• Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, October 11, 2011 12 AM

Talk about scale! Facebook is working with Wal-Mart to help the mega-retailer’s nearly 9 million “fans” more closely connect with local stores. “The effort could perk up sales in a shaky economy,” suggests The Los Angeles Times. Wal-Mart is looking for ways to appeal to its low- to middle-income shoppers on tight budgets as they wrestle with higher gasoline and food prices, a housing slump, a turbulent stock market and stubbornly high unemployment.”

Per the partnership, Wal-Mart is rolling out more than 3,500 Facebook pages that it says will let customers interact directly with their local store. Wal-Mart, according to LATimes.com, says its Facebook fans have asked to be alerted to new local products, “rollbacks,” i.e., additional savings, and in-store events. Now, fans who sign up with their local store can get exactly that information in their news feeds. Stephen Quinn, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Wal-Mart U.S., tells LATimes.com that retailing remains a "fundamentally local business" and that Facebook has become an important way for the retailer to interact with shoppers.

Read the whole story at Los Angeles Times »