ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK, May 6 — Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has pulled the men’s magazines Maxim, Stuff and FHM from its shelves, deeming them too racy for its customers. The retail giant made the decision after hearing opinions from customers and associates, Melissa Berryhill, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman told The New York Times in Tuesday’s editions.
The halt in sales is part of a series of moves by Wal-Mart to pull back on items that it considers too risque. Maxim, Stuff and FHM often feature starlets posing on the cover and in layouts with little clothing.
In the past, the company has been pressured by Christian groups over its distributing certain magazines. Wal-Mart can account for up to 15 percent of all single copy magazine sales. But Wal-Mart accounts for less than three percent of newsstand sales for Maxim and Stuff, said Stephen Colvin, president of Dennis Publishing which owns both magazines.
“I don’t think that these decisions are often rational; they are subjective. For any men’s magazine to put a woman on the cover seems a bit troubling to them,” he said.
Oy, those fundies...
