Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the largest retailer in the United States with sales of $244.5 billion in 2002, has announced that it will respect customer taste and decency concerns and stop selling the semi-pornographic “men's magazines” Maxim, Stuff and FHM. Company spokesman Melissa Berryhill said Wal-Mart is “listening to our customers and associates.”
The chain's role as a purveyor of pop culture “seems to be in an evolutionary stage,” according to the New York Times. Although Wal-Mart is a major seller of DVDs, CDs and other entertainment that could be considered morally questionable, the Times says this is “something not quite defined either by Wal-Mart or its customers.”
As an example of its consumer clout, Wal-Mart “has a dominant position in the magazine publishing industry – selling 15% of all single copies.”
For coverage from the New York Times click here.
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This update courtesy of LifeSite News.)
