Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart certainly has taken a step back from its heritage with the revelation that it's removing greeters from the graveyard shifts at its U.S. supercenters, in the first reversal of a 30-year-old tradition that helped define what the folksy chain was all about in its early years.

Wal-Mart has reorganized reporting relationships, putting its U.S. marketing team under the leadership of the chief merchandising officer. Marketing currently operates as a separate group and the move, said Wal-Mart, is designed to improve shopper communication.

Best Buy is hoping to do in the electronics market what other retailers and manufacturers have done in the appliances market — promote energy efficiency. In fact, Best Buy believes this will give it competitive edge against the likes of Wal-Mart and Amazon.

For Office Depot, the problem wasn't attracting shoppers but converting them to buyers. A year ago, the retailer set out to address what it viewed as a core issue: shoppers in its stores had difficulty finding everything they needed and lacked a clear understanding of the breadth of products available. 

Wal-Mart is holding a contest for inventors to compete for a spot on their shelves. The "Get on the Shelf" competition is along the lines of "American Idol," except no one is singing and Simon Cowell isn't there to berate anyone.

Women who refiled a gender discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart have failed to come to grips with the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended their nationwide class action against the company, Wal-Mart argued in a court filing.

Wal-Mart has named Neil Ashe as the new president and chief executive of its global e-commerce business as the world's largest retailer moves to bolster its online presence. 

Wal-Mart unveiled a blog on sustainability featuring posts from Andrea Thomas, the retailer’s senior vice president of sustainability. Called The Green Room, Thomas introduced the blog as an opportunity to “develop into a vibrant conversation about helping people live better around the globe."

Michael Fuller stood in the checkout aisle at a Wal-Mart in North Carolina trying to buy a vacuum cleaner, microwave oven and some other random products which totaled $476. He handed the cashier the fake $1 million bill and awaited his change.

Macy's, Wal-Mart and others continue to get high marks from Wall Street as the busy season draws to a close, while Sears proved that it's really not a jolly holiday for all stores. Wal-Mart's return to layaway helped the world's largest retailer and pressured others.