Crayola and Wal-Mart Make Back to School Supply Shopping Simple.

Teacher Consultants Provide Expert Back to School Shopping Tips During Tax-Free Weekend at Florida Wal-Mart Stores on Aug. 4

EASTON, Pa. -- For moms, finding the right box of crayons and the correct marker colors for her kids to take back to school can be just as stressful as finding the perfect black dress. But back to school shopping shouldn't be nerve-racking. It should be easy and fun which is why Crayola and Wal-Mart have joined together so every child heading back to class on the first day of school is equipped with the right teacher-requested school supplies and is "dressed for success" for a fantastic school year.

To help erase the stress of back-to-school shopping, Wal-Mart and Crayola have enlisted the perfect back-to-school shopping consultants -- school teachers -- for the thousands of parents who will be stalled out in front of a sea of school supplies in need of help. Who better to help shoppers tell the difference between a fineline and broadline marker, or explain how an erasable highlighter works than seasoned teachers who use these products in their classrooms and created the school lists that everyone shopping for supplies enters the store with?

"The frenzy and pressure related to buying back-to-school supplies is very much like holiday shopping. It's all about finding the "must-have" supplies on school lists," says Nancy DeBellis, Crayola director of education. "Wal-Mart and Crayola know the stress this puts on parents, which is why we joined forces to simplify the experience."

From Noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4, teachers sporting special green Crayola aprons will be assisting shoppers in the back-to-school section at nearly all Wal-Mart stores throughout Florida. Their role is to help shoppers locate the correct items on their child's school lists and provide their expert opinion on any of the products they are considering that offer high quality and great value. These local teacher "consultants" have the expertise to help parents make smart decisions on products to better prepare their child for a successful school year. Stores hosting teacher consultants can also be found through the retailer's www.livebetterindex.com web site. And if parents need a copy of the school list for their child's grade, each local Wal-Mart store works with their school district to provide school supply lists in a display in the front of the store for convenience.