Walmart’s Busy Day of Celebration and Interrogation

In between performances by Lady Antebellum, Peter Frampton and One Direction at a Friday morning celebration for Walmart Inc. associates and shareholders, the executive team took to the stage to tout initiatives and “appreciate” the cheering sales associates at the University of Arkansas’ Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. Then, in the afternoon, the Walmart leaders fielded questions from Wall Street analysts. The business portion of Walmart’s annual meeting took place on Wednesday, when shareholders voted on proposals, including one that was presented by Vermont senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, who criticized the retailer for paying what he claimed were substandard wages. Walmart’s public response was to post a story on its corporate web site by the Bennington, Vt. SuperCenter store manager, who wrote, “I’m puzzled by how Senator Sanders characterizes us. Perhaps someday he’ll visit my store in Bennington, and I’ll get a chance to introduce him to the Walmart I know.” Jennifer Garner, the host of the morning’s festivities, did the job with a sunny disposition that belied the early hour — the event started at 8 a.m. Pharrell Williams appeared in a video, praising Walmart’s decision this week to give an additional $24 million, or $5,000, to

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