OK, so Forrest Gump didn’t really invent the Smiley Face, but there was an ad agency guy who did and he forgot to copyright the image. Now the Bentonvile Behemoth claims it has exclusive rights to use the happy little guy in retail settings. From The Washington Post: Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which uses a yellow [...]

First, let me state that I recognize that my wife’s picture of these two porkers from the village of Viscry in Transylvania is in no way novel to people who live on a farm, grew up on a farm or perhaps simply aren’t a child of the suburbs like me. Second, let me also state [...]

If you don’t know, Wild Oats is an organic grocery chain based in Boulder, Colorado. They’re big, but not nearly as big as Whole Foods and certainly nowhere near as big as Wal-Mart. Today, the Rocky Mountain News interviews their CEO, Perry Odak. Knowing (as regular readers of this blog surely do by now) that [...]

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. today announced the first beneficiary of its private equity fund investment Siméus Foods International Inc. (SFI), the largest black-owned food processing company in the United States. SFI has been awarded $5 million in support of its commitment to quality products and services. In combination with funds from co-investors, a total of $20-$25 [...]

Dispite the smiley face, US businesses have no sense of humor, especially Walmart: LA Times Story Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which uses a yellow happy face to try to put its shoppers in a carefree mood, is saying — with a straight face — that it has exclusive rights to the familiar image, at least among [...]

Those of you who saw Robert Greenwald’s fabulous Wal-Mart documentary probably remember the part near the end of the movie, where he interviewed victims of crime in Wal-Mart parking lots. While that segment was inspired by Wal-Mart’s well-deserved reputation as a crime magnet, nobody has ever done a systematic study of the crime problem at [...]

Thanks to The Blast Furnace for the heads up on this weekend’s America@Work event at Cleveland, Ohio’s I-X Center. The show features 100 percent American, union-made products with plenty of giveaways. Admission is free but parking is $8. Jeff Hess: Have Coffee Will Write.

I don’t think anyone has yet tried to use eminent domain to prevent Wal Mart from building a store in their community but that is what Hercules, California, has done. The town wants to snatch 17-acres of undeveloped land away from the Bentonvile Behemoth. I certainly hope this doesn’t become a trend, but this is [...]

From the NY Times advertising news section: Article Wal-Mart is hoping new ad campaigns will help the retailer reach higher-income customers who will stay in the stores to buy more than just household staples like laundry detergent. Wal-Mart is also pushing into urban markets, and wants to attract sophisticated city shoppers. I hate to give [...]

Reader Peter Stinson has taken up the No Wal Mart Photos gauntlet and created a new flickr pool. The pool is open to anyone who wishes to add photos taken either inside or outside of a Wal Mart Do you have a favorite? Jeff Hess: Have Coffee Will Write.

Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, is pushing into organics with a vengeance. Who stands to benefit? Organically-inclined consumers because of Wal-Mart’s price-busting mentality. Wal-Mart is doubling its organic food offerings this year and will also launch organic baby clothes and back-to-school T-shirts. Who’s should be very afraid? Competitors like Whole Foods (Research), Wild Oats (Research) [...]

Two groups, Wal-Mart Watch and Sprawl-Busters, have teamed up to create an online toolkit for community groups opposing the giant discount retailer. The site, called Battlemart, features everything a local activist needs: grants (to start a citizens’ group), reports on the economic impact of a Wal-Mart (to be submitted to a local city council), the [...]

More examples of the Walmart PR charm offensive: Guess Who’s Got His Back? In that sense, Sam’s Club is an oasis within the harsh climate of Wal-Mart. At Sam’s, the very qualities that make Wal-Mart such a formidable competitor — its size and hard-nosed negotiating tactics with suppliers — have been unleashed on behalf of [...]

I first read this interview with author Charles Fishman when it came out a few weeks ago. Fishman, is the author of The Wal-Mart Effect, a great book which poses the no-longer novel concept that Wal-Mart’s low prices come at a cost. Unlike a lot of other people who have made this point, Fishman digs [...]