Walmart Unveils Holiday Plans: Invests in Pickup, Introduces Holiday Helpers
Retailer Lowers Prices on Thousands of Items and Expands Online Assortment
BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Oct. 27, 2016 – Walmart announced today plans to deliver its trademark low prices for customers this holiday while meeting their everyday needs throughout the season. For the first time, Walmart is deploying an army of Holiday Helpers to better serve customers in the checkout line. The retailer has also dramatically increased the amount of products available through its Pickup service, launched thousands of rollbacks along with other great prices available every day, and will add millions of items to Walmart.com in the coming months.
“We are listening to our customers and looking for ways to simplify their busy lives,” said Judith McKenna, chief operating officer, Walmart U.S. “Whether our customers are checking items off their grocery lists or their kids’ holiday lists, we want to make their shopping experiences easy and fun. This includes having clean, fast and friendly stores, an easier check out experience and enabling customers to shop seamlessly through services like Pickup.”
Introducing Holiday Helpers and Bringing the Holiday Spirit
Starting Nov. 4, Walmart’s Holiday Helpers will be in stores dedicated to helping customers get through the checkout process faster. Holiday Helpers, ready with candy canes and smiles, will assist customers with finding the shortest line, open registers as needed and will even quickly grab items customers might have forgotten. During peak times, Walmart stores will increase the number of Holiday Helpers serving customers.
These Holiday Helpers will bring the holiday spirit to stores, which will be transformed into winter wonderlands this year. Customers will also enjoy more than 150,000 planned demos and visits from Santa who will make 23,000 appearances throughout the season.
Bringing More to Pickup
Pickup, especially same-day, is incredibly popular during the holiday season. During busy holiday shopping weeks, Walmart receives up to five times as many same-day pickup orders as compared to a normal week. Walmart has expanded the assortment available for pickup overall and has added tens of thousands of items in categories including apparel, seasonal décor, toys, and electronics for same-day Pickup. To facilitate a faster and easier pickup experience, the retailer is allocating additional Pickup staff including dedicated Pickup managers in every store for the first time.
Offering New Items, Exclusives and Great Prices – In Stores and Online
From an exclusive Disney Princess Carriage and a 3D Virtual Reality Drone to ugly Christmas sweaters, Walmart is stocking its shelves with the items it knows customers will be looking for including exclusives in every category. To kick off the season, the retailer has launched thousands of new rollbacks combined with tens of thousands of items available at low prices every day. For example, Walmart will offer a new Roku 32-inch HDTV for $125 in November and December, which is the same price as the retailer’s Black Friday offer last year.
“I can’t remember another year when I’ve been this excited about the merchandise we are offering customers,” said Steve Bratspies, chief merchandising officer, Walmart U.S. “It’s not just about one category or one item. Our whole store is going to be stocked with new, exciting items from hot toys to new electronics available at the best prices. We will win the season on price, from the first weekend in November to Black Friday and Cyber Monday and through those final weeks in December.”
Walmart has substantially grown its online assortment from roughly 8 million at the start of this year to 20 million today with millions of additional items scheduled to be added in the coming months. The retailer is also making its broader assortment easier to shop. Starting Nov. 1,
Walmart.com will feature a top 20 list of items to help customers discover exclusive offerings, great prices and products they wouldn’t expect to find at Walmart.
For more information on Walmart’s holiday plan, visit http://corporate.walmart.com/holiday.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, nearly 260 million customers and members visit our 11,539 stores under 63 banners in 28 countries and e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2016 revenue of $482.1 billion, Walmart employs more than 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.
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DDCF Launches Pipeline Program to Encourage Careers in Medical Research
The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s Medical Research Program Awards $4.1M to Eight Institutions to Extend Their Research Programs for High School Students Into College
NEW YORK, NY, October 20, 2016 – The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) announced today the launch of the Clinical Research Continuum: High School to College program and the eight institutions receiving funding to expand their existing programs for high school students to include additional research experiences for program alumni in college. With grants totaling $4.1 million, the foundation aims to help these institutions sustain the interest of students, particularly those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical research workforce, in building long-term careers in the field.
The following institutions are the inaugural recipients of this support:
“The participation of individuals from underrepresented groups is critical for advances in biomedical research and spurs new questions and bold approaches. By exposing diverse high school and college students to the excitement of clinical research, these institutions will encourage them to join the scientific workforce and strengthen its future,” said Betsy Myers, program director for medical research.
Diversity in the biomedical workforce falls extraordinarily short of the diversity of the U.S. population. In 2012, 1.1 percent of the biomedical research workforce was Black and only 3.5 percent was Hispanic, indicating a serious lack of representation of groups that around the same time constituted 12.6 percent and 16.3 percent, respectively, of the U.S. population.[1] Studies also suggest that the college years are a pivotal period of intervention in countering these patterns and encouraging students to continue their pursuits of science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) fields. For example, the U.S. Department of Education found in 2013 that more than half of all African Americans who entered bachelor’s degree programs in STEM fields ultimately dropped them.[2] The creation of CRC was informed by these findings and is part of the Medical Research Program’s larger goal to support a biomedical research workforce that is more representative of the country’s demographic makeup and therefore more vibrant and productive.
In 2011, DDCF’s Medical Research Program began to support institutions with high school research programs that have the specific goal of supporting students from groups historically absent from the field. That first initiative garnered very positive near-term feedback, with 88 percent of graduates reporting they had conducted their very first research project and 77 percent of graduates stating it had increased their interest in a biomedical research career. The Clinical Research Continuum program builds upon that early success by enabling those institutions to foster the careers of their program’s high school alumni through continued research projects at the college level.
For more information about the Clinical Research Continuum: High School to College program and each institution’s student clinical research programs, please click here.
About the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people’s lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, child well-being and medical research, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke’s properties. The foundation’s Medical Research Program supports clinical research that advances the translation of biomedical discoveries into new preventions, diagnoses and treatments for human diseases. To learn more about the program, visit www.ddcf.org.
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USHE to Kick off College Application Week Campaign in November
More than 100 Utah schools and community organizations to set aside a special week in November to help over 20,000 high school seniors apply for college
SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 26, 2016 – Governor Gary Herbert will sign a proclamation naming November Utah College Application Month, and 116 Utah high schools are partnering with the Utah System of Higher Education to launch their own Utah College Application Week (UCAW), throughout the month. Utah College Application Week encourages every Utah high school senior to complete a college application during a school day in November, with help from their school counselors, teachers and/or volunteers.
“Research shows more than 90 percent of Utah’s students plan to attend college, yet just two-thirds actually go,” said Utah Commissioner of Higher Education Dave Buhler. “Utah College Application Week events give high school seniors the extra help they need to complete their applications. As a result, today’s students will become a more skilled and prosperous workforce tomorrow.”
The UCAW campaign, now in its fourth year, involves 116 school and community sites and 32 school districts across the state. Participating schools set aside one week in November where they provide students an opportunity to have access to computers and counseling while applying for college during school hours. UCAW schools are specifically targeting first-generation and low-income students, who are less likely to apply to and enroll in college.
Last year, nearly 20,000 students submitted 21,476 college applications. Eighty-seven percent of participating students were surveyed and 96 percent reported feeling more comfortable with the college application process, 87 percent were more likely to ask for help with applications and 90 percent were more interested in going to college after high school graduation.
UCAW is held in conjunction with the American Council on Education’s American College Application Campaign, in order to make more students and parents aware of the importance of applying for college and the funding resources available to lower-income families.
For a full list of participating schools, visit StepUpUtah.com. In addition to participating in school UCAW events, students and parents may also find more resources at StepUpUtah.com, including a calendar of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) events, tips to prepare for college, the benefits of a college education and a list of Utah colleges and universities. For real-time UCAW updates, visit StepUp to Higher Education Utah on Facebook or follow @StepUpUtah on Twitter and Instagram.
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COME SEE WHAT'S INSIDE
Invitation to attend Fidobiotics Open House
Have you ever wanted to know how probiotic supplements are made? Here is your chance to see what goes on in a manufacturing facility and learn what goes into producing a probiotic supplement from raw ingredient to a finished product. On November 10, 2016, Fidobiotics will be opening its doors to our parent company's manufacturing facility, Global Health Industries, and we want YOU to attend.
WHEN: November 10, 2016
TIME: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
11:00 am: Introductions
11:15 am: Probiotics 101- Special guest speaker Dr. Garrett Trumble
12:00 pm: Lunch with Fidobiotics team
12:30 pm: Tour manufacturing facility
1:00 pm: All things Fidobiotics
1:30 pm: Questions and Answers
2:00 pm: Departures
WHERE: Global Health Industries/ Fidobiotics - 3804 S. Airport Rd, Ogden UT, 84405
It will be an excellent time to learn, geek out about good bacteria and have fun! We have some awesome swag bags filled with happy healthy digestion for you and Fido. RSVP recommended. To attend please email: Aden@fidobiotics.com
Fidobiotics has been in the pet industry for the past four years. We are passionate about understanding overall animal health and how probiotics can support them in all shapes and sizes to live happier healthier lives. We believe that probiotics are key to managing gut health and maintaining overall good digestion. We are excited to share our knowledge and help educate you all about the value probiotics bring to all of our health. Fidobiotics products are proud to be Gluten Free, GMO Free, NASC compliant and made in the USA!
Fidobiotics
3804 Airport Rd.
Ogden, UT 84405
www.fidobiotics.com
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State, Local Experts Discuss Tennessee Education Programs at Maury County Forum
Renowned education minds and local leaders outlined ways students can capitalize on Tennessee Promise
COLUMBIA, Tenn. – Maury County students, parents, educators and community members learned how to take advantage of Tennessee’s groundbreaking education initiatives at a panel forum Tuesday at Puckett’s Grocery in Columbia.
The event, entitled “Unlocking the Keys to Student Success: Opening the Door to Opportunity,” explored ways students can capitalize on the Tennessee Promise program and outlined what community members can do to help students along the path to success, with emphasis on the tnAchieves program. Tennessee Promise – a last-dollar scholarship program – and tnAchieves – a mentorship initiative – are revolutionary initiatives designed to increase in-state community college enrollment and improve academic achievement.
Columbia Daily Herald Editor James Bennett moderated the event, and Tennessee Commissioner of Economic and Community Development Randy Boyd gave the opening speech and served on the panel.
“The thing that differentiates a community a business chooses is the talent – can I get the workers I need,” Boyd said. “Tennessee Promise makes sure we have a higher-educated workforce.”
Boyd and tnAchieves Director of College Access Amanda Bolden joined local panelists, including Columbia State Community College President Janet Smith, Maury County Public Schools Superintendent Chris Marczak and Maury County Chamber and Economic Alliance President Wil Evans, whose organization hosted the event.
“Tennessee Promise is the most valuable workforce development tool we have right now,” Evans said. “The job market is much more competitive now, and that is going to result in an increase in wages.”
“Any time we increase someone’s education, it’s about improving the life of that person,” said Columbia State Community College President Dr. Janet Smith. “I think both programs have said to Tennesseans that education is important.”
Students who attended the event received an additional entry into the Strive to Drive program, a contest offered by Columbia Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram that gives a free car to a random high-achieving Maury County student every year. More than that, however, they learned about ways to transform their lives using the vehicle of Tennessee Promise.
“It has changed the college-going culture in this state,” said tnAchieves Director of College Access Amanda Bolden. “In one year, our college-going rate increased by more than the last seven years combined. On a national level, it has brought Tennessee to the top of the conversation.”
“Seeing my niece, a first-generation college graduate, be part of Tennessee Achieves – to see that financial burden lifted off her so she could focus on her goal resonated with me,” said Spring Hill Middle School Principal Shanda Sparrow.
The panel’s conclusion: Tennessee’s tools for student achievement are more accessible than ever.
“Education is the key to success, and this program tells every student that they can get higher education no matter what,” said Columbia Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Owner Eddie Collier. “People are amazed that Tennessee is that far ahead of the rest of the country when it comes to free college education.”
“I am watching an entire community rally around the idea of hope,” said Mount Pleasant High School Principal Dr. Ryan Jackson. “We’re breaking down barriers and giving unfiltered access to education.”
About Maury County Chamber and Economic Alliance:
The mission of The Maury County Chamber and Economic Alliance is to facilitate business opportunities for Chamber members and create job growth through economic development. For more information about Maury Alliance, visit mauryalliance.com.
About Maury County Public Schools:
The mission of Maury County Public Schools is to provide the educational instruction, tools and environment for every child to succeed in LIFE (Life-long learners, Independent thinkers, Fearless innovators and Exemplary citizens). For more information about MCPS, visit www.mauryk12.org.
List of Panelists
Moderator
