S CLUB locations in the United States. Internationally, the company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The company’s securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. More information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting www.walmartfacts.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com.

EDITOR’S NOTES

• Wal-Mart store employees are called associates.
• Brian Bjordal, store manager, can provide details about the grand opening, offer quotes for interviews and arrange for photo opportunities or preview tours. He can be contacted at 605-229-3611(new store) or 605-229-2345 (existing store)

* Average wage taken yearly (December 2005). See www.walmartfacts.com for more details.



Store fast facts

• Location: 3820 Seventh Ave. S.E., Aberdeen, S.D.
• Originally opened in 1990 at 3315 Sixth Ave. S.E., Aberdeen, S.D.
• 203,863-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter, gaining an additional 114,251 square feet
• Store opening immediately following 7:30 a.m. grand opening ceremony, Wednesday, Sept. 20
• Store manager: Brian Bjordal

Store features

• Full line of groceries, full-service bakery, deli foods, frozen foods, meat and dairy products and fresh produce, beer and wine sales, expanded apparel and accessories, fine jewelry, fully enclosed lawn and garden center, health and beauty aids, expanded electronics, Tire & Lube Express, vision center, portrait studio, Subway restaurant, one-hour photo lab, pharmacy with two drive-up lanes, Great Western Bank branch, SmartStyle hair salon, family fun center and a Wal-Mart Connect Center
• Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• 23 full-service and eight express check-out lanes

Employment

• Total employment of 345, including 100 new jobs created by the relocation as of Sept. 11, 2006.
• The national average wage at Wal-Mart for full-time hourly associates is approximately $10.11 per hour.*
• Store Manager Brian Bjordal started as an hourly associate 16 years ago at a Wal-Mart store in Brookings.
• Wal-Mart benefits – available to full- and part-time associates – include healthcare insurance with no lifetime maximum. Wal-Mart offers a choice of as many as 18 health plans that cost as little as $23 a month. Wal-Mart also offers a 401(k) plan and profit sharing contributions, whether an associate contributes or not, store discount cards, performance-based bonuses, discounted stock purchase program and life insurance.

* Average wage taken yearly (December 2005). See www.walmartfacts.com for details.

Charitable giving
$20,500 in charitable contributions to seven area organizations

• Aberdeen Optimist Club
• Central High School Music Boosters
• City of Aberdeen Police Department
• Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Dakota
• Northern State University
• Presentation College
• South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department

For more information

• Store manager: Brian Bjordal, 605-229-3611 (new store) or 605-229-2345 (existing store)
• Wal-Mart information online: www.walmartfacts.com; merchandise sales: www.walmart.com