Mele’s Musings

Wal-Mart Tastemakers Write Unfiltered Blog

Interesting that they are allowing their merchants to talk freely – I wonder how they (or any other retailer) would feel if the tables were turned?

Article excerpt:   Microsoft is one of Wal-Mart’s biggest suppliers. But that did not stop the Wal-Mart employee in charge of buying computers from panning Microsoft’s newest operating system, Vista.  “Is it really all that and a bag of chips?” he wrote on his blog. “My life has not changed dramatically — well, for that matter, it hasn’t changed at all.” His public burst of candor was not isolated. On the same blog, a video game buyer for Wal-Mart slammed a “Star Wars” film as a “debacle” even though Wal-Mart still sells the movie. Known for its strict, by-the-books culture — accepting a cup of coffee from a supplier can be a firing offense — Wal-Mart is now encouraging its merchants to speak frankly, even critically, about the products the chain carries. 

The rest: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/business/03walmart.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

Musing:    Maybe Wal-Mart has finally learned their lesson - and is allowing transparent communication on the web.  But I can’t help but think that some will find their transparency somewhat self-serving.  I heartily applaud them for the move to openness.  But, if, as the article suggest, the companies they work with already know honestly what the merchandisers think, then I wonder what the real purpose of the blog is? Whadda you think?