Wal-Mart spokesman Philip Serghini said the company "continues to look at store sites throughout New York City," but declined to talk specifics.

He called Wal-Mart opponents "a small minority of special interests" and said they "stand in the way of more choice, greater savings and quality job opportunities for the borough's working families."

Wal-Mart already has considered sites in other boroughs that haven't panned out - first in Rego Park, Queens, last year, and later on Staten Island, and in Harlem and Flushing, Queens.

"We have people in all five boroughs watching for signals - and the strongest signals are coming from the Bronx," said Bill Talen, aka. Reverend Billy, the theatrical persona he uses when staging protests against Wal-Mart and other corporate giants.

At a performance Wednesday night at St. Mark's Church in the East Village, the crowd cheered when he shouted, "We want to keep Wal-Mart out of the Bronx," and his choir sang a mock hymn, "Back Away from the Wal-Mart, Back Away."

Wal-Mart's opponents wonder why the retailer was allowed to join the Bronx Chamber of Commerce - whose bylaws limit membership to companies located in the five boroughs.

Chamber chief exec Lenny Caro said he wasn't in charge when Wal-Mart joined - and the Chamber board is scheduled to vote today about terminating the membership.

Also, activists contend the retailer's trying to make friends by spreading money around.

"We fear Wal-Mart is giving - and will keep giving - money to create support for itself," said Matt Lipsky of the Neighborhood Retail Alliance.

But one organization's leader vehemently denied that his group's gotten any dough.

The New York Statewide Coalition of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce hosted a procurement seminar for Wal-Mart last winter - but was not paid by Wal-Mart to do so, said Frank Garcia, the coalition's president. And Wal-Mart did not pay for the group's evening reception at an Albany legislative event in April, he said.

"People are spreading rumors about me," Garcia said.