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One of Wal-Mart's problems is the rise of dollar stores, which the Great Recession has rendered trendy: It's hard to resist merchandise priced at just a buck. For investors, not all rock-bottom retailers are created equal. Here's how to shop for these stocks (and stretch your investing dollars in the process).

Tuesday morning's big earnings report was from Walmart, and the results have been trumpeted as impressive: Profits were up 5.7%. But a closer look at the numbers, and a careful consideration of recent retail history, suggests that the world's largest retailer is a fading giant.

The largest public corporation by revenue is moving into a decidedly low-rent business. Following its usual strategy, the big box store will charge less than competitors when handing out cash. With approximately 9 million unbanked U.S. households, according to the FDIC, this could be big business.

Great selection, low prices, and tolerable shopping conditions have long been recognized as Wal-Mart's winning formula. Fortunately, the company itself is starting to see it that way too. It hasn't been easy to attain, but Wal-Mart's self-knowledge should be good news for investors.

"We will not be beaten on price," says Eduardo Castro-Wright, vice chairman of Wal-Mart Stores and head of the U.S. division. Castro-Wright was speaking to analysts yesterday, trying to reinforce Walmart's low cost message and describing how it plans to cut prices each week leading up to Christmas....

Dollar stores aren't the only retailers hosting weddings these days. According to the Omaha World-Herald, the York, Neb. Wal-mart Supercenter played host to its first wedding last week. Crystal Newsome and Robert Vickrey said their "I do's" in the lawn and garden department amid the greenery of the...

On the heels of a bill-paying service for its customers, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has announced that employees will no longer be receiving paychecks.But wait, it's not as bad as it sounds. In fact, it's quite good.Walmart will be paying all of its employees through direct deposit, and for those who...

Walmart isn't a bank, but it sure looks like one.The FDIC rejected Walmart's attempts to create a bank a couple years ago, but maybe it doesn't matter. After all, you can cash your paycheck at Walmart, and they offer their own prepaid credit card. And now, they've created a bill-paying service.If...

The Better Business Bureau has a beef with Wal-Mart's ad claims that it saves shoppers $700 a year. It's been asked to stop running the ads and this little story (subscription required) found in the Wall Street Journal today is an opportunity to shine some light on how retailers assess and set...

Lost your job? Work at Wal-Mart. Stop cringing. In a market with rising unemployment, the world's largest retailer is getting even bigger and it's going to need help. Wal-Mart plans to add 22,000 employees in the next year to staff new domestic stores. This is a lower number than 2008, when the...