Walmart or Wal-Mart? A correction

Not long ago, I corrected a writer who referred to the world's largest retailer as "Walmart." The correct spelling, I said, was "Wal-Mart."

Turns out I was wrong -- but only in part. For many years, the stores used the "Wal-Mart" spelling, which you can still see in large signs above the entrances to the older stores. (A star replaces the hyphen.) But a few years ago, the company officially changed the name to "Walmart," no hyphen. Newer stores use signs with a star-free, hyphen-free, small-M logo.

Just to complicate matters, the corporate name remains Wal-Mart. And since the "No Black Thursday!" campaign is directed at headquarters, I -- arguably -- had it right all along.