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In Memoriam: Wal-Mart Blog Dies Slow, Quiet Death

Check Out, we hardly knew ye.

Remember Wal-Mart’s Check Out Blog? The one that the New York Times gushed over back in March? The rowdy band of nine fearless buyers Wal-Mart unleashed to conquer the blogosphere with unfiltered wit and opinion? The birth of Check Out was a time of youthful idealism: finally, a corporate blog where ideas could run free, and highly paid marketers could say what they truly felt. The future looked bright.

But less than a year later, Check Out is dying.

We’ve counted three posts on the site in the last 36 days. The few posts tend to be either on video games or apologies for writing so few posts.

Blogger Susan’s last entry reads:

Just wanted to apologize for being out of touch for the past few months! Of course I have a reason...I was recently promoted to the Merchandise Manger over the Video Game and PC software categories. I have been busy learning my new role and feel terrible that I haven’t posted anything as of late.

Russell has also stopped writing, leaving the simple, homespun world of Check Out for the bright lights of more exciting things:

But, let me tell you blogging is hard work. Anyone that consistently maintains any type of online commentary is to be greatly commended. It isn’t so much finding time to post, for me. It isn’t even writer’s block. The problem is finding a compelling story to tell, one that I think other people would find interesting.

And Tifanie echoes Russell’s sentiment, sadly solidifying Check Out’s ghost town status:

I feel Russell’s pain on the blog front....if you would like to know something specific or have an interest you would like me to expound upon, feel free to make the request; otherwise, you will be subjected to my ramblings.

Most sadly though, sustainability guru Rand Waddoups has been missing in action since mid-July. Perhaps he got moved back to salty snacks and has secluded himself for months, racking his brain to invent the greatest Wal-Mart-exclusive salty snack of all time. (Rand: just let it go, it’s already been done.)

Meanwhile, the rest of us are left to mourn the loss of yet another Wal-Mart social media project. We can only hope another, similarly misguided replacement will come along soon...

Posted by Media Team on Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Click Here for a Printer-Friendly Version

COMMENTS

BLOG DIES SLOW, QUIET DEATH

I wouldn’t get too smug if I were you Media Team. If you continue to allow the comment section of this blog to deteriorate through inattention Wal*MartWatch may soon follow CheckOut.

How difficult is it for someone to browse the comments, deleting spam and unacceptable posts and keep the blog pages in order?

You’re giving union labor a bad name.

The Walmart mentality propagates the idea that more crap will make us happy. ~ Phil Butler

Ken V in Texas
Wednesday, September 17 at 04:18 PM

Getting people to post is hard. It is much easier for them to post pot shots at other’s writings.

We at the Writing on the Wal have been soliciting new contributors for the past month or so, many have indicated a willingness, but haven’t come through when it came time to put pen to paper.

If you would like to try to write about Walmart (pro or con) you can contact Jeff Hess at the site and discuss what would be involved.

I’m not surprised that shoppers run out of things to say fairly quickly. How much can you say about toothpaste each week?

robertdfeinman in Long Island, NY
Thursday, September 18 at 10:18 AM

We at the Writing on the Wal have been soliciting new contributors for the past month or so...

The Wal has no bandwidth, Robert.

It seems your account is currently using too much CPU / Memory time. However, you still have access to:

Webmail / Email
cPanel Control Panel
FTP access
and other vital services…
Please note: that this page will be automatically removed as soon as the load decreases for your site.

What load?

Ken V in Texas
Thursday, September 18 at 11:42 AM

Well, the only real way to fight for Wal*Mart to live up to its responsiblities as the ZNations larges private (non government) employer is to hit its stock price. Right now we are all talking (blogging to a Wall). After the next 12 weeks we’ll be calling Wall Street, “Wal*Street”. BTW the same group who helped bring the banking chrisis upgraded Wal*Mart’s stock today..
Things that make you go hmmmm.....

Bobby in someplace else
Thursday, September 18 at 01:07 PM

its the same old tired fools like ken v screwed by ddrb and mr feinmann on here all the time jane included that post the same old tired united food and commercial workers union untrue and unproven bullcrap on here.thats why this wmw site is dying and is so full of bs and picks at straws.

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