Wal-Mart -- or is it Walmart? -- tries to shed its hyphen

At the end of its second-quarter earnings release, Wal-Mart dropped a bomb on the business community. Henceforth, the big-box behemoth would no longer be called "Wal-Mart," but rather "Walmart" -- or, as they've put it on their signs -- "Walmart*." Although the star is optional, the hyphen, or lack thereof, is not: Wal-Mart is no more.

Actually, they made the change a year ago and, as a commenter on a recent story pointed out, I am guilty of missing the boat on this one. For years, I relied on Wal-Mart for groceries and batteries, spackle and tires. Old habits die hard, and I was slow to adopt the new name.