Walmart’s Holiday Image
This is my hypothesis about the world’s largest retailer, as we enter the critical shopping season and consumers are deciding where they prefer to press the flesh to dispose of their smaller annual incomes. Much like dogs resemble their owners, I believe Walmart shoppers resemble the brand image of the retailer — an image it would rather shed. 
Walmart — bellwether to our future optimism on life, the economy and a kinder, gentler nation — reveals to me that despite its efforts to soften its brand identity, the retailer still struggles to redefine itself with the broad public. A recent series of Black Friday encounters at its stores across the country reveal a personality trait that is a legacy of the iconic brand: cutthroat behavior in pursuit of the lowest price. One incident involving pepper spray occurred in the Los Angeles area, before we could completely digest our Thanksgiving turkey. According to a story filed by the Associated Press, a woman fired pepper spray into a crowd at a San Fernando Valley Walmart, creating chaos and injuring up to 10 people in the resulting scuffle. Meanwhile, across the country at a Walmart in upstate New York, two women were injured and a man was charged after a fight broke out inside the store, according to the news report.
Interesting fact: both of these particular incidents occurred in stores that Walmart positions as upscale. Unfortunately, the behavior does not seem consistent with characteristics or attributes you associate with an upscale retailer. Of course, we all recognize that Walmart has a long way to go before it can formally be included in that category, but the brand is trying hard to move, if ever so slowly, toward that direction. Maybe it’s time to develop a customer behavior brochure to go with store receipts that express expectations the retailer has of its shoppers. Attention shoppers: Help us clean up our act.
The reality is that Walmart has so well defined itself as the lowest priced retailer that we should not be surprised by news reports of somewhat violent behavior by its customers. Remember the 2008 Black Friday Walmart stampede that resulted in the death of one of its employees? After all, the company developed its own behavior profile over a prolonged period prior to 2008 by the dubious treatment of its own employees and also of its suppliers, who the giant squeezes in order to get to the lowest price point, even if by only a penny. Walmart’s shrewd brand position sheds like dog hair, and now its customers are wagging the tail of disdain that once belonged to the retailer. In my business, we call this an extension of the brand. However, this brand extension is going in the wrong direction.
Granted, Wal-Mart has close to 4,000 stores, so how can we judge a giant by its toe? Well, in this case, I suggest the initial holiday human display of behavior personifies Walmart precisely. It’s lowest price position over time has created gangrene in the toe, and such an infection may repel shoppers, especially those who put a greater value on their safety and lives than the price savings the retailer may be offering.
As a result, expect the continued saturation of Walmart ads that reflect a fun, humorous, delightful retailer. It’s one approach that may change public perception overall of its brand. Hopefully it also may change the behavior of its customer base, as cash-strapped Americans try to get the most out of their holiday shopping.