Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) has plenty of opposition, from union groups to employees to media watchdogs. When issues of employee benefits, pay and overseas sourcing some into the media limelight, many Wal-Mart critics trumpet a multitude of opinions. But, you can only beat a dead hose so many thousands of times. Newsflash: Wal-Mart is not the only company that has these issues, but since it is the largest target, it takes the brunt of abuse.

Now that the holiday shopping season is in full swing, the efforts by some union-backed critics of the retailer have gone into red-hot mode. This time around, the focus is on something relatively new this year -- product safety.

This is something I dedicated an entire column to a few weeks back. Product safety has been in the spotlight this year as recalls involving toothpaste, toys, food items and more have been in the news.. Most of these recalls stem from poor product quality control and Chinese exporters who are apparently cutting safety corners.

Consumers, though, connect product quality to retailers -- not manufacturers. Are there still many dangerous products sitting on Wal-Mart shelves at this very instant? That's the fear campaign WakeUpWalMart.com is pushing this holiday season, and radio ads will be running this month with TV ads in December. Spokeswoman Sharon Weber rebutted by stating "Our commitment to low prices is never at the cost of safety. Product safety has always been and will continue to be a top priority."