How do you really feel about Wal-Mart? Here’s your chance to express your true feelings — pro and con — about the world’s largest retailer. Write whatever you like in the comments section and engage your fellow readers in the conversation. Jeff Hess: Have Coffee Will Write.

Today is the 81st anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini. It’s also (like I need to tell most of you) Halloween. To mark the occasion, our friends at Wake-Up Wal-Mart are collecting your scariest Wal-Mart stories in the comments of this post here. My candidate for most scary is this one: I just lost […]

From various sources (Marketwatch): …in a move to drive sales during the increasingly competitive holiday shopping season. Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, said it will offer Black-Friday prices three weeks early by unveiling “secret” in-store specials. The company said it will offer discounts on five popular gift items. Wal-Mart plans to reveal discounts on its […]

More than a year ago Wal-Mart announced its $4 generic drug plan and after reading the news this morning I realized that I never asked a question that I should have back then: who is manufacturing the drugs that Wal-Mart is selling so cheaply. From this morning’s New York Times: In January, Honor International Pharmtech […]

Ho hum. Another Wal-Mart applied for and recieved another liquor license from another city. Big whoop, right? I thought so too at first, but then I read down deeper in the Buffalo Reflex piece and stopped to re-read the fifth paragraph. I think that something different might be going on. Lorene Sampson, a Jefferson City […]

A couple of weeks ago I gave Wal-Mart some credit for getting out in front of yet another dangerous toy recall. But they didn’t get it quite right, at least according to the United States Product Safety Commission. After reading the news this morning, I think the commission is being a bit pissy. From MSNBC: […]

Today’s way to Say No To Big Boxes is: find a local event that you can take part in…

Man, I can’t believe I’m writing about the Eagles again, but this album seems to be the perfect metaphor for all things Wal-Mart. This is from yesterday’s press statement announcing the release of the album today: “Long Road Out of Eden” reflects the band and Wal-Mart’s shared commitment to environmental sustainability. The album packaging features […]

A free copy of The Funny Times landed in my mailbox yesterday. I was an early reader, but I let my subscription lapse during a period when money and reading time were tight. I was pleased to see that the monthly still gives Americans something to laugh with. Like an essay from Barbara Ehrenreich entitled […]

Sam Walton saw that Wal-Mart was good. He created the florescent lighting. He created the hard tile floors. He created the Chinese laborers to create the poisonous merchandise. He created the Tire, the Lube and the Express. Finally, he created Man, for without man (and woman), the cash registers could not ring and bring bountiful […]

Don Henley is a bigger hypocrite than I ever imagined. [Yes, I already admitted I’m obsessed. What are you going to do about it?] This article in the Boston Herald led me to look up the Recording Artists’ Coalition: A Voice for Artists’ Rights. As you can see here, Don Henley is a member. Here […]

Yes, I know you’re tired of reading about Don Henley and the new Eagles album in this space, but we all have to have our obsessions, don’t we? Besides, it’s not like I was planning this post, but much to my surprise Don Henley sat down for an interview with our sort-of local paper, the […]

Have you ever wondered what happens to Wal Mart foods after they pass their expiration dates? A story on Sina suggests that in China the food ends up on the shelf in local grocery stores. Without Wal-Mart’s approval, of course. From ChinaCSR: According to Sina.com, a supermarket in Xiba Village of Beijing’s Chaoyang District is […]

No. I’m not talking about the low, low price for air at Wal-Mart. I’m talking about how many times a day the volume of air inside a Wal-Mart is exchanged with (relatively) fresh air from out side the building. Do Wal-Mart’s even cycle in fresh air? Airlines get grief for not circulating fresh air churning […]

Wal-Mart is a Wall Street publicly traded company. Any consumer can own a piece of Wal-Mart by buying shares using Scottrade Online Services or any other brokerage. Any time I shop Wal-Mart, I am boosting the value of my shares and getting affordble prices. I kill two birds with one stone. It is a win-win […]