BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- With moms on a tight budget this back-to-school season, Walmart announced today it will offer low prices all season long on a broadened assortment of back-to-school and back-to-college essentials including everyday supplies, sporty backpacks and the latest electronics.

According to recent research*, more than half of moms will spend about the same on back-to-school shopping this year with a third of moms spending less. To ensure moms stay within their back-to-school budgets, Walmart’s everyday low prices are backed by an ad match policy. With ad match, Walmart will match any local competitor’s advertised price for the same product, right at the register.

“We know our customers need to stretch their dollars as far as they can,” said Duncan Mac Naughton, Walmart’s chief merchandising officer. “We’re making it even easier and more affordable for them this back-to-school season with low prices on more items along with our ad match policy and a better shopping experience.”

This year, Walmart is making back-to-school shopping even easier with new store improvements. Back-to-school items are now organized, both in stores and online, in one place and categorized by school age group, so families can quickly and easily shop supplies appropriate for their child’s grade. Many of the most common school supply list items are located down the center of the back-to-school aisle allowing families to quickly check these items off their list.

For those who prefer to shop online, Walmart.com offers free shipping to home on a broad assortment of back-to-school essentials such as school supply bundles, calculators, pens, notebooks, crayons and more.

A sampling of back-to-school items available online at Walmart.com include:

• School supply value bundles starting at $10 on Walmart.com only; free shipping to home
  
• Toddler size school uniform bundles starting at $6.47 – (bundle available only on Walmart.com, individual school uniform items available in select Walmart stores); free shipping to home
  
• Toy Story and Cars licensed backpack/lunch bag combo sets – $13 (available only on Walmart.com)

The List for Less

Walmart has everything moms need to find on their child’s school supply list -- whether the kids are starting kindergarten or heading off to college, including:

• 70-Sheet, 1-Subject Notebook (wide or college ruled) – 20 cents
  
• 100-Sheet Composition Books – 40 cents
  
• 150 Sheets of Filler Paper (wide or college ruled) – 75 cents
  
• Inch Economy Binder – 92 cents
  
• 24-Ct. Dixon No. 2 Pencils – 94 cents
  
• 12-Ct. Crayola Colored Pencils or 10-ct. Crayola Markers (fine or broad) – 97 cents
  
• 10-Pack of Bic Cristal Pens (Black, Blue or Red) – 97 cents
  
• 4-Pack of Sharpie Pocket or Tank-Style Highlighters – $1.47
  
• 6-Pack of Elmer’s Glue Sticks – $1.97

Back to Style

For kids who want to add a little pizzazz to their supplies, Walmart has lots of fun patterns and popular licensed products including Hello Kitty, Super Mario Bros. and a new exclusive line of more than 250 themed products from Nickelodeon’s hit show Victorious. Specific items available in most stores include:

• Exclusive “Everything Day Bag” including all-in-one backpack, lunch bag and stationery kit – $13.88
  
• Assorted Victorious products including notebooks, binder clips, pencil pouch, a three-ring binder and more – $1.97 - $2.97
  
• “Sassy Slang” and Hello Kitty assorted composition books and notebooks – $1.97 each
  
• Hello Kitty graphic tees for $7 and dresses ranging from $12 - $14
  
• Super Mario Bros. notebooks at $1.97 and folders at $0.97

Seeing is Learning

Walmart Vision Centers offer free vision screenings in-store and a free 12-month guarantee on all frames. Fun frames include vintage and retro-styles and top brands like Hard Candy and “ECO Kids,” the first optical collection made of entirely recycled materials with a tree planted for every pair sold at Walmart. With Vision Centers located in over 2,500 Walmart stores nationwide, it’s easy to get the convenient, affordable vision care you need. Find your local, in-store Walmart Vision Center.

Tech Savvy for College

College-bound gadget gurus can head to Walmart’s electronics department for tablets, laptops and more all available at low prices every day.

• HP 15.6” Dandelion Breeze Laptop – $548 (exclusive to Walmart). Add a matching sleeve and wireless mouse for bundle price of $578 (bundle available only on Walmart.com)
  
• Apple iPad 2 starting at $499. Color protective pad – $39
  
• Dell 15.6” Laptop – $398. Wireless Onn Mouse – $14
  
• RCA 24” LED Ultra Slim 1080p HDTV – $199. Wall mount – $24 (available only on Walmart.com)
  
• Madden NFL 12 Pre-order online at Walmart.com plus $20 eGift card – $59.96 (guaranteed street date delivery; offer valid on pre-orders only)

For additional back-to-school information including sample shopping lists, back-to-school bundles, tips on hassle-free mornings as well as study tips for new students, please visit Walmart.com/School.

*PriceGrabber’s Back-to-School Shopping Forecast (2011)

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