It's a Wal-Mart World

Mag publishers fret over Wal-Mart's newsstand clout, but not just for the retailer's prudish views on cover art. Turns out publishers like it when you have to stand around and wait to check out. You are more likely to flip thru a mag and buy it. Wal-Mart, trying to make customers happy, is also embracing self-scan technologies which obviate flip-thru time killing.

Also, Wal-Mart is more than willing to give the magazines' primo checkout location to some other category—if that category is more profitable.