I once attended a lecture by an academic who specializes in Wal-Mart-ology.

He said that for a magazine piece he was doing, he wanted to get a picture of the manager of his local Wal-Mart outside the store (in Iowa). The manager agreed, and the photo shoot was late one afternoon. The photographer suggested it would make a better picture if the store sign were lighted and could the manager turn it on even if it was a bit early?

No, said the manager, that's controlled from Bentonville.

Wal-Mart is one weird place.