What does the public think about Wal-Mart's dubious claim that it saves the average family $2500 a year? Not much, apparently. According to the poll by our allies at Wal-Mart Watch, 96% of consumers don't believe Wal-Mart's "Save Money, Live Better" hype.

Consumers instinctively know they're being fed spin, and the facts are stacked against Wal-Mart as well. Zenith Management Consulting found 80% to 85% of the items Wal-Mart sells are more expensive than they are at other retailers.

Not only that, Wal-Mart actually reduces the buying power of the average consumer by driving down wages. The National Bureau of Economic Research showed that Wal-Mart's presence in a community reduced the residents' wages by 5%. That's in addition to the all the unpleasant externalities that follow Wal-Mart into town, like gender discrimination, unsafe Chinese products, traffic, pollution, child labor violations, and so on.

Considering the facts, I'm surprised Wal-Mart could convince even 4% of Americans to buy its spin.