It’s been a busy week in Wally World: the Universe’s source of cheap plastic crap. On The Writing On The Wal — the blog USA Today says should be on its readers’ radar — Jonathan Rees and I continue our work dedicated to drawing back the curtain on the Bentonvile Behemoth’s corporate disinformation and other flackery.

RED LINING REDBOX… Back in December I wrote about the possibility that DVD Kiosk operator Redbox was sourcing new DVD releases through Walmart to do an end-run around distributor restrictions. Frankly, I didn”t take the threat seriously, but it looks like Walmart (and Target) has. Keep reading…

LI AND FUNG ARE WHO EXACTLY…? I”ve noticed in recent weeks a trend of very short, very esoteric financial news items appearing concerning Walmart”s business outside of the United States. To someone with an MBA or other business/economic degree these pieces probably make perfect sense.
Keep reading…

ARE YOU A TRADE-DOWN WALMART CUSTOMER…? There is a management shake-up at Walmart with the creation of three regional fiefdoms in the United States, each with its own president and management structure. The presidents are: Raul Vazquez, West Rosalind Brewer, South; and Hank Mullany, North. Keep reading…

AT THE WALLY PLEX… There are sound stages on Hollywood”s back lots smaller than Bentonvile”s behemoths, so it”s no surprise that budding video talent has been sneaking cameras in at odd hours. And now for the midnight show at the Wally Plex featuring makemagazine. Keep reading… Note, this was post No. 5,000 for The Writing On The Wal.

FEELING THE PAIN OF WORKING AT WALMART… I worked discount retail through high school and college and I moved a lot of heavy materials, most often lots of 32-pound cases of paint, on a regular basis. I managed to stay healthy and uninjured. The Las Vegas Badger isn”t quite so fortunate. Keep reading…

KISSING THIS FROG CAN KILL YOU… The latest Walt Disney animated feature is The Princess And The Frog, the first such feature for Disney starring African Americans. Producig films and charging admission to theaters is only a part of how entertainment corporations collect money. Keep reading…

NOW THIS WOULD BE FUN…! Back in high school I can remember students paying a dollar a swing to take a sledge hammer to a clunker as a way of raising money for some good cause. I think these folks in Collinsville, Illinois missed a real opportunity. I”d have paid a few bucks for this. Keep reading…

HOW TO SUCCEED IN AMERICA… If you want to be rich, really, really rich in America, the first step is to marry into a wealthy family. Married niece of Sam Walton, check. Next you have to learn how to go on corporate welfare so that tax payers finance your personal wealth. Keep reading…

WALMART, LI AND FUNG… I wrote earlier about Walmart”s announcement that it had agreed to a strategic alliance (don”t you just love the geopoliticalness of that phrase?) with Hong Kong based Li & Fung. More information is coming out as analysts consider the ramifications of the deal. Keep reading…

Share on Facebook