Wal-Mart Launches Campaign To Open In New York

Wal-Mart has launched a full-scale, multifaceted campaign to garner public support for its bid to open stores in New York City.

The company is plastering the city with advertisements and sending out mailers. Wal-Mart also launched a New York-specific website on Monday.

The campaign comes as the City Council prepares to hold a hearing on Wal-Mart on Wednesday, which the company has said it will not attend.

The New York Times reports that Wal-Mart plans to use its website "to play defense, pushing back on claims made by its detractors, and it will also be used for offense. Visitors can register with the site, leaving their name and address with the company, creating a pool of supporters Wal-Mart can call on in different parts of the city."

Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, says he's confident New York will see through the PR blitz.

"Wal-Mart can't buy a fig leaf large enough to hide all the harm they would do to our communities and workers if they were to open here," Appelbaum said. "New York is not for sale."