The return of 'Action Alley'? Walmart welcomes back the clutter

For those of you enjoying Walmart's recently de-cluttered stores, those aisles may soon be getting narrower, once again.

The In-Store Marketing Institute cites sources inside Walmart saying that rollbacks are returning to the aisles. Walmart is turning back the clock, telling buyers they have 30 days to get stores looking like they did three years ago. It's being called the "3/30 Mandate" and indicates that Walmart will reintroduce pallets of merchandise displayed as special promotions in the aisles -- or "Action Alley" -- and focusing less on additional rollbacks throughout the store. It's not so much a reduction in the number of rollbacks, but a repositioning of merchandise.

The information comes from anonymous sources but Bill Schover, editorial director of the In-Store Marketing Institute, tells WalletPop he's received calls confirming the news item. Anonymously, of course.